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As the country and the State of Ohio limp toward the November elections, voters need to ask themselves: who really has their backs? From where this voter sits, it's NOT the Republican party.
The United States House of Representatives recently passed a bill to lower the cost of life-saving insulin to $35 per month. The bill was opposed by 193 Republicans despite the fact that people with diabetes can pay as much as $4000 per month for insulin. Yet, these same Republicans decry President Biden for what they call "spiraling" inflation.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Legislature cannot find an honest broker to complete the Ohio Supreme Court-ordered redistricting map in time the for primary election. Early voting began on April 5 and while voters can vote for local officials, the State will need to hold a second primary later this summer for congressional and statehouse districts. Who pays for this added cost? The taxpayer pays, of course!
Voters needto make a "clean sweep" of the current Ohio Legislators and install men and women with integrity who will spend their time on the people's business instead of lining their own pockets. The current Ohio Legislature has been called "one of the most corrupt in the nation." As voters of both parties choose candidates for state or federal offices, hard questions need to be asked about campaign finance and the "dark money" that controls far too many representatives' position on the issues.
A good example is the amount of money spent by the fossil fuel industry to support candidates, largely Republican; this money is spent to ensure that the fossil fuel industry continues to receive preferential treatment at both the State and National levels. Meanwhile, respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD continue to plague the most vulnerable: children and seniors.
If there was ever a time to "clean house" in Columbus and Washington D.C. the time is now. The voters of Southeast Ohio are poorly represented by the current office holders and they all need to be voted out of office ASAP. So whenever the next "primary" is held, voters need to ask hard questions and select candidates of either party who truly have the "heart of a servant" rather than a "need for greed".
Teresa R. Porter
Marietta