A maverick from Ohio may pave the way for Pennsylvania
With all the serious talk of budget cuts and shortfalls, a humorous story from a neighboring state caught my eye last week.
The report was from the Columbus Dispatch and highlighted the personality of an Ohio state legislator who seems to be changing the face of politics in that state.
He also, of interest to me, happens to be an elder law attorney and the recently installed Ohio Speaker of the House.
I found it noteworthy that, if Ohio, another historically less than forward looking state in many ways, might begin to change, there could be hope that Pennsylvania would follow. The story, by the way, is couched in terms of Democrats and Republicans but I think that anyone could appreciate the irony. Here goes:
The Columbus Dispatch. Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
“Democratic leaders in the House won’t be putting on their reading glasses to learn about alleged liberal distortions of American history.
House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, is sending back 51 copies of the book “48 Liberal Lies About American History (That You Probably Learned in School)” by Larry Schweikart, a professor at the University of Dayton.
The books were donated to the Democratic caucus by the Montgomery County Republican Party in Ohio. Two caucus members, for reasons not clear, did not receive the book.
In his letter sending back the books, Budish wrote that
the cover price of $25.95 exceeds the $20 limit set by Gov. Ted Strickland for accepting gifts.
Strickland established that limit in his first executive order after taking office in January 2007. The executive order applies only to the executive branch, not members of the legislature.
Budish spokesman Keary McCarthy said the speaker is applying those rules to his caucus as well. Democrats aren’t sending back the books out of any ideological quarrel with Schweikart or the Montgomery County GOP, McCarthy said.
So would Budish have read the book if it had cost, say, $19.95?
‘He has usually been reading the state budget,’ McCarthy said. ‘That’s the book of choice around here.'”
Ohio is in the middle of its budget season now, as is Pennsylvania.
Budish, from suburban Cleveland, an elder law attorney, is the first Democratic House Speaker in Ohio in 14 years and is catching people off guard in somewhat the same way that Barack Obama did on a national level. His focus has been on job creation and economic development, especially for the older cities, and for health care — notably for the elderly.
Since state budgets, unlike the federal budget, must be balanced each year, this makes the 2009-2010 budget a challenge for states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
First, plummeting tax revenues from the downturn in the economy mean shortfalls and second, stimulus aid from the federal government comes with conditions that the states must not slash the services.
So states are looking for ways to cut but, in their quest, could make poor choices.
It might be expected that Ohioan Budish, a Democrat, would be proposing new taxes but Budish, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, and Republican Senate President Bill Harris all ruled out new taxes.
As of last report, the Democrats in the Ohio state legislature who control the House had made their changes and handed them over to the Republican majority Senate and are waiting for results.
So far, here in Pennsylvania, budget proposals have included elimination of all funding for legal services for the poor other than in criminal cases (a $3,172,000 cut) and reduced funding for mental health services (Senate Bill 850).
House Bill 1351, Section 1412 , the subject of two of my prior columns, would instigate expanded estate recovery against Medicaid recipients. These are some of the actions I refer to as poor choices.
The combined savings from all of these would pale by comparison with savings from House Bill 1059 proposed by Curt Schroder, R-155th, of Downingtown.
Rep. Schroder’s proposal to eliminate discretionary funds known as “walking around money” or WAMs, is estimated to save $600 million without the dire effects of the other actions mentioned.
Getting back to Ohio, Budish, in his elder law attorney role, hosted a television program for seniors called “Golden Opportunities,” authored a column, “You and the Law,” and several books.
His undergraduate degree was from Swarthmore College. He held no prior elective office and, as his occupation, he listed “senior advocate.”
About the Author Janet Colliton
Esquire, Colliton Law Associates, P.C. Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 38 years, 37 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administration.