George Will says Gov. Kasich 'spoiling for a budget fight in Ohio'
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George Will says Gov. Kasich 'spoiling for a budget fight in Ohio'
Washington Post and nationally syndicated columnist George Will says new Ohio Gov. John Kasich "is spoiling for some fights" in the Buckeye State.
In a weekend column in The Washington Post, Will writes: "Asked what the headline will be when Kasich submits his first budget, he replies, 'Probably, Oh my God!'"
Will said that when Kasich chaired the House Budget Committee, Congress cut domestic appropriations 9 percent in 1996 and achieved a surplus in 1998.
"But that was with the economy humming," Will said. "Ohio's projected fiscal 2012 deficit of 11 percent of the state's 2011 budget is serious, but far from the calamities facing California (29.3 percent), Texas (31.5), New Jersey (37.4), Illinois (44.9) and Nevada (45.2)."
Will goes on to point out that Kasich wants to privatize the economic development agency and is considering privatizing some prisons and selling or leasing the Ohio Turnpike.
Kasich also will see battles with the nursing home industry, "which will resist state attempts to save money by helping the elderly stay at home."
In addition, Will says, "There will be a brawl with the teachers union over school voucher programs, charter schools and narrowing the topics - e.g., class sizes - that can be subjects of collective bargaining."
Will's column was eerily similar to works spoken by Ohio Sen. David Daniels during a Friday, Feb. 4 downhill meeting at the Highland County Administration Building in Hillsboro. Daniels warned of cuts in state spending and the trickle-down effect on the cuts in local government spending.
Ohio's governor and state lawmakers continue to wrestle with a budget deficit projected at between $7 billion and $9 billion, Daniels said.
Washington Post and nationally syndicated columnist George Will says new Ohio Gov. John Kasich "is spoiling for some fights" in the Buckeye State.
In a weekend column in The Washington Post, Will writes: "Asked what the headline will be when Kasich submits his first budget, he replies, 'Probably, Oh my God!'"
Will said that when Kasich chaired the House Budget Committee, Congress cut domestic appropriations 9 percent in 1996 and achieved a surplus in 1998.
"But that was with the economy humming," Will said. "Ohio's projected fiscal 2012 deficit of 11 percent of the state's 2011 budget is serious, but far from the calamities facing California (29.3 percent), Texas (31.5), New Jersey (37.4), Illinois (44.9) and Nevada (45.2)."
Will goes on to point out that Kasich wants to privatize the economic development agency and is considering privatizing some prisons and selling or leasing the Ohio Turnpike.
Kasich also will see battles with the nursing home industry, "which will resist state attempts to save money by helping the elderly stay at home."
In addition, Will says, "There will be a brawl with the teachers union over school voucher programs, charter schools and narrowing the topics - e.g., class sizes - that can be subjects of collective bargaining."
Will's column was eerily similar to works spoken by Ohio Sen. David Daniels during a Friday, Feb. 4 town-hall meeting at the Highland County Administration Building in Hillsboro. Daniels warned of cuts in state spending and the trickle-down effect on the cuts in local government spending.
Ohio's governor and state lawmakers continue to wrestle with a budget deficit projected at between $7 billion and $9 billion, Daniels said.
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