Let's change topics for a minute..

[R.TOKER]

I understand that most of the topics posted here are related to firearms, CCW etc. Now let's start something new here in Ohio Glockers. In the 2006 elections I voted for: Ted Strickland, Governor; Marc Dann, Attorney General; Zach Space; 18th Dist. Congress.

I want my fellow Ohioans to rate what is REALLY going on in our state. First of all, Strickland has been in office nearly 18 months. Name me one thing, outside of guns, that he has done to help this state from continuing the slippery slide it is on.

Marc Dann is , of course, out because he is an idiot.

Space I give the benefit of the doubt on for his recent ATF bill.

Here are the facts, Ohio once was a political and economic giant, what has our beloved Governor done to turn things around??
I'm open for suggestions.

[Hask12]

Rome wasn't built in a day and a lot of the mess in Ohio, the Governor inherited.
He's has told the FOB to stick it, which is way more then the previous Governor did, and although it's a gun issue, it's huge.
I mean there is a reason you vote these guys in for 4 years.

[R.TOKER]

Let's make sure I understand this...If you come into office that you won because the previous admin. was awful and you inherit a mess you don't have to make at least ONE ATTEMPT to make a change for the better??? Nice, I'm gonna run for county commissioner in my county so I can keep my job based on the previous admin's record. This seems like we have given Gov. Strickland a two-term free pass. Where will we be after 8yrs of his leadership??? I'm playing devil's advocate here, is this how easy it is???

[Hask12]

Well he's about to make CCW in Ohio better in a huge way. Because of that I am more then willing to show a great deal of patience. It's really nice to have a pro gun Governor no matter what party.
What do you want him to change Toker?

[Denied]

Hell 18 months without being charged with a crime or having a sex scandal or taking bribes, sure beats the last guy.

[thiscoplovescoins]

He just hasn't been caught yet

[R.TOKER]

Well he's about to make CCW in Ohio better in a huge way. Because of that I am more then willing to show a great deal of patience. It's really nice to have a pro gun Governor no matter what party.
What do you want him to change Toker?

I would start by changing the anti-business climate in this state. I would also like to see him attempt to shrink the size of the state government. Hundreds of millions could be saved. Counties all over the state are cutting jobs and numerous Sheriff's are laying off corrections officers and patrol deputies. When was the last time you heard of a Trooper being laid off or staff being cut at a patrol post???

[RWBlue]

I would start by changing the anti-business climate in this state. I would also like to see him attempt to shrink the size of the state government. Hundreds of millions could be saved. Counties all over the state are cutting jobs and numerous Sheriff's are laying off corrections officers and patrol deputies. When was the last time you heard of a Trooper being laid off or staff being cut at a patrol post???

Honestly that is not where the cuts need to be made.
I want more cops on the streat.
I want more firemen fighting fires.
I want more service people.

The cuts need to be in the magement side of the gov.
They need to do what some big companies have done and eliminate about half of the middle management paper pushers.

And as one gov. employee told me today, they need to review what the real doers are doing. IF they are not getting the job done, they need to go. AND be replaced with someone who is competent.

[Linda]

I would also like to see him attempt to shrink the size of the state government. Hundreds of millions could be saved.

The Governor is way ahead of you. He did just that back on Feb. 1 with the cut of 2700 state jobs.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/01/budget_cuts.ART_ART_02-01-08_A1_2497O08.html?sid=101

[Hask12]

How quickly people seem to forget. Only four years ago we had a Governor who was anti CCW, and begrudgingly signed into law what many considered the most restrictive CCW law in the country. Two years later it took an override of a Governor's veto to just get State Preemption and to be allowed to carry concealed in a car. Now we have a Governor who has allowed sweeping changes in Ohio's CCW laws, something he said he would do from the very beginning. People are suddenly looking at Ohio with new respect.
There's not a politician on the planet who is going to please all the people all the time. I just think it's refreshing to finally have someone in Columbus who believes that law abiding citizens should be trusted and be allowed to defend themselves during a crisis, and should not have to worry about repercussions when doing so.
Enjoy it while it lasts.

[Gary1911A1]

In Corrections Ted and Terry Collins, the best Warden I ever served under, has cut Middle management. A lot of these people had others doing their jobs and creating work to justify their positions. Almost makes me sad I'm retired now to miss the pleasure of seeing so many nobodies loose their jobs.

[degoodman]

Here are the facts, Ohio once was a political and economic giant, what has our beloved Governor done to turn things around??
I'm open for suggestions.


The governor has only limited power to effect these changes on his own. Until the legislature ante's up and kicks in, he has to play the hand he's dealt. It's not like he can unilaterally just start clipping agencies he doesn't like and comit to mass firings at the rest. Most of the staffing requirements and funding is laid out in the biennial state budget, and once cast and passed, there isn't alot of latitude to monkey with it alot. He did what he could with the 2700 layoffs he announced already. And to get bigger changes, like eliminating agencies and departments, that would take a vote of the legislature to accomplish.

Plus, you have to understand the process somewhat too. Handling the biennial budget is the biggest concern in the state. It occupies probably at least 1/3 of the legislatures total session time, all of it up front. Until the budget gets handled, virtually every other piece of legislative business sits tabled in comittee. Once it comes to comittee, there are hearings, votes, ammendments, more votes, then it passes to the floor, then to the other house for a reprise of the process, then maybe a third pass in conference comittee. It is nothing less than a miracle for a piece of legislation to move forward in less than 6 months start to finish, which means that if you really look at it from an objective point of view, SB184 was put on the fast track through the process.

And this corrosive environment for business, I think that's on the legislature. Tax structure....yep that takes the legislature to change. Education, well unless you're retarded and think that we're going to turn the smoke stacks back on in the rust belt, Ted is doing far more for higher ed to produce the college educated folks we need to work in the service sector, technology and medical fields, which is where Ohio needs to go if we want to climb back up the pile.

And all that while crafting a budget that covers the unfunded federally mandated medicaid programs that he has to pay for, no matter how high the price climbs.

If you're talking about a real turnaround, then Ted is taking the right steps, but it will take time. The economic power you speak of from the past was built on the economic viability of burning ohio natural gas in the glassmaking and rubber factories, and burning cheap ohio coal in the steel mills from youngstown to toledo. The cheap gas is gone, and the cheap ohio coal was cheap because it was high sulfur, and scrubbing it clean to make it burnable and relatively non-polluting means it ain't cheap no more. I'll take the current slowdown to achieve the real turnaround we need to go forward. I'm done with black snow and brown air, which is what our former glory was built on.