In times like these, Western Pennsylvanians become jealous of Ohio citizens. This is even truer of people in West Central and Northwest PA, many of whom depend on TV news from Cleveland and Youngstown.
Ohio is a “referendum” state, meaning the people get the last say and can make “course corrections.” When the governor and/or the legislature either do something unpopular or fail to undertake a needed action, voters merely have to petition the subject on the ballot.
The decision of the voters in Ohio is final because it is unlikely the question will get on the ballot if it is unconstitutional.
If only it were the same in the Keystone state.
The current “button” issue in Ohio is Senate Bill 5. This limits collective bargaining for 350,000 public employees including teachers. These workers would lose the right to strike. The new collective bargaining law would continue to permit them to negotiate for wages, hours, safety and certain terms and conditions. The new law caps employer contributions to health care. Pay must be primarily based on performance.
(Obviously new Republican Gov. John Kasich and his henchmen were concerned that serving on a local school board might require an I.Q. over 70.)
If referendum petitioners can get 231,000 signatures by the end of June, then voters approve the referendum at the November election, SB 5 will never be put in effect. Collective bargaining procedures with public employees would continue the same as it has been for 30 years.
An organization, www.weareohio.com made up of mostly labor unions and parent-teacher groups claims it already has over 2,500 volunteers to collect signatures. This after SB 5, Gov. Kasich served up, quickly passed the House and Senate with party-line votes.
Ohio lawmakers, generally, heed party leaders more faithfully than Pennsylvania’s. In Harrisburg, representatives and senators usually follow the party line. Frequently, however, they will create an “every man for himself” scenario important to those who value getting re-elected above all.
Actually the commonality between Ohio and PA ends with the passage of legislation into law. In Ohio adoption by the legislature and the Governor’s signature, if not acceptable to a high number of the voters, may just be the beginning.
Because PA is not a referendum state, voters can only shake their fists, write a letter-to-the-editor or – if they can remember that long – campaign against the incumbent at the next election.
Historians and pundits are baffled about the paradox of government and politics in PA. The state is made up of broken cities, small towns, sparse townships and 503 separate school districts that beg for consolidation. Mergers of contiguous PA municipalities and school districts are few and far between. Some say this is attributable to both our independent streak and hesitation to fully trust one another.
Conversely Pennsylvania operates under a Constitution that gives almost unlimited power to our state officials. Recall is restricted to conviction for serious crimes, an impeachment process by the legislature that happens once a decade.
Democrat lawmakers have introduced legislation that would make Ohio the 20th state to be able to recall their Governor. Since they are in the minority, the bill has no chance.
Polls show Pennsylvanians would like the power to make corrections through referendums and be able to recall their leaders when they mess up.
An amendment to the PA Constitution is required. This process begins with majority approval of a referendum to be placed on the ballot and, then, the exact same measure be approved at the subsequent legislative session a year or two later.
Thus, we must ask the same guys we might want to recall, to approve the process that could end their spoils.
Ho-ho-ho.
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