For the past decades Ohio has been a local laboratory for Republican Theories of Government. Fortunately, we now have a Democratic Governor, but we're still limping along fomr the wounds inflicted by what continues to be a Republican controlled legislature.
The latest wound inflicted on us is the removal of local cable franchises in favor of state-wide franchises. It was all sold to us as "increased competition, lower prices, better service" and all the other lollipops and suger-plum fairies that dance in conservative minds when they get giddy with power and drunk with control. So the Ohio Legislature violated local control and enactd state-wide franchises for cable TV operations.
So now AT&T is our first state-wide licensee. There's two more in the dock, ready to go. And now comes the report that even though we'll have more competition, in those places where AT&T wants to compete, that nobody expects cable TV prices to go down (except for the teaser rate months). Most are predicting that after the first three-months of service rates will increase faster than before.
Next up for our legislature, fixing our electricy deregulation problem. The major companies chased out any competetion by unscrupulous business practices, and rates are about to open up. Again, nobody is predicting that rates will go down. In fact, most are predicting they will skyrocket. What does our legislature do? Proposes a bill that further weakens our PUCO (already a puppet of industry).
These are the last in a long series of decisions and laws that have weakened individual citizen and worker rights, strengthened business protections by raping consumer laws, and removed home rule (local laws). All while jobs flee the state, businesses fleece consumers, tax rates are lowered for everybody but real people who don't make over $250,000 a year, and we solve no problems. Welcome to the future of Conservative Politics. Frankly, this future sucks.
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