So, the Columbus Dispatch, has more details on exactly how the Senate GOP would fill the gap with less than a full freeze of the final income tax cut:
- Raids $30 million from the Housing Trust Fund
- Removing the requirement that schools provide all-day kindergarten starting next school year, and the requirement that they meet class size restrictions.
- Restoring $25 million this year and $35 million next year to private, chartered schools, most of which are Catholic. The schools were hit with significant cuts in the two-year budget.
- Creating a commission to study state functions that could be privatized.
- Requiring the departments of Education, Natural Resources and Transportation to undergo performance audits.
- Creating a study to look at allowing private insurance entities to compete with the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
- Studying the potential cost savings of a four-day work week (I’m assuming for just government workers, not the rest of us.)
- The plan also counts on $10 million from allowing oil and gas drilling at Salt Fork State Park, $50 million in savings from a variety of changes to prison sentencing, $30 million in liquor profits transfers, $7.5 million in “cash management,” and the transfer of $30 million in liquor profits.
So in anticipation of Sarah Palin’s booksigning, the Ohio Senate GOP has given us “Drill, Baby, Drill” in its’ Ohio form. Where suddenly, without explanation, the Salt Fork State Park has turned into the Ohio version of ANWR. No debate, no legislative findings, no real basis to believe that we could get that much money (or shouldn’t go more.) But more importantly, a complete ignorance of why Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican President, created the National Park System which inspired Ohio’s park system: to preserve nature, not a government land grab in the hopes that there’s liquid gold in them thar hills when the state’s budget needs balancing.
The GOP plan actually calls for MORE government spending, but, of course, it’s for PRIVATE interests. Yes, nothing will help Ohio’s economy better if we took a step back and didn’t push for all-day kindergarten or do anything regarding class sizes.
Basically, this is a bad deal. All the Senate GOP is doing is putting every ideological rider they can on this bill because they know they couldn’t pass these things on their own. I do have to ask the obvious question: if these things were so great for Ohio, why didn’t the GOP do these things when they controlled both houses of the General Assembly and the Governor’s office?
I question whether these provisions are even constitutional. Unlike the federal constitution, the Ohio constitution requires that a bill in a legislature essentially deals with the same subject. The intent of the provision is to prevent the very kind of riders the Senate GOP is attempted to do. I have a feeling that their Plan B is to pass a bill with these riders and probably gut education. I’m surprised the Senate GOP didn’t get in something about abortion and “teh gays” while they were at it.
Make them do this. The Senate GOP’s proposal is a bad plan. Maybe that’s why they’ve had to announce that any vote on it won’t take place until next week.
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