So many weighed in last weekend in the Toledo Free Press on Issue 2, the ballot initiative to keep SB5, and limit the bargaining ability of public sector workers; that I told editor-in-chief Michael Miller that I felt a bit left out. His response was that if I felt moved to speak out, that by all means I should do so. Never being one to pass up an opportunity to share my views with others (whether they want me to or not), I did as well.
The problem that I face in writing this is that I actually wrote two pieces over the weekend on Issue 2. Not surprisingly, I both held to the same position on the Issue; that it's far past time that we broke the cycle of dependency by public sector unions and politicians in Ohio.
One however, after reading some of rather strongly worded rhetoric, takes a little bit lighter tone on the issue.
With elections on Tuesday however, before you step into that ballot booth, you might want to look over all of the efforts to voice an opinion in the Toledo Free Press.
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On the ballot this year in Ohio is Issue 2, "To Create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to establish and implement standards of care for livestock and poultry.
For many of you this might be a bit confusing, since it appears that there has never been a problem in the state of Ohio with the mistreatment of livestock and poultry, and since Ohio is evidently an exemplary state both in the quality of the treatment of its livestock and the quality of the meat produced. It may likewise seem confusing, since such treatment can should already be handled in the state under the province of the Department of Agriculture.
We are being told however, that this additional bureaucracy is the only way to protect Ohio farmers from the intrusion of the Humane Society of the United States (no relation to your local Humane Society) from lobbying for even stricter control and legislation.
To me this appears to be a Hobson's choice.
I say this because the choice presented is one between creating unneeded state bureaucracy and legislation ourselves, or waiting to see if it is forced on us from an extremely activist animal rights group from the outside. This is like telling someone that you will not allow them to shove you off of the cliff, you will jump instead.
This is a coward's choice. We do not need more legislation, more regulation, and more government in Ohio at a time when the cost of state government is already too high. We do not need to create another level of appointed bureaucracy in this state to legislate and regulate without the knowledge or consent of the voters. We especially do not need to cave in to the threats of outsiders and animal activist groups to correct a problem that doesn't exist.
Let Ohio instead turn down an increase of the intrusion of government in yet another part of our lives. Let Ohio stand up for less government and less regulation. Let Ohio not add something fundamentally flawed to its state Constitution.
And if HSUS chooses to come to our state at some future date in a misguided attempt to push this pointless nonsense upon us, I say "take your best shot, you self-loathing freaks". We will fight to you to the last man and with our last breath rather than make this Coward's Choice.
