A CALL TO ACTION

As the November elections approach there are issues on the ballot and bills in the legislature which need our attention.  

SB5/Issue 2  

Much has been said already about SB5/Issue 2; it is important that we preserve the rights of public employees and unions to ensure that they have a say in their working environment. We cannot allow firefighters and police to lack the necessary equipment to ensure their own and others’ safety. Teachers must have a say in the size of classrooms if we want your children to get the education required to get and hold gainful employment and become productive members of society. 

HB 194 

When you read this bill, it looks like the State of Ohio is going into the past, creating the equivalent of the old poll tax to prevent the uneducated, poor and elderly from exercising their constitutional right to vote. It is essential that we mobilize to get this bill on the ballot so that the people of Ohio can ensure that all people can exercise their voting rights. Page xxx contains details on the bill provided by the League of Women Voters. Additional information can be found on www.lwvohio.org . 

Affordable Health Care 

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. It was adopted by the 111th Congress. The bill reforms certain aspects of the private health insurance industry and the public health insurance programs, including increasing coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and expanding coverage to over 30 million uninsured Americans. 

    Opponents of healthcare have filed “Freedom from Healthcare” Petitions to create a constitutional amendment that prohibit the government from requiring Ohio citizens to purchase health care coverage. The opponents have banded into an organization called The Ohio Project, which has received significant funding from the Republican party. If this ballot initiative succeeds hundreds of thousand of Ohioan will continue to be without healthcare. Additional information about the ‘Freedom From Healthcare’ Amendment can be found at www.progressohio.org  and www.uhcanohio.org .