Thought provoking study released by Ohio Citizen's Action

I received this via email this moring, it is a study released by a few Ohio groups: League of Women Voters, Moritz College of Law, Ohio Citizen Action, and the OSU Department of Political Science. It's very thought provoking study and one I highly recommend is well worth the time to read.

One part that especially hit home to me was this in the section about Political Culture and Context:

The State of Ohio faces major challenges as it elects its new leadership team in 2006. Whoever is elected will have to face the long-term reality of how business has traditionally been conducted in state politics. Governance has focused largely on the spoils of victory, how to reward one’s friends, and how to stay in office, rather than on overarching policy debates. States with such individualistic politics are more likely to experience graft and corruption, partly because the dominant party sometimes overreaches — especially if it controls all branches of governments and has enjoyed control for a long period of time. Victorious parties and their supporters are rewarded with tangible benefits, such as jobs, contracts, and favorable public policies, while the interests of ordinary citizens may be disregarded.

In the electoral arena, this political culture leads the major parties to undermine minor parties and independent candidates. For example, Ohio made it more difficult than most states for independent candidates to get on the ballot.

There is of course much more, I hope this study gets the attention of the public as well as being a source of discussion.

:-)