Dispatch:
"I have my own proposal right now," Kasich told reporters after a speech to the Ohio Newspaper Association in Columbus.
"We would outlaw strikes, and the penalties would either be firing or docked wages," the governor said.
Asked what recourse public union workers would have under his proposal, Kasich said, "They have a job. They should continue to negotiate and try to come up with something."
Kasich has only stirred up his rhetoric since becoming governor. He continues to blame Ohio's unions for the recession. (FYI: Kasich was a vice president at Lehman Brothers. This is the same Lehman Brothers that went bankrupt and caused the collapse of Wall Street. Kasich's ties to the state helped introduce Lehman Brothers big shots to the public retirement fund managers in Ohio. The state retirement systems lost $400 million when Lehman declared bankruptcy in the fall of 2008.)
Here is a view from someone who represents workers in Ohio. Tribune-Chronicle:
...Debbie Bindas, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 8 representative, said the proposed legislation - Senate Bill 5 - treats public workers like they are not part of the community. Council 8 represents city, county, township and health care workers for the entire state of Ohio and is one of three AFSCME branches in the state.
"I think the Senate is barking up the wrong tree. I think there are more important issues in Ohio regarding the economy, and it's called unemployment," Bindas said....
....''Public employees touch every aspect of our life, from treating the water we use to make our morning coffee to inspecting the restaurants where we eat on the weekends," Bindas said....
Bindas does raise an important point. Kasich has done nothing to address unemployment in the state. He seems to be putting all the blame on the public employees, and not the investment bankers who started the ball rolling into the great recession. While feeding their own greed, taking risks with other people's money, the actions of the Wall Street bankers caused massive layoffs, bank failures, the loss of retirement funds, and a massive economic downtown. But then again, why would Kasich blame them?
When Kasich was in Toledo, he spoke to the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. Here is something he said that strikes me as being odd, considering his attacks on teachers, state employees, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees.
FoxToledo:
....The Governor fell short of offering many solutions for change. He did, however, tout his 'Jobs Ohio' plan as a way to bolster business and reduce unemployment. The plan would essentially privatize the Ohio Department of Development and create a new, private Economic Development Board for the state.
Kasich said, "Because you get smart people in business who are talking to people in business and convincing them this is a great place to do things and can talk to them about there [sic] needs so we can respond to them."
What does Kasich mean when he says, "Because you get smart people in business..."?????
Does he mean that only business people are smart?
How does that make you feel that the governor of the state seems to think that business people are smarter than teachers and public employees?
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Do you want some good news?
The Lantern:
A new proposal will extend consumer protections outlined in President Barack Obama's health care law to students purchasing health insurance plans through their college or university, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in a conference call Wednesday.
Steve Larsen, director for the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the department, said the proposed regulations would prevent university and college insurers from:
• denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions to students age 19 or under
• placing lifetime limits on health care
• dropping coverage due to an error in paperwork
• using less than 80 percent of revenues generated by premiums on health care
"One of the most vulnerable groups of Americans in our old health insurance system is young adults," Larsen said.
This is why President Obama's health care reform law is so important to young people. Make sure your elected officials know that you support President Obama's health care law.
{Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) needs to hear from you.
Tell him you support the President's health care reform:
Phone: (614) 299-6415 Fax: (614) 299-9601
or Email: https://stivers.house.gov/contact-me/email-me }