Comments on: Ohio and Taxes http://www.kevinholtsberry.com/kh/2003/10/31/ohio-and-taxes/ a diary of sorts Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:29:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Steve Malynn http://www.kevinholtsberry.com/kh/2003/10/31/ohio-and-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-1007 Steve Malynn Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:37:13 +0000 http://kevinholtsberry.com/kh/2003/10/31/ohio-and-taxes/#comment-1007 Kevin, Blackwell is what Ohio needs but the Ohio Republican Party is too hide-bound to see. Taft has no ideas, the legislature is slow, and the Repbulican machine here is content to let the usual suspects play musical chairs every four years. Blackwell is an outsider with better ideas than Taft. That is, while he is a long-time pol, he is not "inner-circle." He deserves better treatment than he is getting, as do those of us who live here. Calling Blackwell a populist is as simplistic as arguing that because the Republicans in the legislature are not flaming liberals the tax plan was well advised. That is, it is a non sequitur. BTW, I'm a California transplant who voted for Prop 13, the original tax revolt. Fiscally responsible Governors in California (including Jerry Brown) were able to use the line item veto to keep budgets in line with revenues. Wilson had a surplus that Davis squandered. The populist referenda are the scapegoat for an out of control pandering legislature and executive dominated by one party. We effectively have one party rule here in Ohio, and if not checked that is what will cause further fiscal idiocy, not Blackwell's supposed populism. One-party dominance leads to unchecked pandering to stay in power, it may seem counter-intuitive, but the pork ladleing increases not decreases when there is limited political competition. Kevin, Blackwell is what Ohio needs but the Ohio Republican Party is too hide-bound to see. Taft has no ideas, the legislature is slow, and the Repbulican machine here is content to let the usual suspects play musical chairs every four years.

Blackwell is an outsider with better ideas than Taft. That is, while he is a long-time pol, he is not “inner-circle.” He deserves better treatment than he is getting, as do those of us who live here.

Calling Blackwell a populist is as simplistic as arguing that because the Republicans in the legislature are not flaming liberals the tax plan was well advised. That is, it is a non sequitur.

BTW, I’m a California transplant who voted for Prop 13, the original tax revolt. Fiscally responsible Governors in California (including Jerry Brown) were able to use the line item veto to keep budgets in line with revenues. Wilson had a surplus that Davis squandered. The populist referenda are the scapegoat for an out of control pandering legislature and executive dominated by one party.

We effectively have one party rule here in Ohio, and if not checked that is what will cause further fiscal idiocy, not Blackwell’s supposed populism. One-party dominance leads to unchecked pandering to stay in power, it may seem counter-intuitive, but the pork ladleing increases not decreases when there is limited political competition.

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