Archive for the 'Politics' Category

Senate keeps the sun shining on JobsOhio

May 2nd, 2012, 5:57 am by David Trinko

Kudos to the Ohio Senate, which passed a bill Tuesday applying the same public records rules to the new JobsOhio program as its predecessor, the Ohio Department of Development, has. (Read the story, OH Senate adjusts new jobs agency’s records policy.)

And double the kudos should go to Attorney General Mike DeWine, who expressed the concern in the first place.

I’m not sure how I feel about Gov. John Kasich’s administration’s claim that there was nothing to worry about in the first place. That’s usually how rights start eroding, when we accept that laws will only be used for good.

Public records and economic development can be a messy business. Over the years, I’ve heard countless businessmen say that releasing any information about their project before they’re ready will kill the project. (Incidentally, I’ve never actually seen that happen. Bravado?)

The reality is if you’re working through the state, using taxpayers’ money to lure a company into the Buckeye State, the taxpayers have the right to know what’s been offered, accepted and why. How would you feel, for instance, if donors to a politicians’ campaign received better incentive offers than backers of their opponents? There’s simply no way to hold people accountable for their without access to this type of information.

Some business people will label public records laws as anti-business, which drives me crazy. Every business person is perfectly welcome to work within the confines of non-governmental business development, where the bulk of business is done anyway.

If you want the taxpayers to help you along, you should expect your new investors to at least want to know where their investments go.

Posted in: Jobs • News • Politics | Post a Comment »

Kasich endorses Romney, helps Obama?

April 19th, 2012, 4:40 pm by David Trinko

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced today he endorses fellow Republican Mitt Romney for president. He said it during Romney’s campaign stop at a closed drywall factory in Lorain.

The question here is whether that helps or hurts Romney. Our governor hasn’t been particularly popular in much of what he did, with all negative reviews until he finally hit a 42-42 percent approval rating in a March 28 Quinnipiac University poll. He’s repeated acknowledged he might not be well-liked but says he’s doing what’s best for the state.

He picked a fight with former Republican state chairman Kevin Dewine, who eventually stepped aside for the good of the party.

I know the Republican running for president wants the endorsement of as many Republican governors as he can get. It looks good nationally. I just have to wonder if people here in the Buckeye State are going to see this endorsement as a good thing or a bad thing.

Posted in: Politics | 3 Comments »

Caption contest… Kasich and Obama

March 14th, 2012, 3:35 pm by David Trinko

Share your suggested caption below. (AP photo)

President Barack Obama brought British Prime Minister David Cameron to the NCAA basketball tournament games Tuesday in Dayton. (Read the story here.)

And Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a staunch Republican and consistent opponent to Obama’s policies, sat three seats down from Obama.

So, let’s play a game. Look at the picture above, and share your caption of what it looks like to you.

Here’s my effort:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, right, shows President Barack Obama, left, how doctors should shove away patients if they don’t have private insurance instead of using Obama’s healthcare plan.

Posted in: Politics • Pop culture | 7 Comments »

Primary apathy hits a low in Ohio

March 7th, 2012, 1:56 pm by David Trinko

Aside from a blip in 2008, primary election turnout during presidential election years slid in the Lima area. (Click to see the graphic larger.)

Did you vote Tuesday? If not, you have plenty of company. In the Lima area, an average of 28.3 percent of the registered voters in the nearby nine counties voted in the primary election.

It’s really a part of a disturbing trend, according to statistics from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. There was a wonderful spike in voter interest in 2008, when 42.6 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the primary. But aside from that, things got a little worse for each presidential primary election. In 2004, the average rate around here was 37.7 percent. In 2000, the number was 40.7 percent.

Hardin County had the highest voter turnout Tuesday, at 32.43 percent. It also had the highest rate in 2008, at 51.08, showing those folks are at least taking the time to go to the polls.

Allen County had a 30.67 percent turnout, the second-highest rate in the area, followed by Putnam County (29.47, third), Van Wert (28.88, fourth) and Mercer (27.67, fifth). The dishonor of the worst rate goes to Logan County, where just 25.91 percent of voters turned out.

All this being said, it’s not as bad as it could be. Based on absentee numbers, many area elections board directors theorized turnout might be half of what it was in 2008. It wasn’t quite that bad.

So here’s the big question: Why do you think people are skipping presidential primaries?

Posted in: Motivation • Politics | Post a Comment »

Speak up and vote

March 6th, 2012, 10:08 am by David Trinko

Today is Election Day in Ohio. Don't forget to vote before the polls close at 7:30 p.m., and come back to LimaOhio.com for all the election results tonight. (JAY SOWERS/The Lima News)

While at a conference a few months ago, a presenter was fond of saying, “Silence is agreement, right?”

So it goes with an election. If you don’t speak up by casting your vote, you’re agreeing with the status quo. You’re saying that whatever is fine with the plurality of voters is fine with you.

I won’t be one of those jerks who says you forfeit your right to complain. After all, not voting is a way of saying something about the system, about the candidates. But I don’t know that it speaks as clearly as actually casting a vote.

That’s why I’ll be heading out soon to cast my vote, not just in the presidential primary but on my local ballot. I hope you’ll join me.

I also hope you’ll join me tonight here on LimaOhio.com, where we’ll offer constantly updated elections news throughout the night. As has been the case in the past, we’ll offer live video updates throughout the night starting at 9 p.m. with the latest results. (If you miss it, don’t worry; the short videos will repeat until it’s time for a new live update.) You can also keep up with all the results on our @limanewslive on Twitter, which also streams on that live video update page.

And let’s not shortchange the top-notch work by our crew of experienced reporters, who will be out talking with voters during the day and chatting with the winners of local elections tonight.

We’ll see you then, and don’t forget to vote before the polls close at 7:30 p.m. Let your voice be heard.

Posted in: Politics • Technology | Post a Comment »