Well, actually, his big budget of horrors — nearly 800 pages of horror after horror after horror, unveiled yesterday to anger on the left and silence on the right (It's been pointed out that most of Governor Kasich's fellow Republicans in the legislature have made no comment. Hmmmm ... they must be busy contemplating their defeat next year.)
As predicted, he promised to privatize everything that isn't nail down, even in cases where the state will take a hit and be virtually giving away money. He double-demolishes local governments and public schools, taking away appropriations in the budget through several means including stealing certain tax money intended to replace another tax that was phased out to use it in the general fund for other things. He also robs the public schools to dramatically increase money for charter schools and vouchers.
This budget is packed with atrocities. Even though he said last week that he hopes to save Medicaid money by working to decrease low-weight births — a laudable goal — he guts Medicaid funding up front which will INCREASE low-weight births, with the whole spectrum of catastrophic outcomes they can cause. He zeroes out money for STEM education and gifted programs as well as for at-risk programs. He introduces dubious "reforms" like allowing parents to take over schools and fire the staff.
It's not a budget so much as its a litany of right-wing corporate policy goals, an ideological statement. A few days ago, one of Kasich's top aides confessed that they would be putting in place these goals whether there was a budget gap or not, and that this has been in the planning since 2008. Of course, during the campaign, Kasich flat-out lied and said he hadn't figured out his budget proposal and wasn't going to reveal it until after he election. AND PEOPLE STILL VOTED FOR HIM.
The most laughable part? He's referring to this as his 'Jobs Budget." It COST the first 100 jobs today when the state tax bureau laid off 100 workers. Soon county and municipal governments, which has cut to the core over the last three years, will be laying off workers in drove whose taxes will then be removed from the tax base, forcing more layoffs and on and on in an endless downward spiral. If you can figure out how this will create jobs, please let me know. But honestly, I suspect Kasich knows it won't and he flat out doesn't care. He's only planning to stay for one term before he goes back to a cushy gig at Fox "News."
How bad is this budget? The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which some of us not-so-fondly call the "Plainly Republican," has been fawning on this man ever since its bizarre, back-handed endorsement ("with trepidation") of him. It spun his secret website for state hiring; it spun his rejection of passenger rail money.
It couldn't spin this budget. Today's front page top-of-fold headline said "Local governments, schools big losers in Kasich budget."
"Big losers." It doesn't get any more blatant than that. And underneath, a piece marked "analysis" basically says this is all about imposing a right-wing ideology on the state without concern for the real, practical needs of citizens.
People are massing, and the war is starting. It will be interested to see what happens next when the Republicans in the legislature realize they are between the proverbial rock and hard place. Have fun, guys.