Friday, August 1, 2008

Indiana pushing for passage of Healthy Families Act to help its own economy


If need any more reasons to work as hard as possible to help defeat the Ohio Healthy Families Act, check out the following editorial from the Seymour, Indiana Tribune:

OUR VIEW: Ohio could boost Hoosier economy

We think Hoosiers should encourage Ohio residents to support an effort that would require Ohio companies with at least 25 employees to offer at least seven sick days a year. Such a program — in Ohio — would be great news for Indiana’s economy.

Service Employees International Union District 1199 is pushing an effort to get that plan on the ballot in November 2008 to help drive Democratic voter turnout, The Associated Press reports.

It would be yet another reason for businesses not to choose Ohio, but that isn’t deterring the union. We say go, brothers, get it on the ballot and get it enacted into law.

Ohio already has high taxes, a higher minimum wage and a smoking ban. Why wouldn’t the union look for one more way to keep jobs from being created there? ...

“Workers should not have to choose between a paycheck and recovery time when they get sick,” the union said in a statement.

Measures like this one will ensure the paycheck won’t even be an option for even more Ohioans and perhaps ensure that more companies like Honda and Nestle choose Indiana over Ohio as homes for their plants, much as they did with announcements last year. Again, that’d be good news for the Hoosier economy.

Let’s hope the idea doesn’t cross the state line.

I've also heard that Indiana has billboards just across the state line from Ohio that read: "Come on IN for lower taxes, business and housing costs".

Our Midwestern neighbors are salivating at the opportunity to steal our businesses and jobs if the Healthy Families Act passes in November. Do not give them the opportunity.