Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Highlights from My Inbox!

There's so much idiocy going on I hardly know what to rant about these days so here are a few links to keep y'all up-to-date. The best news is that today is the first day of school and I get to pick up Gracie after school because her mom has to work. I'm planning a treat and will prolly play cards and I'll get the lowdown on her new teacher. Cool, huh? I hope Bryce comes by to tell me about his first day in high school. It's a huge school that encompasses our whole city and I hope he does well. High school today is a lot scarier than it was in my day and that worries me.

* Nicole over at Political Ruminations had a great quote on the furor on the Obamas' vacation.

* Nicole also links to Robert Greenwald's the Koch Brothers Exposed and their attack on public education in this country. He's doing a great job.

* Governor John Kasich (y'all know -- the guy we might just throw out) calls Ohio unions divided. That's plain damn lie if my Inbox is any indication. I get updates daily from the AFL-CIO and all I see is solidarity like I haven't seen since I was a kid in Toledo reading my dad's labor publications!

* Speaking of Toledo, my favorite Congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur, is livid and I'm working on transcribing a text version to go with the video. It's not an easy task for a one-handed typist like me but what she's said is so important that I want all of you to be able to see it. Most of y'all will like it a lot!

* We have yet another fight raging in Ohio. It's called HB 194 -- the voter suppression bill. It is designed to make voting in Ohio more difficult and is so convoluted it's a sin. I'm signing on to help. Voting is, in my mind, a sacred right and the cornerstone of our country and our freedom. This bill is assault on that. Here's an excerpt from a letter I received from Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) of Cuyahoga County (greater Cleveland) that pretty much sums up the assault on voting rights in Ohio. I will also join any initiative to throw out anyone in the statehouse who supports it.

"H.B. 194, the Voter Suppression Bill, invalidates a vote where a voter properly marks the ballot in support of a particular candidate, but also writes in the name of that same candidate. It eliminates satellite locations for early voting and dramatically reduces the time allotted for early voting. The bill eliminates the ability of counties to provide return postage on absentee ballots.

There also are items in H.B. 194 that seem to have no other purpose than to directly disenfranchise eligible voters. Under this legislation, poll workers would not be required to tell voters they are in the wrong precinct, and that their ballots are not counted if they vote at an incorrect location. In 2008, over 14,000 votes were not counted because of voting in the wrong precinct, despite current legal requirements that poll workers assist voters in finding their correct voting precinct.

This bill will make the voting process much more burdensome, confusing, and inefficient for voters, poll workers, and election officials. Think long lines and long waiting time circa 2004... it won't be pretty. Since then, Ohio has adopted many reforms, including early voting and absentee voting to decrease lines and encourage greater participation in democracy, most of which will be eliminated by this bill."

* I was invited by The Ohio Democratic Party to their Stand Up for Ohio Rally in Columbus this past weekend. I really wanted go but it's too long a drive for me without staying overnight. I felt badly about missing it so you can imagine my delight when great videos of the some of the events arrived in my email from my young friend Lauren. My favorite is former Governor Ted Strickland speaking very eloquently about the November elections:



I think we need Ted back!!!!

Okay, it's time to settle my blood pressure. Sigh. Should I send the doctor bills to the GOP?

Happy Blogging!

Kay



12 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:44 AM

    Take a deep breath and count to one billion, Kay.

    I can't control the politicians but I can keep them from controlling my health. Hopefully, you can too!

    Good luck!
    Cop Car

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  2. Breathe....just breathe Kay. Think about Gracie.... ~Joy xo

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  3. Being with the kids will help the blood pressure :)
    Hope their first day was a good one for them :)

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  4. If you could send the bill for free, I would say go for it. Bit we all know better than that. I agree with Cop Car and Joy. You can't control what the idiot politicians do, so you have to control your reactions. Take a deep breath and think about Gracie. After all--if they push you into a stroke they have one less gadfly to sting them about their idiocies. We can't have that.

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  5. Every citizen of a state that has been unfortunate to end up with a Republican governor and legislature have a real fight on their hands.

    Arizona is, of course, one of the most visible with the Tea Party mentality passing some really outrageous laws.

    I can't physically protest, but I write and sign petitions (for all the good that does). It takes fighters like you, Kay, to make a difference.

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  6. Anonymous2:47 PM

    You'll never get your blood pressure under control if you have all that on your mind each day. Maybe you can find a friend who's not interested in politics to develop interest in half those issues on your behalf so you can forget about them.

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  7. The assault on voting rights is horrendous. It's hard to believe this sort of stuff is happening, but it is, and not just in Ohio. It must be opposed.

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  8. Wow, you are sure on the firing line where you are. I thought it was bad here.
    Hang in there, girl!

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  9. CC: Trust me when I tell you that I do take a step back when I need to and put it on hold for a bit.

    Joy: If it weren't for Michelle and her kids, I'd have no reason to get up every day.

    LTTS: Sometimes they are. Other days they are a handful.

    Mary: I told my doctor to send my bills to John Kasich. It makes her laugh. She doesn't like him either.

    Darlene: At least you're trying and doing what you can. I wish I could do more. And your governor is on a par with ours -- maybe even worse!!!!

    Goolsby: Thanks for coming by. Last check my bp was okay and I do my best to keep it down. Netflix helps as my personal video library.

    Dick: Indeed it is!!! They've been trying it in Wisconsin, too. And I'm well aware that your governor up there in Michigan is trying his brand of crazy, too. I suspect that the next round of gubernatorial/congressional elections in this country is going to do some needed house-cleaning.
    And I'm gonna help.

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  10. I don't see division in the NEA reports I read and like you, I believe unions are gaining strength from the fight for rights.

    I hope you had a wonderful time finding out all about Gracie's new teacher. It makes me miss that first day of school - a lttile, just a little.

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  11. Kay -- good idea -- lets have everyone send copies of their doctor bills to Congress and Obama. -- barbara

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  12. That H.B. sounds really crazy. I don't remember fellow Buckeyes doing such really restrictive things before. Guess the times and effects of all the trials the Great Lakes states have been going through for so many years has really warped the thinking.

    Do what you can, but take good care of your health.

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