16 September 2005

Ohio's Bleak Future, vol. 23

More evidence from Policy Matters Ohio showing how bad the lobbyist-written budget from Gov. Daft will hurt Ohio's future. Their August report, College Bound: Taxes and Tuition in Ohio, finds that middle income families with children in college will lose more than they will gain under the new budget.

Because the tax cuts are geared towards the wealthy, their tax reductions will outweigh tuition increases. But for everyone else, this is not the case. Therefore, those who stand the most to gain from a college education will have the most to lose in Ohio. The report also notes:

Nationally, Ohio ranks 49th in affordability of college, 46th in state higher education operating appropriations per student, 37th in increase in higher education spending between 2000 and 2005, and 40th in percent of people over age 25 with a bachelor’s degree, according to various sources cited in the report.

How long can Ohio afford a state government controlled by business interests that have so little understanding of-- indeed, almost a disdain for-- the development of human capital?

UPDATE: Add irony to this story by reading this article in the Post, which details UC's investment in humanities research... with funding help from Taft family foundations.

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