I wanted to add to the discussion by sharing with you what other newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, have said about the very same actions. Apparently, I'm not the only one who sees major flaws in our local newspaper's editorial position.
A Columbus Dispatch editorial about the reforms in the budget said many of them were long overdue. It points out that, for decades, the game of politics was played in our state and many common-sense reforms were delayed. The Dispatch called the budget 'historic' and, rather than complain and repeat Democrat talking points, said:
"Ohio lawmakers have approved a budget that should set the state on a far better course for the future.
It's a two-year spending plan that erases an $8 billion deficit left by the Strickland administration, doing so without raising taxes, a campaign pledge by Gov. John Kasich that many doubted was possible. But it also is a transformational budget containing fundamental policy changes.
Kasich is expected to sign the bill this afternoon. When he does, his administration will be equipped to tackle and resolve tough issues that past governors and lawmakers have allowed to fester.
...
Most important, the budget provides ways for all public entities to serve the public more efficiently, with less reliance on ever-escalating taxes.
It will reset government spending to a baseline that taxpayers can afford.
...
Kasich and this legislature came into office in January facing a disaster: an $8 billion deficit left by former Gov. Ted Strickland and lawmakers who failed to put the state on a sustainable fiscal basis by matching spending with revenue. Instead, they kicked the problem down the road, using federal stimulus money to paper over the problem.
Putting the state back on a sound fiscal foundation, with the tools to keep it that way for the foreseeable future, is an extraordinary accomplishment."
National publications weighed in as well. In a news story on the new governor, the New York Times article contained the following:
"In Washington, Congress may still be fighting over the national budget, but in Ohio, where Republicans control the House, the Senate and the governor’s office, the budget passage has been about as smooth as a knife through butter.
...
On Thursday night, he signed his $56 billion budget into law, with few major changes from the version he had originally proposed and neatly ahead of a July 1 deadline. On Friday, he held a news conference in Columbus to celebrate.
“We faced our problems and took them on,” Mr. Kasich said. “We have now stabilized the state. It is a new way, and it is a new day and, we are delivering.”
It was a fireworks finale to a legislative season steered by Mr. Kasich, who is among the closely watched class of new Republican governors in key electoral battle-ground states. His stewardship of the state budget could have outsize political implications, influencing the mood of voters and their economic circumstances, which will help set the backdrop for next year’s presidential election.
In his five months in office, Mr. Kasich, a former congressman and Lehman Brothers executive, has established himself as a get-things-done governor who has expansive powers and is not afraid to use them."
And then there was the Wall Street Journal editorial which says that Kasich's balanced budget, which cut both taxes and spending, ought to be a lesson for Washington:
"The reform-minded GOP Governors across the upper Midwest have sustained a lot of political damage lately, but at least they're delivering on their campaign promises and will be judged on the results. The latest is Ohio's John Kasich, who signed an ambitious budget late last week that will help the Buckeye State's economy and finances.
Mr. Kasich took office this year facing the largest deficit in Ohio history, close to $7.7 billion. His predecessor, Democrat Ted Strickland, had avoided any serious reform in advance of the 2010 election, despite a shrinking economy and tax base, and had concealed fiscal holes with federal stimulus dollars that have now run out. To close the gap with revenue alone, the Ohio tax department estimated that income rates for the average family would need to rise 56%.
Mr. Kasich's budget is bringing Ohio's finances into balance by cutting spending while also cutting taxes, which ought to be a lesson for Washington.
...
The reform-minded GOP Governors across the upper Midwest have sustained a lot of political damage lately, but at least they're delivering on their campaign promises and will be judged on the results. The latest is Ohio's John Kasich, who signed an ambitious budget late last week that will help the Buckeye State's economy and finances.
Mr. Kasich took office this year facing the largest deficit in Ohio history, close to $7.7 billion. His predecessor, Democrat Ted Strickland, had avoided any serious reform in advance of the 2010 election, despite a shrinking economy and tax base, and had concealed fiscal holes with federal stimulus dollars that have now run out. To close the gap with revenue alone, the Ohio tax department estimated that income rates for the average family would need to rise 56%.
Mr. Kasich's budget is bringing Ohio's finances into balance by cutting spending while also cutting taxes, which ought to be a lesson for Washington.
...
Mr. Kasich's approval ratings have fallen sharply as he's pursued budget and labor change, though challenging the status quo is always disruptive. On the other hand, voters didn't reward Mr. Strickland for making the problem worse by doing nothing."
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