No defense for HB 6, maskless senators, unshared profits
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There is not a single member of this chamber who has pled guilty or (been) convicted of a dang thing.” – That was State Rep. Bill Seitz, R-green Township, on Wednesday, setting what we’ll call an unambitious bar in defending House Republicans’ foot-dragging against a repeal of House Bill 6, the 2019 law that bails out a giant utility corporation’s nuclear power plants on the backs of state ratepayers. Beside being terrible policy, the bill is mired in scandal of federal bribery and racketeering charges against four people including Rep. Larry Householder, R-glenford, who was House speaker until the FBI intervened. The bill should be repealed.
Speaking of the Householder/hb 6 mess, things got more interesting last week when Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo resigned on Friday, days after FBI agents were seen at his home, carrying out large boxes. The former lobbyist and attorney for utility corporations was a poor choice for PUCO chairman, in our view, but hasn’t been named as an investigatory target. We’re glad to see progress in the investigation and eager for all the facts to come out so Ohio electric consumers can be protected and any corrupt officials can be held accountable.
We thank Ohio’s Democratic U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown, for standing up for common courtesy by publicly asking Senate colleague Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, to wear a mask in the chamber. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called Brown “a complete ass” because Sullivan wasn’t near Brown. But Brown’s wife, journalist Connie Schultz, was dead on when she pointed out the many stenographers standing well within 6 feet of Sullivan. Maybe staffers don’t count to the me-above-all-else crowd.
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It’s hard to pick what to focus on regarding President Donald Trump’s destructive and obstructive behavior as his term winds down, but for now we’ll go with his continuing rush to tear down as much environmental protection as he can in service of a fossil-fuel industry that doesn’t need or deserve favors from the public. Highlights include: going easy on companies that negligently contribute to migratory bird deaths; removing protection for wetlands; and moving to sell energy leases in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Hey, we aren’t complete grumps; how about those adorable mountain lion cubs, rescued from wildfires in California and soon to reside at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium? Columbus wins the honor of nurturing the cubs – and the cuteness sweepstakes – because our zoo has lots of experience with other rescued North American species, including bears and moose.
It’s a fine thing that some businesses, especially big-box retailers and their online businesses, are prospering despite the pandemic. But shame on them if they back off on sharing the proceeds with their employees, as some seem to be doing. Much of the extra pay handed out in the early days took the form of one-time bonuses – not pay raises that last – and some temporary pay raises are ending, even as the virus surges and companies reward shareholders with buybacks. Better pay and benefits for low-wage workers would bolster the economy and ease social problems like nothing else. Not to mention, they deserve it. Amazon, Target, Kroger and their like can make it happen.