This is great news. As a fiscal conservative, I welcome the state legislators to this fight and hope that there are enough of these brave souls willing to take on their governor to matter.
It is bad enough that this budget increases government spending by 10%; but if it passes, our governor will have allowed government spending to increase by 24% since taking office. This Medicaid expansion relies on a two-year bribe by the federal government with absolutely no answer as to who will be paying for the expansion after that. There was a time when Kasich and his secret society of smart dudes made fun of former Governer Ted Strickland for such maneuvers. I'll remind the governor that it is exactly this sort of risky venture that sent this state's finances plunging in to an $8 billion abyss.
Earlier today, it was reported that Josh Mandel has come out against the expansion. The Ohio Liberty Coalition has issued a warning that legislators who vote for it may be facing primary challengers. AFP-Ohio's Seth Morgan doesn't seem to be a fan either. Americans for Limited Government says Kasich "cut and ran" and that going along with the expansion would waste $17 billion.
If there is a conservative organization out there that supports this move at all, you can't find them with a search warrant. I have had a few conversations on Facebook with center-right legislators and none of them have shown any enthusiasm at all for the proposal.
PREDICTION: The Medicaid expansion gets pulled out of the budget.
