In a desperate attempt to dress a turd, the proponents of SB 5/Issue 2 are running some "Hail Mary" TV spots. These ads focus on two very small facets of the bill, and they hope like hell you've forgotten the rest of it. "Less than full disclosure" is putting it mildly.
One spot has a teacher telling us that SB 5/Issue 2 will "improve education" in Ohio through its merit pay provision. "Isn't it about time," asks the teacher, "that our best teachers will finally be rewarded for what they do in the classroom, and not just for showing up?" (Wait a minute -- weren't teachers overpaid and a horrible drain on budgets? Sounds like this guy wants to pay "the good ones" even more.) As a general concept, most people like the idea of merit pay. That's the reason for this ad. But implementing it fairly is another matter altogether. What is "merit"? Who defines it? Who evaluates performance? John Kasich? And how exactly would this system improve education? It's a guaranteed can of worms, fixing a non-existent problem.
Speaking of Kay-suck, in another spot, the Wonder Guv tells us, "Times are tough. People are tightening their belts. Government must do the same." (The voice-over implies that all our problems have been solved by Kasich's "common-sense reforms".) Kasich speaks: "Issue 2 makes government employees pay 10% of their pensions and 15% of their health insurance costs. It's not too much to ask."
A third ad likewise emphasizes the pension/health insurance angle. A whiteboard shows an Ohio map. A hand with a pen draws a fracture down the middle of the state. The voice-over says, "Ohio is hurting. But Issue 2 will fix our state." (Wow! Just like that?) Two pie charts appear and the hand draws a 10% slice and a 15% slice. The voice tells us this is what public workers are being asked to pay for these benefits, that it's only fair, that many people pay more than this, and these payments will save tax dollars.
Obviously, this little snapshot/snippet of SB 5 polls favorably with lots of people. Again, it explains this ad. A lot of people do indeed pay more than 10%/15%. Your humble correspondent, for one, pays for 100% of his home-made "benefits". But I certainly don't hold a grudge against those who get good benefits via their employer, even if their employer is the government, and even if a union negotiated those benefits on their behalf. Good for you. You go, baby! My job has advantages in other areas.
And isn't it an oddly Socialist position the Republicans are taking? "Quick! Look at this shiny object! Those damn government employees are getting a better deal than you are! What a rip-off! We should all get the exact same thing!" No shit? The same? Well, power to the people! I thought the Big R program was straight trickle-down benevolence and relying upon the kindness of extremely wealthy strangers. (A little Blanche DuBois for y'all!)
The truth is that many public sector workers -- some say most -- are already contributing more than the 10%/15% SB 5 prescription. So where are the big savings? What's the point?
The point is spin. The point is bullshit. The point is tryin' to sell us the same old okey-doke yet again. SB 5/Issue 2 is and has always been about union-busting, but toward that end the Koch/Rove/Kasich power brokers would like to sell us the fairy tale that public workers are the upper-class, an over-priveleged, overpaid elite who don't pay their fair share like "the rest of us."
My diagnosis? A psychosomatic case of "union envy."
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