Nearly 600 people united today to say that the best path forward to solve Ohio's budget woes is with a balanced approach. Cuts alone won't fill the $8 billion hole, and today SEIU and other coalition partners of One Ohio Now (www.oneohionow.org) rallied at the Ohio Statehouse to call for balance - including revenue - to overcome the impact of the worst national recession in a lifetime.

"With families struggling and unemployment way too high, we can't afford to see education, libraries, healthcare, mental health and other necessities slashed," said Debbie Hajzak, Member Vice President of SEIU District 1199 and an employee of the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System. "If we are to make the most of prosperity when it returns, we must take a balanced approach today."

Coalition members have come together over the past year to support common-sense solutions. Like other states, Ohio suffered an unprecedented collapse in state revenues at the same time that public needs are on the rise. Many states have taken a balanced approach that included revenue, instead of trying to solve a problem this big only with cuts in necessary services.
One Ohio Now's work is based on the following principles: a balanced approach; productive, stable revenue solutions that reflect today's economy; building on sound and sustainable public investments; and addressing the immediate crisis and planning for the future.