I wanted to link to a story Plunderbund published earlier today.
Gov. John Kasich has been waxing conservative about his JobsOhio initiative, which effectively privatizes the state’s Department of Development. The idea passed in the Ohio House today, thanks to the Republican majority ushered in during the November elections.
Democrats and government watchdogs worry that this concept, House Bill 1, “invites scandal and corporate favoritism because it lacks transparency and accountability,” according to Plain Dealer reporter Joe Guillen. And that’s the fundamental problem here. Kasich’s sweeping brushstroke of privatization is ensured to be exempt from state ethics laws, audits and any sort of public exposure.
On a related note, Plunderbund published a story examining a similar program in Florida – one that’s coming to a disgraced end. Gov. Rick Scott, the newly elected Republican governor of Florida, is moving in the exact opposite direction of Kasich and Co. And given the fact that, once state districts are redrawn, Republican rule will dominate Ohio for quite some time, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any sort of policy reversal any time soon.
The bill will be voted on in the state Senate, where it’s expected to fly through with little Democratic interference.
“The sooner we can breathe new life into Ohio’s development efforts and better focus on job-creation initiatives, the sooner we can begin reviving Ohio’s economy and creating jobs,” Kasich said in a written statement. “The bill now goes to the Senate where I know that equal support for it exists, and I look forward to quick passage of the bill there as well.”
Ho hum, pass the rum.
Sandy 