The
Columbus Dispatch...
Editorial: Short takes
Thursday, June 9, 2011
INNOVATION OHIO, a recently created liberal think tank, says it is
wrong for the Kasich administration to claim that its budget proposal
fills an $8 billion hole left by former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.
Never mind that for the past two years, virtually everyone has accepted
the $8 billion figure as a reasonable estimate of the budget mess
Strickland left behind. In fact, Janetta King, president of Innovation
Ohio, implicitly endorses the $8 billion figure, because that is the
starting point from whence she derives the $5.1 billion figure that she
now claims is the more accurate estimate. She says the state stands to
gain about $2.9 billion in unanticipated revenues. She subtracts this
from $8 billion to reach her estimate.
It should be noted that while $5.1 billion is less than $8 billion, it
is still a vast budget hole left by Strickland. And whether it was $8
billion or $5.1 billion, it was a massive failure of fiscal
responsibility.
And most important, whether the hole is $5.1 billion or $8 billion, it
means the state has no money to spare, necessitating deep cuts and much
shared pain throughout Ohio.
Gubernatorial candidate John Kasich promised to pull the state out of
the Strickland budget hole. Judging by the budget proposals put forward
by the Ohio House and Senate that are largely based on Kasich’s plan,
he is about to do exactly that.
Bottom line: Strickland left behind a mess, and Kasich cleaned it up.
This conclusion follows no matter how one does the arithmetic.
Read it at the Columbus Dispatch
Related News & Opinion...
News
Columbus Dispatch, Budget Analysis… Read it here
Toledo Blade, Harsh Cuts… Read it here
Newark Advocate, Lawmaker Pay Cut… Read it here
Columbus Dispatch, Prevailing Wage… Read it here
Dayton Daily News, JobsOhio Changed… Read it here
Blogs
Columbus Dispatch, Kasich Cleaned It Up… Read it here
Dayton Daily News, Tax Breaks Not Free… Read it here
Chillicothe Gazette, Optional Medicaid… Read it here
Representatatives
From the Senate Majority Caucus… Read it here
Senator Faber's Comments... Read it here
Senator Beagle's Comments... Read it here
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