Flash: Blackwell is astute

The Columbus Dispatch (paid sub. req) uses its Sept 16, 2005 editorial page (A10) to speak out against Blackwell's new proposal to spend $.65 out of every public education dollar on teacher's salaries and classroom needs. They also unwittingly show that Blackwell knows the mind of the Ohio voter, advocates issues with which a majority of Ohioans agree, and does not have Walter Mondale's tin ear for politics.

They opine
Blackwell rarely passes up a chance to hitch his wagon to a catchy-sounding, but often unsound, proposal. Now he wants Ohio lawmakers to adopt a requirement that public schools spend 65 cents of every budget dollar on what he defines as classroom instruction. Period. The unique needs of a given school district wouldn't matter.
Blackwell has proved shrewd at using populist ballot initiatives to bring out the vote for the conservative candidates he favors. Last year's State Issue 1, the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Ohio, is widely credited with boosting conservative turnout and helping President Bush win Ohio in the presidential race.
More recently, Blackwell has backed a constitutional amendment to put similarly arbitrary caps on state spending, but he agreed to wait until November 2006 to put the issue on the ballot, the better to attract like-minded voters to the polls for statewide offices.

When the State's Public Radio notes that the jobless rate ticked up to 5.9%, voters recognize that its time to end the Republocrat politics-as-usual of high taxes, high spending, and low results. Blackwell is a conservative candidate who is using the TEL and $.65 ammendment to bring back some fiscal sanity to the state. Finally, agreeing again with 69% of the voters on what is marriage only shows that Blackwell understands the difference between right and wrong.

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