On slots at horsetracks

Raising taxes in a recession would not solve our problems. During a recessionary economy, they could make them worse... see Hawley-Smoot tax during the Great Depression.

Anyone who sees this and thinks this is what Blackwell would do is just ignorant.  Period.

Would Ken Blackwell done anything to freeze college tuition in this State?  What about Strickland's education plan?  Think you would have seen that under a Blackwell Administration?  The new energy plan that focuses on developing alternative energy technologies and implement them in Ohio?  Yeah, Blackwell would have been all over that.  The collapsing global economy which has disportionately hit Ohioans and a requirement that the budget be balanced, even in depressionary times, forced Strickland's hands. 

Anyone who says we could be taxing our way out of these cuts is delusional.

Cuts had to be made.  The state constitution requires a balanced budget.  It's one thing to say further tax cuts should be delayed as a way to balance the budget.  But tax hikes during an economy in meltdown?!?  Short-sighted policy.  An economic and political loser.

If I were Governor...

I would number one stop the income tax phaseout.

Second, I would put in the slot machines.

Third, whatever shortfall was left I would patch with higher taxes.

 Anyone that has studied economics understands that spending cuts often have a more drastic impact on the economy than do higher taxes.  (see Keynes, John Maynard) That is why something like 23 other states have raised taxes.

While Ted may have frozen tuition at public instutions he has totally screwed those of us at private colleges.

 And guess who went to a private college! Ted...Lee Fisher...Armond Budish

He also totally screwed 3000 reciepients of the Ohio Academic Scholarship.  We were promised the scholarship for 4 years, earning it after 4 years of hard work in high school.  Then again maybe someone as "ignorant" as me didn't deserve it in the first place.

 Why did Ted do nothing about education in 2007 or 2008???  Maybe he could have used it as a rallying cry to get a good state Senate.

 Now, of course I will support Ted, if he makes it out of the primary, but if he is challenged by a Dem with a backbone, then I will strongly consider the challenger.

Delusional...It's delusional to continue to blindly stand by Ted no matter what he does. 

The whole point of the post was to support the idea of stop the income tax cuts (although Kasich has proposed a phaseout, none is presently being implemented.)  So did I not criticize the Governor's position?  How is that blindly standing by Ted no matter what he does?  You're fighting a straw man.

Ted didn't have an education plan until this year.  That's why.  He spent the first two years of his term getting the relevant parties together to listen to them to come up with the best plan he thought was needed for Ohio.  That seems to be a rather sane thing to do if your promoting your plan being based on objective evidence and not ideological platitudes.  Also, he did it to try to build broadbased public support for his changes.  I think it was smart politics.

But you can't praise him for freezing tuition and then saying he didn't do anything for education during those first two years.  His first budget reflected a major change in Ohio's attitude towards higher education.

What you were ignorant for saying was that things wouldn't be any different other Blackwell.

Other than the scholarships, how did the Governor "screw" people in private colleges (where the State, by definition, has little role to control things in the first place?)

I'm glad you're in college, but it's pretty easy for you to advocate for higher taxes you don't have to pay more of during a global recession.  Like NIMBY, everyone favors raising someone else's taxes so long as it saves the government spending that benefits them.  Sales tax increases depress consumer spending which deepen the economic problem while also failing to solve the revenue problem.   So, who do you tax without making things worse?

In case you missed it, Strickland's budget calls for an increase in over a hundred of different types of fees the State charges.  So it *is* ignornant for you to say his budget doesn't do anything on the revenue side to avoid these unpopular cuts.

Yeah, you deserve a scholarship.  But we can't afford it.  You aren't the first college student to suddenly find an unexpected change in financial aid during their academic career.

It wasn't a contract.  Heck, it wasn't even an entitlement.  Is it unfair?  Sure, but the person losing their job and house think you should get behind them in line.

And i would be willing to do it to save our libraries. 

I guess I can't complain that a scholarship that was guaranteed if I stayed in good academic standing in an Ohio college just vanish.

I guess that the high school I went to which will not exist in three or four years without new revenue because the "relevant parties" didn't support it.

Ted ran on the "Turn Around Ohio" pledge.  What has he done to turn around this state?  Some.  BUT NOT ENOUGH!!

I have stood at family gatherings for two years, standing by Ted.  In high school I wore my Strickland for Guv. T-shirt a bunch of times and talked to a bunch of people about supporting him.  But enough is enough. 

Oh, and as to my scholarship, I'd gladly see it go in exchange for the libraries or the seniors.  I'll go to the end of the line for that.  I just want there to be a line.

I praise Ted for being better than Taft.  But being praised for that is like being happy if your football team goes 6-10 after going 1-15.  Better, but not good.  We can do better.

PS I'll gladly support Ted over "0-16" John kasich, but I will strongly consider a primary challenger.

do you mean? This sounds a lot like when people say "cut waste," without enumerating what they consider "waste" and how much it would save. If you mean close all charter schools and end vouchers, well, I agree. It probably wouldn't fly with Republicans since they are funded by the charter-school industry. I would even settle for just closing for-profit charters (but again, that's who is funding the GOP), because I recognize the good that nonprofit charters can do — but they are a luxury in financially challenged times.

Anyway, to paint this as Strickland's "fault" is insanely short-sighted. It wouldn't matter WHO the governor was — if it was the most brilliant progressive who ever lived — we'd STILL have a shrtfall. I am getting those panicked emails from every group that doesn't want their funds cut — and I agree with ALL of them. But where's the money? 

or maybe....gasp...raising taxes.  Did I get lost at naugblog?  Why is everyone here more willing to cut essential services instead of modest tax increases?

I have neither seen nor studied either the budget red books or the line items.  I was also not able to participate in the finance committee or subcommittee hearings where they (should) review spending.  What I do know is that I've seen and done it before and there are more line items for duplicative services than you'd imagine.  I can't tell you specifically which line items they are but often in education, and especially in higher education, there are funding streams that provide the same services, often to the same Ohioans. 

There is not enough waste cutting available to fix the holes.  The most significant spending is Medicaid, with the federal and state guidelines, that gets larger and larger each year.  Though yet, heaven know, it is as a sponge, absorbing the leaks in our health care system for the poor, blind and disabled.  You're not going to get a systematic overhaul of anything with this 2 year budget.  Plugging the leaks may still lead to a sinking boat.   

Governor Strickland, though putting a controversial measure before the legislature, is attempting to increase the state's revenue stream and coffers.  He should be credited with the attempt.  The legislature only has the responsibility of coming up with a budget for the next 2 years - all subsequent state goverment has the exact same responsibility every 2 years, so essentially, all budgets are temporary.  A long-term strategy enacted would benfit all but in today's economy, what with state revenue as it is, the reality is that a 2 year budget will pass. A realistic solution can be created that rolls back tax incentives and spending, increases revenue with the proposed slots and if necessary, a tax increase (note: TEMPORARY) could be enacted.  If you're for a tax increase, where do you propose it come from - on who and/or what?

Just as long as we can save the libraries with enough revenue $!!

We need these programs.  We need to increase revenue rather than cutting services.  Wherever it may come from, I have seen numerous creative ideas.