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Chillicothe
Gazette...
John Kasich’s budget
cuts needed to be deep
Mar 20, 2011
The proposal of any government budget usually comes in stages:
discussion about what might be in the proposal, the proposal, the
dissection/reaction, the debate, the revision and the approval.
In Ohio, we’re in the third stage of this process, and it promises to
be a doozy.
Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday proposed his first budget -- a 774-page
whopper that includes $55.5 billion worth of funding of Ohio services
for the next two years.
For his part, Kasich did his dead level best to warn us, repeatedly
saying, as a candidate and as an elected official, that spending had to
be cut and a full-scale overhaul of government was in store.
In that sense, Tuesday’s budget proposal shouldn’t have come as much of
a surprise to Ohioans, particularly those touched by the services
traditionally provided.
So, the dissection/reaction to such a bold budget is to be expected, of
course. It’s natural that those who would be cut in this budget -- and
250 of 371 general fund spending line items are cut at a savings of
$2.3 billion -- are upset about such a move.
But the fact is Kasich is doing just what he said he would do. He’s set
up his priorities -- making the tough calls and, if all goes well,
setting the state up for better fiscal accountability in the future.
There’s no question that local governments will take a hit -- cut by
half in the two years covered by the budget -- but it’s also true that
the cuts were completely expected.
Some have argued Kasich merely passed the budget woes of the state onto
the cities, counties and townships that already are strapped for cash.
That’s true, but the state doesn’t have the money to continue to fund
some of the things it has in the past, so forcing those entities to
engage the same process -- set clear priorities and make tough calls --
is a good thing in the long run.
Local governments now have a great opportunity to provide leadership in
their communities. Consolidation discussions should follow. A
full-scale review of all priorities is in order. Looking at all ways to
provide services in a new fashion is a great idea.
There are tough questions about Kasich’s budget to be asked, without
question. His projection of $5 billion more in general revenues seems
too rosy to believe and the balance of his budget seems a bit hard to
swallow.
Those are questions for the next phase of this process and ones that
must be answered before the approval process can begin.
Kasich’s budget isn’t the surprise that some are making it out to be --
even his predecessor, Ted Strickland, hinted at closing prisons and
double-digit cuts at some agencies -- but it does provide a clear
framework that could help Ohio’s house in order.
Read it at the Chillicothe Gazette
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