Right-wing vitriol ends sick day campaign

Efforts to establish mandatory sick days in Ohio have been stymied by opponents' naked extortion.

A coalition representing workers had gotten a measure approved for the November ballot letting voters vote on whether large businesses have to provide sick days. From the start, Big Business made babyish threats that if it passed, they'd pull out of the Buckeye State. Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, has usually sided with labor, but he considered these threats serious enough that he chose not to back the proposal - even though it had widespread public support.

This is exactly the same reason a Louisiana governor in the '70s signed the state's work-for-less law even though he opposed the concept. Big Business actually means Big Bullies. They are so intent on withholding jobs from states and regions whose laws are not to their liking that public officials feel cajoled by them.

Now Coprorate (sic) America has browbeaten the Ohio effort so much that supporters of mandatory sick days have abandoned their effort in that state. The coalition has asked for their own measure to be pulled from the ballot. One of the leaders of the sick day effort said, "It became clear that a shrill and vitriolic ballot campaign marred by misinformation and disinformation would be impossible to avoid." Opponents even published a misleading article that tried using the Bible to blast sick days.

You know what needs to happen? Big Business opponents of the sick day measure should be charged with racketeering for threatening to move their businesses out of the state. One can argue that sick days actually save businesses money by preventing illnesses from being spread at work - but Big Business isn't always wise enough to figure this out.

All is not lost. Now the supporters of requiring sick days have decided to pursue a federal effort - not just state.

(Source: http://www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/story.aspx?content_id=207e9cdc-9659-4f2e-93f8-9f379ca53c05)