Election Day...don't forget to STUDY!

Current mood: determined

I posted this on my Facebook page too, so if you already read it, that's just too bad!

Hopefully everyone remembers that this coming Tuesday, November 7th, is Election Day. Of course you all should remember to vote, but even more, make sure that you study out all the issues and candidates on the ballot so that you can make a well-informed and educated decision. Too often people just vote on little or no information or by superficial things and then get upset when something or someone they voted for doesn't work out like they were "promised." Most issues and candidates have websites both for and against them, so make sure you study up! An uninformed voter can be more dangerous to democracy than a non-voter!

Comments

Nari; November 5, 2006
Great message. I totally agree. I was going over the different issues with my sister so she knows what she's voting for and why.

Kudos to you, Jon!

Jon goes political

Current mood: aggravated

Finally I'm posting my first political blog because mainly I'm tired of being silent. I'm pretty opinionated in politics and I think a lot of flase ideas are being circulated about all sorts of things. This first blog will be about some statewide issues in Ohio that I will be voting on via absentee ballots and why I'm voting the way I am.

ISSUE 2: Minimum Wage- "A Constitutional Amendment that would increase Ohio's minimum wage to $6.85/hr and would reduce employee privacy."

NO: First, I don't think raising the minimum wage is a good idea, not because I'm some rich miser, but because raising the minimum wage has ripple affects on the economy. The ones who end up getting hurt the most are the ones who need the most help financially. Most people think of huge corporations that can probably manage quite well by paying their low-end workers a little more. Unfortunately, the vast majority of businesses are small businesses and most cannot afford to pay employees any more. Let's say Jim and Sue work at a locally owned convenience store for $6 an hour, hardly much of a salary. The minimum wage is raised to $6.85 or 7.15. Chances are the owner himself is barely making it, so he must raise prices to help pay for the increased salaries of Jim and Sue. SO first, while both Jim and Sue have more "disposable income," prices have gone up so the increase is basically cancelled. If the increase in prices doesn't help the owner, then one of them will be let go so that the business can stay in the black. So say Sue remains while Jim gets the pink slip. Sue got a raise, but now she has twice as much work to do and prices are higher, while Jim now has no income at all. Oh yeah, this is coming from someone who barely made above minimum wage this summer. I'm hardly some rich person here. The above scenario is very much on the minds of small business owners and most of them aren't rich either- their business is their livelihood and they themselves don't make much. How is putting minimum wage workers out of work, putting small businesses in the red, and raising prices helping "the little guy?" I'm also voting NO because this is a constitutional amendment and there are better ways to take care of this issue, plus the privacy issue and the paperwork issue just make this a poor ballot issue.

ISSUE 3: Learn & Earn (gambling)- "This issue is a Constitutional Amendment that would provide scholarships to Ohio students funded through expanded legalized gambling."

NO: I am opposed to gambling at any level (including the lottery) and this is a ploy to support gambling. I have moral issues against gambling, but also gambling brings a lot of baggage with it including crime, loss of productivity and money, and addiction which can lead to breaking up of families and other not-so-good stuff. There are other ways to help Ohio students for college too. A good start is to lower the cost of education in Ohio so more families can afford it which needs to start at the university level with greater financial responsibility.

ISSUE 4: "Smoke Less Ohio"- "A Constitutional Amendment that would restricts smoking, while allowing exceptions for bars and certain other businesses."

NO: I am voting NO on this because it is a ploy to continue the status quo of smoking in Ohio and does nothing to protect the health of non-smokers. Further, the main supporters of this bill are tavern owners and the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company itself. Hmmmm. Don't even start about "smokers rights." No one has the "right" to pollute the air I breathe. If the EPA can tell a big company to stop putting harmful chemicals into the air, why can't the state of Ohio tell citizens and businesses the same thing? It's already been proven that second-hand smoke is dangerous to everyone and it's also been proven that separate smoking rooms in buildings don't eliminate the problem of second-hand smoke. After spending a big chunk of my summer breathing in second-hand smoke at Geauga Lake, I have no patience for smokers. Just because you have an addiction doesn't mean I should have to share your consequences. Banning smoking in places like bars, bowling alleys, restaurants, etc. is a good idea not only for patrons, but also for workers, many of who can't just go get another job. Why should they have to breathe second-hand smoke all day to earn a living?

ISSUE 5: SmokeFreeOhio: "A voter initiated statute that would enacts a statewide smoke-free workplaces act that would apply to all public places, and would supersede bans already in place in Ohio cities."

YES: This is a no-brainer. See above. There is no reason that smoking needs to be a part of any business. Further, this is a voter initiated statute and can be altered as needed while issue 4 is a constitutional amendment that would trump issue 5 if both were passed and it would trump exisitng smoking bans in several Ohio cities.

Ballot descriptions from:

Friends of Ohio Hospitals - 2006 Elections

Comments

LDS Drama Queen (Becky); October 5, 2006

I pretty much agree with everything you said. Good for you for speaking up.

Dorese; October 5, 2006

Kudos to you for speaking up! And when you hear people complain about the minimum wage, just remind them that the national minimum wage (and that of the state of Idaho) is only $5.15. And hey, we're surviving... Anyway, I appreciate your sentiments. Thanks for sharing!

Mrs. Lundmark (Kelly); October 5, 2006
Boo yah! Jon Ridinger, you are my hero. Thank you so much for saying what needs to be said about these issues, especially the smoking one! I already joined the Facebook group for SmokeFreeOhio and definitely plan to vote NO on Issue 4 and YES on Issue 5, and I really appreciate your putting out some information on other important issues on the ballot. Rock on!

Nari; October 5, 2006
My vote is no no on the smoking ban. Not that I want to protect a smokers 'right' but because I don't feel like the government should be telling a private business that they can't do something perfectly legal on their private property.

Now...if they want to make tobacco illegal, then that's a different story.

Where to start?!?

OK, most people don't know this about me, but I've always had the dream of being in a movie or some other large production. I think I have the talent, but I rarely get the chance to show it and further, I don't even know where to get started. I'm especially frustrated right now because I found out a new Star Trek movie has just begun production and I'd really like the chance to even be a nameless extra in a movie like that. It seems an impossible task to find out when casting calls will be and even how on earth I'd get to them or even be considered for such a thing. I have so many hopes and dreams but don't even know how to get them started so they even have a slight chance of becoming reality. Instead, here I am trapped in Rexburg, Idaho...AHHHH!

Comments

I*C*Y*U*N*V (Chynell); September 26, 2006

well, im no expert BUT i dont think idaho is the place to be if ur tryin to hit it big. You should move to LA theres a gazillion casting calls there, and u would make connections (to go along w/ the cliche "its not what u kno but who u kno) its true tho! Plus, you would NEVER have to worry about being lonely cuz I would be on the first plane out to Cali every weekend! lol No seriously though, you might as well, your already a billion miles from home, whats another thousand to CA?

Coming together

Current mood: optimistic

Well, at last it seems the pieces are coming together for me to finish classes here by this coming April and student teach next fall. I got pretty much all of my classes sorted out from transfers and substitutions, plus I got into a class I needed to take this semester even though it was listed as full. I'm still waiting to hear about an English class I just found out I'm supposed to take and if I can have one of my AP credits used for that (I sure hope so!). It looks almost certain I WON'T be back in Rexburg next Fall (YESSSSS!!!).

I also need to get where I'm student teaching sorted out. I'm hoping I can student teach back in Ohio because BYU-Idaho does allow students to student teach virtually anywhere (although they prefer you stay in an area they already are familiar with like Idaho; northern Utah; Mesa, AZ; or Las Vegas). Since I'm planning on teaching in Ohio, it would make sense (to me) to student teach in Ohio so I'm familiar with their system and not Utah's or Idaho's.

School is so far off to a good start...I just hope I can keep it real and keep up. It looks like I'll be having a busy semester. I am glad my sister is back. Having her here is lots of fun, plus we are in the same ward at church, which is awesome.

Winding down

So summer is quickly coming to an end...here's a little update. I had a great time in North Carolina with my Ridinger side of the family. We spent a week at Lake Lure in a resort. It was a wonderful break from work and I picked the best week to do it. All week it was in the upper 90's all over the east, so instead of being outside, I was in an air-conditioned unit. Work itself isn't too bad, especially since the weather has cooled down. I've had several chances to test my leadership skills at Thunderhawk due to scheduling issues. I think I've done OK, but I'm glad I don't have to do that on a regular basis. Too much to worry about for basically no extra compensation. I've been disappointed too that now two of my co-workers have quit in the past 2 weeks. I've grown really fond of all my co-workers on my crew, so it sucks when one of them leaves. We all get along so well. Oh well...I'll be gone soon as well as I get ready to go back to Idaho for school, plus they had pretty valid reasons for quitting. My last day at Geauga Lake should be August 23rd. At this point I just want school to start so I can get it over with! The quicker I'm done with Rexburg and BYU-Idaho the better!!! Anyway...watch out for my first politcal/opinion blog coming up. Lots to talk about that I really feel the need to comment on!!!


Comments

I*C*Y*U*N*V (Chynell); August 30, 2006
I agree Jon I cant wait until summer vacation already! Wanna know why? Cuz this summe rI'll actually havea LIFE!!!

It's hot

Current mood: hot

I'm certainly not looking forward to this week mostly because of the weather. It looks like it's going to be in the 90's every day and humid too, so it will feel like 100 outside. If I didn't have to work outside, I don't think I'd mind as much!

In other news, the play is in it's last week this week. Honestly, I'll be sad to see it end, but I'll be glad too. It's been stressful and exhausting this last week doing the show every night after being at work the 8 hours before. On Friday of this past week (7/14) I was at the point of just driving away from the play and never going back. I truly had to act on stage so that I looked like I was having a good time even though I wasn't. After the show I didn't want anything more to do with the show or Geauga Lake. I was pretty much at my wit's end. Not totally sure why, but I was. There were a lot of things that day that really got on my nerves, both at work and at the show. Fortunately the next day was much better as we had our biggest crowd yet and a lot of my family members came to see the show, plus I got to start work later than normal so I could have lunch with my brother and sisters (something we rarely get to do). I hope this week goes well too.

Oh yeah, I FINALLY got a digital camera at long last. I'd been wanting to get one for the longest time, but never had the money. It was one of my small highlights for the week.


Comments

I*C*Y*U*N*V (Chynell); July 26, 2006
i know why u were frutrated...its cuz i was gone for the week of "hell on the lake" hehe

Follow up

Current mood: content

Things haven't really changed a whole lot at work or the play, but I seem to be content where I am. Even though I'm "out-ranked" on my crew at Geauga Lake, I still enjoy my crew (most times!!) and working with them. We have a lot of fun together and with our always-interesting guests. I still wish I had more "clout" or influence at the park, but for now I'm making do. Oh well.

The play opens now in less than two weeks. Thank goodness! Practices have been pretty long these past few days, so I haven't had much time to myself or at home. I leave home at 8:45 AM and have been getting home around 11:30 PM. Today was a shorter work day, but practice ended up being some 4 hours long (4-8), so I got home around 9. Once the play opens, my evenings won't be so long as the play begins at 7:30 each night and is over around 8:30. The other added bonus of the show being opened is that our director can't stop us while we're performing!! I've gotten some wonderful comments about the small part I do have as Professor Seixas. It is a fun part even though it's so small.