Buckeye Institute Releases State of the State Report

Our friends at the Buckeye Institute have released their first 2010 report: “State of the State: Two Decades of Weak Job Growth and Skyrocketing Government Costs Pose Daunting Challenges for Ohioans.” The report outlines the following:

• Ohio’s job market is anemic and has been weak for two decades when compared to other states.

• Despite attempts at tax reform, Ohio’s overall tax burden ranks among the most oppressive in America.

• Concerning the cost of government, the number of government jobs in Ohio increased by 10.5 percent from 1990 to 2009, and government budgets accelerated at a pace far in excess of inflation, partly due to the “gold-plated” compensation packages of public sector employees.

According to the report, these three data points and the analysis of Ohio’s county and urban trends lead to the conclusion that Ohio’s elected officials must enact policies that allow businesses and industries to grow and create jobs. Failure to do so will ensure that more Ohio businesses move to states where they can create jobs free of an overly burdensome government.

I encourage you to take a look at the report. The document may take a minute to download as it runs at 111 pages — 13 pages of text and the rest consisting of economic profiles for all 88 counties and aggregation charts.

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