Ted Strickland as Money Launderer-In-Chief

(Columbus)- The $448,000 in negative attack ads that mega-union AFSCME launched today against Ted Strickland's opponent John Kasich will be paid for with up to $2.25 million from Ohio taxpayers that the union will start receiving later this year thanks to executive orders signed by Ted Strickland.

"This is money laundering on a level that would make a drug dealer blush," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. "In letting his union friends organize self-employed workers whose customers pay them with their state benefits, Ted Strickland has done nothing more than give his political attack allies the keys to Ohio's bank account. I suppose it looks a little better than if he used a state check to pay for the attack ads himself, but the practical effect is the same."

On February 1, 2008 Strickland issued Executive Order 2008-02S allowing Ohio's 7,500 self-employed private-sector child care workers, whose customers pay with state-subsidized funds, to join labor unions. AFSCME Ohio Council 8 organized these workers and Strickland signed the first collective bargaining agreement in January.

As a result of this agreement, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 can collect up to $25 per month from Ohio's self-employed child-care workers or up to $2.25 million annually. Moreover, the State of Ohio collects AFSCME's dues for it, withholding the dues money from the state's payments to child care workers. The state then sends the money directly to AFSCME. With the money it receives from the State of Ohio, AFSCME then finances a variety of political activities, such as the negative attack ads it launched today against Strickland's opponent John Kasich.

Not surprisingly, AFSCME is one of Strickland's largest donors and the Center for Responsive Politics has named AFSCME the second largest political contributor in the nation, with $42.5 million in donations since 1990. AFSCME has given Strickland $119,000 for his campaigns for governor and the $63,000 it gave him while a congressman made it one of his top-10 largest donors.