...The Iran divestment bill being heard in the Ohio House would require the state's five pension funds to sell all their stock in companies that have invested millions of dollars in Ohio and employ thousands here, because those foreign companies have financial ties to Iran.
A list of companies with ties to Iran developed by a private research company for the State Teachers Retirement System includes some of Ohio's largest employers, such as Honda Manufacturing of America, DaimlerChrysler, Nestle and Siemens....
The group, Conflict Securities Advisory Group, has been providing packets, briefings, and even talking points to Ohio legislators who are willing to join their cause. (CSAG has been promoting this idea in other states. They've left confusion and massive retirement losses wherever they've gone.)What does Conflict Securities Advisory Group hope to gain from this? Are they trying to sell their own professional services to the pension funds? Have any legislators received contributions from CSAG? The most important question is this ---- Are teachers and others with state pensions willing to lose millions and millions of dollars from their retirement funds if the Ohio legislature goes through with this measure (127 HB 151)? If you are concerned, call your pension fund office and state legislators. You should contact the sponsors of this bill:
Josh Mandell (district17@ohr.state.oh.us)
Shannon Jones (district67@ohr.state.oh.us )
...and co-sponsors (from http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_HB_151)
Representatives
John Adams (district78@ohr.state.oh.us ),
James Aslanides (district94@ohr.state.oh.us),
Matthew Barrett (district58@ohr.state.oh.us),
Tom Brinkman (district34@ohr.state.oh.us),
Danny Bubp (district88@ohr.state.oh.us),
Armond Budish (district08@ohr.state.oh.us),
Jim Carmichael (district03@ohr.state.oh.us),
Thom Collier (district90@ohr.state.oh.us),
Courtney Combs (district54@ohr.state.oh.us),
Timothy DeGeeter (district15@ohr.state.oh.us),
Dan Dodd (district91@ohr.state.oh.us),
Matthew Dolan (district98@ohr.state.oh.us),
Larry Flowers (district19@ohr.state.oh.us),
Bob Gibbs (district97@ohr.state.oh.us),
Jay Goyal (district73@ohr.state.oh.us),
Cliff Hite (district76@ohr.state.oh.us),
Robert Latta (district06@ohr.state.oh.us),
Dale Mallory (district32@ohr.state.oh.us),
Jim McGregor (district20@ohr.state.oh.us),
Tom Patton (district18@ohr.state.oh.us),
Jon Peterson (district02@ohr.state.oh.us),
Carol-Ann Schindel (district63@ohr.state.oh.us),
Arlene Setzer (district36@ohr.state.oh.us),
Joseph Uecker (district66@ohr.state.oh.us),
Jeff Wagner (district81@ohr.state.oh.us),
Mark Wagoner (district46@ohr.state.oh.us),
Shawn Webster (district53@ohr.state.oh.us),
Larry Wolpert (district23@ohr.state.oh.us),
James Zehringer (district77@ohr.state.oh.us)
Ohio's legislators just don't seem to get it. Last month they worked on a bill about strippers, and now they are working on a bill which could destroy state retirement funds in Ohio. However, these same state legislators have managed to avoid an order from the state Supreme Court to fix school funding in the state. It is time to send two messages to these legislators---
1. Keep your hands off my retirement money.
2. Fix the school funding issue for the children in Ohio.
