Democratic New Year's Resolution
What better time for a New Year’s resolution and my view on some ideological and pragmatic goals for our county, state and national democratic party?
My New Year’s resolution is to work very hard to rectify the damage we have let the republicans do to our citizenry and our party without watering down our core values.
As for pragmatic goals I begin locally? I am usually able to pick and choose when to drive in and out of Medina. I am eternally grateful for that stroke of good fortune. A friend of mine, normally a calm rational person, goes stark raving mad driving in Medina most times of the day. His wife tells me if any county or city official is ever able to lead us out of Medina’s traffic quagmire they and their political affiliation will be duly noted.
As bad as Medina’s traffic situation is it doesn’t remotely compare to the tragic situation of our Ohio public school system. And as horrendous a job as our republican controlled Ohio legislature is doing, it is only a part of the national agenda of neo-cons who are systematically decimating every social, economic, educational, health care and civil rights legislation ever developed and passed by our democratic leadership.
It is my fervent hope we can begin to overcome republican acquiescence to an unconstitutional public school system by succeeding in a ballot initiative proposed by former democratic state senator Bryan Flannery. If this legislation could make it to the ballot on November 2006 and be approved, public schools would be funded much the same as other state infrastructures and services such as roads, bridges, police, firemen, etc.
Can you imagine roads and bridges being closed; no police or firemen to answer calls because people choose not to pass the levies much like they choose not to pass school levies? Most other states in the country do not fund their public schools the way Ohio does.
I’m sure many will join with me in 2006 in appreciation of Pam Miller’s leadership in reinvigorating our Medina County Democratic Party and for leadership of our state party chairman, Chris Redfern, and strong gubernatorial candidates in Ted Strickland, Eric Fingerhut, Don Pusquellic and Byron Flannery. And of course, on the national level is US Representative Sherrod Brown; a tried and true democratic war-horse running for the US Senate.
In my humble opinion what we desperately need most, and republicans are arrogantly taunting us on this, is some strong national and state leadership that will take a firm stand on our core values and issues and a message of action to go forward with.
Buz Cormany
Medina, OH