By Congressman Steve Austria
Currently, the national unemployment stands at more than 9 percent, we have experienced 28 months of unemployment above 8 percent, and Ohio’s unemployment is more than 8 percent. In our own communities we have seen these statistics play out on a daily basis. Most of us know of a family member or friend struggling to find work or may know of a local business that has just shut its doors. Many people have lost their homes and a lot of students coming out of college and graduate programs are unable to find the level of gainful employment they are seeking. To put a difficult issue simply, we are facing tough economic times.
June marks the one-year anniversary of this President declaring a “Summer of Recovery.” In my opinion, last summer seemed like anything but a recovery, and this summer is not looking much different. The truth of the matter is that the last Congress failed to deliver on the promises they made to put Americans back to work. We are now faced with a crippling national debt that threatens the ability to help our country stay competitive in the global marketplace.
To jump start our economy and get Americans back to work, we must go in a different direction than where the previous Congress led us. It is time to get America back to what it does best – which is creating, innovating and leading the world. I am committed to taking every possible step to help get our country back on track and Americans back to work, but I will not do it by putting the tab on our children and grandchildren.
Since January, my Republican colleagues and I have worked furiously to cut spending. These funding debates have not been easy, and tough decisions have been made and are still being made. Our philosophy is based on the tried-and-true economic principle that we must stop borrowing and cut spending which will provide more certainty in the private sector and thus grow the economy.
In order to regain the confidence small business owners and entrepreneurs need to hire new workers and expand, we must remove the Washington red tape and the unnecessary, burdensome regulations. We must streamline the tax code and lower the tax rate for businesses and individuals to spur investment back into the economy and encourage growth. Furthermore, it is important that we promote lower energy costs through increased production, have less reliance on foreign oil, and encourage all forms of domestic energy production.
To learn more about our plan to put the economy back on track, please visit www.jobs.gop.gov.