Each Friday, Eye on the Statehouse will announce its “Porker of the Week.” It’s our way of calling attention to a particularly big or wasteful spender.

This week Rep. Kathleen Chandler (D-Kent) and the University of Toledo have earned this dubious distinction.

On Wednesday, the House Finance and Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education heard testimony from former Lieutenant Governor Bruce Johnson. During his testimony, Mr. Johnson, who is now president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, requested that the state increase funding to public universities by five percent.

Rep. Clyde Evans (R-Rio Grande) asked Mr. Johnson what could be cut from the state budget to pay for the increase. Mr. Johnson jokingly recommended the legislature trim Medicaid’s large allocation.

However, Rep. Chandler suggested taxpayers could be tapped for the increase saying, “I think we should put a freeze on reduction of the income tax.”

According to the independent Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., Ohio’s combined state and local tax burden continues to increase. Ohioans give more of their personal income to government than do taxpayers in neighboring states. In fact, only Vermont, Maine, New York and Rhode Island take a larger percentage of overall personal income in taxes.

Then there is the University of Toledo.

At Tuesday’s House Finance and Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education meeting, University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs spoke on the need to keep more physicians in Ohio. UT has many medical professional graduates, but they tend to flee the state.

UT officials recommended Ohio increase the “subsidy” offered to medical students to stay in the state. They also argued that a separate subcommittee dealing with GME (Graduate Medical Education) should be established at the state level. It will be easier for the medical field to receive earmarks and appropriations they said.

Eye on the Statehouse reminds UT officials that doctors are leaving the state not because of too few subsides, but because of too many lawsuits. The solution is creating an environment that is friendly towards physicians. This means passing additional legislation to limit the number of frivolous lawsuits filed against doctors. It also means creating a low tax environment that physicians feel is fair towards their practice.

For their comments, Eye on the Statehouse award both Rep. Chandler and the University of Toledo this week’s “Porker of the Week.”

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