Information and Concerns about some of the candidates running for Office in 2010
Much discussion has been made about job loss in Ohio. The Green Party thinks that job creation should be to make better, less wasteful use of resources, including human resources. For example, jobs in insulating homes and reducing toxics in the home are ’green jobs’ as well as jobs in producing energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind. To be competitive, Ohio needs to be using its resources to become more sustainable, not just creating short-term jobs from unsustainable activities like burning our trees or other biomass to produce electricity.
One source of job loss in Ohio has been from the free trade agreements that created unfavorable conditions for Ohio factories. Before NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) companies wishing to move their manufacturing to Mexico for the cheaper labor pool, ran the risk of having their companies nationalized. After NAFTA (1993) was passed, companies were guaranteed in the trade agreement that a nation could not nationalize a company or take other actions to reduce that company’s profits. This provision has been misused by foreign companies in the U.S. to get around environmental law, but also was used by Ohio companies to allow them to safely move to Mexico.
Then Congressmen Rob Portman (now running for Senate from Ohio) and John Kasich (now running for Governor of Ohio) supported NAFTA and Rob Portman went on to be President Bush’s lead trade negotiator. All bilateral trade agreements since that time have contained the provisions which made it safe for companies to move their operations out of the U.S. and into the other county and Steve Chabot (running for Congress in Ohio’s 1st Ohio Congressional District) supported all trade agreements that came up for vote from 1994-2008 when he was the 1st District Congressman.
Dan LaBotz, a Socialist, is running for Senate, many of his views are the same as the Green Party, so you may want to look at information on him before making your decision in this race.
Jean Schmidt, running to keep her seat from the 2nd district of Ohio, didn’t even bother to turn in information about herself to the League of Women voters.
The Green Party exists in its present form due to a directive by the current Ohio Secretary of State (SOS). The Democrat candidate, Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, before marching in the 2010 Northside 4th of July Parade, did express her support to both a Green and Socialist Party member, for the continuation of the minor party status that has been put in place by the current Democrat SOS. No information on this topic has been received by us from the 2010 Republican candidate for SOS. The Libertain Party also supports the continuation of our minor party status.
The Ohio State Board of Education race is an interesting race in part because this is the board which creates policy that governs the local school boards but also because the Ohio Green Party is governed using the district lines determined by this same body. Both the Hamilton County Green Party and the Southwest Ohio Green PAC have decided to endorse in this non partisan race; we are endorsing Pat Bruns, the recently retired art teacher from Colerain High School. We feel that a teacher’s voice is important on this board to counter the ’flavor of the month’ educational reform programs that keep getting put forward by people who are far removed from the day to day work of educating our children.
There is good information on the State School Board candidates in the 2010 League of Women Voters’ “Who and What of Elections.” There are 3 other candidates: one teaches at a Bible College and favors school choice, another brags about her Tea Party endorsements on her web page and the third has a business selling educational “products” and publicly complained at Cincinnati School Board committee meeting in 2009 about Ohio not winning the federal grant money at that (read between the lines) would likely have led to sales to school boards of some sort from her company.
The Judge’s race is very interesting in Ohio this year, because there are many contested races for a change. If you look at the link to information on all 10 judicial candidates who are running for the 5 contested judicial races in Hamilton County you will see that no information is contained about the State wide judicial races. Most of the state judicial candidates are Republicans except that Eric Brown, who is running to remain the Chief Justice and Mary Jane Trapp who is also running for the Ohio Supreme Court, are Democrats.
The most contrasted Judicial Race in Hamilton County is between the recently appointed Common Pleas Judge, Nadine Allen, and the Sheriff Simon Leis endorsed county prosecutor, Megan Shanahan. Judge Nadine Allen has outlined a plan to create additional jail space by NOT filling the jails with people who should not be locked up in the first place which makes more sense than the Sheriff’s proposal to build more jails.
Thanks for considering the enclosed information and for voting.
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