Practically every Ohioan knows by now about John Kasich’s deep mine of enthusiasm. … (A)t the end of his energy summit in Columbus, the governor declared there is no need for another.

This was the best summit ever, he gushed. …

What was particularly encouraging was the tone the governor struck from the start.

He talked about the need for a cohesive strategy, stakeholders bridging differences, the state taking a diverse approach, with room for traditional fuels such as coal and natural gas, plus renewable and other alternative sources, and a commitment to energy efficiency. …

No surprise that the prospects for oil and gas drilling in the state’s deep formations of shale captured much attention at the energy summit. …

This drilling must be done right, with care for the environment and public health, for unintended consequences. Already geologists have reduced their estimates for shale formations to the east.

Put another way, all of the excitement now gives way to the difficult task of pulling together the cohesive, concrete and comprehensive strategy the governor rightly wants Ohio to achieve.

Akron Beacon Journal

Brown, Obama shouldn’t impede hiring workers

Given the state of uncertainty about the economy, you’d think a U.S. senator would be celebrating the fact that any companies are hiring, not seeking to punish those that are.

But not Sherrod Brown.

Ohio’s first-term Democratic senator is pushing legislation to make it illegal for companies to “discriminate” against the unemployed when hiring.

Brown is cheerleading for President Barack Obama, who included this provision in his American Jobs Act. …

Unemployment remains high. Brown acknowledged the obvious last week: The best way to get the economy back on track would be to get more people working.

To help achieve that, government officials should be getting out of the way, not implementing new punitive measures against those few companies fortunate enough to be adding workers though not in the way Obama and Brown want.

But they cite a report from the National Employment Law Project that found some companies refuse to hire the unemployed. …

But those few companies that don’t want to hire the currently unemployed could have very good reason.

Chief among them is the costs and time necessary to bring up to speed someone who’s been out of work for an extended time.

Government shouldn’t be adding layers of red tape on companies that are trying to hire. Obama and Brown would do more to help an economic recovery by instead working to get government out of the way.

The Lima News