Straight Party Voting...

... a perfect example of why I'm a moderate. I don't spend a lot of time complaining about politics, mostly because I do my best to educate other voters and to spread the word about the issues so that we can together select the best candidates, but in the end, the voting is done and democracy must play it's story out for the next term. But since I did my voting and actively chose my leaders, I think it's also fair for me to hit hard on why it's important to not just vote straight party.

Let's examine Strickland's record. During a period of economic horror, he kept Ohio in a mildly bad financial state. Keep in mind, the state of California is even close to asking to be bailed out (and this state has singly one of the largest global economies). You wanna complain about a ~10% unemployment? Go talk to people in Michigan who would love to see that number on the horizon again. Then of course, there's Strickland's controversial casino decisions. Frankly, why does this impact me? The more casinos that draw people to normal places for civilization and cut into the stupidity that is a gambling resort in the uninhabitable desert that is Las Vegas, the better, in my own opinion. And then of course, there's agriculture. And frankly, I don't think that agricultural leaders had any bones to pick with Strickland. He was nothing if not supportive, but he was also logical and progressive.

Kasich, well, I won't claim to know much about him. But if you realize how much time we waste every time we change over leadership. And then you figure how much of a stink he's raised already by planning with his ag department leaders to reject much of the HSUS deal that was brokered last year, in blatant ignorance of the fact that this is something Ohio needed and that many other states are looking to us for leadership and guidance on this critical idea. And then, of course, there's the little things, like this that popped up on the news today...



Props to the officer who enforced the law for someone who apparently thought he was above it. And that's why I don't blindly vote for a party, regardless of whether that party best embodies my opinions.