Governor's Race: My Take

I had no real intentions of swapping horses it mid stream, as it were.  We're facing the worst economic climate in a generation or two (or three, or four...) and on the whole, I feel Ted Strickland has done an exemplary job with the cards he'd been dealt.  I remember the first State of the State address, and how lofty his vision was.  I've listened to the local news about just how much he's had to adjust that aim in the face of budget restrictions and looming unemployment.  Is Ohio in tip-top shape?  Nope.  But then again, the economic crisis didn't really peak until two years ago, maybe less.  You can't step on board an airplane about to crash, live through the crash, and then take off again all in the same day.  I plan on giving Ted my vote for another term to continue working on the foundation he's started to lay for Ohio's recovery.


And if this was my opinion before looking at John Kasich's website...I saw nothing there to make me change my mind.  If anything, I felt repulsed by the man's positions on several issues, including:


The Ohio Budget.  Kasich webpage: 


"The Problem:
By any measure, Ted Strickland has been a disaster for Ohio’s budget. Because of his incompetence, mismanagement and wasteful spending, next year Ohio’s governor will face an estimated $8 billion deficit."

...and the drop in revenue, and increase in unemployment benefits has nothing to do with that deficit, I'm assuming. Silly me.

"Take the politics out of budgeting. Every program and agency must go under the microscope. Special interests must stop saying how Ohio taxpayers’ money is spent."

I sat in horror on the edge of my seat to hear whether or not the Columbus Metro Library was going to have to start shutting branches and laying off vital staff because of state funding going away.  I listen to my recently-graduated friends with education majors who can't get an interview in their field because of "Budget reasons."  I'm not sure what agencies and programs are getting the gravy here, since some of the most popular ones sure aren't.

On Taxes:

"According to the non-partisan Tax Foundation, under Ted Strickland, Ohio ranks 7th in the nation in total tax burden."

As one expects from every candidate from office, only part of the complex picture is presented here.  This tax burden is also based on local taxes, which in many cases are raised in response to falling state and federal aid.  Cut the state budget, but the money still needs to come from somewhere...

The over-arching message:

"Reduce spending so we can start reducing taxes."

I found this to be a fairly inappropriate bullet point to see under "Education Reform."  In the Columbus area alone, continued under-funding means school districts are having to levy their own property taxes just to keep enough teachers on payroll, or to replace aging buildings.  I don't like paying taxes any more than you do, but I also recognize that if we cut taxes willy-nilly we're going to wake up one of these days without public education, without roads, without the services we've come to associate with the developed world.

There's a couple other points that I took issue with, but you get the idea.  It's a philosophical difference for the most part...this is why I identify on the left side of the spectrum.  I firmly believe the government HAS a place in our lives, because history has proven time and time again laissez faire does not work.  But I suppose this is what free and fair elections are for, eh?