Facts on Ohio's Descent into Disaster

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I've been doing some phone-banking and canvassing where I run into Undecideds and Leaning Repugnant. I thought I needed a few facts in my mind that showed how bad Ohio's situation has become. This will reinforce our message of TURN AROUND OHIO.

BTW, I have been phone-banking using an ODP script and the message that we leave on a machine is pretty hum-drum IMHO. "Vote for Ted, Sherrod, and Congressman_____ who will bring better paying jobs and quality education for our children."

I thought we had all learned since '04 to use a message HITS VOTERS EMOTIONALLY. Why aren't we doing that?

Anyway....call or email the ODP and please ask them to work on THEIR MESSAGE...IT NEEDS TO HIT VOTERS IN THE GUT OR HEART.

Here are some factoids that might help you when calling/canvassing:

OHIO’S DESCENT INTO DISASTER
WAS LED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
9/12/06


Factoids that might come in handy while canvassing or phone-banking:

1. From ‘Policy Matters Ohio’ dated 9/5/06: Median household income
was down for the second year in a row and median hourly wages
decreased for the fourth year. Ohio is left with low-paying jobs that
offer little to no benefits.

2. Ohio never recovered from the 2001 Recession. The number of jobs is 2.8% below where the state was at the beginning of this recession. The Republican Party including Mike DeWine helped corporations move good-paying manufacturing jobs to China. Now, they are sending white collar jobs that require a college education
(Accounting, engineering, business, computer programming, and
information technology, research and development) to India and China.

3. The Columbus Dispatch (9/10/06): Ohio is one of only five states in
which child poverty rates in RURAL areas increased at least 5%
between 1999 and 2004. Ohio, under Republican one-party rule, is
now comparable to other Republican ruled states like Alabama and
Mississippi. (I lived in KY and we were always grateful for these 2
states since they kept KY from being at the bottom. Ohio is becoming
one of those 'bottom states.'

4. Akron Beacon Journal (8/13/06): OHIO IS NUMBER ONE IN JOB
LOSSES. No other state has lost as many jobs as Ohio. This was
done under Republican one-party rule. Ohio lost more in wages
($9.3 BILLION in average annual wages) than any other state.

5. Gross State Product (goods-producing industries such as mining,
farming, manufacturing and construction) fell nearly $9 billion from
1997 to 2004. This is the biggest drop of any state in the Union.
Wages, on average, dropped from $46,000 to $35,000 per year.

6. Population growth in Ohio was only 4.7% over the decade of the
1990’s and worse yet from 2000 to 2005 when it was LESS than 1%
ranking Ohio 47th out of the 50 states. (Is Ohio the new West
Virginia?) This decline in population is due to the lack of job and
educational opportunities.

7. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: Ohio’s real Gross State
Product grew just 1% between 2004 and 2005 ranking the state 47th.

8. Ohio’s unemployment is above the national average. Ohio ranked
22nd in 2001; in 2005, Ohio is 43rd in employment. (Reinforce the idea
that this occurred under one-party Republican rule.)

9. In 2006, no Ohio college (public or private) was listed in the Top 25.
Ohio’s financial support for higher education is one of the lowest in
the nation--40th out of 50.

10. We are the only state in the nation that has TWO cities (Cleveland
Cincinnati) on the top 10 list of Poverty Stricken Cities.

HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH OF ONE PARTY, REPUBLICAN RULE?

STOP THE DECAY! STOP THE CORRUPTION!

LET THE DEMOCRATS TURN AROUND OHIO TO ITS ONCE GREAT STATUS IN THIS NATION.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC ON 11-7-06. OR VOTE EARLY AT YOUR LOCAL BOARD OF ELECTION BEGINNING 10/3/06.


DUers: Please add any other factoids you have found to be successful in waking people up to the crimes that the republicans have committed on Ohio. Healthcare? Examples of Corruption?