If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The hurdles that Governors Jindal, Kasich, Fallin, and Heineman encountered in their own states and with their own allies do suggest that there may be a bit less appetite for radical tax change in the states than it seemed a month or two ago.
Maybe Republican politicians see that Mitt Romney got the be their party's presidential nominee by changing his positions more often than a yoga instructor, so maybe it could work for them, too. Who knows?
Some governors are demonstrating that one-time critics of Obamacare can, and should, be willing to take another look at the impact Medicaid expansion will have on their state's budget -- and their constituents who may fall ill at some time in their lives -- in the face of a health care crisis.
While Republican governors like Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Rick Perry of Texas play games with people's lives to throw red meat to the extremists in their party, Kasich and the a growing number of GOP governors put the needs of their state before their political party.
Vouchers To Grow In Ohio? In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich's (R) budget plan would reduce funding gaps between wealthy and poor public school districts and also create a new voucher program, reports the Columbus Dispatch. The new vouchers would give about $4,250 a year toward private-school tuition to any kindergartener whose family is making less than 200 percent of the poverty line. The next year, Kasich would expand the program to include first graders. While an existing scholarship plan currently does something similar for 15,702 students, a full 1.8 million students would qualify for the new plan's income requirements The budget plan includes a 6 percent overall school funding increase the following year, and then 3.2 percent more the next year.
Scott Walker-Style Merit Pay? Speaking at a Friday convention, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said he wants the state to begin a program that would pay partially teachers in accordance with their ratings, reports the Badger Herald. "One of the things we're looking to do going forward is to put additional resources into public education over the next two years in this budget in a variety of different ways is in part ... put money behind performance," Walker said. "How can we provide an incentive bonus?"
Democrats in Ohio have repeatedly stood up for a woman's right to make her own decisions about her healthcare. Unfortunately, Republicans in Ohio have not shown this same support for women.
One candidate -- President Obama -- supports workers' rights and is committed to protecting them. The other -- Mitt Romney -- is out to destroy them. That's what at stake in this election.
Many of you saw Matt Bai's recent profile of Ohio in the Sunday Times magazine section. To summarize it crudely, Bai explores this question: Ohio is c...
If Ohio goes with the loser and enough other swing states choose the victor, then there is no love lost. Yet in the eyes of the candidates, Ohio is just too desirable and determinant to be left to its own whims.
Reading Matt Bai's piece in the New York Times Magazine about the Ohio economy, and reflecting on many recent discussions and debates, I found myself pondering the question posed above. It's a big, portentous question, especially in an election year where the economy's center stage.
The Republican convention may give Romney and Kasich a small boost in the polls the next two weeks, but its legacy will be one of bold-faced lies and utter cluelessness.
The impact is so potentially harmful to the GOP ticket that Team Romney has reportedly asked Kasich, Scott and others to tone down the positive statements. But Republican governors care about one thing: getting re-elected.
Belief is great, but infrastructure and safety nets are better. Belief can inspire and motivate, but it won't provide food, clothing, shelter, or medical care when you're sick. Belief doesn't DO anything. My six-year-old mother knew that, Governor Kasich. Why don't you?
I really can't blame the no-show trio, however, for skipping Romney's coronation. I couldn't be bothered to go either and I live for these quadrennial political love-ins. Forget Hurricane Isaac. It was Tampa in August with Romney. That's all the reason I needed to stay home.
Yesterday's job creation panel discussion put the spotlight on what Tom Brokaw called "the most critical grassroots issue in America today." In an effort to shift the narrative away from a fatalistic acceptance of the jobs crisis, the panelists focused on what is working when it comes to job creation. As the Rockefeller Foundation's Judith Rodin put it, "The innovative spirit of American communities is alive and well."
