Shadows On High: Playground politics and the Ohio Budget

Newspaper editors ought to be embarrassed. They've been had.

For all the rhetoric and angst of Mary Taylor, it's phony.

For all the posturing of Bill Batchelder and his right-wing House gang, it's phony.

Statehouse politics has degenerated into an elementary school playground fight where becoming "king of the hill" is all about bullying a kid to say "uncle" - or in this case the dreaded "T" word - shhhhh.

Last Friday, Mary Taylor, CPA and forensic auditor gumshoe, revealed to the world that the Ohio budget in 2011 and 2012 would be - ahem drum roll please - up to $8 billion in the red. Note that this has nothing to do with this budget - that's because Congress and President Obama passed stimulus funds knowing how devastating the recession is to Ohio's economy.

So how did we not know a deficit so large - ahh but wait - we did back in December. In fact, this whole process started with Pari Sabety the Governor's OBM Director saying virtually the same thing?

Yep. There it is - December 1, 2008 in the Columbus Dispatch: "Ohio facing $7 Billion shortfall next budget." The story goes on to say that Sabety and Governor Ted Strickland are concerned that without stimulus from the federal government there will be at least a $7.3 billion deficit and if the economy did not improve another $600 million this year was at risk. Hmm, $7.3b plus $600m is... $7.9b. Pretty darn close to Taylor.

So let's get this straight, Sabety, under fire for her forecasting, said there was a possibility of a $7.9 billion deficit in December. The Obama Administration delivers $8 billion of help. And Taylor suddenly discovers that the next budget there will be an $8 billion hole, about 1% more than Sabety's forecast.

And this is news?

Only if you're engaged in playground politics and your one goal is one thing and one thing only: to make Ted Strickland say the horror of all horrors, the dreaded "T" word. Public policy be damned.

Not to be outdone are Bill Batchelder and his Ohio House caucus. Purveyors of right-wing rhetoric like: "It has been apparent from the start that the use of one-time funds would take this state down a fearsome path. You cannot spend more than you take in and expect to have a balanced budget in two years when the federal funds are gone."

Using Batchelder's logic, Ohio must be miles down that fearsome path since in 2002, 2003 and 2005, when Republicans were in sole control, they used one-time funds (like a temporary sales tax) and/or stimulus funds. Batch never mentioned that this budget, the one he is in loyal opposition to, is balanced thanks to the stimulus plan. It's the next budget Batch is obfuscating about.

So just how dedicated are Batchelder and his caucus to balanced budgets? Shadows asked for a record request of Ohio House GOP earmark requests in this year's budget. We found - drum roll, please - $1.8 billion dollars in spending additions. Apparently, the only thing the House GOP has to fear is themselves!

Get the rest of the story on the Ohio GOP's $1.8 Billion Dollars in Earmarks here.