Friday, December 18, 2009

Kasich & the Ohio Budget

Last night, John Kasich released his first statement on Ohio's budget.

Here it is in its entirety:

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.

Love the last paragraph.

But some have complained about Kasich not putting his stamp on the budget process and providing his input, particularly considering his experience as Chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee. As you likely recall, Kasich served as the chief architect of the nation’s first balanced budget since 1969. To put that into some perspective, next year’s congressional overspending is expected to surpass $1.5 trillion.

So, considering this background, why didn't Kasich get involved?

Simple.

He hasn't been elected yet.

Elections are done for a reason - for the people to have their say about who they want managing their government.

If Kasich got involved it would have politicized the process far beyond where it's stood the past several months. And that wouldn't be fair to the elected officials involved or the people of Ohio.

Now, as appropriate, Kasich has provided his first comment upon completion of the budget. It highlights his hope to reform state government to make it more efficient, lower the tax burden, and make Ohio more attractive to businesses.

Over the coming months we'll be hearing the details about how Kasich plans to govern Ohio. I'd expect a timeframe similar to Strickland's in 2006 where the rollout began in the spring. Seeing as I don't recall much griping from the left about not having time to study Strickland's plans back then, I'm sure we can expect the same patience from them when it comes to Kasich's rollout.

Riiiiiiiight.

6 comments:

  1. Yes, Kasich's comment in no way looks politicized or shallow in the fact of him, yet again, failing to say what he'd do differently.

    Nope, John Kasich's inability to answer the most basic of questions about policies he's spouting off on is really an amazing demonstration of inspiring leadership.

    See you on Monday at Plunderbund!

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  2. Nonsense.

    There will plenty of time for Kasich to dicuss his policies over the next 11 months. Unfortunately for Strickland, there will also be plenty of time to discuss the failings of his policies and leadership.

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  3. Modern,

    Ignoring my points and repeating your same talking points you've mentioned before doesn't really make for good debate.

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  4. No, what doesn't make a good debate is that you let me continue to bring up the same criticism time and time again because YOU HAVE NO RESPONSE except to call Kasich's inability to articulate an alternative "genius."

    Yes, John, Kasich is a genius for revealing to everyone that he has no real plans, just criticism for everything Strickland does.

    Kasich's inability to answer any question expected of the candidate is pure messaging genius. You're right.

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  5. Ugh.

    No, I call it smart, political sense.

    In 2006, was Strickland able to articulate all aspects of his "Turnaround Ohio" plan to Ohio?

    The answer is yes.

    Was it a good plan? Obviously I, and many Ohioans, don't believe so, but that's a totally different argument.

    The fact is this, Democrats believed Strickland fully communicated his plan to Ohioans in 2006. And he didn't fully roll it out until deep into the campaign season.

    Kasich should get the same patience.

    And from a pure political perspective, Kasich has been smart to hold off on releasing details. It's allowed Strickland to soak in the negative press and damage his reputation. And as the polls reflect, it's worked.

    At the end of the day, Kasich will have many months to communicate his plan to Ohioans. And Dems choosing this as a primary criticism of him when the vast majority of Ohioans aren't even paying attention for another 8 months, seems like a pretty inefficient waste of time.

    But by all means, keep it up.

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