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Featured Event

Buckeye Institute Policy Briefing on…

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is offering Ohioans a vision for education reform grounded in our "Liberty in Learning" approach of empowering families, growing school choice and increasing transparency in education spending. Our Policy Briefings are intended to give concerned citizens, policymakers and reform-minded educators an alternative to the remedies offered by the education status quo in the Governor's current education policy caravan visiting many of these same cities this month.

These events are open to the public: all are welcomed and please feel free to pass on this invite to others. However, reservations are required due to limited space. A continental breakfast will be available at the morning events, and a $10 donation would be welcomed then for food and room costs.

Please contact Heidi Smith, Buckeye Institute's Event Manager, if you would like to register or have questions regarding these events.

Heidi can be reached at 614-859-3798 or by email at hsmith@buckeyeinstitute.org.

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Uninsured Facts 

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports, "More than 300,000 children in Ohio and Kentucky are without health insurance, according to a report issued this week by Families USA."

In Who are Ohio's Uninsured?, Buckeye Institute analyst Marc Kilmer writes, "In Ohio, the state offers Medicaid to any child living in a family below 200% of the federal poverty level. Many families choose not to sign up for this program, however. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly 71% of Ohio's uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid but are not signed up for the program. The Governor is using the large number of uninsured children in the state to push for an expansion of Medicaid. As these numbers clearly show, though, most of the children are already eligible for Medicaid, they are just not using it."

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Rigging Union Elections

The Akron Beacon Journal reports, "A central part of [President-elect Obama's] agenda is the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions and is opposed by many big companies."

In Eliminating Unionization Vote Unfair to Workers and Employers, Buckeye Institute fellow David Owsiany writes, "Under the current system, if 30 percent or more of the employees indicate interest in unionizing by signing an authorization card, union organizers may go to the employer and demand voluntary so-called card-check recognition. The employer may then either recognize the union or demand an election, which would be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. The [Employee Free Choice Act] would end the ability of the employer to seek an election if a labor organizer presents the employer with the signatures of a majority of employees supporting unionization."

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Stimulating Irresponsibility

WFMJ reports, "New avenues are being pursued to increase grant funds for state and local governments to forestall layoffs. But the single biggest lever still is for Washington to absorb more Medicaid health care costs, a major drain on state treasuries. Just last week, Senate Democrats proposed a bill adding $37.8 billion to increase the federal share by 8 percentage points through 2009. If that were to be extended through 2010, it would add substantially to the package."

In Stimulating a Bad Idea, Marc Kilmer writes, "There is no need to help states like Ohio prop up their financial house of cards. The current fiscal mess was easily predicted. In fact, the state went through something almost identical with the recession earlier this decade. Tax revenues fell while spending on social programs like Medicaid ballooned. So how did state politicians respond when there were relatively good economic years between the two economic downturns? They expanded these state social programs. Even when there were signs of economic trouble last year the Medicaid expansion was approved unanimously by the General Assembly."

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Buckeye Institute in the News

Buckeye Institute education policy director Matthew Carr discussed merit pay in a Cleveland Plain Dealer story.

The Hillsboro Times Gazette published an article by Buckeye Institute education policy analyst Beth Lear on Ohio's weak support for school choice.