Ohio: Ohio

Of 18 school issues on the statewide ballot, seven were approved, a 39 percent passage rate.
Voters turned down 11 tax requests, including one in South-Western schools.

The results come on the heels of a new two-year state budget which cuts state aid to 60 percent
of Ohio school districts.

Renewal levies those seeking to continue existing taxes fared best yesterday with 4 out of 5
passing statewide.

School levies generally have the lowest passage rates in August elections. This year's 39
percent passage rate was the highest since August 2003 when 48 percent of levies were approved by
voters.

The average passage rate in August elections over the past decade is 34 percent.

I noticed that Lee Fisher's new webad on our front page is a call-to-action on getting additional funding for the Cash-for-Clunkers program.  But it looks like nothing more than phising for potentional voter data for its database.

Sure, it calls for lobbying both of Ohio's current Senators to support the additional $2 billion in funding for the program pending in the U.S. Senate.  But Lee Fisher's, and his supporters', support for Cash for Clunkers is entirely unnecessary.   As the Columbus Dispatch has already reported, both Brown and Voinovich have stated that they'll support the additional funding already.

So, the mission was already accomplished before it even began.

This is nothing more than Fisher feeling the political winds on his finger and taking pitiful grandstanding route to associate himself with the political fad of the moment.

It's cynical and shameless.

Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, is one Republican who is expressing optimism today that the General Motors bankruptcy could work, even as he expressed disappointment about the news that three Ohio plants will close in Groveport, Ontario and Parma.

More than 600 payday-lending stores have closed since lawmakers voted to end the business model that allowed them to charge the equivalent of a 391 percent annual interest rate on a two-week loan. Instead, lawmakers tried to limit the rate to 28 percent.

More than 900 payday-lending stores remain in Ohio, and some lawmakers and consumer advocates say the stores are skirting the intent of the new law by using alternative licenses to continue charging fees that bring them close to the 391 percent interest rate.

Rep. Matt Lundy expects to introduce a bill this week that would cap interest at 28 percent for all loans of up to $1,000 made for a term of three months or less, regardless of what license the lender is using.