Recently your paper has written criticisms of the Ohio state budget presented by Gov. Bob Taft. Your observations were basically a repeat of the Ohio Democratic Party mantra from the last election. Voters rejected the platform and the candidates of that party by a significant margin in all statewide races.
You observed the budget did not allow for increased revenues through increased statewide legalized gambling. There are a large number of Ohio residents who are opposed to any state authorized form of gambling on moral grounds. Some of these people were around when the lottery was first authorized. We tolerated lies told statewide to get voter support for the lottery. Democratic Gov. John Gilligan assured voters the money would be used to support schools. We listened to lie after lie in 1972.
The responsible thing to do is to make reductions in spending to fit the income available to the state. Compounding this dilemma are federal mandates that require increased spending for social programs as costs increase. To effectively balance the budget, we need to restrain spending while assisting our economy to a pattern of growth.
Jeffrey Hardin,Ohio Licensed Mortgage Loan Officer
