Jul 29, 2010

Yost Vows to Continue Mary Taylor's Advice to Ohio Businesses: Move to Florida

COLUMBUS – Ohio Auditor candidate David Yost appears to have launched a new anti-jobs campaign strategy this week. In a fundraising letter released by the Columbus Dispatch, Yost asks prospective donors to, "Please help me continue [Republican Lt. Governor candidate] Mary Taylor's truth-telling mission by donating to my campaign to succeed her as auditor of state." The so-called 'truth-telling' he refers to is Taylor's admission that she counseled Ohio businesses to move to other states to avoid paying taxes. [Columbus Dispatch, 7/28/10]

Yost’s rhetoric follows comments he made in April showing his inability to understand a successful and widely popular jobs initiative, the Third Frontier.  Yost said the initiative will "soak up money that is allocated for bond retirement."  The Third Frontier has created 55,000 jobs in Ohio, 500 new companies, and is projected to bring $6.6 billion into Ohio's economy. However, Yost was unable to tell Ohioans whether or not he supported Third Frontier and dodged the question by saying that it was not the topic he was at the event to address that day. The Third Frontier issue passed at the ballot by an overwhelming margin in May. [Toledo Blade, 5/2/10; Plain Dealer, 5/6/10; Columbus Dispatch, 5/6/10]

The only job David Yost seems to care about creating is his own, since he has the audacity to go around the state railing against government spending even though the general fund spending of his Delaware County Prosecutor's Office exploded 150 percent since the year before he was appointed to the office.

BACKGROUND

Speaking at a business roundtable discussion with Congressman Kasich and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Republican Lt. Governor candidate Mary Taylor said, "As a CPA, obviously I spent 16 years working with businesses, entrepreneurs that were successful, created a great deal of wealth for themselves and their families. And you know, we counseled those individuals to consider, you know, moving to Florida or other states..." [Kasich Webcast with Mitch Daniels, 7/22/10]

When asked at a public forum about the Third Frontier, Dave Yost said he was unable to discuss it because he had not studied it closely. Asked about the Third Frontier, Yost said, "The Third Frontier is a, uh, capital improvements project, basically to pay for through the state budget, it will not result in new taxes it will soak up existing money that is allocated for, um, bond retirement. In other words, as the bonds cycle forward. And I have not studied it closely." [Speech, 9-12 Project Event, 4/26/10]

Yost's spending as county prosecutor is detailed at: www.davidpepper.com/justthefacts.

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