Editorial - Ohio Issue 1, Ohio Issue 2, Ohio Issue 3 Vote No Not Yes

By Bruce Kettelle

Vote no, do not vote yes. That statement may sound confusing and a little redundant but it is a lot more clear than the explanations flowing around about this year’s ballot issues in Ohio.

Ohio voters have been barraged with statewide initiatives from special interest groups in recent years. Some want to adopt specific lending or budget plans. Others look to make sweeping changes to the Ohio constitution that usually benefit or limit a narrow interest group. 2009 is no exception.

Why we allow these special interest things to come to the ballot makes no sense to me. Essentially these are last-ditch efforts to pass new rules that were not adopted by the state legislature. Don’t you think there could be a good reason the state legislature chose not to enact these rules?

Issue 1 sounds like a great way to finance a $1,000 bonus for Ohio war veterans. So why didn’t the legislature act? Probably because the proponents did not come up with an adequate way to pay the money back out of the dwindling state budget. For the same reason we should also vote no.

Issue 2 was placed on the ballot by the legislature at the urging of the Farm Bureau and other agricultural interests. Why didn’t they just enact it themselves? Probably because it creates a very narrowly appointed animal rights board primarily controlled by big agriculture companies and groups. This appointed board will create all future animal treatment rules with no input from the legislature. How can that be good? We should vote no.

Issue 3 for gambling gets an F even with a close inspection. Written by the same company that will get to build the only casinos in Ohio without having to compete for that opportunity. They even got to write their own taxation rates that will make Ohio’s one of the lowest casino taxes in the country. The legislature needs to draft sensible casino legislation that creates competitive bidding for operators and sets taxation and oversight guidelines before one of these idiotic industry written issues accidentally passes. Vote no on gambling this time too.

Actually I have not met a statewide constitutional ballot issue in Ohio that I have really liked. Each one seems to suit a too narrow definition. Constitutional amendments should be broad stroke issues that serve the citizens by defining generally what is allowed or not. The specific rules should come after much research from well informed legislators.

Maybe it is time to vote yes to limit the types of ballot initiatives permitted in Ohio. But who will pay to collect the needed signatures?

Election day is November 3rd.