Letter to the editor from Rep. Newbold in the Salem News, 8/14/2011
"Don't punish majority of Ohioans"

To the editor: I am writing today to address your readers and the residents of Columbiana County who find themselves soaked in taxes, seeking employment or finding it hard to put food on the table for their families. I want to assure you that thanks to the legislature's efforts to control state and local taxes, relief is on the way.

As the founder of several businesses, I understand the importance of balance-balance between spending and profits, balance in creating jobs and offering fair but manageable wages, and balance when expanding or saving for a rainy day. In order to keep their doors open, employers must be able to reduce overhead or freeze employee salaries during difficult times.

However, many public-sector employees enjoy consistently generous benefits and automatic pay raises at the expense of the taxpayers who find themselves paying for their own benefits as well as someone else's Cadillac plans. Private-sector workers contribute on average 23 percent toward their health care benefits. Public employees, on the other hand, often contribute less than 10 percent-and unlike those who work for private businesses, the public sector has the benefit of repeatedly tapping Ohioans to pay for these luxuries.

Senate Bill 5 has restored a responsible, fair balance by requiring public employees to pay at least 15 percent toward health benefits, which would still be far less than their private-sector neighbors. The provisions in the bill are merely common-sense initiatives that grant relief to taxpayers and balance the sacrifices made by all Ohioans.

With so many Ohioans unemployed or struggling to make ends meet, we need to ensure that we are not punishing the vast majority to appease a slim few.

STATE REP CRAIG NEWBOLD, Columbus