BuckeyeBlog

Matt Mayer on Bob Connors Radio Show

Lauren Kresge — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:09:21 +0000

Buckeye Institute President Matt Mayer was featured on the Bob Connors radio show this morning discussing a multitude of Ohio issues including the impact that federal health care reform and cap and trade could have on Ohio’s budget. Matt also spent some time on Ohio’s own budget woes.

The Unintended Consequences of an Autism Mandate

Marc Kilmer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:33:48 +0000

Some in Ohio are pushing for legislators to pass a law mandating insurance companies cover autism therapy. California has such a law, and it has just been dramatically expanded by court order: In a preliminary ruling, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant found that Kaiser Permanente’s refusal to pay for a child’s autism [...]

Passenger Rail Just Isn’t Popular

Marc Kilmer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:42:36 +0000

In the push to reintroduce passenger rail in Ohio, it is often claimed that passenger rail has strong support from the public. As recent data by the Pew Charitable Trust shows, where passenger rail already exists it isn’t all that popular: Forty-one of Amtrak’s 44 routes lost money in 2008 with losses ranging from nearly $5 [...]

Those Who Forget History…

Marc Kilmer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:05:25 +0000

If you really think the health care proposals being debated in DC will cost less than $1 trillion over ten years, the Wall Street Journal today has some history of other government health care programs that should disabuse you of that notion: The House Ways and Means Committee estimated that [Medicaid's] first-year costs would be $238 [...]

Smoking Ban Victory for Local Businesses

Lynn Walsh — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:51:49 +0000

It’s a victory for all small business in Ohio thanks to the Buckeye Institutes’ 1851 Center for Constitutional Law. Pour House, a locally owned bar in Columbus, will not be fined for smoking violations thanks to a court decision last Friday. The court ruled that Pour House should not have been fined since there is no evidence [...]

Matt Mayer on the Tax Foundation Podcast

Buckeye Institute — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:11:39 +0000

Buckeye Institute President Matt Mayer recently spoke to the Tax Foundation’s Natasha Altamirano about Governor Ted Strickland’s plan to freeze a scheduled 4.2 percent cut in the state income tax. Listen to the discussion below courtesy of the Tax Foundation’s Tax Policy Podcast Series. Posted on October 14, 2009 Ohio Governor Ted Strickland recently announced a plan [...]

State Budget Problem? Look for the Union Label

Marc Kilmer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:10:35 +0000

The Weekly Standard has a great article about how government employee unions are contributing to state budget problems. It points out the generous compensation government workers receive, courtesy of your tax dollars: For every $1-an-hour pay increase, noted Dennis Cauchon in USA Today, public employees have gotten $1.17 in new benefits. Private workers have gotten just [...]

Try, Try Again (To Raise Taxes)

Marc Kilmer — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:22:42 +0000

It seems some government officials can’t take “no” for an answer. Several school districts in the Cincinnati area are seeking voter approval to raise taxes after being rebuffed in the recent past. Two districts’ pleas have been rejected three times, another district’s requests have been voted down twice. As in the past, school district officials say [...]

Stowers Family Finally will get Food Back

Lynn Walsh — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:27:23 +0000

After nearly a year of waiting the Stowers family from LaGrange, Ohio will finally have their food returned to them from Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Lorain County General Health District. The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law won a court order for all of the food that was seized back in December of [...]

Not So Stimulating

Marc Kilmer — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:55:55 +0000

If you think the “stimulus” package is doing any good, this chart should disabuse you of that notion: If you need any more explanation about the stimulus package’s failures, the article that contains this chart is found here.