Still Not Convinced About the Budget? Look Next Door.

During the recently completed budget process, there was a certain amount of grousing on the left -- the budget didn't go far enough on this or it didn't address that or it should have taken on the school funding system or this or that priority was misplaced. Not a lot of grousing, but it was there.

Anyone not yet convinced that Gov. Ted Strickland's handling of the budget process was masterful need only look to our immediate easterly neighbor to see what could have been. New Democratic Governor Ed Rendell and Republicans in the legislature have been deadlocked over the ambitious energy package embedded in Rendell's proposed budget. Now the government is in shutdown over the stalemate.

The last time Ohio had a budget shutdown, Jim Rhodes came back. Say no more.

EDITED for obvious reasons. You would think I'd learn not to trust my memory on these things.