Back To Work

It's been a while since I've posted a blog. The legislature has been on summer recess. Most of us have been busy going door-to-door in our districts while continuing to work on legislation to be introduced upon our return to Columbus. Of course, as soon as we came back to Columbus; Speaker Buddish and the democrats in control of the Ohio House of Representatives promptly cancelled session for the rest of this week and all of next week! The communication and leadership of those in the majority has been dismal at best. Most of the decisions made by this general assembly has been dismal as well. Below is the text of my August 2009 Guest Column for the newspaper. It was picked up by a few other sources so you may have already seen it but I felt it was worth sharing here as well.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY LIES IN JOB CREATION, NOT SPENDING

As Ohioans become increasingly concerned about the direction in which our nation is heading, the state and federal government continue to become more involved in the everyday lives of its citizens. With recent talks in Washington about government-controlled health care and cap-and-trade on fuel emissions, Americans are witnessing government power growing at an astounding rate. Here in Ohio, government growth has immediately impacted the wallets of taxpayers who are forced to finance wasteful spending.

The recent passage of Ohio’s state operating budget marked an unprecedented reliance on one-time money to fill the budget hole and create additional government programs. This particular budget cycle has seen a significant shortfall in revenues, but instead of cutting spending to compensate for the deficit, many of my colleagues in the Legislature opted to dump $7 billion in one-time funds into Ohio’s General Revenue Fund. These funds, along with tax dollars and revenues, will be distributed among state agencies to fund programs like Medicaid and education. A major concern for my colleagues in the House Republican Caucus is the probability that the one-time money will run out before Ohio’s economy rebounds, which would leave many essential programs underfunded and force taxpayers to pick up the slack.

At a time when Ohioans are suffering through the deepest recession in decades, one question remains unanswered: why would our state legislature expand government and create additional programs when it has difficulty supporting the programs already in place? As a business owner, I have advocated for sensible financial policies that would scale down government spending to match our state’s sunken revenues. After all, business owners and families understand the importance of living within one’s means and trimming excessive spending during difficult times. Unfortunately, our state budget has actually increased spending by nearly $2 billion during the next two years, and with the dependence on short-term money for long-term projects, it is likely that Ohio’s taxpayers will shoulder the finances in the end.

The answer to Ohio’s economic recovery lies not in raising taxes to fund government growth, nor does relying on one-time money provide a lasting answer to our budget hole. With unemployment steadily climbing in Ohio, our state legislators need to turn our economy around by creating a better business environment and attracting and retaining jobs. Entrepreneurship and small business growth will help create jobs, increase productivity, and maximize competition and innovation. Ohio has great potential that can be realized through a focus on job creation and business, not structural inefficiency and high taxes.

Government has grown into an entity it was never intended to be. Instead of enforcing national security and protecting our economic markets, it has transformed into a hungry monster that consumes more and more of our hard-earned income. Excessive spending by government ultimately hinders our state’s long-term success, and in recent years, government spending has swelled due to increased entitlement expenditures and inefficient services. As always, I will continue to advocate for a government that benefits its citizens, not a government that relies on the people for profit.