Finally some serious advice on the budget

When you first start reading this Dayton Daily News piece on the budget your begin to be worried that it is just another puff piece where liberal interest groups come out and argue for raising taxes.  And sure enough, you have Zach Schiller and Richard Sheridan arguing for tax increases.  But you also have Mark Kilmer from the Buckeye Institute talking about reforming Medicare and a broad range of cuts.

But then the article hits you with a powerful one two punch; to the point where you are shocked it appeared in the DDN.  My two favorite people for today are John Rapp, chair of the department of economics and finances, University of Dayton, and Evan Osborne, professor of economics, Wright State University.  These two gentleman lay it on the line in straightforward common sense ways.

Here is Rapp articulating what anyone serious about the budget process knows but few seem willing to admit:

Elected officials need to get serious about cutting spending, especially for Medicaid and education, “which account for way more than half the state budget.”

“All this fooling around with little things like libraries is a gimmick,” he said. “You have to look at where the state is spending large amounts of money or you’re not going to get anywhere.”

Hopefully, he said, “you do that in a way that avoids massive layoffs.”

Nice, but the best is left for last. Professor Osborne speaks the truth to both parties:

Government should get out of the economic development and health care business, Osborne said.

“The long-term future of this state is not going to be decided by whether we give tax breaks or investment incentives to businesses or try to promote green jobs or any other kind of jobs,” he said. “All that should go.”

Osborne also would end Medicaid as a fee-for-service system that pays health care providers directly and instead give the poor cash assistance toward the purchase of their own health insurance policies.

Permitting video gambling machines at race tracks to increase state revenue amounts to “shaking the state couch to see what comes out, no matter what the cost is in public policy,” he said. “We’re going to see more of that in coming years if we don’t get government spending under control.”

Not that is the plain truth.  God Bless the DDN for finding Prof Osbourne and Proffesor Osbourne for saying it.

I only hope some policy makers read it and will take it to heart.