Ohioans from around the state will gather in Columbus today to rally on the statehouse lawn in protest of budget cuts.
The state budget, which should be voted on in the House today, is facing about $1 billion in cuts in state services.
Athens County Department of Job and Family Services director Jack Frech, said he is protesting cuts in education, human services and health care. He said he wants to persuade the General Assembly not to make cuts that would hurt low-income families including childcare and Medicaid. Frech has testified twice before the state legislature against budget cuts.
The Emergency Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future is organizing the rally. Carin Channing, the campaign's field coordinator, said she expects about 3,000 people to attend the rally. The campaign has been meeting for the past year working on a strategy to address the 2004-05 budget and the $4 billion deficit the state is facing.
Organize! Ohio, which has more than 1,000 people attending the rally, is helping the coalition arrange the event. Organize! Ohio is a broad coalition that works throughout Ohio.
"This is a people's rally, it's not for administrators and legislators," Channing said. "It's for people to get up there and talk about what these services really mean."
Fifteen people who have been affected by the budget cuts will speak today at the statehouse rally. Channing said they want to send two messages to the legislators. The first is to stop cuts to human services, education and health care. The second is to let the legislature know people are willing to have their taxes raised to ensure adequate funding for programs that are getting cut.
Larry Bresler, executive director of Organize! Ohio, based in Cleveland, said the organization has an active participation in the Athens area.
"The budget cuts that are being considered are going to be disastrous for basic human services and for secondary and primary education in Ohio," Bresler said. "We want to be able to send a message to the General Assembly that they have got to take a responsible role in preserving education services in Ohio."
Lois Whealey, chairwoman of the board of Organize! Ohio, was in charge of organizing the buses of protestors that left from Athens.
"I think that these budget cuts are really hard, especially on the elderly and poor people and many of the children who get services of the state," Whealey said. "We want to make our faces and voices known."
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Natalie Long
