Eye on the Statehouse is a Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions project. The Web-based initiative will monitor and report on the current state budget approval process.

The project will approach the biennial budget and its legislative hearings from a free market perspective and offer a critical view of state government’s spending priorities. In particular, it will seek out wasteful and ineffective government spending.

The project’s correspondents will attend budget hearings and file reports on how state government intends to spend our tax dollars. They will call attention to the breathtaking pace of overall government spending as evidenced by the Buckeye Institute’s Spend-O-Meter..

Eye on the Statehouse builds on the Buckeye Institute’s government waste and inefficiency initiatives – the 2005 and 2006 Piglet Reports and Porker projects.

The project is influenced by the sharp analytical criticism of the federal spending process as documented by the Cato Institute’s James L. Payne in his policy analysis, “Budgeting in Neverland - Irrational policymaking in the U.S. Congress and what can be done about it.”

In that study, Professor Payne observed, “The basic requirement for intelligent decision making is to hear arguments and evidence from both sides of an issue. Congress ignores this requirement in its budget-making process. Instead of hearing both the pros and the cons of spending on particular programs, Congress usually hears from only the self-interested supporters of programs. Those biased advocates of spending typically include federal program administrators, whose careers depend on making their programs look good, and lobbyists paid by program beneficiaries to promote programs.”

The same can be said for the Ohio budgeting process as evidenced by the Buckeye Institute’s Piglet Reports and Porker projects.

Eye on the Statehouse’s reporting of Ohio government spending activities will bring sunshine to the state’s complex budget progress in an effort to promote prudent and efficient use of tax dollars.

About the Buckeye Institute

The Buckeye Institute assists policymakers, scholars, entrepreneurs, the media and the public by providing objective analysis and sound solutions to state and local policy questions, particularly in the areas of taxation, government spending, regulation and education.

Our work challenges government intervention as the default solution to Ohio’s needs. We offer a compelling vision of how policies that maximize the freedom and independence for our citizens also bring more prosperity to our state.

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions neither seeks nor accepts government funding. It enjoys the support of foundations, individuals and businesses sharing a concern for Ohio’s future.

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