"Conservative" Ohio Republicans and Their Budget

According to St. Rep. John Becker, the legislature passed a "budget that is a mix of state and federal dollars. The annualized spending of state dollars is increasing at triple the 1.6 percent inflation rate from current actuals. Federal dollars are being spent at 4.8 times the inflation rate. The people of Clermont County did not send me to Columbus to spend their money faster than they can earn it. Did I mention that Obamacare Medicaid expansion was baked into this?"

He's right. That budget was and is a disaster. But Ohio Republicans, many of whom go around their districts claiming to be conservatives and fiscally responsible, are still bending over backwards trying to pat themselves on the back for their support for continued expansion of government that is already runaway out of control and, in the case of the federal government, staggeringly in debt.

Let me emphasize something Rep. Becker said, "The annualized spending of state dollars is increasing at triple the 1.6 percent inflation rate from current actuals." You have to ask yourselves if everybody else in the state got a raise or something. Where is this money coming from? Team Kasich is telling us that this budget cuts taxes...and it does, sort of...by shifting the burden of taxation elsewhere. But "conservative" Ohio Republicans will still talk about how they are cutting taxes. What they aren't telling you is that they are spending even more tax dollars than before.

Whatever happened to the idea of reining in spending and reducing government? "Conservative" Ohio Republicans have no answer for that question because they have no interest in doing either. All they care about is conning you into voting for them.

Here's what I wrote in my Heartland Institute piece on the budget:

"Government spending will increase by 11 percent, compared to the previous biennial budget, most of which comes from Kasich’s continued support for increasing entitlement spending, such as Medicaid.

Kasich’s Medicaid expansion program is costing state taxpayers $1.4 billion per year—about $258.14 per taxpayer—more than budget projections predicted, causing the program to exceed its budget by about 63 percent."

But at least St. Peter will be happy with us.....