Governor Kasich’s proposed budget for FY 2016-2017 contains some positive features, but overall it continues the trend of unchecked growth in state spending. The Governor’s proposal expends an additional $912 million of the state-funded portion of the General Revenue Fund. While an increase of this magnitude is hard to justify from an economic perspective, it is not unusual from a historic perspective.
The Pew Charitable Trusts recently reported, with regret, that investment in Ohio’s renewable energy industry fell from $750 million in 2012 to $100 million in 2013. But as The Buckeye Institute’s new report explains, ending the renewable energy mandates will only prove to help Ohio’s families and strengthen the economy.
The U.S. EPA recently proposed two crushing sets of regulations—the Clean Power Plan aims to reduce CO2 emissions, while the other is a plan for ozone reduction. There are four major issues with these plans that should concern all Ohioans:
On December 2nd the Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 343, an omnibus of changes to Ohio’s education policy. Noticeably absent among these changes was a provision introduced in the House Education Committee to eliminate the rigid pay schedule for teachers.
A new report by Dr. Wayne Winegarden at the Pacific Research Institute strengthens the case for free energy markets and shows how government-mandated “green energy” policies deliver unintended consequences.
We have big news to share, if you haven’t already seen your Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dayton Daily News, Toledo Blade, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal or any of the more than 30 other Ohio newspapers that ran the story yesterday.
The latest Ohio by the Numbers report shows that Ohio’s economy gained 1,000 non-farm jobs during October. The addition of 8,400 private sector jobs more than offset the loss of 7,400 jobs in the government sector.
Columbus is currently abuzz with the “lame duck.” By all accounts, the origin of the phrase “lame duck” is 18th century London. It referred to, quite literally, a duck who could not keep up with the rest of the ducks in its flock. It was then quickly adapted to work as an insult used to describe a person who didn’t make good on his debts.
With the release of the non-partisan Tax Foundation’s 2015 Business Tax Climate report, a massive spotlight is being shined on the imperative for further, major reform in Ohio. Unfortunately, what shows up under the glaring light at the moment is not pretty. Ohio ranks an uninspiring 44th in the nation.
Proponents of Medicaid expansion, including Ohio’s Governor John Kasich, have suggested recently that “[t]he opposition to [Medicaid expansion] was really either political or ideological,” and have claimed that expanding Medicaid has nothing to do with ObamaCare.
