Saturday Stats
Posted February 25, 2023 in eNews
$0.00-$3.00: A top-priority bill in the Ohio House (HB1) would slash funding for children and all manner of local services, hand thousands of dollars a year to wealthy households and reduce income taxes by $0-3 a year for families with income below $50,000. (That’s not a typo: If you make less than $50K a year, the benefits of this so-called “flat tax” might be enough to buy yourself a coffee.) As State Policy Fellow Guille Bervejillo, Ph.D. puts it, “the bill is obviously and appallingly unfair.” And it’s only the first such proposal by House leaders—Rep. Derek Merrin concocted his own “flat tax” scheme too…
$2,400,000,000: If policymakers use our shared resources to lure big business into our state, they should make sure every Ohioan benefits. That’s why we were cautiously optimistic when Gov. DeWine proposed spending $2.4B on economic development sites “in every single part of Ohio”: It sounded like he planned to spread the wealth. In reality, the governor’s proposal would transfer that money into a fund with vague objectives, very little oversight and no plans for how to claw back our investment when corporations try to take the money and run. Research Director Zach Schiller dug into the details.
Around 5,000: That’s how many actual human beings live in East Palestine. They aren’t political pawns or poster children; they face a long cleanup and recovery process, and they deserve our support. There are plenty of ways to help people and get involved with orgs doing work on the ground: One excellent option is River Valley Organizing. Check out their website for an overview, and follow them on Twitter for regular updates. For more on how corporations have irrevocably harmed the people, land, water and air in and around Columbiana County, see this video from Policy Matters alum Caitlin Johnson.
Coming up:
TODAY! — Wage Theft Clinic
Do you suspect that you or someone you know has been a victim of wage theft? The Northeast Ohio Worker Center is here to support you and get answers to all of your questions. Saturday, February 25th, Noon-3:00 p.m. In person at 3308 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, and on Zoom (Register here).
Flat Taxes: Cutting resources of the many for the benefit of the very few
Join us for a lunchtime conversation about the costs and consequences of flat tax proposals currently being considered(!) by the Ohio legislature. Thursday, March 2, 12:30 p.m. Live on FB, YouTube & Twitter. With Policy Matters Research Director Zach Schiller & State Policy Fellow Guille Bervejillo, Ph.D.
*You can use the above links to set reminders, so FB and/or YouTube notifies you when the event goes live.*
Food For Thought: Why Budgets Matter
Join Policy Matters, NOBLE and PB CLE for a conversation about why budgets matter and how you can get involved. Thursday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. Attend in person at Happy Dog in Cleveland, or watch live on FB, YouTube & Twitter. With Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert and Outreach Director Daniel Ortiz.
*You can use the above links to set reminders, so FB and/or YouTube notifies you when the event goes live.*