Dayton
Business Journal
Kasich Guest Column: A budget that
celebrates the freedom to succeed
Editor's
Note: The following is a
guest column by Ohio Gov. John Kasich about the new state budget.
This
week we honor the birth of our
great nation and the freedoms for which generations of Americans have
fought
and—sometimes—given their lives. It’s a time to spend with friends and
family
and celebrate the liberty and opportunity that continues to make the
United States
a force for good in the world.
As
a fitting companion to
Independence Day, I recently signed into law a budget bill for our
state which
reinforces some of the best things about America and Ohio, especially
the
freedom to pursue our dreams and the opportunity to reach our God-given
potential.
All
too often we hear about
fighting and gridlock in government and the inability for elected
officials to
get anything done. It frustrates me also and I do everything I can in
my work
as governor to cultivate a productive, civil atmosphere that allows
Ohio’s
state government to work better and more efficiently for Ohio
taxpayers. That’s
what happened in writing this budget, I’m proud to say, and why we were
able to
get so many needed reforms done.
Freedom
from high, unfair taxes was
part of what motivated our nation’s first patriots and it’s something
for which
we still strive today. This budget cuts income taxes by 10 percent and
cuts
taxes for almost every small business by 50 percent. Allowing Ohioans
and small
businesses—who employ half of Ohio’s private sector workers—to keep
more of
their own money is essential if we want to continue Ohio’s economic
growth.
We
know that these kinds of
pro-growth policies work because of how they’ve helped propel Ohio’s
comeback
in the past two years. Last month our state was the number one
job-creator in
the nation and a recent survey of CEOs by Chief Executive Magazine said
Ohio
has the most-improved climate for business in the nation. Our new
budget will
keep this success going.
To
ensure that every Ohioan has the
chance to participate in a strong, prosperous Ohio, the budget also
devotes
considerable resources to education and training. Our new Achievement
Everywhere plan invests $1.5 billion in new funds into Ohio’s
classrooms to
provide valuable support to students and their teachers. It also
creates a new
$250 million fund to encourage school improvements that increase
achievement
and make our education dollars go even further. And college students
will now
have better support for achieving their education goals with a new
funding
formula that rewards public colleges and universities for improving
graduation
rates. All of these improvements help make sure that Ohioans have the
skills,
training and experience to prepare for a brighter job future and to
take part
in the economic rebirth we’re beginning to see take hold in Ohio.
We’ve
got more work to do, but Ohio
is making big progress toward getting back on track. Job creation has
been—and
continues to be—our top priority and we’re making major progress.
Ohioans have
created more than 170,400 new private sector jobs and our unemployment
rate is
a full half-point below the nation’s. Two years ago we faced an $8
billion
budget hole but now we’ve got $2 billion in the rainy day fund.
Education will
always be a top priority and our new classroom-focused funding formula
and $1.5
billion in new funds makes sure every child has the resources to
succeed,
regardless of where they live. We’re cutting red tape, improving our
health care
system and providing needed new resources for infrastructure.
Our
work is far from finished but,
together, we’re helping make Ohio stronger and more prosperous for all,
and
we’re doing it our way—without the gridlock that paralyzes Washington.
Our Founding
Fathers shared a common purpose to build a nation on liberty and
freedom that
set people free to dream and achieve. That vision is alive and well
today in
Ohio and it’s making our state a better place now and for the Ohioans
who will
come after us.
Read
this and other articles at the
Dayton Business Journal
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