Former Ohioan here to express my condolences and sympathy

[liberalhistorian]

I was born and raised in Ohio and lived there until the beginning of my forties five years ago when I moved to a western state for employment and personal reasons. My close family and friends continue to live in both Northeastern and central-southern OH and I return frequently for visits. I am so shocked, angered, saddened and, frankly, frightened at the recent election results, and I am very sorry for what those of you living there will now have to be dealing with. I well remember just what a hateful, corrupt, vindictive thug Kasich was (and still is) and remember being relieved when he left Congress and was no longer an embarrassing national rep of our state.

I was also relieved when sixteen years of repub stranglehold on the state, to its great and tremendous detriment, came to an end four years ago and the Dems began to try to restore some sanity and clean up the mess. I thought Ohio had come to its senses and would also remember the same. So I'm beyond upset that they not only did not remember, but the entire state at all levels is now firmly in the grip of the same fuckers who ran the state into the ground for sixteen long years. It's even worse than before, frankly, and now I want my just-started-college son and my mother OUT of the state. Forgive me, I know that sounds cowardly, but we all know just how bad it's gonna get and I just don't see it getting any better in the next decades.

Yeah, I live in another red state that just went even redder, but our repubs aren't as corrupt and thuggish as Ohio's and people here tend to tolerate it a lot less when they are. My parents are retired teachers (my still-fairly-young stepdad is in a nursing home with dementia, never got to enjoy his retirement), and I'm scared shitless that that fucker Kasuck is gonna mess with the state teacher's retirement system and fuck up what little they have left (most of his pension and their money goes to pay for the nursing home). We all know that he's gonna make the teachers and public employees pay for not supporting him, the vindictive thuggish fuck.

It is heartbreaking to see what is and will be happening to my former home state, and I'm so sorry for all of you, I well know how you're feeling and what you'll be up against and dealing with now. I'd say I was glad to be out, and that the state will get what it deserves, but too many family and friends are still there who would suffer and I know that many, many residents fought for Strickland and the Dems and don't deserve to suffer.

[ladym55]

1. I appreciate your thoughts

And I agree with you on all counts. I am scared spitless about what this election means to a state already hurting badly. Kasich hasn't even taken office, and he's already cost the state 16,000 jobs and millions of federal funding by stopping high-speed rail. He will also cost us big bucks in federal funds for education. The Rethugs have already announced that they plan to dump the education plan the Dems in the House worked on for TWO years.

The Rethugs will gerrymander in ways I can't imagine. I expect to lose TWO Democratic reps.

I'm as worried as you are about state retirement. My husband and I are both in STRS, and he should be able to retire this upcoming year. The newspapers are all salivating about the evils of public retirement funds, acting like we public employees are lazy slugs sitting by the pool drinking cocktails on the taxpayers' money. They forget to mention how we have contributed 10% of our income for 30+ years to this fund to PAY for our retirement. And the angry and frightened voters buy into this, with LTTEs complaining that the private sector doesn't provide retirements so why should public employees have it? It's damned scary, and I feel for your parents having THAT worry on the horizon with everything else they are dealing with.

My kids are both out of state ... one is permanently gone, and chances are the other won't be back either. (He is training to be a teacher, so I doubt he'll find a job in Ohio.) I'm hoping we can leave, too, once my husband retires. I'm going to look for another job someplace else.

I can't believe that the Ohio Democratic Party botched this election SO badly. I volunteered for Strickland and state races ... what a disorganized mess. It didn't help that the media failed to notice that unemployment has been decreasing over the past 6 months.

[we can do it]

3. I Am With You, Worried About My Retirement As Well

I don't know what idiots had us canvassing high income elite areas the weekend before the election - those people DO NOT need reminders or encouragement. I went out canvassing in the morning election day and quite a few of the houses already had the door hangers on. WTF? It was a total cluster fuck as far as I am concerned.

[Johnny Harpo]

2. Thanks For Still Caring...Once A Buckeye...Always A Buckeye