Buckeye RINO

You see the title of this blog post?

I really mean it.

“But wait a minute,” you might protest, “didn’t Republican domination of the Ohio General Assembly for years and years and years bring Ohio to it’s knees long before the Democrats seized the Ohio House?  Isn’t that the reason why the Democrats have the majority in the Ohio House now?  Weren’t Ohioans fed up with Republican legislative screw-ups in Columbus?”

That is so true.  When Larry Householder and Jon Husted served as back-to-back Speakers of the Ohio House, I was unhappy with the blatantly pay-to-play legislation they advanced just to help them set campaign fundraising records. Pay-to-play legislation only distorts the marketplace, creating a playing field that is not level across all companies and industries, thus making Ohio anti-competitive.  That Ohio’s business climate isn’t competitive with those of other states should be painfully obvious.  As Speakers, they were not fiscally conservative, having ballooned the state budget during the economic boom years that proved to be totally unsustainable during the lean years.  We should have had a state government budget that didn’t bank on an absence of future economic downturns.

I’m also dead serious when I say that Armond Budish, whose middle name might as well be “I’m-for-sale,” has compounded his propensity for pay-to-play politics by further painting state government into a fiscal corner.  The only solutions forthcoming from Democrats are to increase state revenues through imposing greater burdens upon businesses and Ohio residents.

Disastrously, they looked to increase state revenues for gambling, trying to expand the Ohio Lottery without allowing a referendum in an effort to get more people addicted to gambling.  This action emboldened the backers of the devastating casino ballot issue, as they proclaimed, “Morality is dead.  The moral arguments against casinos are now swept away.”  I still don’t forgive Ted Strickland for his betrayal that gave the casino backers such ammunition.  On the topic of gambling, Speaker Armond Budish declared himself to be unprincipled and spineless–a prime target for the lobbyists of special interests–which is partly why I say his middle name might as well be “I’m-for-sale.”

Tax and fee increases to further bolster the gluttonous state government will only further oppress Ohioans and businesses that are already being battered by an economic maelstrom.  Yet, somehow, the Democrats feel that the programs administered by state government can alleviate the plight of the least fortunate Ohioans, thus fee and tax increases are justified.  This is madness.

Under a Democrat governor and Democrat Ohio House, the least fortunate Ohioans are now the prey upon which the casinos will feed (as if the Ohio Lottery hadn’t already harmed them with the false advertising promises that they can get lucky by playing the lottery).  Blatant redistribution of wealth from the least fortunate Ohioans to the to the most fortunate Ohioans, especially to the money pit of those who are gambling addicts, will only increase the overall number of Ohioans who are less fortunate.

Using redistribution of wealth to level the socio-economic playing field among Ohio households only pulls the whole population economically downward.  When thrift and productivity are rewarded rather than punished, thus resulting in increased prosperity, there can be an upward economic lift for the whole population, as the pace of economic activity picks up, along with employment and investment prospects.  Instead of growing the tax rates, Ohio ought to grow the tax base.

William Batchelder, current Ohio House Minority Leader who would become Speaker if the Republicans regained control of the Ohio House, is no Armond Budish.  He is no Jon Husted.  He is no Larry Householder.  He’s more principled than the three prior Speakers put together. He was not a go-along-to-get-along stooge while Husted was Speaker.  Batchelder led a more principled faction that rivaled the one led by Husted.

Batchelder has changed the apparatus for the campaign fundraising of the Republican Caucus.  The Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee (OHRCC) that operated under Householder and Husted is no more.  It has been replaced with the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee (OHROC), and the emphasis is on the work ethic, not on abandoning principles in exchange for donations.

Batchelder better fits the label of “fiscal conservative” than those 3 House Speakers already mentioned.  He sees the punishment of economic success and the redistribution of wealth as an assault upon liberty, itself.  He wants to examine and review each component of state government and fund or defund each according to its merits or lack thereof as part of a budget-cutting effort that will spare Ohio’s taxpayers from being further burdened.

The Republican Caucus in the Ohio House has rallied to support principled efforts, as well, as they’ve introduced a number of bills during this session of the General Assembly that are designed to stimulate business expansion in Ohio, especially through cutting bureaucracy and repealing ill-advised state regulations.  Cutting Ohio’s state government budget will allow for a more favorable tax climate to take hold than Ohio has seen for many many years.

They can hardly be considered the party of “no.”  If they just sat on their hands and voted no on every Democrat bill in the Ohio House, that would be the party of no.  Instead, they’ve been prolific in the amount of legislation they’ve sponsored that rivals Democrat legislation and offers a competing vision.  The Republican Caucus is showing that they are prepared to govern.    They just need a net gain of four more Republicans to retake the chamber.

I’ve often posted guest editorials and press releases here at Buckeye RINO that were issued by Ohio House 58th District incumbent Terry Boose.  We still need Terry Boose.  But we need to add Jeff Krabill in the 80th District, Ray Lynn Brady in the 57th District, Skip Lewandowski in the 56th District, and Rex Damschroder in the 81st District, among others.  I hope to include more information about these candidates in the upcoming weeks, perhaps even guest blog posts from the candidates themselves so that you can hear their messages in their own words.

I’ve often been chastised by the Libertarians and independents for shilling for the Republican candidates.  They rightfully point out that the troubles our government has caused for the citizens have been the doing of both Democrats and Republicans.  Besides pointing out the differences between the current Republican leadership, current Republican caucus, and current Republican and the failed ones of the past, I also need to point out that there are not enough independent or Libertarian candidates for Ohio House for them to capture a majority of the chamber.  The Ohio House majority caucus must either be a Democrat caucus or a Republican caucus.  Those are the two choices.

The Democrats who are currently accelerating Ohio along a downward spiral path are proving to me that they are not the party that can effectively govern during economic crisis.

Boose, with Krabill, Brady, Lewandowski, and Damschroder, are not of the brand of Republicans that followed in the footsteps of Householder or Husted.  Each one of them will improve the integrity of the Republican caucus and the Ohio House of Representatives.  William Batchelder is a capable leader.  I have confidence in them, and I hope voters will also express confidence in them with their votes during this election cycle.