Dear Editor:
Rather than consuming AI generated smear campaigns and fake culture war moral panics that constitute Republican politics, I suggest that we all do a bit of research to determine which party is better equipped to begin working on the affordability crises created by a 16-year Republican supermajority in Ohio.
· Living wage: The federal minimum wage of $7.25 has not changed since 2009, 16 years ago. It falls below the poverty line of $15,650. 80 percent of Ohio workers do not make a living wage.
· Affordable health care: As ACA subsidies ended, millions saw astronomical price hikes in premiums and coverage. Republicans have repeatedly voted down expansions of the subsidies. More premium hikes are on the way.
· Affordable housing: 50 percent of renters (those who cannot afford to buy a house) are spending 30% or more of their income on housing. Poorer Americans earning less than $50,000 spend much more of their income on housing. The average age for first time homeowners hovers around 40.
· A decent education: Between censorship, funding cuts, complicated property tax formulas, the attrition of teachers due to stress and low wages, and the funnelling of money earmarked for public schools to private religious schools, our public school system is a shambles. Higher education, once the gold standard for the world, is in dire straits, with students receiving less and less for more cost.
· Clean air, clean water, and affordable energy. The boom in data centers threatens our very survivability. When the water is gone, it will be too late.
People say that madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.Ohioans deserve better than political theater. We deserve actual solutions.
Democrats believe in an economy that works for everyone, not just the 1%. Vote to give them a chance to turn Ohio’s economy around.
Laurie Finke
Gambier, Ohio