Ohio Assembly mocking democracy in the Heart of it All

You could only dream of having half of the audacity possessed by some people in the Ohio Assembly who have decided they're going to unravel the results of the Nov. 7 election following the approval of Issues 1 and 2.

The new laws, which will legalize recreational marijuana and codify reproductive health choices in the state constitution, were passed by a majority of voters.

You kids out there may not believe this, but once upon a time, people in Ohio accepted the results of an election — even if they didn't like it.

The voting machines hadn't even cooled off before opponents of the approved measures declared war.

At least one legislator has proposed that the Ohio House be given the power to interpret the new laws rather than judges, whose job it is to — wait for it — interpret the law.

Sure. We don't need no stinkin' three branches of government.

Thankfully, state Rep. Jennifer Gross' ludicrous idea was dismissed out-of-hand by House Speaker Jason Stephens, who called it "Schoolhouse Rock-type stuff."

"We need to make sure that we have the three branches of the government," Stephens told reporters. "The constitution is what we abide by.”

Clearly ignoring the adage that "You don't have to say everything you think," Gross' stunt makes it pretty clear that "Schoolhouse Rock" desperately needs to return to the airwaves. On loop.

Others announced they have not yet begun to fight. They're rummaging through their bags of tricks to find something, anything to derail the will of the public, which is an insult to voters and the process which sets us apart from so much of the world.

One state senator has proposed a 15-week ban on abortion, in essence, tossing out the Nov. 7 results.

Perhaps he should have been done so before Nov. 7.

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Others have suggested that proponents of Issues 1 and 2 accepted campaign money from nefarious and murky — even foreign — sources.

Who? Boris and Natasha?

Gov. Mike DeWine has said he'd like to see some tweaks to the new marijuana law so that it reflects doing things "The Ohio Way."

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What does that even mean, that the people who voted for the measure didn't understand what they voted for or how elections work?

The Ohio Way is knowing that even if you didn't support Issues 1 or 2, Ohioans don't want or need government big-footing in every aspect of their most personal and private decisions.

The Ohio Way means you accept that things don't always go your way. It doesn't mean that you get to thwart the results because they don't align with your wishes.

It's weird because whenever the Election-Denier-in-Chief blew into town, DeWine went radio silent and tried to blend in with the furniture.

Meanwhile, Governing.com reports that the state legislature is having its least-productive year since 1955. According to the report: "For the last three decades, the General Assembly has passed an average of 66 bills each session. So far, the Legislature has only passed 12 bills this year. The least productive year on record was 2009, when only 17 bills passed."

In this sports-mad state, the Ohio Way means you learn early in life that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

Rub some dirt on it.

Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or [email protected]. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Charita Goshay: Ohio Assembly making mockery of democracy