ICYMI: Columbus Dispatch Opinion: “Ohio Republicans Rather You Focus on ‘Kids With 2 Dads’ Than Mountain of Scandals”
April 22, 2022

For Immediate Release:
Friday, April 22, 2022
CONTACT: Cameron Keir, [email protected], 614-506-5413
ICYMI: Columbus Dispatch Opinion: “Ohio Republicans Rather You Focus on ‘Kids With 2 Dads’ Than Mountain of Scandals”
“The GOP does not want Ohioans to think about House Bill 6 as they enter the voting booth.”
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, a Columbus Dispatch opinion column eviscerated Republicans over their attempts to hide corruption behind shameful, hateful legislation ahead of the primary. Ohio activist Kenyon Farrow called out Republican leaders for the introduction of divisive bills meant to distract Ohioans from the ongoing corruption at Mike DeWine’s statehouse. The same corruption that’s costing hard-working Ohioans billions of dollars each year.
“The GOP is selling the most cynical agenda, scapegoating teachers trying to make sure students are academically and socially prepared to live in a world with other people who may in fact be different from themselves, instead of dealing with the mess they’ve left the state after years of supermajorities that they created and are desperate to perpetuate for their own greed and power,” writes Kenyon Farrow.
Read more on how Republicans are attempting to hide the skyrocketing costs of their corruption here and below:
- At this point most people are familiar with House Bill 616, which some have nicknamed Ohio’s “Don’t Say Gay.”
- The bill would ban “any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity” and “divisive or inherently racist concepts and any other concept that the state board of education defines as divisive or inherently racist.”
- In addition to being a cheap and cynical political ploy to scapegoat the LGBTQ and Black and brown people who’ve fought for education curricula to represent the full experiences of people in the U.S. and in Ohio, these bills are really a way to keep the total and utter ubiquity of scandals the Republican legislators are facing out of the minds of Ohioans when they go to the polls this year.
- The GOP does not want Ohioans to think about House Bill 6 as they enter the voting booth.
- Passed in 2019, the bill was a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants and two coal plants—one of which is not even in the state of Ohio—as ostensibly a favor to First Energy, who stood to make $170 million annually as a result (this isn’t counting the $61 million in bribes that were used to push the bill through).
- As of now, five people — former House Speaker Larry Householder of Glenford included — have been arrested.
- Sam Randazzo, who Gov. Mike DeWine’s appointed Ohio Public Utilities Commission chair, was paid $4 million from FirstEnergy. Questions still remain as to what point DeWine knew about the alleged bribe being paid.
- Instead of talking about this, we’re spending time talking about whether kids should learn one of their classmates may have two moms or dads.
- But there is much worse.
- In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Ohioans were dying by the dozens per day and millions were out of work due to stay at home orders, the lack of legislative approved funding for basic internet security and technology upgrades allowed for scammers to file fraudulent claims, costing the state $3.8 billion, and costing hunger and hardship to everyday Ohioans who were out of work and not able to meet their own basic needs.
- Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, who owned stock in United Healthcare gave their Ohio subsidiary (United Healthcare Community Plan of Ohio) the state contract to manage the state’s Medicaid program, even while they’ve been ranked almost dead-last on federal oversight reports and denying the contract of a company that ranked near the top.
- In essence, Corcoran handed $1.2 billion in 2019 alone in funds paid for by Ohioans through taxes to a company ranked low in its transparency and oversight.
- Wait—there’s even more.
- The Ohio Redistricting Commission, which is dominated by five Republicans, refused to sit down and create a transparent and open process for setting new maps to not break communities up and create oddly carved out districts merely to benefit one part or another.
- They would not meet with the two Democrats on the commission and over and over, submitted maps that violated the spirit of the law and gave Ohio voters a big middle finger by creating maps that were heavily partisan.
- The chaos is leading two primary elections instead of one. The mess will cost Ohioans millions.
- These are the issues the Republicans don’t want on the minds of Ohioans when they go vote this year.
- The GOP is selling the most cynical agenda, scapegoating teachers trying to make sure students are academically and socially prepared to live in a world with other people who may in fact be different from themselves, instead of dealing with the mess they’ve left the state after years of supermajorities that they created and are desperate to perpetuate for their own greed and power.
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