This Week in Ohio Politics

Via email:

Budget

The Governor released his budget to the House of Representatives this week. From looking over the actual facts of the Budget it is clear that when Strickland said the state was going to have to "live within its means" he was obviously not talking about the state of Ohio.

Education

The much hyped education solution that the Governor proposed apparently is not as much of a solution as he would like Ohioans to believe. It is actually going to cause some school districts to lose money.

Want to find out how much your district is actually getting, click here.

Medicaid

Strickland's plan for Medicaid is going to cost the state billion-of-dollars over the next few years. To cover this up and make it seem like his Medicaid expansion plan will not cost much, Strickland is using a slick accounting trick called "encumbrancing."

Editorial of the Week

Honestly, Governor- Akron Beacon Journal

"Ted Strickland would like Ohioans to believe that his two-year state budget plan achieves a remarkable feat

"Don't be fooled."

From the Statehouse

Senate Republicans passed legislation to increase Ohio's Adoption Tax Credit from $500 to $1500. State Senator Patricia Clancy, who sponsored the bill, said "It is my hope that SB 20 will relieve families of a small part of this financial burden and work to reduce the number of children waiting to be adopted."

Zack Space

Freshman Congressman Zack Space (18th) joined with most of Ohio's Democrat delegation to pass a deadline for retreat and defeat in Iraq. Read what Tuscarawas County Chairman Doug Wills had to say about Space's vote.

Interestingly, the only Democrat to vote AGAINST the withdrawal was Congressman Dennis Kucinich! He must have thought the deadline wasn't fast enough.

The Race for 08

So who do you think is the most liberal of all the Democrat presidential candidates? According to the National Journal, it's not Dennis Kucinich. Click here to find out who it is.

Quote of the Week:

'Am I ready to claim that I've solved the problem? No, I'm not.'

- Gov. Ted Strickland, who campaigned on a solution for school funding, then told Ohioans they would have to wait for specifics until he was elected, then told Ohioans he wouldn't lay out his plan until he took office, now admitting to Ohioans that he doesn't have a clue.

Note to our friends in the Ohio GOP, I really like this and hope that it does become a weekly (at least!) feature. I'd really like to see more of this sort of communication coming out of Columbus.