News Herald says: Taft's bad legacy still haunts Ohio



Even in retirement, former Gov. Bob Taft can't catch a break. It's not enough that pay-to-play scandals led to a GOP downfall in November. Or that the Buckeye State's economy tanked during his tenure. Add in that Taft's Third Frontier plan to attract bio-technology jobs to Ohio has sputtered. Now comes data that the much-ballyhooed tax reform of 2005 hasn't reaped the dividends that were promised in its first 18 months. That's typical Taft - lofty idea backfires. Ohio Governor Robert Taft served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania in the 1960's.

News Herald says: Taft's bad legacy still haunts Ohio

Taft's bad legacy still haunts Ohio

02/26/2007

Even in retirement, former Gov. Bob Taft can't catch a break. It's not enough that pay-to-play scandals led to a GOP downfall in November.

Or that the Buckeye State's economy tanked during his tenure.

Add in that Taft's Third Frontier plan to attract bio-technology jobs to Ohio has sputtered.

Now comes data that the much-ballyhooed tax reform of 2005 hasn't reaped the dividends that were promised in its first 18 months.

That's typical Taft - lofty idea backfires.

The overhaul cut personal income taxes, eliminated a tax on business equipment and machinery and swapped a business tax with a new one designed to raise money from companies more fairly.

Consider, however, that the state's unemployment rate remains above the national average (although Lake and Geauga counties are among the lowest in the state), the migration of Ohioans to warm-weather states continues unabated, and the manufacturing sector hasn't reversed its tailspin.

The economic data got much more gloomy last week, when Moody's Investor Services downgraded its view of Ohio's economy from stable to negative.

That report reflects the declining manufacturing employment base, the 2005 changes to state taxes, scandals on investment losses at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and political pressure to spend more on education and health care.

Some observers would argue that Moody's just wants the Strickland administration to invest some money.

Yet, the reverberating bad news could have a ripple effect with other investor services.

Some state officials would demand Ohioans give the Taft tax reform plan more time to generate results. They'd cite data showing the new commercial activity tax has collected $819 million, or 25 percent more than expected.

There's merit to the notion that patience will be rewarded.

But with each day that the status quo rules, Ohio falls further behind our neighbors and the nation.

If a package of economic data doesn't glean different results soon, most Ohioans will shrug it off as indicative of Taft's eight years in office.

It's not a valid excuse anymore.

©The News-Herald 2007

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: February, 2007; RPCV Bob Taft (Tanzania); Figures; Peace Corps Tanzania; Directory of Tanzania RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Tanzania RPCVs; Politics; State Government; Ohio

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