OP-ED: Ohio leaders should always put Ohio and its citizens first

Back in January, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine sent approximately 1,000 Ohio National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to help provide security for the presidential inauguration. These troops were part of a group of roughly 25,000 National Guard troops in total from many states.

Much to our dismay, we soon learned that Capitol Police had ordered some of these troops out of the Capitol Building and even required some of them to stay in a parking garage. Others were required to sleep on the floors of the Capitol Building.

While President Joe Biden apologized for this treatment, the fact is that Ohio National Guard troops had no business being in Washington, D.C. in the first place.

Recently, it has been reported that DeWine has sent at least 100 Ohio Highway Patrol officers to Minnesota to help protect against violence and looting that may occur as of result of the Derek Chauvin trial. These officers have no business being sent to Minnesota, either. Ohio property, including Ohio’s Statehouse, should be protected instead.

Finally, we have learned that the Biden administration, after creating a crisis at the U.S. border, is flying unaccompanied minors across the country to try and place them into temporary housing.

Both Iowa’s and South Carolina’s Republican governors have refused requests by the federal government to take in these illegal immigrants. Ohio’s governor should join them in refusing this request.

It is long past time for Ohio’s leaders to put Ohio and our citizens first. We should put an end to sending Ohio National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. and other states for reasons other than widespread natural disasters.

We must immediately bring our our Ohio Highway Patrol officers home from Minnesota and we must reject calls from the Biden administration to take in any refugees from their self-created, self-inflected border crisis.

Ohio has too many problems for us to consider even spending one dime of limited state taxpayer money on other states or problems created by the Biden administration. Ohio’s taxpayer dollars should be spent here in Ohio on solving Ohio’s problems first.

Read op-ed as published in the Highland County Press here.