The Democrats passed a budget fix in Columbus yesterday that raises your taxes. Most disappointing is that they did this with the help of a few Republicans. Only a few, though. EVERY single Democrat in both chambers of the legislature voted for this "fix" which is hardly a "fix" of anything other than continuing the tax and spend policies of the Democratic Party. I am proud of the strong majority of Republicans who voted to protect taxpayers.Want to know the best (or worst) part? The Columbus Dispatch reports, " Income-tax withholdings in 2009 were set assuming the income tax cut would remain, so most taxpayers have withheld too little, meaning they will owe money to the state or get smaller-than-expected refunds when they file returns in the first quarter of 2010." This means Ted Strickland and his Democratic colleagues have made it so that most Ohioans will have to send a check to their state government this year so that Turnaround Ted can continue to kill jobs and make Ohio the least business-friendly state in America.
While I and others are disappointed in the few Republicans who signed-up for this misguided legislation, I am very proud of the strong majority of Republicans who stood for taxpayers. Our candidate for Governor, John Kasich, made the following statement:
"As I have traveled the state over the past three years, it has been clear to me that the people of Ohio understand that raising taxes is counter-productive to job creation and economic growth. The most prosperous states are the ones that are constantly reforming and restructuring, and not raising taxes.
"Today’s agreement is strictly stopgap, and turns a blind eye to the massive shortfalls we will face during the next budget cycle. We better have new leadership and new ideas in place by then. Our state’s future depends on it."
"For far too long Ohio has been stuck in a cycle of tax and spend. Hard choices continue to be pushed off to another day. And today, with this agreement between the Governor and the legislature, we are continuing the cycle and culture of tax and spend. It is a cycle I intend to break."
Governing during a period of economic downturn is difficult. Elected officials everywhere face the challenge of funding the basic operations of government while not asking the beleaguered taxpayers for more money. It is a significant challenge.John Kasich's message about "breaking the cycle" is almost revolutionary. John Kasich will re-invent state government making Ohio more business-friendly and put faith back in the free market and in the people--not in government. Having gotten to hear John's message and getting to know him some, I have no doubt that he will be a transformational figure for our great state.
