Jim Butler — Rep For Ohio’s 37th District — Explains Why He Voted “Yes” For SB5

With the referendum to repeal Ohio’s SB5 — the bill that changes collective bargaining rules for public employees — there will be renewed interest in the original Assembly debates that passed the bill in the first place. I’ve discovered that the Assembly Sessions recorded on the Ohio Channel are divided according to individual speakers and that it is possible to embed these speeches in your web-site.

I live in Kettering. Here is the representative for my district (OH-37), Jim Butler, explaining his “Yes” vote in his speech to the House on March 30, 2011

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Dennis Kucinich Says Debt Crisis Reveals Lack Of National Will — “We Have The Constitutional Power To Create Money”

Congressman Dennis Kucinich packed his 60 second opportunity to speak to the House of Representatives with some great insights. We need a president who would advocate this POV.

Text of Kucinich’s Comments

“Here is what we should do to avoid default: increase the debt ceiling with no strings attached.

“Here is how to get out of debt: End the wars — save one trillion over ten years. Repeal tax cuts to the wealthy: Save another trillion.

“Medicare for All: End the four hundred billion yearly subsidies for health insurance industry.

“Renegotiate trade agreements with workers rights, human rights, and environmental quality principles: save millions of jobs and billions of dollars.

“The Fed creates money out of nothing and gives it to banks. Why should our country go into debt, borrowing from banks when we have the constitutional power to create money and invest in jobs?

“We can have another New Deal where we put millions to work rebuilding our bridges and transportation system.

“We can have a Works Green Administration where NASA is the incubator of jobs designing and engineering wind and solar micro technologies for private sector manufacturing, distribution, installation and maintenance in millions of homes, saving money, energy and protecting the environment.

“We are the United States of America, the greatest country on earth. We envision wealth. We don’t default. We create wealth. We don’t default. We build wealth. We don’t default.”

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“Health Care Freedom” Amendment Will Be On Ohio’s November Ballot — See Full Text

In addition to deciding whether SB-5 should be repealed, Ohio voters this coming election will have a chance to decide whether the Health Care Freedom Amendment should become part of Ohio’s constitution.Today, the Ohio Secretary of State certified that this Amendment will be on the November ballot.

 

“Health Care Freedom”

FULL TEXT OF AMENDMENT


Be it resolved by the people of the State of Ohio that Article I, Section 21 of the Ohio Constitution be adopted and read as follows:

ARTICLE I

Preservation of the freedom to choose health care and health care coverage

Section 21 (A) No federal, state, or local law or rule shall compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in a health care system.

Section 21 (B) No federal, state, or local law or rule shall prohibit the purchase or sale of health care or health insurance.

Section 21 (C) No federal, state, or local law or rule shall impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of health care or health insurance.

Section 21 (D) This section does not affect laws or rules in effect as of March 19, 2010; affect which services a health care provider or hospital is required to perform or provide; affect terms and conditions of government employment; or affect any laws calculated to deter fraud or punish wrongdoing in the health care industry.

Section 21 (E) As used in this Section,

(1) “Compel” includes the levying of penalties or fines.

(2) “Health care system” means any public or private entity or program whose function or purpose includes the management of, processing of, enrollment of individuals for, or payment for, in full or in part, health care services, health care data, or health care information for its participants.

(3) “Penalty or fine” means any civil or criminal penalty or fine, tax, salary or wage withholding or surcharge or any named fee established by law or rule by a government established, created, or controlled agency that is used to punish or discourage the exercise of rights protected under this section.

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