It's been a long week, and I've kind of had it.

My last nerve was activated when I picked up my local paper on Wednesday to see pictures of the contentious county BOE meeting ... the room was packed with local tea partiers lobbying to make it HARDER for all of us to vote early. "Don't waste our tax dollars on off-site voting." Translate: Let's make sure that ALL of us need to wait in long lines to vote early. These weren't wealthy people ... they are the very people off-site early voting is for. The idea is to make it convenient so that working people will have an easier time voting. But, no, don't waste tax dollars on something that will benefit all of us because ... I don't know why.

The president visited my community last week and stayed in a local hotel. Oh, my. HOW DARE HE! He required SECURITY! THAT COST TAXPAYERS MONEY!!!! He apparently had a motorcade (duh) that inconvenienced people going to work. He sure had nerve (at least that's what I read in the LTTEs this week.) Silly me. I was so excited that the president visited here I sent all the articles to my children living out of state.

In addition to today's LTTE complaint entry about President Obama's visit, I learned that Mitt Romney has EVERY right to do exactly as he pleases with his money. It's his right. Taxes are bad. I also learned (something I read at least 3 times per week) that Obamacare is BAD and will kill business (and the bill is has too many pages). And Representative Betty Sutton hates business and hurts our local economy. (Hello? Remember "Cash for Clunkers"? That was Betty Sutton ... yep, she sure has done NOTHING to boost OUR local economy.)

I see a common thread in much of this .... the divide and conquer that Scott Walker boasted of in Wisconsin. The angry white people are SO afraid that some of THEIR money (which many don't have enough of to live comfortably) might go to someone undeserving (translate: person of color) It angers them that an African-American PRESIDENT gets "special treatment." They are so angry that they are irrational. It just wears me out dealing with the anger every day ... in the newspaper, on the job, and out in the community.

One of the ways the Republicans are working to suppress voter turnout in Ohio is by making it harder to cast a ballot. In 2008, Summit County used an off-site location for early voting, and tens of thousands of county residents took advantage of the convenience and extended hours.

Now, one of the "big issues" is to keep early voting at the tiny BOE, ensuring long lines and parking problems. It will save money, claim the Republican BOE members.

As the BOE has worked to push forward the Republican agenda to make voting more difficult, a small group of "BOE Watchers" began to attend meetings to let the Republicans know that their actions were being seen and noted. Yesterday, the BOE Watchers were surrounded by what I call stupid, angry white people who don't want "their tax dollars" wasted on making voting accessible.

I've included a link to the story in the Beacon Journal. Check out the photos. Look at the dignity of the BOE watchers and the people who don't want THEIR tax dollars wasted. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Easy access to early voting will make it easier for ALL Summit County residents to cast their votes this November.

http://www.ohio.com/news/summit-county-elections-board-deadlocks-on-early-voting-sends-three-more-ties-to-secretary-of-state-1.319300

Progress Ohio posted this information today on the cost of NOT participating in health insurance. Kasich and Mary Taylor have claimed that setting up the insurance exchanges would cost too much money. However, by waiting, they have passed up large federal grants that would help PAY for the exchanges.





The blog post at Progress Ohio includes a chart showing the grant money that has gone to five neighboring states, and the pittance that has come Ohio's way.

http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2012/07/while-governor-dithers-ohio-neighbors-rake-in-aca-exchange-dollars.html#more

This isn't governing. This is stupidity, plain and simple, and the people of Ohio pay dearly.