Rooster in Review: When normal people invade

The Patriots Caucus ushers in a new era of Swamphouse media.

From the depths of the Ohio Statehouse. The Hawaiian shirt means nothing but business.

The Rooster enjoyed a banner week thanks to brave subscribers just like you. The early returns on a $1,000 investment into video equipment and editing software (paid partly by a generous benefactor) are astounding.

Thanks to the First Amendment rights granted to every Ohio citizen on Statehouse grounds, only the dumbest, freakiest legislators haven’t figured out that it’s a bad idea to run from a camera on the grounds where they’re supposed to be the most powerful.

Here is one example of what the Patriots Caucus always me to do.

Multiple Statehouse sources tell The Rooster that State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), last seen trying to unsuccessfully carpetbag a Congressional seat, will move over to the Ohio House when State Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) comes back to the House after he’s termed out of the Senate in 2024.

Huffman is coming for the Speaker’s gavel, which is a problem for current House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill).

Gavarone would be a powerful ally in that fight, so I walked up to her and asked her the question in the Statehouse atrium on Wednesday:

To me, she gives the game away with her initial jaw drop. But it’s also entirely possible she’s shocked that a freak like me knew State Senate powerbrokers.

I also enjoyed her saying that there were “a lot of ifs” in my question that involved exactly one “if.” But again, I’ll leave the final judgment to the reader.

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If you have any specific issues you would like me to broach with your state legislators, don’t hesitate to drop me a line by responding to this email or contacting me on Twitter. I probably live closer to the Swamphouse Shooting Gallery than you, and I promise your anonymity will be guaranteed when I confront them.

In the meantime, if you’ve been on the fence about joining President Xi Jinping’s Patriots Caucus, please consider this 20% off coupon as a good chance to do so:

If you’re familiar with the putrid State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), then you’ll enjoy Monday’s Patriots-only post.

Did anything good happen at the Statehouse?

Ohio AFL-CIO @ohioaflcio

Hearing room is full. Overflow room is full. On to the third overflow room. It’s clear working #Ohioans want big government to stay out of higher education. Let’s stop Senate Bill 83 #SB83 in its tracks.

Yes. Working men and women from across Ohio flooded the Statehouse in response to Senate Bill 83.

Here’s the gist of the bill, written by State Senator Jerry C. Cirino (R-Kirtland), via wlwt.com:

Senate Bill 83, known as the Higher Education Enhancement Act, would prohibit mandatory diversity training, faculty strikes during contract negotiations, work with Chinese research institutions and political tests in hiring and admissions decisions.

That’s not all! It would also ban colleges from issuing statements on cultural events… unless that event is a positive statement about United States war efforts.

It’s even bleaker than the standard-issue Republican hatchet job on public education in Ohio. It’s hard to say how much juice this bill has as of now, but I know one thing: Union workers responded with a flex of power.

Nothing pleases me more than seeing normal people dressed as normal people in the Statehouse. It’s open to the public! You can go any time. There’s a delicious place called House Taco in the basement that you would probably enjoy!

But don’t worry, even if you can’t make it, I’ll be in the trenches to keep you posted until Senate Bill 83 is thrown in the trashcan where it belongs.

This week in Ohio Man…

Jeffrey Ivey, via fox8.com

I used to live on Bellows Avenue in Columbus. For about a year, I lived next to the most disgusting people in the world. I mean that in the kindest way possible.

There were times that I considered burning down their house, but I never thought to myself, “These people belong in prison.” Of course, they were white, and white property owners are still a protected class in America.

It doesn’t look like one Cleveland resident was afforded the luxury.

From Peggy Galek of fox8.com:

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The Fox 8 I-Team is investigating what’s going on with a push to get a man out of jail who has been locked up for weeks for not fixing up a home.

Jeffrey Ivey’s case has sparked outrage and action.

And now after weeks, the judge has granted a motion to hold a hearing on the matter. She set a hearing for 11 a.m. on March 30.

The judge sentenced Ivey, 60, to 90 days in jail in January. He is not scheduled to be released until the end of April.

I wish, instead of handing out tax abatements to luxury apartment developers, cities would give more money to grant programs for longtime residents to repair their homes. Maybe this awful scenario could have been avoided in the first place, but I’m not holding my breath.

THOSE WMDs. Yes, they are tall, and they don’t play basketball… The case for the humble garbage disposal… 15 of the oldest cities in the world… AI boom is a dream and a nightmare for workers in the Global South… The big coin heist.