They are trying to write OUR narratives. They tell us what we should care about.
They tell us to pay attention to issues that have little actual consequence to our daily lives.
They throw fear and hate into our faces, keeping us afraid and controllable.
These issues are distractions put into place to keep us from speaking up about and fighting for what REALLY MATTERS TO US.
No Ohioan should worry about the cost of a co-pay, an insurance premium, or the price of a medication. No Ohioan should delay care due to cost. More options and more affordability are dire needs. Ohioans should have the choice to purchase a Medicare plan. Read more...
There is no good reason Ohio cannot be leading the Midwest in quality manufacturing, technology, & agricultural jobs. The world needs products that hardworking Ohioans have the ability to produce. We simply need to adapt to stop being left out of the world economy. Read more...
In America today, no one is safe from the threat of gun violence. Responsible Ohioans have a right to own guns, but the epidemic of violence due to the availability of assault weapons is threatening that right. Read more...
Taxes provide valuable services for all Ohioans. However, not everyone is paying their fair share of taxes. No one making less than $100,000 should have to pay income taxes. The deficit of this can be more than made up if those who make more than $1,000,000 paid their fair share. Read more...
Ohioans are victims of a greedy pharmaceutical industry that created a deadly epidemic. Ohio leaders need to stand up to big pharma so something like this never happens again. Meanwhile, we need to save our citizens through free, locally available harm reduction, substance use treatment, and mental health programs. Ohio can recover from this.
Every Ohioan has the right to a quality, affordable education. Post-high school education, including trade schools and universities, should be available to everyone without the burden of crushing debt. Every Ohioan should have the opportunity to join a job corp after graduation that will pay off loans and provide much-needed public services.
The dysfunctional healthcare system in America affects more Ohioans than any other issue. Nothing else even comes close. The current system of private insurance, large for-profit healthcare systems, and massive drug companies is dangerous, unethical, and cruel. These industries have been working together for decades to inflate costs, evolving into a monster whose sole purpose is to take in as much profit as possible. This has left Ohio families just inches from crippling financial hardships and in many cases, quite literally, death.
We live in the greatest country in the world. There is no excuse for a person to have to choose between feeding their children and paying for inflated medical bills.
No Ohioan should worry about the cost of a co-pay, an insurance premium, or the price of a medication. No Ohioan should delay care due to cost.
Current leaders tell us that universal healthcare is not financially possible. They try to frighten us by saying we cannot have excellent healthcare and provide care for all. This is SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
Politicians will tell you this because they personally own stock in drug companies, have big donors from the insurance industry, and have been told by their party leaders to "leave it alone" because the cash cow is too wealthy to ignore. Follow the money, and it will lead you to lies about "death panels," threats about "the loss of drug development innovation," and tall tales about "waiting lists."
Americans are smart and innovative. Fixing the healthcare system is doable. We simply need leaders who can not be bought and will not give into pressures from wealthy donors rather than fighting for the needs of their constituents. We need to be brave and fix this, not because it will be easy, but because it is the right thing to do.
As a nurse, I have seen first-hand how providing care for all, regardless of their ability to pay, improves the health of individuals and families. Healthy people work. Healthy people contribute to society. Healthy people save us all money by cutting down on emergency and hospital healthcare costs; a fact well-known by doctors, nurses, and researchers.
This is simply a matter of priorities. We have two choices. The first choice maintains the status quo; allowing hospitals, insurance companies, and drug companies to continue to make up their own rules and determine what they want to charge. Our second option is to take control of this runaway train by providing additional coverage options, providing strict oversight of the industry's pricing and finances, and by ensuring that every single Ohioan can see a doctor without fear of bankruptcy.
Providing excellent, affordable care to all is within reach, we simply cannot be afraid to make the change.
Ohio has an incredible workforce who is hungry for meaningful, well-paying work. We need to stop relying on companies looking for cheap labor and tax abatement, and work to support small, locally-owned businesses and companies that want to make investments in future technology – especially green technology like solar panel and windmill manufacturing. The economy is now worldwide, and Ohio needs to corner a market that the whole world can use. New green products are the key – like styrofoam made from mushrooms and electric vehicles.
The biggest threat to the second amendment is the flippant and irresponsible way we allow anyone to have assault weapons. In order to secure our right to own handguns, rifles, and shotguns, we need to stop the sale of assault weapons. No one but military personnel need weapons that are made only for ASSAULT. Responsible gun owners should be allowed to hunt and protect. These responsible gun owners should have licenses and registrations for their property, much like we do for automobiles. This will help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
Tariffs are BAD business policy and a completely outdated idea. We are living now in a global economy and tariffs are no longer a viable policy (like they may have been 100 years ago). According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1.5 million Ohioan jobs are supported by global trade – soybeans being the hardest hit products with $615 million exported to China annually. Tariffs are affecting our farmers more than any other industry. This is bad business.
The truth is simple: the wealthy are not paying their fair share of taxes. And just as President George H.W. Bush claimed, "trickle-down economics" IS VOODOO. It does not work.
Everyone has heard about the "ONE PERCENT" and the wealth disparity in the United States. The average "One Percenter" in Ohio is making $832,000 ($384.62/hour). Meanwhile, the average worker in Licking County makes $815/week and in $760 /week in Richland County.
Billionaire Eli Broad recently argued for a Wealth Tax: "Let’s admit out loud what we all know to be true: A wealth tax can start to address the economic inequality eroding the soul of our country’s strength. I can afford to pay more, and I know others can too. What we can’t afford are more shortsighted policies that skirt big ideas, avoid tough issues and do little to alleviate the poverty faced by millions of Americans. There’s no time to waste."
I believe anyone making less than $100,000/year should not pay any income taxes. If corporations paid their fair share, this is doable. We need to close corporate tax loopholes and stop allowing corporations to play games with their tax returns.
We need to guarantee Ohioans a living wage by increasing the minimum wage. Executive wages continue to grow while workers' wages stagnate. We need to stop leaving Ohio workers behind as their paychecks are eaten up by rising costs of living.
Current representatives in Washington and corporate executives continue to tell lies about the environment in order to protect their investments. It is categorically untrue that jobs are threatened by environmental protections. In fact, we can use environmental regulations to be on the forefront of new technologies. If we invest in using and developing new technology, especially in the agricultural and energy industries, we can lead the world in a sustainable economy with good paying jobs. The only reason Ohio has not moved forward with an idea like this is because politicians have been beholden to coal, gas, and oil companies. While letting Ohioans continue to lose jobs and letting our waterways be poisoned, corporate executives and politicians are lining their pockets.
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