They're waking up...

I woke up this morning to the news that Ohio’s anti-union law – the one backed by Republican governor John Kasich which stripped public employees of virtually all of their collective bargaining rights and required them to pay at least 15 percent of their health care costs – was repealed by voters in a nearly two-to-one vote. Senate Bill 5, which had been backed by washed-up singer Pat Boone and cancelled TLC reality show star Sarah Palin, wasn’t even given a chance to take effect.

I also found out that Mississippi voters defeated a “personhood” ballot initiative which would have declared that life begins at fertilization, effectively rendering abortion and even miscarriage crimes. And the citizens of Maine repealed a recently-passed law requiring people to register to vote at least two days before an election. (The GOP opposes same-day registration and anything else that encourages participation in the electoral process; the more difficult it is to vote, the more Republicans benefit.)

Former legislator Paul Scott

Here in Michigan, GOP State Representative Paul Scott of Grand Blanc was recalled by Genesee County voters in what some see as a referendum on the policies of Governor Rick Snyder and Republicans in the state legislature. Although he received loads of cash from the state Republican party, StudentsFirst (a Washington, D.C.-based education reform group) and the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce, he couldn’t shake the blame for budget cuts to K-12 schools, teacher tenure law revisions that make it easier to fire ‘em, and voting to tax pensions while cutting taxes on business.

Scott lost by a mere 232 votes.

Let’s see. Last month, people gathered in 951 cities in 82 countries to protest greed, corruption and class warfare. People are still occupying Wall Street almost two months after they showed up in the Big Apple. Voters across the country are turning down or repealing public policy that serves few and hurts many, and politicians are getting booted out of office for ignoring the will of their constituents. Did the electorate finally awaken? Are voters sending an unmitigated message to conservatives that greed isn’t good, the bible isn’t for everybody, and it’s time for regular people to take priority over the top one percent?

I sure hope so.


Sources: Michigan Radio, Business Insider, Raw Story, CBS News, MLive.com.