Can Ohio be bought by billionaires?

Is Ohio for sale? Apparently, some folks believe Ohio can be bought, used and then discarded. A billionaire recently tried to buy a state's Supreme Court justice in a recent election, and now another is trying to buy the election for governor in Ohio.

That individual uses his jet to crisscross Ohio while the other utilizes their Jeep. He has deep pockets, stating a willingness to spend up to $40 million of his own money to get elected and seemingly is only willing to talk to Republicans at his appearances.

The Democrat running for governor has stretched her arms wide with a willingness to talk to and answer hard questions that are posed to her by Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

Stepping back and taking a hard look at the current candidates, I have major concerns with the billionaire candidate and how he earned his billions. Posing as a pharmaceutical developer under Roviant Sciences and its subsidiaries, he would buy patents from companies that had decided the product would not pass FDA standards. He would then supposedly try to meet those standards by pushing development forward. His big score came when he took over the development of Alzheimer’s disease drug Inteperdine, which the initial developer had given up on due to poor clinical trials.

The initial IPO on the subsidiary that controlled the patent under Roviant was billions of dollars. Of course he cashed in on this to the tune of $3 billion. Two years later the company collapsed, along with the drug because it did not work.

This reflects a trend of “big promises” with poor results at best. This ethical flaw should set off alarm bells and lights for us. Questions such as: What does a billionaire have in common with us? Answer: Nothing. Why does he want to buy Ohio? Answer: Make money.

Currently, Ohio is a dumping ground for radioactive waste from fracking. We import waste from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Over one-third of all waste going into our landfills is from out of state. Both industries are poorly regulated and will only become worse.

Our natural gas is being utilized for generating electricity, not for the consumer, but for “big tech,” which will cause our electric bills to go up rather than down. Our water is being used to cool giant information storage units, then returned to streams and rivers killing wildlife. The in-ground injection wells will leak, polluting our water at some point. We are being sold out by those who only want to use us, then discard us.

The billionaire candidate doesn’t talk about the congressional redistricting that supports the election of congressmen, rather than seeking to represent you the constituent. This candidate supports school vouchers that take money out of the school your child attends. This candidate talks about deregulation that allows for monopolies to control the market under the guise of free enterprise. Your taxes go up, and his go down.

Ed Gallagher

Coshocton