Head Start for Change

August 31, 2012 by

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The Cincinnati Enquirer has been on a roll recently when it comes to publishing thoughtful pieces, including this guest column, about budgets.

The Executive Director of the Ohio Head Start Association, Barbara Haxton lays out the very serious effects of the federal budget “sequestration” or automatic cuts that will happen at the end of the year if Congress does not act – 4,000 kids dropped from Head Start and Early Head Start and nearly 800 jobs lost.  So what’s this got to do with Ohio’s budget?

When cuts come down from the federal level, they effect Ohio’s budget (26% of FY2012 revenues come from federal grants, for example).  More importantly, whether programs or services are provided by federal, state, or local folks – and regardless of where the money comes from – the bottom line common good for our citizens doesn’t change.  Cutting back from important programs like Head Start just doesn’t make sense.

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Effects Keep Trickling Down: Toledo Edition

August 23, 2012 by

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Add Toledo local officials to the list of folks across Ohio that are unhappy about the cuts they’re seeing as a result of the current state budget.  CutsHurtOhio.com details the effects in Lucas County that led to this article in the Blade - $82 million from education and $47 million from local governments, for example.

With increased focus on federal budget issues due to the presidential election, it’s important for everyone to understand that the effects of budgets trickle down til they make it to your block.  Federal “sequestration” or automatic cuts at the end of the year?  They’ll cut over $300 million from Ohio’s budget.  Paul Ryan’s budget that has been such a lightning rod?  It would cut over $750 million from Ohio in 2014 and $6 billion over the next 10 years.

One Ohio Now is working to set up a series of town halls and community meetings across the state in the coming months.  These will be opportunities to hear about the effects from federal, state, and local budgets and to speak up to share your thoughts about what you’d like to see happen.  If you’re interested in seeing something in your area, please let us know.

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Does Every School District Have a Generous NFL Player?

August 17, 2012 by

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Michigan is churning out some interesting responses to the budget cuts that public services are facing all across the country – which would only be exacerbated by plans like Paul Ryan’s, by the way, which would cut $700 million from Ohio.  First there was the Troy, Michigan Book Burning video, and now this:

The NFL’s LaMarr Woodley made a donation to his hometown Saginaw Public Schools so that sports wouldn’t have to be pay-to-play.

When my ESPN.com feed is even showing the effects of budget cuts in its “Headlines” section, you know there’s a problem.  Unfortunately, not every district has such a generous benefactor – and they shouldn’t need to.  If the wealthy, like LaMarr Woodley, and big corporations paid their fair share, ESPN would have more room for feel good stories that aren’t the result of extreme inequality.

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It’s Not a Surplus!

August 15, 2012 by

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Google the definition of surplus and here’s what you get:

So, when I see articles like this one in the Marietta Times – even when they’re thoughtfully written – asking what to do with the state’s budget “surplus,” I can’t help but want to remind everyone that our basic requirements have not been met and we don’t have an excess of supply over demand.  We have crumbling bridges and roads, police and fire services reduced in communities across the state, schools cutting back on bussing and making sports pay-to-play, and the list goes on.

And meeting what have come to be though of as basic requirements isn’t even taking into account all the things that people want and deserve but have been tricked into thinking aren’t options: affordable college education or health care, for example.

We need to find a new name for the effects of the budget cuts (see www.CutsHurtOhio.com for your county’s), because it’s quite simply not a surplus.

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The Damage Continues…

August 9, 2012 by

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The special election on Tuesday saw 60 issues being decided – 71% of which are for seeking new money.  One Ohio Now partner Innovation Ohio detailed this in their release “Special Elections Expose Kasich Shell Game.”

After a difficult day, Ohio School Boards Association deputy executive director Rob Delane was dead on in saying that state cuts have led to the increase in requests.  Read the Plain Dealer article here for a full rundown.

As we’ve shown with www.CutsHurtOhio.com, every single county in Ohio has seen millions in dollars of cuts to K-12 education and millions of cuts to local governments – no wonder there are levies to fill the gaps.  And even when levies pass, like one did in Groveport Madison, there will still be less resources to support public education.

The damage continues, and it is very likely only to get worse as the Local Government Fund cuts doubled in July and schools run out of any savings they’ve burned through in the past year.

 

 

 

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What is “Ridiculous?”

August 6, 2012 by

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Governor Kasich, or those close to him, has started talking about the state budget process that will begin formally in 2013.  I’ve been thinking about how to respond to some of the things being said, and one Kasich quote in particular stands out.

But let me start by showing you this chart:

 

 

 

 

Policy Matters Ohio shared this via the Economic Policy Institute data of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  And in case it doesn’t make sense right off the bat to you, here’s the bottom line:

Over the last 30 years, wages have gone down for the large majority of Ohioans while the wealthiest have gotten wealthier.  That is ridiculous!

So, when Governor Kasich says “You’ve got to remember a 5.9% income tax is ridiculously high for our state,” I can’t help but note how out of touch the Governor is.  What’s ridiculous is how rich some people are getting while nearly everyone is struggling to maintain.  The 5.9% rate is only for people making over $202,400/year, and even then that rate only affects the 202,400th dollar and above.

Maybe if the last 30 years of trickle-down economics had worked, I’d be along for the ride.  But it hasn’t and it doesn’t.  Which gives me a nice segway to share a cute new video on just that subject:

 

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Fix Ohio Roads? Nah, Just Buy a More Expensive Car

August 3, 2012 by

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I saw this car commercial a while ago and it rubbed me the wrong way immediately.  But lately I’ve been listening to sports talk radio and the audio version, coupled with a recent Plain Dealer article, pushed me over the edge to respond.  Check this out:

When the American Society of Civil Engineers rates Ohio’s roads D-, one might think to invest more to repair our infrastructure.  Maybe we should be thinking about raising revenue to pay for things like safe roads, rather than just cutting services?  Nah, let’s just all save up to buy a nice new car instead!

All across Ohio there road and bridge projects stalled, but it’s commercials like this that show us just how far we’ve fallen.  If you can’t afford a $50,000 car – tough luck.

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