To the editor:

I’m angry with my own Republican Party’s deceptive ads and felt compelled to speak out.

In both 2010 and 2011, bills came up for a vote on the House floor restricting (not permitting) strip clubs close to schools and churches.

In 2010, I voted for the restrictions. So did Rep. Paul Davis. It passed the House but failed in the Senate.

In 2011, it resurfaced in a slightly different form. Again, I voted for it, Paul Davis didn’t.

The difference?

In 2010, the bill let cities craft their own ordinances suiting their needs (called “home rule,” where the state doesn’t force matters on cities), but in 2011, cities couldn’t change anything.

Besides the home rule thing, Paul Davis also criticized taking committee time holding hearings for the fifth straight year instead of using time for complex budget issues. Nobody voted in favor of strip clubs.

FYI, the governor’s labor secretary voted against the 2011 bill, too. She still got the job.

Bob Brookens
Marion