Early election indicators: pre-emptive GOP blaming in Ohio

Politics and religion
1

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/hogberg200410280903.asp

Ohio, however, is one state for which Bush should probably take very little of the blame. The real culprit is the Ohio GOP establishment headed up by Republican (In Name Only) Governor Bob Taft. Known among anti-tax activists as “Governor Tax,” he has, with the aid of the Republican-controlled legislature, boosted taxes over $900 million in the last three years. As Sam Staley of the free-market Buckeye Institute puts it, “I think the relative state and local tax burden plays a bigger role now in state economic performance than ever before. This is particularly true for older states like Ohio that are struggling to find their niche in the global economy.”

He he he. I’m really going to enjoy reading NRO wednesday.

2

Known among anti-tax activists as “Governor Tax,” he has, with the aid of the Republican-controlled legislature, boosted taxes over $900 million in the last three years.

Isn’t it a fairly well-documented phenomenon that many states had to raise taxes to compensate for decreased federal revenues after the Bush tax cut? Or am I dreaming that up?

3

Nope. If fact, during economic downturns, the government has historically released funds to the states to help soften the blow.

That didn’t happen with Bush because he wanted tax cuts for the wealthy instead.