DEAR EDITOR:

Think it’s a coincidence that D.C. politician Bill Johnson has recently taken over as the 10th president of YSU? Do your homework.

For example, consider OH SB-83 currently awaiting passage by the Republican-controlled state House. This piece of sophomoric legislation states “… an urgent course correction to protect Ohio students and the integrity of our universities and colleges.”

Sound familiar? Just look at what Gov. Ron DeSantis has been doing to Florida’s institutions of higher learning and you can see where the wind is blowing. That’s right, even into our own Mahoning Valley backyard. In fact, across America there is a stealthy attempt to stifle the intellectual integrity of education, not just higher ed, but K-12 as well.

Digging deeper into the authorship of OH SB-83, look at a few of the principal political contributors; Jerry Cirino and our own Michael Rulli, the latter now running for Johnson’s Congressional seat. Think there’s a connection? Cynicism aside, I say yes.

Reading this tortuous piece of legislation, you might think how or where Ohio education committees assigned to pen the document may have obtained help. One need look no further than to that prestigious, corporate-funded organization of political intrigue, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). As you continue down the rabbit hole of Republican obfuscation, search Google for The Center for Media and Democracy and their ALEC Exposed investigative research. See how global corporations and state politicians — Republicans for the most part — vote behind closed doors to rewrite state laws governing your rights.

Despite what chairman Michael Peterson and other members of the YSU Board of Trustees may say, Johnson’s educational background leaves him unfit for any position in higher education. And coming from the Congressional swamp hardly qualifies him as a critical thinker.

No matter how you look at it, Johnson’s world view has been jaundiced by years of political entrapment.

TERRY CROGAN

Boardma