Save the Middle Class!

Yesterday the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous 7-0 vote to put Libertarian candidate, Robert Waters, back on the ballot. (Waters had made an error in completing his filing petitions, which the Ohio Supreme Court determined was not fraudulent or misleading in nature). The race for State Representative of the 67th District is now three-way.

I am personally very pleased that the public will get a real choice in the voting booth this year. For too long in Warren County, the only choice was the one ruling party. Many times, I would vote for a Republican candidate simply because there were no other options. In November 2010, the choices are much clearer: myself, a responsible moderate business person who has a real concern for the health of our communities and our people; a truly conservative working person with a libertarian approach who had to fight just to get on the ballot; or one more of the string of the same tired politicians who have kept our county and state under their rigid control for years. 

I have been connecting with many voters in recent weeks- through the Internet, and at local functions. The political climate is exciting and volatile, to say the least.  Many feel that the very survival of the middle class is at stake in November. Like most Americans, the residents of Warren County are under tremendous stress. They are working harder for less and giving up comforts like eating out and cable TV. Those with jobs feel lucky just to have work. Those without jobs are growing anxious and depressed by the day- wondering when the local job market will improve.

   

In this climate, people cannot even contemplate tax increases. Their home values have plummeted (if they have not foreclosed), and the days of using credit cards to "supplement" one's income, paying for unexpected car repairs, medical treatment, or vacations, are over. The people that I am meeting with in Warren County are going back to the basics. They are doing without, and trying to rebuild their net worth by saving more and spending less.

This frugal approach must be practiced in our state's government, as well. As much as Republicans like to talk about fiscal responsibility, the reality is that Democrats are better at handling money. Our governor, Ted  Strickland, inherited an astronomical deficit from the overspending of the Taft administration. Governor Strickland and the Democrats in the Ohio General Assembly have done an admirable job in the last two years at chipping off two billion dollars of that deficit.

Historically, Republican presidents have built the deficits during their administrations much higher than Democrats with exorbitant military spending and no plans to pay for such grandiose endeavors. Need I even mention the wasteful spending of Bush's War in Iraq, which led to a monstrous deficit inherited by the current administration? Many complain that the Health Reform bill that recently passed will drive up our deficit. In fact, stats from other countries show that health reform actually drives down health care costs and premiums. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill will cost $940 billion over the first 10 years and reduce the deficit by $130 billion during that period. Between 2020 to 2029 it will reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion.

On the local level, many Republican leaders in Warren County felt the Federal Stimulus was a mistake. But look at the facts: this nation and its states were on the verge of a Great Depression and that Stimulus prevented further disaster. Those same Warren County Republican leaders went on to accept stimulus funds for the county and use the money to improve roads, courts, and offer jobs to local citizens. So much for holding on to principle! When push came to shove, they realized that they needed that money to assist the middle class of Warren County.

There is still so much work to do to ensure the financial well-being of our communities, and I believe that I am the best person for that job. A $296 million shortfall is expected in Ohio's mid-year, 2010 budget. This means that deeper budget cuts must occur. It also means that our legislature must work overtime at bringing new and better jobs to Ohio to build the tax base. A grown adult should not be standing in line at a Kings Island Job Fair looking for a minimum wage job to feed his or her family. The jobs that must come to Warren County should be in lucrative areas like IT, healthcare, and renewable energy- REAL jobs that provide for entire families. 

Many Independents in our district have told me that they will vote for me because they wish to vote for the person, not the party. In these stressful times, competent and fiscally responsible leadership is imperative. I will bring that leadership to the district, and focus all of my efforts on saving our middle class.    

More film production = More JOBS for Warren County

Sometimes government gets it right. Last July, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that offered almost $7 million in motion picture tax credits to encourage companies to make movies in Ohio. As a result, four movies are currently being filmed in the Buckeye State, and are expected to employ nearly 3,000 Ohioans as part of the production crews and extras. Even better, the films will bring about $25 million in economic activity to Ohio with production crews utilizing restaurants, hotels, and other businesses.

As your elected State Representative, I would aim to put Warren County on the map for film production. Lebanon is a prime site for movies requiring a certain historic ambiance. Hollywood realized this in 1977 when it utilized the lofty brick structure of Berry Middle School for the sitcom, Harper Valley PTA. In 1994, historic downtown Lebanon and its quaint Ice Cream Parlor came to life on the big screen in Milk Money, starring Ed Harris and Melanie Griffith.

We have so many more sites to offer film crews wanting unique, "all American" settings for their stories. Think about the authentic Civil War mansions along Cincinnati Avenue, the harness racing track on Broadway, and Fort Ancient's 18,000 feet of earthen walls built 2,000 years ago by Ohio's Hopewell Indians, to name just a few. A city like Franklin would be a perfect site for an independent film wishing to depict a familiar blue collar world. And let's not forget the residuals of increased tourism that film production would bring to our district. People from out of state will plan their summer vacations around visiting the Glendower Museum and exploring its Greek Revival architecture, or eating at Ohio's oldest inn, The Golden Lamb, as (hypothetically) portrayed in a hit HBO mini-series the year before.

A common complaint of the unemployed is the anonymity of the job seeking process. An individual gets on the Internet, sends out hundreds if not thousands of resumes to faceless employers, and never hears anything in response. The reality is that networking for jobs is usually a face-to-face endeavor. People need to get out into their communities and connect. Local film productions would enable the unemployed of Warren County to do just that. If you read in The Western Star that a film is soon to be shot at Kings Island, hurry down to Great Wolf Lodge as the hotel will need extra staff for the summer. Granted, most film jobs are temp jobs, but these can lead to permanent jobs, and there is also something to be said for simply having ANY job that pays the bills right now.

As your State Representative, I would push for MORE tax credits for Ohio film production.