Dewine has ‘reached the bottom of the barrel’

I appreciated the Dec. 26 editorial “Lawmakers hellbent on making gun violence worse.”

It’s clear most Ohioans do not want such extreme, unsafe legislation.

So we’re back to the real reason that the Ohio legislature seems to consistently vote against majority opinion with regard to issues like guns and abortion: a decade of reprehensible partisan gerrymandering that allows the election of Republicans who are essentially political prostitutes to “majority vote” in those distorted districts.

There’s money to be made on all sides if political leaders can create district lines that do an end run around more densely populated areas of the state. Is it fair or democratic? Not at all, but those elevated philosophies seem to have been lost in the race to “win at all costs.”

Now a Republican cabal has politically captured a governor who not that long ago was known as a moderate, sensible state leader.

Gov. Mike Dewine has signed several extremist bills lately, excusing that deference by saying essentially that he had little choice but to go along. Otherwise, even worse legislation would be enabled by our gerrymandered legislators.

Well, governor, I think you’ve reached the bottom of the barrel. Ohioans are tired of “settling” for bad bills simply because we’ve been threatened with, “They could be worse.” Enough!

If you can’t listen to the sensible voices in our state community, even the FOP, then there really is no hope for Ohio. And you will have been part of our demise.

Susan Linden, Columbus