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Buckeye Institute Announces Government Transparency Center
The Buckeye Institute this week announced its Center for Transparent and Accountable Government. The center, led by former Statehouse reporter Mike Maurer, will collect and post online state and local government budgets, employee contracts, public records policies and other information."Transparency and open government crosses ideologies and is equally supported, and equally opposed, by both major political parties," said Maurer. "The Coburn-Obama bill, of which both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain were initial sponsors, requires federal government contracts to be posted at USAspending.gov. Ohioans deserve the same type of transparency from their state and local governments."
The center’s first two initiatives include a candidate transparency pledge and an open government "wiki" Web page.
A Pledge for Transparency and Accountability in Government will be distributed to all candidates for elective office, at all levels of government, from townships and school districts to the General Assembly. It asks that candidates acknowledge the importance of Internet availability, the legal basis of transparency in the state and federal constitutions, and the use of practical, current technology, such as searchable databases and relevant cross links.
Buckeye Voices
In
this week's Buckeye
Voices, Peyton Wolcott, a nationally renowned government
transparency advocate, discusses how she went from an involved high
school parent to a public records crusader with the Buckeye Institute's
Mike Maurer.
Ohio's High Tax Burden
The
Dayton Business Journal reports,
"Ohio's tax climate is the seventh-most burdensome in the nation,
according to an annual report by the Tax Foundation. The anti-tax
group's 2008 study evaluated states by the state and local taxes paid
by residents, dividing the amount by total state income to compute a
tax burden measure. According to its report, Ohio taxpayers pay 10.4
percent of their income on state and local taxes, including taxes paid
to other states, or $4,049 per capita. Ohio's per-capita income totaled
$38,925, the 31st-highest in the country."
In
Thoughts on Ohio's Climb
to the Top, Buckeye Institute President David
Hansen
writes, "The debate needs to focus on why we are not cutting taxes.
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."
Bipartisan Error on Payday Lending
"Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and Republican legislative leaders will fight an effort by payday lenders to repeal restrictive caps on the short-term loans they offer," according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
In A Payday Post-Mortem, Buckeye Institute analyst Marc Kilmer writes, "The practice of providing high-interest, short-term loans to people should not be controversial. If people want or need these loans, and businesses think they can make a profit providing them, then there is no reason for a third party (or the government) to stop them. After all, people take a variety of different loans, from mortgages to car payments, and generally the government presumes that the borrower and lender are the best people to judge the merits of such financial arrangements."
Promoting School Choice
The Defiance Crescent-News reports on Presidential candidate John McCain's campaign stop in Lima: "'Education is the future of America,' said McCain, calling private school vouchers and school choice key components. 'If states want to have vouchers, we should do it. Charter schools work. We decided to send our kids to private school, so did Sen. Obama (and his wife). I want every American child to have the same choice as we had.'"
In
School Choice and Civil
Rights, Buckeye Institute Ronald Reagan
Distinguished Fellow Ken Blackwell
writes, "Parents like the programs because they empower them. Teacher
unions oppose the programs because they weaken their position
at the collective bargaining table. As taxpayers who contribute to
overall pitublic education funding, parents should have the broadest
educational options available. "
Buckeye Institute in the News
NBC 4 aired a story on the Buckeye Institute's merit pay study authored by Matt Carr and Marc Holley. David Hansen discussed this study on the Joel Riley show on Columbus radio station WTVN and Cleveland radio station WTAM 1100. It was also featured on the Heritage Foundation's Insider Online blog. The Akron Beacon Journal supported the idea in an editorial.
The Columbus Dispatch, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Gongwer News Service, and the Fremont News Messenger covered the unveiling of the Buckeye Institute's Government Transparency Center.
The Akron Beacon Journal published Marc Kilmer's letter to the editor on the payday lending referendum.
The Hillsboro Times Gazette published an article by David Hansen on the media's lack of attention on the corruption scandal in Cuyahoga County.
