Blackwell's Revenue Restriction Would Cripple Ohio

If a proposed constitutional amendment to limit state spending had been in place during the past decade, Ohio government would have spent at least $18.7 billion less, an amount roughly equivalent to shutting down state government for a year.  This new government analysis by the Ohio House budget staff details the state services that would have to be cut.  Under this so-called "Taxpayers Bill of Rights", which is being championed by Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, Gov. Bob Taft and some Statehouse Republicans, Ohio would have to cut nearly $3.5 billion for the current fiscal year alone. The House Budget staff reported the following scenarios for cutting $3.5 billion a year:

• Reduce education spending by $2.5 billion.  Per-pupil aid would rank Ohio with Alabama and Mississippi among the nation's lowest.
• Eliminate half of state spending for local governments, saving $352 million.
• Cut 80 percent of funding for local libraries, saving $380 million.
• Eliminate all state spending for Passport, the $103 million program for in-home care for the elderly.
• Close all state parks, saving $128 million.

Make no mistake: They can complain about run away state spending, but since Republicans have controlled that state's purse strings for the past decade, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Rep. Linda Reidelbach (R-Columbus) has announced her support for Blackwell's disasterous plan by introducing the legislation that Blackwell wants on November's ballot. Reidelbach, who narrowly escaped defeat in her re-election bid, says her goal "is not to cut worthy programs such as education." However, it's unrealistic to pretend that education, which accounts for almost 40% of Ohio's budget, would not be affected by the proposed amendment.

Ohio needs real solutions, not phony gimmicks. Ohio needs real leadership, not phony gimmicks. Ohio needs real tax fairness for all, not phony gimmicks.

The Issues

Our state has an obligation to provide critical services like our police and fire forces, schools and healthcare for the elderly and if we walk away from those obligations, we are failing as a state.

A "Tax Payers Bill of Rights" Doesn't Work

In 12 years under TABOR, Colorado school spending fell by 800% and graduation rates plummeted. We can't afford that in Ohio.

Under TABOR, Colorado went from second in the nation in economic growth to 40th. We can't afford that in Ohio.

This Revenue Restiction Gimmick Is Bad For Middle Class Families

The biggest problem with Ohio's budget is corporate tax loopholes that shift the tax burden to individuals and famlies and we can't afford that in Ohio. A fair budge should start not by slashing needed services, but by making big business pay their fair share.

Our tax structure unfairly shifts the tax burden to property taxes. The TABOR amendment will make matters worse, shifting the tax burden to working and middle class taxpayers who can least afford it. We can't afford that in Ohio.

This Revenue Restriction Gimmick Drives Up Local Taxes

This amendment is a shell game that drives down state aid to local schools, government and safety forces and drives up your property and local taxes. We can't afford that in Ohio.

If we had TABOR during the last decade, it would have cost Ohio nearly $20 billion dollars and led to massive cuts in aid to our police and fire departments, schools and healthcare for our elderly. We can't afford that in Ohio.

This Revenue Restriction Is Bad For Ohio

At a time when Ohio has lost over 250,000 jobs in the past 4 years, a Revenue Restriction Amendment would stiffle economic growth. We can't afford that in Ohio.

Our state has an obligation to provide critical services like good schools, services for the elderly as well as abused and neglected kids.