• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

EDITORIAL: Blackwell Retreats: The Good News: His Ruinous Limit on State Spending Has Been Squashed. The Bad News: A Candidate for Governor Once Championed the Plan

Posted on: Friday, 19 May 2006, 09:06 CDT

By The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

May 19--For months, J. Kenneth Blackwell left little doubt about his fervent support for a proposed constitutional amendment that would severely and arbitrarily limit state spending. The secretary of state described the proposal as the cornerstone of his campaign for governor. He pointed to the myriad Ohioans who signed petitions placing the measure on the ballot. He pitched the benefits as a soaring state economy and the creation of many, many jobs.

To stress his steadfastness, Blackwell ridiculed Jim Petro in the Republican primary for changing positions and waffling on principles. Then, on Wednesday, Blackwell changed his mind, agreeing to abandon the pursuit of the constitutional amendment.

Those of us long opposed to the wrongheaded proposal cheered the outcome, and wondered: How will Blackwell spin the turn of events? A suggestion leaped to mind: How about Ken Blackwell the unifier? After all, Ohioans from Ashland to Sandusky, from Steubenville to Lima, Democrats and Republicans, business and labor leaders, city, suburban and rural dwellers, voiced their opposition. Rare is the candidate who forges such sweeping alliances.

Not surprisingly, Blackwell and allies opted for an different spin. They declared victory, citing the Republican rush at the Statehouse to enact a stripped-down version of the proposal: no constitutional amendment, no automatic, formula-driven restraint on local spending. Put aside, apparently, that the Republican legislative leaders performing the repair work insisted that Blackwell retreat. They understood the likely harm to the state. They felt the heat of building opposition.

Pleased as Ohioans should be about the demise of the proposal, they should also be wary. Republican lawmakers want to write swiftly into law a significant part of the Blackwell plan, limiting growth in state general revenue spending to something around 3.5 percent a year, or the rate of inflation plus population growth, whichever is greater. If a statute (thankfully) is easier to fix than a constitutional amendment, the limit would still be maddeningly arbitrary. Education would likely feel the greatest impact.

Not long ago, Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris insisted they didn't need such restrictions. They could restrain spending on their own. At the least, lawmakers should take time to get it right, even consider a more practical approach (employed by other states, proposed by Jim Petro) linking spending to increases in Ohio income.

A victory for Blackwell? Ohioans shouldn't let their memories slip. They would do well to recall the shoddy quality of the Blackwell proposal, the slogan sounding sweet, the detail revealing something sour and dangerous, so troublesome, in fact, that a broad consensus formed across the state, inviting concerns about the Blackwell candidacy, raising the question: What would he do as governor?

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

More News in this Category