By John Mitchel
RE: Redistricting could pit Turner against Austria in the 2012 primary, DDN, August 23, 2011. It’s appropriate that the status quo apologists made their appeal to keep both Austria and Turner at the “overtaken-by-events” NCR facility on S. Patterson, now the property of the University of Dayton . There’s not a more fitting monument to the failure of local, state and federal governments in southwest Ohio than NCR’s exodus to Atlanta.
Career politicians like Turner, Austria, DeWine, Voinovich, Hobson, Taft and Boehner have failed the Miami Valley for decades and yet the Chamber of Commerce, Dayton Development Coalition and other “public-private partnerships” continue to mount the horse that dragged us to the abyss. This has nothing to do with protecting Wright Patterson or Miami Valley jobs. No, it’s got everything to do with protecting career politicians and their special interest friends that provide the campaign cash to keep them in office.
Wright-Patt is the only success story our politicians can hang their hat on, and the simple truth is, they had little or nothing to do with it as this national treasure would be fine with or without the politicians’ meddling. Actually, Wright-Patt has had three touching congressional districts since the 2000 redistricting, including Austria (7), Turner (3) and Boehner (8). You would think House Speaker Boehner, one of the three most powerful politicians in Washington, and one other Congressman would be sufficient to represent Wright-Patt, but that’s not enough political cover for those getting six-figure salaries at the Chamber, the Coalition and elsewhere. In their search for a mission to justify their existence, these 21st Century feather merchants have revealed their true colors, and no where in that mosaic is there genuine concern for the citizens, only self-interest stacked atop arrogance.