First Jim Petro unveils his religious fundie-friendly advertisments.
The ad features Mr. Petro, his wife, Nancy, and photos of their children, birth certificates, and a Bible.
“Nancy and I have been married for nearly 33 years,” Mr. Petro says during the ad.
“We are pro-life; we believe that we have to do all that we can to advocate the protection of all life.”
He continues, “We believe that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman that allows for families to develop to become the basic foundation of our society.”
And Ken Blackwell wants to sink the entire education system in Ohio.
Columbus – A proposal that would force public schools to spend more money in the classroom could also push about 100,000 non-teaching jobs – many of them union positions – into the private sector, said a state official backing the idea.
Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell said the jobs would be shifted “from the public sector and off the tax-rolls and into the private sector and supporting the tax-rolls.” Critics, however, say the plan will bust labor unions and lead to reduced wages.
The “65-cent Solution” – a policy goal being considered in 16 states – is the latest brainstorm for fixing Ohio’s troubled school funding system. It would require districts to spend at least 65 percent of their operating funds in the classroom – for such costs as teachers and textbooks.
Ohio’s 612 school districts now spend an average of 55 percent of their funds in the classroom. Adopting the “65-cent Solution” would leave less money to pay for non-teaching personnel, such as cafeteria workers, counselors and some academic programs.
The proposal won’t bring the schools extra money.
Blackwell, a Republican candidate for governor next year, suggests districts do that by cutting the salaries and perks given to school administrators. But because that alone isn’t likely to leave enough cash to maintain non-teaching staff levels at most districts, Blackwell said schools should begin routinely contracting out non-teaching services to lowest bidders.
Opponents aren’t buying it, saying that if the proposal won’t eliminate jobs then it will certainly lead to reduced wages and benefits, including diluted health coverage, for non-teachers.
It’s amazing to me that people still want to vote for these yahoos.