Gov. Strickland lays out priorities in Inaugural Address

Earlier today, in a cold and wet Columbus winter morning, Governor Ted Strickland gave his Inaugural Address to Ohioans, and an interesting speech it surely was. Strickland quoted Winston Churchill, George W. Bush, the Bible, and told critics of Ohio to, "get thee behind me." The speech itself offered no real revelations on what Strickland intends to do while Governor, but it did offer much insight into the priorities and beliefs that he will bring to the Governorship. In this excerpt, Strickland talks about why Ohio is being held back, and high taxes and regulation are not the causes at fault in his mind: (Bolds are mine)

"Though significant, the road to our renewal is not blocked by overregulation or lack of infrastructure, or even high taxes. No, we are only being held back to the extent that our state fails, either from lack of investment or lack of innovation, to provide the opportunity for quality learning for every citizen."

Governor Strickland also spoke of Ohio's common values, and how he shares these priorities. Please note that the first value/priority listed in the speech is universal health care, and that the last priority in the speech is using wisely Ohioan's tax dollars, after protecting the environment.

"We all want health care for those who need it. We all want a solid education for our children. We want a system of higher education that is affordable and gives our kids the opportunity to remain in Ohio to raise their families -- strong families, where moms and dads can have living wage jobs. We all want to honor the contributions of our parents and our grandparents so they can feel secure in their retirement years. We want safe and secure neighborhoods. We want to protect our natural environment and to ensure the health and safety of our children. We all want a government that provides services that are needed, but we also want the government to stay out of our lives when it has no right or reason to be there. We want the price we pay for a civilized society -- our tax dollars -- to be used wisely -- with proper respect for the hard work that has made them available.

I am willing to, and going to, give Governor Strickland every chance to turn around Ohio, because Ohio most certainly needs turning around. However, it is going to take some hard realization to see that lower taxes and less restrictive government regulation should be on even footing with a better education system. If we simply educate our children without creating a good business environment, they will continue to move elsewhere to find work. Best of luck, Governor! The people of Ohio are counting on you.