Featured Article
The Family is a Fiscal Issue
By Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D.
In
the modern world of consumer choice divorced from any moral grounding,
family policy can seem hopelessly divisive. Some argue that
"alternative family forms" are simply private lifestyle choices,
comparable to our choices of curtains, cuisine or music.
The choice to have children inside or outside marriage is just another
personal choice for each individual to make privately. But a recent
report from the Institute for American Values shows that these
seemingly private decisions can have serious, and expensive, costs for
taxpayers. It estimates that the taxpayer costs of divorce and unwed
childbearing amount to at least $112 billion each and every year--more
than $1 trillion over a decade.
Buckeye Voices
Gahanna
City Councilman John McAllister has drafted a resolution disapproving
of the state's recently passed capital budget. He wants to end federal
and state pork barrel spending. Mr. McAllister makes his case to Mike
Maurer on BuckeyeVoices.
Nonsense on NAFTA
The
Youngstown Vindicator
reports, "The United States should renegotiate the North American Free
Trade Agreement to include labor, environmental and other protections
for citizens in all three member countries, Gov. Ted Strickland and
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told reporters."
In
Ohio and NAFTA Revisited,
Buckeye Institute advisor Joseph Zoric writes, "Our political leaders
would like us to believe that NAFTA is to blame for the decline of
manufacturing jobs in the country. It is true that in the
fourteen years since NAFTA began, 2.7 million manufacturing jobs have
been lost. However, in the fourteen years before NAFTA, 2.7 million
manufacturing jobs were lost. In fact, manufacturing employment as a
percentage of all jobs has been declining since 1944 while
manufacturing output has been rising in absolute terms. This trend is
caused by increased productivity brought about by technological
advancements in manufacturing which began long before NAFTA or the
recent advancement in global trade."
Ohio Needs Lower Tax Burden
"[Economist
Arthur] Laffer said last night that for Ohio to regain economic vitality,
it must extend tax cuts, continue to ease restrictions on trade, and
keep regulations minimal.
"'I want nothing more than to come back to Ohio,' said Mr. Laffer, a
Youngstown native now living in Nashville. 'But it's so unfriendly to
businesses,'" according to
the Toledo
Blade.
In Thoughts on Ohio's Climb to the Top, Buckeye Institute President David Hansen writes, "Jobs continue to leave the state yet the size and cost of government continues to grow. Ohio can compete for new jobs and higher incomes only if lawmakers follow the positive examples set by Florida, Tennessee, and Texas and eliminate state and local income taxes. Citizens in these states enjoy a higher level of economic prosperity and freedom than do Ohioans. State and local income tax elimination would take Ohio's tax burden down from 12.4 percent to 9.3 percent and tie Texas for the eighth lowest tax burden in the nation. The move would give our state's economy a much needed boost."
Ideas to Fix Ohio's Education
The Tiffin Advertiser Tribune reports, "[Governor Ted] Strickland, speaking Tuesday afternoon at Bowling Green State University during the annual Buckeye Boys State program, said education at every level is the greatest challenge facing Ohio. He said he will focus on elementary and secondary education next year."
In
Perspective and
Priorities in Education,
Buckeye Institute Education Policy Director Matt Carr calls on
policymakers to "recognize that the goal of the education debate in
Ohio should be to improve the education system so that more of our
students can lead successful and fulfilling lives. That should be our
focus and that is where all of our efforts should be directed. Every
education policy should be student-centered. Anything less is an
abdication of our responsibility and commitment for providing the best
possible education to all of Ohio's students."
