Strickland Scares Job Creators

In the last 5 years Ohio dropped 24 places when ranked by corporate CEOs in Chief Executive Magazine's Best & Worst States To Do Business issue. With only 51 contestants, thats's quite a precipitous decline...practically half the field.

Otherwise the list exhibits very little volatility. There was no change in the bottom five. The top ten shuffled around a bit, but largely included the same players.

"After employee work ethic, CEOs most highly prize lower tax rates and perceived attitudes toward business." Ohio didn't do half bad in workforce quality and living environment, the two things Governor Strickland might legitimately be able to pin on his predecessors. But our taxes and regulation drug us from middle of the top to middle of the bottom. And these have been fully under the Strickland Administration's control.

James Rhodes was widely ridiculed as being "in the pocket of big business." But he landed Honda's north american headquarters, and most of their manufacturing plants. Under Strickland, Honda built their latest plant in Indiana.

COAST has been a vocal critic of Governor Bob Taft, and his profligate tax and spend policies. But even Taft realized that driving away businesses would eventually kill the money tree.

The Strickland administration's hostility to those who would give us jobs is killing our economy. Substituting big government boondoggles like Third Frontier for real individual entrepeneurship makes matters worse.

We need a governor who knows how to make a buck in business. It's time to elect John Kasich.

Ohio unemployment rises to 10.9% in December

Legacy not just of Strickland, but also of Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt

            Ohio unemployment figures for December were 10.9%, one of the worst performances in the nation.  It would be easy to blame this on Ted Strickland and the democrats that presently control Columbus, and Republican leaders are rejoicing in doing so.  But from COAST’s perspective, the news is the bitter fruit of the bloated government embraced by both the Taft administration and the Republican legislature.

            “It took more than three years of Ted Strickland to ruin Ohio’s once-vibrant economy,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd.  “Ohio is uncompetitive for jobs, and the fault for that falls squarely on the shoulders of Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt who voted for his high-tax proposals.”

More Tafties Try to Move Up

Taftie Jon Husted
Wants to be Secretary of State
(COAST hopes not)

Bob Taft is gone, but the legislators who faithfully supported his eight years of higher taxes and spending refuse to go away. COAST here highlighted Michelle Schneider’s campaign to move to the State Senate. Now, former Speaker Jon Husted has announced plans to ascend to the office of Ohio Secretary of State. COAST thinks his promotion is a bad idea.

COAST reported here and here how Jon Husted took campaign funds from John Pepper and then blocked a vote on an amendment to strip Pepper’s Freedom Center of $875,000 in new tax dollars. Husted’s competence in running elections, a core responsibility of the Secretary of State’s office, is seriously in question. First, Husted’s House passed electoral “reform” measures that allowed democrats to seize control of the election rules last fall, contributing to the 2008 democrat landslide. Further, Husted’s own residency is a major issue. Finally, Husted was a reliable vote for Taft and previous Speaker Larry Householder every time they asked for a tax increase.

Fortunately, COAST hero Sandy O’Brien is opposing Husted in the Republican primary for Secretary of State. Ohio Republicans will have a true competent and conservative choice for Secretary of State in 2010! O’Brien previously bested Taft appointee Jeanette Bradley in 2006.

Republicans Sell Out (Again), Giving Freedom Center $875,000

In a continuation of the policies of the disgraced Taft administration, the Republican-controlled house and senate have approved $875,000 of additional funding for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Speaker Husted even refused to recognize Representative Brinkman to allow him to introduce an amendment to the bill for a vote before the House.

COAST had launched an extensive lobbying effort to educate and persuade legislators against voting for further taxpayer support for this failed and wasteful institution, including more than 500 postcards sent to each of Governor Strickland and Speaker Husted. During his eight years as Governor, Bob Taft consistently supported funding for the Freedom Center. Now, Speaker Husted, Governor Strickland and Senate President Harris have continued riding the Freedom Center’s train toward excessive spending.

COAST has documented here the excessive salaries for its executives and here how John Pepper and Freedom Center executives have greased the palms of powerful statehouse officials to gain favor for their funding.

Representative Brinkman followed through on his promise to offer an amendment to strip the funding, however Republican Speaker John Husted refused to recognize him to allow the amendment to be presented.

“Speaker Husted appears to have graduated from the Bob Taft school of governance,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “He not only ignored the will of millions of Republicans throughout Ohio to cut off this funding, he prevented his own Republican legislators from having a say on the issue. When Republicans are slaughtered in November, Speaker Husted and other Taft-like Republicans will have no one but themselves to blame.”

Freedom Center executives have said they intend to seek $3 million in taxpayer funding every year in perpetuity.

Representatives and Senators voting against Freedom Center funding were: Representative Tom Brinkman.

Representatives and Senators voting to support Freedom Center funding were: Senator Gary Cates, Senator Bob Schuler, Senator Bill Seitz, Senator Eric Kearney, Senator Tom Niehaus, Representative Jim Raussen, Representative Lou Blessing, Representative Bob Mecklenborg, Representative Dale Mallory, Representative Steve Driehaus, Representative Tyrone Yates, Representative Michelle Schneider, Representative Courtney Combs, Representative Bill Coley, Representative Joseph Uecker, Representative Shannon Jones, and Representative Danny Buhp.