Should Ohioans be compelled to join a union as a condition of their employment? Should workers be forced to watch their hard-earned dollars be taken from their paychecks in support of causes and political candidates they do not support?
The December 2013 Ohio By the Numbers report shows an increase of 5,400 private sector jobs. Ohio’s labor force increased for the second straight month and its unemployment rate ticked down to 7.2 percent from 7.4 percent in November.
Ohio policymakers need to proceed with caution when it comes to spending, even when it comes to expanding a politically popular program such as the State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP). What looks good today as we climb out of the economic hole Ohio fell into during the late 2000s may look less sunny when the next downturn hits.
The November 2013 Ohio By the Numbers report shows a rough month for the private sector with 12,600 private sector jobs lost. This loss pushed down Ohio’s private sector job growth ranking since 2010 from 26th in October to 34th in November.
A new report, jointly released by the Buckeye Institute and the Reason Foundation, outlines how public-private partnerships (PPPs) are one promising solution that would invite the private sector to play a bigger role in keeping state parks open without imposing additional burdens on taxpayers.
On November 5, 2013, Columbus voters will consider an additional levy of 9.01 mills to fund Columbus City Schools. For the Columbus taxpayer, this levy will add around $315 in new tax burden for every $100,000 of residential property value.
The Buckeye Institute is pleased to announce the update of our Ohio Teacher Salary database for fiscal year 2013, as part of our commitment to government transparency. Included in this database are the gross salaries, hours worked per day, days worked per year, education levels achieved, and titles for all employees in each district and school in the state.
On November 5, 2013, Columbus voters will consider an additional levy of 9.01 mills to fund Columbus City Schools. If approved, approximately 11%, or $8.5 million, would go to charter schools, while the majority of the $76.6 million a year would go to the Columbus City School District.
A new report by The Buckeye Institute finds that the Controlling Board lacks the lawful authority to approve Governor Kasich’s request to appropriate federal funds for Medicaid expansion, and that any appropriation would undoubtedly give rise to a significant legal challenge.
As Detroit faces bankruptcy, many public employees are nervously waiting to see what exactly will happen to their generous pensions. The Motor City simply can’t pay them and, unfortunately for those workers, they were lied to for years about what they would receive. Could this happen in Ohio?
