Even Kashitch Can Be Right

As you know, I haven’t hesitated to knock Czar Kashitch I, and my opinion of him remains much lower than his approval ratings. But even a clown like the Czar can have a good idea every now and then, and this is a good idea.

In this information age we live in, for many people trying to find a job, it seems that every potential employer is that breathtakingly stupid pregnant woman from the beenverified.com ads, shaking her finger and telling them “nobody does a THING around here without a background check!”

Well, you know…. a murderer is one thing, and a drunk driver is quite another-but here in Ohio, a conviction for either can leave you out of luck when it comes to employment. That’s why I approve of the Czar’s efforts to ease the burdenon way too many decent people who may have had a drink too many one night, or did one stupid thing decades ago.

The feared question that trips up one in six Ohioans — “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” — will soon disappear from state job applications.

Gov. John Kasich’s administration is working with private organizations to help knock down barriers created for past offenders by 800 sanctions attached to scores of laws. The state still will conduct criminal-background checks on job applicants, but only after initial screening based on qualifications.

The consequences of “collateral sanctions” are widespread: 1.9 million Ohioans have a crime on their record that is a barrier to employment after they’ve served their sentence.

Jose Torres and Jason Smoot, two Columbus men with records, hit that wall. Hard.

Torres, 35, a native of Colombia, can’t get a good job even though he has a degree in economics and extensive experience in the restaurant business and as a language interpreter. Smoot, 24, is blocked from getting a job even with his family’s business, Smoot Construction.

“You can’t get your license, you can’t get a job, you can’t get a place to live,” Smoot said. “I’m basically put in the system to fail.”

Kasich said that although he isn’t “cavalier about people who’ve broken the law … for people who’ve paid their debt and rehabilitated themselves, we want to give them a chance.”

The governor added: “We have rules that are overly punitive. That’s just not right.”

For example, someone with a criminal record generally can’t be a teacher, get a barber or cosmetology license, become a plumber, work in a casino or be a security guard at a cemetery. Often, they can’t even drive to a job interview because their license is suspended.

On top of that, they often owe thousands of dollars in restitution and probation, reinstatement and other fees when they walk out of prison.

The very best thing about the America that was, was that you could, after a period of time, regain the respect you might have pissed away in your youth. Every one of us has done something criminally stupid, even if every one of us didn’t get caught (and for the purposes of disclosure, I am the recipient of a DWI, well over 20 years ago.) There is absolutely no reason that a person should spend a lifetime in desperate misery for something he or she did as a not-too-bright youth. There are some offenses that can never be overlooked, of course, but we have to weigh the potential for harm on an offense-by-offense basis.

I’m not sure why this Governor actually cares about this. Could it be because so many of his pals already have been, or are sure to face, a felony conviction? Eh….. I shouldn’t be such a cynic.

Plutocrap