The Rage of Reason by Connie Schultz
The Cleveland Plain Dealer The man pulled me aside after my speech and said, “We need to talk.” He is a banker, and he wanted me to know that he shared my working-class roots and had made his fortune the hard way, through long hours and a laser focus. “You’ve got to speak out against […]
Catch the bus, Ohio
A new report highlights the role that public transportation can play in addressing key priorities of the state On Wednesday, the Commentary Page featured a column by Amanda Woodrum of Policy Matters Ohio making the case for a larger investment of state dollars in public transportation. She develops the argument more fully in a recent […]
Advocates, Analyst Push For Tax Increases in Budget Plan
Survey Finds Support for More Revenue to Save Services Gongwer News Service, Volume #78, Report #58, Article #2 The push for tax hikes in the biennium budget advanced on two fronts Wednesday, as advocates argued that more state revenue is in order given the curtailment of some services and program cuts Gov. Ted Strickland has […]
Task force to fight urban blight
Job losses, foreclosures leave vacant homes throughout cities like Akron, damaging spirit and value of neighborhoods By Rick Armon The Akron Beacon Journal Ron Perry feels surrounded. Across the street from his home, there are two vacant houses
Payday loans no help, credit counselors say
Policy group’s small survey finds no fans of short-term creditBy Jim Siegel Columbus Dispatch A Cleveland research group says that Ohioans who try to help people drowning in debt generally see payday loans as part of the problem. The liberal-leaning Policy Matters Ohio said yesterday that 17 accredited credit counselors from across the state answered […]
Report urges reduced usury rate for payday loans
Dayton Daily News COLUMBUS
Report: Tax Code Changes Could Loosen Ohio’s Budget Squeeze
By Mary Kuhlman and Chris Thomas Public News Service Cleveland, OH – As Ohio deals with a budget shortfall of nearly $2 billion, state agencies continue to cut back on services and projects to try to make up the difference. A new report finds that instead of cutting into the basics, lawmakers should take a […]
Amy Hanauer – Panel Discussion: What Women (Really) Want [video]
ACLU Can the next president really make government more responsive to the concerns and needs of American women? Who speaks for us? Can there be a “Women’s Agenda” that advances women’s rights? Full Article and Video
‘Brewing storm’ likely to cost firms
Waning jobless fund could raise business taxes Business Courier of Cincinnati Ohio’s dwindling unemployment benefits fund took another turn for the worse this month when a state consultant increased his deficit estimates. The latest numbers, based on unemployment data released in mid-August, show the fund shrinking to $20 million by year’s end
Frayed safety net
The Ohio unemployment compensation fund faces financial trouble. The Statehouse must step up soon to make the necessary repair. Akron Beacon Journal On Friday morning, word arrived that the state’s unemployment rate climbed to 6.6 percent in June, leading to more Ohio households feeling strained, looking to jobless benefits as part of their safety net. […]
Must read book on Charter Schools
Undernews America’s public education system is being taken over by a variety of educational mercenaries under such guises as charter schools. Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters writes in an important new book, “Keeping the Promise?,” that in Ohio alone powerful business interests drain $500 million a year from public education. The record of charter schools […]
Mortgage problems limited, OSU survey finds
Americans own about 70 percent of the value in their homes, a sharp counterpoint to reports that homeowners are swamped by debt, a new survey shows. Columbus Dispatch The national survey, conducted by the Center for Human Resource Research at Ohio State University, indicates recent problems with mortgages are isolated to a small share of […]