In the recent past, it seems as if any news coming out of the state of Ohio has been bad news. That's not to say nothing positive ever happens within the state's borders -Ohio has many positive qualities -but it appears that the most recent and biggest headlines made in the state are about the poor condition of Ohio's economy, possible government corruption, questions about the governor's competency and leadership, misuse of previously earmarked state funds and other things of that nature. However, the finds of a new national study surely will deliver another blow, possibly the most damaging, to the image of this great state.
Aside from all the controversy about missing coins and the unethical raiding of Ohio's Tobacco Fund for other projects, there has been a big problem festering since 2000. And unlike these problems that seem far off from the public realm, the latest issue facing the state has tangible results. According to the annual Kids Count report, which examines the well-being of children in each state, Ohio has slipped from 23rd to 29th nationally. Although the drop in the rankings might not appear to be significant, its effects are.
Out of the 10 categories that the survey rates -most are related to education, health and income -Ohio's rating has fallen in seven areas, two more than the national average.
Included in these setbacks: the number of teenagers who did not go to school or work between 2002 and 2003 rose by 14 percent; the number of babies born with a birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds increase from 7.9 to 8.3 percent (2000-2002); the rate at which children die before their first birthday grew by 4 percent (2000-2002); and the rate of teen deaths by accidents, homicide or suicide increased by 2 percent (2000-2002).
Such setbacks in the well-being of children are far worse than any other scandals brooding in the state, but unfortunately probably will be overlooked for some time. Experts have attributed the slide primarily to a single factor: the condition of the state's economy. Realistically, the economy of any state or nation will go through periodic downturns -such times must be taken in stride.
However, Ohio's rebounding from the most recent recession has not occurred at the same pace as other states. Although it is impossible to place all the blame for this slow recovery on one group - the workings of the economy are far too complex to be controlled by a few policy measures -a sizable portion must be directed to the governor's office.
Last March, Gov. Bob Taft received an F on the Cato Institute's fiscal policy report card, which rated America's governors. Worse yet, Taft received the lowest grade of all failing governors. Now, the Cato Institute is not the final authority on public policy, but it is hard not to believe its findings were inaccurate, especially given the findings of the Kids Count report.
In fairness, the blame for these statistics cannot be put solely on the shoulders of Taft -when he took office, he was not blessed with a booming state -but nevertheless, he should be held at least partially accountable. When the 2006 gubernatorial race begins, Ohio voters would be wise to make these problems a top priority in choosing a candidate.
Voters should support a candidate who seeks to implement the recommendations made by the report. The recommendations include, but are not limited to, linking domestic violence screening to other social services -such as child support and employment training -and providing culturally sensitive mental health counseling. The best candidate will be the person who addresses all these problems and has a clear, realistic plan to solve the problems facing the state.
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