Pawlenty to talk about for 2012
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Before we get started, a brief thank you or two. To our friend and longtime sports official Ernie Butts in Adams County, and to our latest readers in Wilmington and Washington Court House, we appreciate your requests for copies of The Highland County Press as well as invitations to publish a similar newspaper in your respective cities.
Who knows? We just might do that one of these days.
Regardless, it’s always nice to hear from those outside Highland County who enjoy the newspaper. Much appreciated.
Now, off to the races...
The odds-on favorites in today’s Daily Double – for advanced wagering in 2012 – are none other than former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Paul Ryan (no relation) of Wisconsin.
Congressman Ryan, of course, recently published “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” which has been mentioned on these pages and on our immensely popular website, www.highlandcountypress.com.
Among other things, Ryan – who used to live in his congressional office in the Longworth House Office Building – addresses the costly federal spending programs of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
The logical thinking is that if these and other government spending programs (think salaries and pensions, and defined contributions) were simply capped – not eliminated and not reduced – then the Fed and the States might have a fighting chance toward balancing their respective budgets without hiring three magicians, six jugglers and a mime. (The mime probably wouldn’t say much, but they do have a way of getting out of enclosed spaces.)
According to Fred Barnes, editor of The Weekly Standard and the best speaker the Ohio Newspaper Association (or maybe it was the APSO) ever had at its convention, wrote this week: (Congressman) Ryan’s motto is, ‘Inquire, inquire, inquire, read, read, read.’ He has made himself an expert on the budget, taxes, and health care. Ryan knows more about the federal budget than anyone else on Capitol Hill and talks about it more fluently. Because of this, he was a shoo-in for chairman of the House Budget Committee last week, elevated over colleagues with more seniority.”
Pawlenty, meanwhile, told News Max writer David Patten this week that the new Republican House majority should hold the line against increasing the national debt limit.
As Patten wrote, “Pawlenty recalled that during his two terms as governor in Minnesota he set a record for vetoes, and temporarily allowed the government to be shut down. But he also managed to eliminate billion-dollar deficits and balance the budget.
“‘Our great nation is facing a crisis in part because the government’s out of control, and it’s particularly out of control with its spending,’ Gov. Pawlenty said. ‘It’s going to take us into a deep hole even further than we already are. And I hope we can get consensus on that. But our team, the ones who just got elected to the majority of the Congress, and all the other conservatives and Republicans, said: ‘Look if you elect us this time we’re actually going to do this stuff.’ Well, now we’ve got to do it.’”
Pawlenty added: “I hope that it can be done constructively. But sometimes it can require some very tough decision-making, and some very tough political battles.”
The question is: Are the Republicans who were recently handed the House majority up to the challenges?
The Democrats controlled both the House and Senate for the past four years and, in the process, set record debts and deficits.
This past week, the first announced GOP cuts totaled in the millions. With all due respect to the new speaker, that ain’t gonna cut it. Congress needs to trim hundreds of billions in wasteful spending just to get started on the deficit and debt (which are entirely two different things). With a budget approaching $4 trillion and a debt of $14 trillion, any cuts that do not begin with a “B” are as irrelevant as a wart on a gnat’s er... wing.
As voters look ahead to the 2012 presidential election, for which the political ads will be here in the blink of an eye, it would be good to think that Gov. Pawlenty and Rep. Ryan had All the Right Stuff for a serious run. But I’m not certain that a former Minnesota governor and a Wisconsin congressman will even carry the Big Ten states. That’s too bad…
* * *
• Since the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the most frequently asked question of this newspaper columnist has been, “Who’s going to be Hillsboro’s next mayor?”
Until this past week when we were the first media to report that Terry Mikkelsen has taken petitions for the office from the Highland County Board of Elections, my typical response was: “I don’t know. Who’s running?”
With Terry in the race at this relatively early stage, I will say this: Hillsboro voters have a very capable candidate and a very good man in Terry Mikkelsen.
Granted, I had personally (and maybe selfishly) envisioned a 2011 mayoral race that might have included a Larry Dukes or a Darrell Tissot or a Bill Boyd. But as the Rolling Stones say, You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
From all I’ve come to know about Terry and his desire to make Hillsboro a better place for families and businesses, I will say that his entrance into the political arena is welcomed by this newspaperman.
Good luck, Terry.
* * *
• It’s been three years since any media in Highland County has had the brazen audacity to publish salaries of local public officials. I should know. The last time this information was published, HCP Managing Editor Brandy Chandler and I compiled it. That was in 2008, for the 2007 calendar year.
At that time, we published the names and salaries of those local public officials receiving $70,000 or more a year. Collecting the public information was a bit of an ordeal then, and it was again this year when we made similar requests from the schools, college, cities and county.
It’s occasionally ironic that the only employees who try to conceal their wages from their employer (i.e. the taxpayers) are some public employees.
In some instances, the public body entrusted with these figures demanded a written request. (Ohio law says that’s not necessary.) In some other instances, the public body entrusted to oversee the legal and proper dissemination of these figures saw fit to send a mass e-mail about the request. (Ohio law suggests public officials ought not do that.)
As I shared with one local public administrator, Ohio public records law (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/149.43) does not require citizens, or the media, to reveal their identity or explain why they are requesting public records. Simply put, the generally accepted guideline is for the public office to supply the public record as requested, with no local demands that supersede the ORC.
These two sections of the ORC seem to apply to our recent requests for public information:
(4) Unless specifically required or authorized by state or federal law or in accordance with division (B) of this section, no public office or person responsible for public records may limit or condition the availability of public records by requiring disclosure of the requester’s identity or the intended use of the requested public record. Any requirement that the requester disclose the requestor’s identity or the intended use of the requested public record constitutes a denial of the request.
(5) A public office or person responsible for public records may ask a requester to make the request in writing, may ask for the requester’s identity, and may inquire about the intended use of the information requested, but may do so only after disclosing to the requester that a written request is not mandatory.
After examining a number of public salaries, one thing stands out: The four-year recession that’s led to near record unemployment in southern Ohio and low private-sector wages has been mostly unnoticed in many public employment sectors. While local jobs have been lost and local wages have been flat, some governments have actually added payroll during the recession.
Now, for full disclosure, I am an unpaid public official and legally required to attend training sessions every other year by the Ohio Ethics Commission. In these sessions, such matters as described herein are openly discussed. The commission holds Q&A sessions and also has staff available in Columbus to explain any potential conflicts which may arise.
A good rule of thumb for complying with public records request is also a very simple rule: Remember who owns the records and treat them accordingly. After all, there’s a reason why they are called public records.
In 2004, the Ohio Coalition for Open Government conducted a statewide audit of public offices (www.ohionews.org/open-government/) and found that public records requests were only granted about 50 percent of the time. Access to records was denied about 30 percent of the time.
I’d like to believe that Ohio public officials have learned from that 2004 report. Some certainly have; others, unfortunately, haven’t.
We believe – and many of our readers believe – it is worthwhile to publish the salaries of local public officials. The intent is not to disparage the official or his or her salary, but to better inform the taxpaying public on the use of their tax dollars.
Once taxpayers have the information, it is up to them to support or reject the policies that permit the salaries – and, in most cases, an additional 22 percent in benefits.
Knowledge is power, as Francis Bacon said.
But only if it’s exercised once in a while.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Who knows? We just might do that one of these days.
Regardless, it’s always nice to hear from those outside Highland County who enjoy the newspaper. Much appreciated.
Now, off to the races...
The odds-on favorites in today’s Daily Double – for advanced wagering in 2012 – are none other than former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Paul Ryan (no relation) of Wisconsin.
Congressman Ryan, of course, recently published “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” which has been mentioned on these pages and on our immensely popular website, www.highlandcountypress.com.
Among other things, Ryan – who used to live in his congressional office in the Longworth House Office Building – addresses the costly federal spending programs of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
The logical thinking is that if these and other government spending programs (think salaries and pensions, and defined contributions) were simply capped – not eliminated and not reduced – then the Fed and the States might have a fighting chance toward balancing their respective budgets without hiring three magicians, six jugglers and a mime. (The mime probably wouldn’t say much, but they do have a way of getting out of enclosed spaces.)
According to Fred Barnes, editor of The Weekly Standard and the best speaker the Ohio Newspaper Association (or maybe it was the APSO) ever had at its convention, wrote this week: (Congressman) Ryan’s motto is, ‘Inquire, inquire, inquire, read, read, read.’ He has made himself an expert on the budget, taxes, and health care. Ryan knows more about the federal budget than anyone else on Capitol Hill and talks about it more fluently. Because of this, he was a shoo-in for chairman of the House Budget Committee last week, elevated over colleagues with more seniority.”
Pawlenty, meanwhile, told News Max writer David Patten this week that the new Republican House majority should hold the line against increasing the national debt limit.
As Patten wrote, “Pawlenty recalled that during his two terms as governor in Minnesota he set a record for vetoes, and temporarily allowed the government to be shut down. But he also managed to eliminate billion-dollar deficits and balance the budget.
“‘Our great nation is facing a crisis in part because the government’s out of control, and it’s particularly out of control with its spending,’ Gov. Pawlenty said. ‘It’s going to take us into a deep hole even further than we already are. And I hope we can get consensus on that. But our team, the ones who just got elected to the majority of the Congress, and all the other conservatives and Republicans, said: ‘Look if you elect us this time we’re actually going to do this stuff.’ Well, now we’ve got to do it.’”
Pawlenty added: “I hope that it can be done constructively. But sometimes it can require some very tough decision-making, and some very tough political battles.”
The question is: Are the Republicans who were recently handed the House majority up to the challenges?
The Democrats controlled both the House and Senate for the past four years and, in the process, set record debts and deficits.
This past week, the first announced GOP cuts totaled in the millions. With all due respect to the new speaker, that ain’t gonna cut it. Congress needs to trim hundreds of billions in wasteful spending just to get started on the deficit and debt (which are entirely two different things). With a budget approaching $4 trillion and a debt of $14 trillion, any cuts that do not begin with a “B” are as irrelevant as a wart on a gnat’s er... wing.
As voters look ahead to the 2012 presidential election, for which the political ads will be here in the blink of an eye, it would be good to think that Gov. Pawlenty and Rep. Ryan had All the Right Stuff for a serious run. But I’m not certain that a former Minnesota governor and a Wisconsin congressman will even carry the Big Ten states. That’s too bad…
* * *
• Since the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the most frequently asked question of this newspaper columnist has been, “Who’s going to be Hillsboro’s next mayor?”
Until this past week when we were the first media to report that Terry Mikkelsen has taken petitions for the office from the Highland County Board of Elections, my typical response was: “I don’t know. Who’s running?”
With Terry in the race at this relatively early stage, I will say this: Hillsboro voters have a very capable candidate and a very good man in Terry Mikkelsen.
Granted, I had personally (and maybe selfishly) envisioned a 2011 mayoral race that might have included a Larry Dukes or a Darrell Tissot or a Bill Boyd. But as the Rolling Stones say, You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
From all I’ve come to know about Terry and his desire to make Hillsboro a better place for families and businesses, I will say that his entrance into the political arena is welcomed by this newspaperman.
Good luck, Terry.
* * *
• It’s been three years since any media in Highland County has had the brazen audacity to publish salaries of local public officials. I should know. The last time this information was published, HCP Managing Editor Brandy Chandler and I compiled it. That was in 2008, for the 2007 calendar year.
At that time, we published the names and salaries of those local public officials receiving $70,000 or more a year. Collecting the public information was a bit of an ordeal then, and it was again this year when we made similar requests from the schools, college, cities and county.
It’s occasionally ironic that the only employees who try to conceal their wages from their employer (i.e. the taxpayers) are some public employees.
In some instances, the public body entrusted with these figures demanded a written request. (Ohio law says that’s not necessary.) In some other instances, the public body entrusted to oversee the legal and proper dissemination of these figures saw fit to send a mass e-mail about the request. (Ohio law suggests public officials ought not do that.)
As I shared with one local public administrator, Ohio public records law (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/149.43) does not require citizens, or the media, to reveal their identity or explain why they are requesting public records. Simply put, the generally accepted guideline is for the public office to supply the public record as requested, with no local demands that supersede the ORC.
These two sections of the ORC seem to apply to our recent requests for public information:
(4) Unless specifically required or authorized by state or federal law or in accordance with division (B) of this section, no public office or person responsible for public records may limit or condition the availability of public records by requiring disclosure of the requester’s identity or the intended use of the requested public record. Any requirement that the requester disclose the requestor’s identity or the intended use of the requested public record constitutes a denial of the request.
(5) A public office or person responsible for public records may ask a requester to make the request in writing, may ask for the requester’s identity, and may inquire about the intended use of the information requested, but may do so only after disclosing to the requester that a written request is not mandatory.
After examining a number of public salaries, one thing stands out: The four-year recession that’s led to near record unemployment in southern Ohio and low private-sector wages has been mostly unnoticed in many public employment sectors. While local jobs have been lost and local wages have been flat, some governments have actually added payroll during the recession.
Now, for full disclosure, I am an unpaid public official and legally required to attend training sessions every other year by the Ohio Ethics Commission. In these sessions, such matters as described herein are openly discussed. The commission holds Q&A sessions and also has staff available in Columbus to explain any potential conflicts which may arise.
A good rule of thumb for complying with public records request is also a very simple rule: Remember who owns the records and treat them accordingly. After all, there’s a reason why they are called public records.
In 2004, the Ohio Coalition for Open Government conducted a statewide audit of public offices (www.ohionews.org/open-government/) and found that public records requests were only granted about 50 percent of the time. Access to records was denied about 30 percent of the time.
I’d like to believe that Ohio public officials have learned from that 2004 report. Some certainly have; others, unfortunately, haven’t.
We believe – and many of our readers believe – it is worthwhile to publish the salaries of local public officials. The intent is not to disparage the official or his or her salary, but to better inform the taxpaying public on the use of their tax dollars.
Once taxpayers have the information, it is up to them to support or reject the policies that permit the salaries – and, in most cases, an additional 22 percent in benefits.
Knowledge is power, as Francis Bacon said.
But only if it’s exercised once in a while.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]