Don’t let Ohio suffer Stockholm syndrome this May with Mike DeWine

Written by Brian Lui / February 6, 2022

“Now, I do not have the power to extend an election as I am suggesting…” Governor Mike DeWine

Along with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Richard Michael DeWine misled Ohioans to believe there would be in person voting on June 2nd, 2020. The Ohio Supreme Court sided with the Ohio Constitution and ruled against him.

Instead of abiding by the ruling, he had Amy Acton issue a health order to close the polling places leaving the March 17th primary election in limbo. The legislature would later bail DeWine out by passing legislation that extended absentee balloting to the end of April as well as giving him access to Ohio’s Budget Stabilization Fund. 

What would follow is a summer of daily pressers that often lasted 2 hours where he would take a different freedom each day. It was not important enough to do all at once however. One day would be restaurants, the next daycares, then barber shops, then schools, county fairs, we all remember. The unemployment that followed is but a small part of the immeasurable consequences of his actions. He couldn’t make people wear masks. Instead he used his Bureau of Workers Compensation to put the responsibility on individual businesses to enforce his will or face consequences from the state. In July 2020 he told us that if we all wear masks for “…2-4 weeks we could drive this virus into the ground.” He couldn’t stop there. The pressers would go on, his smirking would continue. 

The problems didn’t start in March of 2020. One of the first things he did after taking office was call for a massive gas tax increase. No audit, no accountability, just tax tax tax. After going round and round with the legislature, we ended up with a gas tax increase. His affinity for taxation blossomed again with his rubber stamping of HB6. In addition to the ongoing bribery scandal investigation, that bill is a tax on every electric customer in the state to subsidize a private company. 

With the primary election this May, we cannot forget what Mike DeWine did to our state. He all but shredded the constitution as he did every legal gyration to try and stay within the lines. It took the legislature over a year to clip his wings. The damage had already been done. The human toll of his actions will resonate throughout our state and with our children for years. He chose winners and losers. Big business won. Small businesses built by families and people with passions lost. 

We have seen enough of what establishment politicians get us. Neither party cares about us, only themselves. This May, we the citizens of Ohio need to remember what the establishment did to us, to our families, our children and our homegrown economy. A message must be sent to the establishment and that message must be “NO.” No more polished, lifelong politicians. It is time for a change, time to break the cycle. 

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LFC comments by Brian Massie, Executive Director

We agree with Mr. Lui on Governor DeWine’s terrible job performance. He lied, deceived and betrayed the citizens of Ohio. It is time for DeWine to retire to the rocking chair on his front porch.

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Categories: Contributors, Free Speech Zone