Ohio Mudslinging Over Unemployment

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The race for Ohio's Governor started out as a mudslinging brawl between current Governor Ted Strickland and former Congressman John Kasich. Addressing Ohio's unemployment rate is at the core of both politicians' ad campaigns. Recently, the mudslinging has subsided from the Kasich camp but Governor Strickland is still throwing it. The blame game is not going to help Ohio, but a good recovery plan will.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio is ranked 42^nd in unemployment. Ohio's unemployment rate is at 10.3% which is higher than the national rate of 9.6%. Ohioans are feeling the economic crisis first hand. I have three family members who have been unemployed for over a year. They are applying for any and all jobs they feel they are qualified for regardless of whether or not the jobs are in their field.

Governor Strickland's latest ad features a woman named Nilda. According to the ad, her husband, whose job was outsourced, worked for Invacare, an Elyria, Oh based company. The point of the ad was that John Kasich was on the board at Invacare therefore responsible for the outsourcing of jobs.

John Kasich's latest ad emphasizes his past business experience at Park Ohio, a Cleveland business, and his private sector approach to creating jobs. Since both politicians' ads focused on the same person, John Kasich, I couldn't help but to wonder why he has become so important.

I found the answer when I researched John Kasich's JobsOhio plan, a 32-point plan explaining the best way to help Ohio now and in the future. JobsOhio will be a private sector, not-for-profit economic development corporation. JobsOhio will be made up of CEO's and an expert staff who will focus on economic development and accountability. The board will report to the governor and financing for this project will be made with state contracts, individuals, businesses, and other private sources.

The goal of JobsOhio is to attract private sector businesses to the state by emphasizing good citizenship, linking businesses with capital, and helping to connect businesses with customers. JobsOhio states that Ohio's economic development "must be rooted in the belief that economic health comes from a strong innovative, flexible private sector, not from government."

On the other side of the aisle, Ted Strickland's jobs bill focuses on government funding for Ohio's economic revival. Ohio legislators just passed a $1.57 billion jobs package aimed at creating and retaining Ohio jobs. But when you look closely at how the money will spent then you realize that very little of it is going toward actual jobs. The jobs bill includes $200 million for the preservation of farmland and green space in Ohio, and another $120 million for historic preservation.

Throwing more government money, the taxpayers' money, at the unemployment problem in Ohio has not helped in the past. Ohio needs a new plan to not only create jobs but to keep them in the state. John Kasich's plan is based on community outreach, not taxpayer funding, and that is what the heart of this country is all about.

Sources:

National Employment Monthly Update

Ohio Unemployment Statistics