Josh Mandel
By Josh Mandel

I have a Jobs Plan that would make Ohio a world leader in manufacturing and energy production.

Think about it. 400,000 Ohioans are unemployed, but our energy reserves rival Saudi Arabia’s. Eight presidents from Nixon to Obama have pledged to reduce our dependence on foreign oil; yet, today we’re as dependent as ever.

My vision: the United States does not import one barrel of oil from a country that hates us within five years. No more dependence on Hugo Chavez or OPEC.

An Ohio energy boom will mean jobs, jobs, jobs. Good paying jobs, too.

We’re seeing all around us in states like Pennsylvania and North Dakota a domestic energy boom driving local economies. In North Dakota, the energy boom has led to McDonalds paying $15 an hour and offering signing bonuses. Signing bonus? This isn’t the NFL, it’s McDonalds. Why not Ohio?

When we develop our energy it does more than just create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil. It will create tax revenue our government can use for schools, hospitals, and roads. And of course to balance our budget and pay down the debt.

My Jobs Plan would end artificial federal barriers to drilling and refining. For example, the Ohio Manufacturing Association says that one regulation, Utility-MACT, will kill 50,000 jobs in Ohio alone. We can’t let bureaucrats at the EPA dictate our energy policy.

When we develop Ohio’s energy resources we will see a manufacturing boom. Southwest Ohio can build the pipes, tubes, and fittings that energy companies need.

For every $1 we spend in manufacturing $1.35 is added to the economy according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The average manufacturing worker makes $20,000 more than the average American.

But today, as China climbs and America falls we’ve given ground in manufacturing. Why should we? We have the greatest, most talented workers in the world.

Unfortunately, the government takeover of healthcare taxes manufacturing. In fact, it raises taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. I’ve visited with business owners across southwest Ohio who want to expand, but say they are afraid of what this legislation will mean. It is not only bad for our healthcare system, it is bad for the economy.

My Jobs Plan will overhaul the tax code to eliminate crony capitalism and close loopholes. General Electric filed a 57,000 page tax return and paid zero taxes. Why should an Ohio manufacturing business pay more in taxes than General Electric? It’s because we have a tax code written by the lobbyists, for the special interests, and passed by the career politicians.

On the spending side we are in crisis. In less than a decade interest payments on America’s debt will be larger than our military budget. That’s not paying down the debt. It’s paying the service charges like when you can’t afford to pay off your Visa bill, so you pay the minimum.

Only in this case, interest charges for taxpayers are more than the military budgets of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel?.

By 2020, interest payments will constitute over 15 percent of federal revenues. So 15 percent of what the government spends won’t go to schools, hospitals, and roads.

Our debt exceeds our GDP for the first time since World War II. Our $16,000,000,000,000 has so many zeroes you have to study it for fifteen seconds to figure out what the number is.

It’s no wonder that Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Barack Obama, said “The most significant threat to our national security is our debt.” Yes, Barack Obama’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that.

Here’s what the debt means: 400,000 Ohioans out of work. It means career politicians in Washington want to raise your taxes. You think they just want to raise taxes on “the wealthy”? The so-called “Buffett Tax” will reduce the debt by 1 percent. In fact, you could slap a 100 percent tax on millionaires and you’d still have about 95 percent of the debt remaining. And you’d shut down the economy.

My Jobs Plan cuts wasteful government spending to balance the budget. That’s what we did in the Treasurer’s office. We immediately launched a Top-to-Bottom Review to evaluate and improve operations. We eventually made over $2 million in budget savings and hundreds of efficiencies. As Treasurer, Ohio received the highest investment rating in the nation?AAA?while Washington earned America its first credit downgrade in history.

Please review the my entire Jobs Plan for yourself at www.Jobs.JoshMandel.com

This is the greatest country the world has ever known. We can get the economy going again. But to do it, we have to change the people we send to Washington. I’d be honored to have your support.

Josh Mandel is the Republican nominee for United States Senate. He is the State Treasurer of Ohio. He is a former Marine.