Officeholders' cookie-cutter releases lack originality

I doubt this is a case of great minds thinking alike.
I received e-mails from four Ohio House members who represent the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday, the day that legislative body approved the 52.1 billion, two-year state budget.
The e-mails came from the offices of state Reps. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th; Sandra Stabile Harwood of Niles, D-65th; Tom Letson of Warren, D-64th; and Mark Okey of Carrollton, D-61st.
The statements from Letson, Stabile Harwood and Okey were sent after the Ohio House unanimously voted for the budget bill. Hagan's came before the vote. This was the first time the House unanimously approved the budget bill since 1955.
The titles of three of the releases were similar: "Representative Letson supports tax relief for seniors," "Rep. Hagan to support tax relief for seniors," and "Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood to support tax relief for seniors."
Stabile Harwood had already voted for the bill as evidenced by the information in the e-mail, but that is just a minor oversight.
The language is so similar that it is obvious that House Democrats were using a cookie-cutter press release provided by their caucus.
Letson's e-mail states: "The 52.1 billion budget includes Governor [Ted] Strickland's plan for senior citizen property tax relief and several other major changes in state policy, including:"
The statement goes on to list three "major changes" with the initial part of each of the three in bold face type.
Hagan's e-mail states: "The 52.1 billion budget plan, scheduled for a vote of the full House sometime Tuesday, includes Governor Strickland's plan for senior citizen property tax relief and several other major changes in state policy, including:"
Hagan's office mixed it up a bit because his release was sent before the budget vote. But the language listing the three "major changes" is identical to the one in Letson's e-mail with the same words in bold face type.
Stabile Harwood also made a slight change. She didn't bother with the bold face and referred to the "major changes" as "provisions." While she added a fourth provision, the language for the three other provisions/major changes is identical to what is in the Letson and Hagan releases.
The three are in agreement about something else.
(Fill in the legislator's name) "said the plan for property tax relief for senior citizens is particularly important. The budget calls for expanding the homestead exemption to allow the disabled and all homeowners, age 65 years and over -- regardless of income -- to pay no property tax on the first 25,000 of their home's market value."
In another amazing coincidence, Hagan and Stabile Harwood are quoted as saying: "For years, too much of the burden of paying for schools has been placed on the property tax and that has hurt our seniors."
I'm sure if I tracked down statements on the budget bill from House Democrats in other parts of the state the language would also be the same.
I find it funny when politicians say something stupid, inappropriate, incorrect or ridiculous, and then get criticized for it, they sometimes blame the media for misquoting them.
It's pretty obvious in this case, the legislators didn't say these quotes, or at least most of them. Yet they had their office cut and paste a press release they didn't write with some quotes they didn't say, and send them to the local media hoping to get their name in the newspaper or on radio or television.
If they are looking to get their name in the newspaper, congratulations, you did it.
As a quick aside, when Mike DeWine was a U.S. senator, his office would send me e-mails about federal money going toward the clean-up of the Mahoning River with the same quote every time.
I have to give credit to Okey, whose district includes southern Mahoning County.
Okey's e-mail on the budget vote hits the important points and the cut and paste buttons on his computer weren't used.