Congrats, DeWine. You made the state of Ohio into a laughing stock.
Gov. Mike DeWine’s vaccine lottery was quickly panned by Republicans and Democrats for being a waste of taxpayer dollars.
DeWine said the state will give $1 million each to five adults who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Five youth age 12-17 will be awarded four-year college scholarships at a cost that wasn’t available Thursday.
The prizes will be paid for by federal stimulus dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, which directs states to use the money for vaccination efforts, among other economic activities.
Republican Reps. Jon Cross of Kenton and Jean Schmidt of Loveland praised the governor’s decision to lift COVID-19 health orders in a few weeks but said the lottery money would be better spent getting people back to work.
“I do not support using game show gimmicks with our federal tax dollars,” Cross said in a statement.
Schmidt said she encourages Ohioans to get the vaccine but “using taxpayer dollars to incentivize something of this nature is an abuse of public resources, regardless of whether it is federal money or not.”
That money should go to small businesses that were forced to close because of the idiotic, draconian lockdown.
As if this stunt wasn’t enough, he wants to give five full-ride college scholarships.
People who are skeptical about government-inspired groupthink are livid about this assclownery. All it does is reinforce the gratuitous stupidity of politicians and their toadies.