Recent Montgomery County GOP Posts
Thanks to Governor Kasich, We're Growing Jobs in Ohio
by GOP Adminstrator on 12/17/11
Today we learned that progress on job creation is being made in Ohio under the leadership of Governor John Kasich. Since being sworn in, our governor has proven that opportunity and a brighter future for the people of Ohio can come as result of providing our economy and businesses with incentives for job growth.
While there remains plenty of work to be done across the Buckeye State to create jobs and bolster our manufacturing sector, Governor John Kasich deserves credit for saving or creating more than 58,000 jobs in our great state.
By closing Ted Strickland's $8 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes, Governor Kasich and our Republican-led General Assembly have provided job creators, across America and in other countries, with increased confidence in our state's ability to manage finances.
The Columbus Dispatch reported on today's unemployment announcement:
"Ohio's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since December 2008.
"The state said this morning that the rate fell to 8.5 percent in November, down from 9 percent the prior month. The number of unemployed workers fell by 30,000 last month to 496,000 and now has dropped by 69,000 over the past year.
"The drop in the unemployment rate in Ohio was slightly stronger than the decline in the U.S. unemployment rate, which dropped to 8.6 percent last month from 9 percent in October.
"Businesses reported that they added 6,000 jobs last month and now say they have created 75,600 jobs over the past year.
"There also was a 3,500 gain in trade, transportation and utilities and an increase of 1,100 jobs in financial activities."
Today's jobs numbers comes on the heels of other major jobs announcements across Ohio from Intelligrated, Chrysler Group LLC, MAC LTT, American Greetings, Bob Evans and Diebold.
In 2010 Ohio voters cast ballots in favor of Republicans who promised results. Today's news further underscores the fact that Governor Kasich continues to do for the people of Ohio what he promised to deliver during his campaign: reforming government so our state can create private sector jobs and operate at the speed of business.
Turner Statement on New Congressional Map
by GOP Adminstrator on 12/15/11
Dayton, OH - Today, Congressman Mike Turner released the following statement upon the General Assembly's approval of a new Congressional map:
"I'm glad to see that the Ohio General Assembly has voted on a bill which will make both Montgomery County and our community whole. This permits our Congressional representative to focus on the Miami Valley as opposed to being split between Dayton and Columbus as originally proposed. Our area deserves a representative who is focused on the many and varied issues which confront our region. I look forward to filing the required signatures to run for this seat, and continue working on behalf of our community to create jobs, rein in out-of-control spending and preserve our nation's security."
We Must Fully Repeal Obamacare and its Ill Effects on Our Economy
by GOP Adminstrator on 12/14/11
By Congressman Michael Turner, 3rd District
This past week I was proud to have my colleague, Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas visit Dayton. Dr. Burgess, an obstetrician, and I participated in the debate about the future of healthcare in our nation, and argued against the enactment of Obamacare in 2009. Dr. Burgess and I have been working this year to repeal Obamacare and its devastating effects on our economy. His recent visit underscores those efforts.
The flawed Obamacare law stands to adversely affect American families, small businesses, and millions of seniors. Its $500 billion cuts to Medicare, which include $156 billion in Medicare Advantage cuts, will hurt southwestern Ohioans already at risk. In addition to the cuts affecting Ohio seniors, the law is bloated with unpaid-for spending and debilitating taxes. According to a report authored by the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare will increase the federal budget deficit by over $550 billion in the first ten years of the law and then by $1.4 trillion in the following ten years.
I was proud to have joined a bipartisan group of House Members in voting to repeal Obamacare at the beginning of this Congress. As one of our first legislative acts, we collectively reaffirmed the American people's voice in saying "no" to this law.
In fact, the President himself agreed that provisions in his law would be prohibitive to our nation's businesses. In March, the House took an important step towards eliminating one of the onerous costs Obamacare has placed on our nation's job creators. This burdensome provision in the President's healthcare law required businesses to file a separate Form 1099 whenever they conduct a transaction with a vendor in excess of $600 a year.
That meant each time a company would have bought a plane ticket, spent money at the local gas station, or purchased coffee from a corner shop for employees-if it's over $600 throughout the year, there would have been a form to fill out. Without repeal, this would have affected over 800,000 businesses across Ohio. Businesses won't hire new employees in our communities if they have to spend the majority of their time filling out forms. In order to help our neighbors get back to work, the government should be making it easier for businesses to hire and expand, not bogging them down with new requirements. I am glad that the President realized this, and signed the repeal of the 1099 provision into law.
Unfortunately, Obamacare is full of these types of onerous provisions. Another would place an excise tax on the equipment used by our first responders, directly hitting the manufacturers of that life saving equipment. On March 23rd, I visited Ferno-Washington, Inc. to announce the reintroduction of my legislation which would repeal this provision. During my visit, CEO Joe Bourgraf articulated that the 2.3 percent tax would affect his business. Driving up the cost of their products discourages budget-strained municipalities from investing in new equipment, and stunts the growth of our struggling economy. It also discourages manufacturers like Ferno-Washington from hiring new employees from communities like ours.
On December 13th, I joined the House in approving the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. This bill includes further steps to defund Obamacare. Specifically, the bill repeals $8 billion in Obamacare mandatory funding from the unaccountable "prevention and public health fund." which the House voted to defund earlier this year. It also forces greater repayment of improper taxpayer-funded subsidies in Obamacare to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the healthcare law which will reduce the deficit by $13.4 billion.
Access to safe and affordable healthcare in our country is a concern for all Americans. However, a massive law with trillions of dollars in new unpaid-for spending is not the answer. We must address issues such as prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, allowing small businesses to pool coverage, offering the ability to deduct the full cost of their health insurance premiums, and enact tort reform. These things can be done without the government taking over our healthcare system.
A Focus on Ohio's Children
by GOP Adminstrator on 12/14/11
By Senator Peggy Lehner, 6th District
For well over a century, members of the General Assembly have taken great pride in maintaining the legislature as a place for respectful and constructive debate. It is an unfortunate truth, however, that this healthy dialogue sometimes leads to partisan gridlock and ideological polarization. But, despite the differing stances we often hold, there remains a wealth of topics that unite lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.
Three fellow legislators and I recently closed the political ocean to take action on an issue that seemingly all of our state's residents hold dear - Ohio's children. Last week, alongside Rep. Ted Celeste (D-Grandview Heights), Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland), and Rep. Dave Hall (R-Millersburg), I took part in announcing the legislature's firstever Children's Caucus. In doing so, we have taken a bold step in creating a bipartisan panel to tackle challenges facing a truly nonpartisan cause.
The Children's Caucus plans to identify innovative, effective ways to help the 2.7 million children who live in Ohio. The four of us will work closely with a variety of experts and stakeholders to lead an ongoing dialogue centered on improving the lives of our youngest residents. In turning this work into sound policy proposals, we hope to produce measurable outcomes that will assist in guiding these children into the future.
Recent times have given way to an increasingly complex world and younger generations find themselves facing no real shortage of challenges. Areas such as education, child health and care, juvenile justice, poverty, and economic security will all be placed at the forefront of our work. An informed and comprehensive approach to dealing with these issues is essential in ensuring that all of Ohio's children are provided with a pathway to prosper in the years ahead.
The aspirations and dreams of children often define a society. No matter the political party or economic circumstance, there is no acceptable excuse for neglecting the wellbeing of our young. Through the charge of the Children's Caucus, a steady eye will now be focused on what is truly important. By investing our ideas and resources into the lives of the young, it will unequivocally be demonstrated that Ohio is dedicated to working on behalf of its youth.
