Economic Growth
Encouraging Jobs and Economic Growth
We have record deficits, crazed spending and staggering
unemployment, especially in Ohio, where some 640,000 people are out
of work. I realize that's a tough number to wrap your brain around,
but picture a sold-out Cavs game and all those folks in the stands
and imagine they're all without a job. Now, picture that sold-out
crowd for 32 straight games and you can visualize the magnitude of
the problem. It's horrifying.
Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to implement
policies that make it easier for businesses to keep and add jobs,
largely through targeted tax relief and regulatory relief. I take a
regional approach to governing because what happens in Cleveland
certainly impacts the entire region. When Chrysler and GM got
billions in government bailouts, I led the fight to save
family-owned dealerships that play such a vital role in our
communities. Thanks to an arbitration process I helped establish
and make the law of the land, dealers that were dumped now have a
chance to be reinstated and have their names and reputations
restored. GM had so many dealers apply for arbitration that it
voluntarily decided to reinstate 661 dealerships, saving about 50
jobs per dealership. I also led the fight to save more than 1,100
high-paying jobs at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service
(DFAS) office in Cleveland when the
Pentagon wanted it closed. Not only did we prevail, but DFAS is expected to have 2,011 jobs in
Cleveland by 2011.
I remain a huge proponent of infrastructure spending, since it
generates good-paying jobs and spurs economic development. I
generally favor buy-America provisions, and support prevailing
wages on public projects. I spent 14 years on the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee and was able to direct hundreds of
millions of dollars in road, bridge, transit and airport
improvements in all corners of my district. Major infrastructure
projects are proven job generators and spur economic development.
For each $1 billion in infrastructure investment, 42,000 jobs are
created. I loved my time on the Transportation Committee, but now
I'm better positioned to direct spending to our region due to my
position on the House Appropriations Committee, which determines
how federal funds are spent. I don't believe bureaucrats in
Washington or Columbus have better ideas than our local officials
on the frontline.