Issue 2 continues to receive a strong showing of support from Ohio's major newspapers, underscoring the fact that this is far from a partisan debate. It is about reforming Ohio's status quo, and the flood of newspaper endorsements confirms that the labor reforms in Senate Bill 5 are far from radical.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer's endorsement of Issue 2:

Ohio desperately needs to control the costs of government at all levels. It needs to send a clear message that the old, familiar ways of doing the public's business have to change.

In schools, the emphasis has to be on the progress of children, not the comfort of adults. In city halls and county offices, the impact on those who pay the bills -- and the sheer magnitude of those bills -- must be paramount.

The Columbus Dispatch on the lack of partisanship inherent to this fight:

Despite the insistence of opponents, the effort to reform Ohio’s out-of-balance collective-bargaining law is not an expression of disrespect for or dissatisfaction with Ohio teachers, police officers, firefighters and other government employees. It is a much-needed attempt to restore control over public spending to the public officials elected to exercise that control.

It does not assert that public employees are worth less than the compensation they’re receiving, only that the compensation has grown faster than the public’s ability to pay for it.

The Cincinnati Enquirer on similar labor reforms pushed by prominent Democrats:

Voters are demanding reforms from their elected officials. Ohio's SB 5, like similar measures in Wisconsin and elsewhere, is the response to that. And it's not just in states where Republicans control the statehouse and governor's mansion. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has been pushing to trim public-employee agreements, unsettling his allies. The same with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who's taken union heat for trying to weed out costly labor rules.

…

If Ohio voters approve Issue 2, we want schools and local governments to take full advantage of this added flexibility and deliver for taxpayers. We want to see innovation, savings and efficiency. We expect results.

In addition to the state’s three largest papers, the Canton Repository, Findlay Courier, Wheeling Intelligencer and Warren Tribune-Chronicle have all come out in support of Issue 2. See other statewide endorsements at Building a Better Ohio.

Posted by Joshua Culling on Monday, October 31, 2011 12:47 PM EDT

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