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Ohio’s poverty rate is down to 16.0% for 2013 from 16.3% in 2012. Ohio gained 200 new jobs last month and unemployment stayed the same. More Ohioans have insurance than before, but many Ohioans are still going hungry…and on and on and on.
All the numbers can become mind-numbing and lost in translation. Here is the big thing we take away from all the numbers that have recently been released – people are still struggling to get by. College debt, school fees, childcare, car repairs, and much more are making it more and more difficult for more Ohioans to get by day-in and day-out. Is this level of struggle for many Ohioans the New Normal? We can’t accept a 16% poverty rate to be celebrated.
10 years ago we cut taxes, and Ohioans were told that this would help our state create jobs and then more people would have opportunities. The wealthiest 1% of Ohioans are paying nearly $20,000 less than they would have, and the majority of us are actually paying more in taxes to maintain our roads, schools, parks, and basic public services. Tax cuts simply didn’t work. Poverty is up, jobs are down, and people are struggling.
If Ohio begins to invest wisely into efficient and effective services, we can make a difference. Ohioans would feel the investments in higher educaiton, preschool, and parks and recreation very quickly for those directly impacted by those services. Those improvements will spread throughout the entire economy as families are more economically stable and people have the opportunities for success.
