A Fairfield County educator retiree, CORE member and former teacher of Kyle Farmer calls it like it is!

Jim N. Reed to John Curry, October 7, 2011
Subject: Re: Issue 2 debate...a good one!

John, also in today's "E-G" is an opinion letter written by a local man who claims to know Kyle Farmer in his (Farmer's) part-time job as a Republican board member of the Fairfield County Board of Elections. (As a former student of mine, I appreciate Kyle's free-thinker option and give him his due to offer his opinion but he needed to be more transparent and honest about his political motivation and positioning. That's why I was not surprised that he appeared as a poster boy for SB 5. I do know that he has raised the hair on the back of many necks in his neck of the woods. The charge that teachers get paid for how long they have "sat in their chairs" is especially unpalatable.)

Writer Larry Blair: "The fact that he (Farmer) was not identified in the campaign ad as a Republican official is part of the deception being used to promote Issue 2."

It seems that Gov. Kasich and his union-busting supporters have found ONE teacher, ONE firefighter and ONE mayor who supports Issue 2... They do not speak for the vast majority of public servants who recognize this is an attempt to punish political opponents....The ad has backfired because Farmer's comments have insulted not just teachers but everyone who values what they do."

Watching the stream broadcast I was pleased that Dale Butland finally challenged the ignorant pro- SB 5 assertion that educators should be willing to pay their fair share of retirement (10%) and health care (15%) contributions. Butland's research even indicated area educators pay as much as 18% toward their health care plans. I only wish he would have asked why Lancaster Senator Shafer was not on the other mic.

Jim N. Reed

[Note from John....the "letter to the editor" that Jim Reed refers to in his email above will follow this note.]