Gov. John Kasich of Ohio is ready to make more cuts to state programs if the economy tanks.
Bloomberg:
Ohio Governor John Kasich is prepared to make mid-year budget cuts if state revenue declines as the economy sputters amid what the former congressman called the “chaos” surrounding the debt-ceiling debate in Washington.
Kasich, 59, a first-term Republican, has told his budget director to monitor revenue collections in the coming months and is ready to act to avoid a shortfall, he said today in a telephone interview. The seventh most-populous state passed a two-year budget in June that closed an $8 billion deficit.......
“Thank God we didn’t default, but I think people are not satisfied with this agreement,” the governor said. “I’m very concerned about Washington, their inability to solve problems.”
Really? Does Kasich think he'd do a better job? Besides, why do they keep repeating that "$8 billion deficit" lie?
Do you remember this from Plunderbund:
With the Kasich budget beginning on July 1st, let’s not forget that means the Strickland budget ended on June 30th. So, according to John Kasich’s own OBM director, what did the State end up with at the end of the last Strickland budget:
$973 million surplus.....
By law, Kasich had to balance the budget. Unfortunately, the cuts he made included those to public education, nursing home care for seniors, cuts to child care for the poor, etc., etc., while his staff of cronies got hefty salaries. Instead of making an across the board cut to every agency/department, he singled out those programs that he had a certain disdain for their very existence.
While Kasich made these cuts, he continues to fly around the state for photo ops for projects he didn't even create. What a waste! The last person a majority of Ohioans want to see at a public event is John Kasich.
If you'd like to set the record straight, you can email the Plunderbund article to the reporter (mniquette@bloomberg.net ) and editor (mtannen@bloomberg.net) at Bloomberg to let the know there was a surplus, not a deficit.
Pic from ProgressOhio
Vote NO on Issue 2.