My thoughts on Romney and who he should pick for Vice President

With Rich Santorum and Newt Gingrich dropping out of the GOP primary it clears the way for Mitt Romney to become the GOP nominee.  Mitt Romney was not my first choice as the GOP nominee but that doesn’t mean I won’t support him. I do have questions about how conservative he is because of his decisions as Governor of Massachusetts. He is the de facto Godfather of Obamacare by creating Romney care. I do not feel that these issues make me so uneasy that I could not support Romney for President against Obama.  Let’s not forget that many including myself saw Romney as the conservative alternative to John McCain in 2008. While my preference would have been another candidate; now is the time as a party to come together and turn our attention to beating Barrack Obama in November.

Where does Romney’s strengths lay going forward against the President? In this economy, Mitt needs to focus on his business background. He needs to beat this point to death and challenge the President on this every chance he gets. The first time that Barrack Obama has ran anything that closely resembles a business is when he became President.  Mitt should pounce on this and remind everyone how he made the Salt Lake City Olympics successful.  He should reinforce how many jobs he created and much tax dollars he generated without raising taxes and how much his business contributed the benefit of the communities they were in (i.e. charities…etc.).

National Security is another key area where Governor Romney can beat President Obama. Obama has shown that he is going to try to exploit the fact that Bin Laden was killed during his time as Commander-in-Chief. Mitt can counter that by reminding everyone that it was President Bush’s policies that worked to make this happen. I would also recommend at strategy going forward that he will not use the military as political tool the way President Obama has done with Seal Team Six.  This would hit home with many conservatives and show that unlike President Obama he will focus more on keep us safe rather than campaigning his during his entire presidency.

The final area I believe Mitt should concentrate on reminding voters on the huge difference between him and President Obama is for Supreme Court nominations.  It is likely that during the next 4 years there could be 3-5 justices to leave the bench and the court would likely shift one way or the other during the next administration. It is important for Romney to remind voters and especially conservatives that are not enthused by his nomination that he would nominate those like Roberts, Alito, and Scalia rather than Obama who seeks ultra-liberals.

Let’s talk VP picks. I believe picking the correct running mate is more important now that it has ever been because of the 24-hr news cycle. The media is relentless covering politics and will dissect very thing possible about a VP choice, especially the GOP VP choice. It is important obviously that the VP choice is qualified and ready to become President if need be.  Other qualifications that should be considered in this social media driven news cycle are:

–          The ability to energize and mobilize voters, for Romney this is especially true of the conservative base.

–           The ability to balance the ticket. Similar to what Gov. Palin did in 2008. She was able to motivate the conservatism to vote for McCain who has had the label of RINO associated with him for a number of years. If Palin had not been on the ticket McCain would have lost by a far wider margin than what he did.

While Senator Rob Portman has been rumored to be the VP nominee and he is someone that I feel is highly qualified for the position I do not feel he is the right choice this time. I feel that their are better candidates with similar qualities as Senator Portman but have the ability to connect and motivate conservatives. My recommendation would be either Congressman Paul Ryan, Governor Walker of Wisconsin, and Senator Marco Rubio. Each of these candidates have become stars inside the tea party and have shown the leadership needed to step in and become President if need be. While they will be attacked relentlessly by liberals they have already shown the ability to handle those attacks in a positive manner and come out on top.

My GOP Endorsement

Well the race for the GOP nomination is heating up and no matter what the pundits and the establishment tells us, there is a long way to go after Florida. This primary is a referendum of the GOP establishment. Conservatives are sick and tired of the establishment shoving down our throats moderate RINO’s as presidential candidates. They did it to us in 1996 with Bob Dole and again in 2008 with John McCain, they both lost. They are trying to do this again by anointing Mitt Romney, which has done more to hurt his candidacy than anything.  It is time for conservatives to elect the most conservative candidate in the field and nominate him for President, because unless Obama pulls off a Kennedy style election result throughout the country like JFK did in Illinois in 1960, whoever the GOP nominee is, that person will be President in January.

With that said I am endorsing Newt Gingrich as the GOP nominee for President. I feel he is the best of the group that is left running and while his personal life is better compared to Bill Clinton than that of George H.W. Bush, I feel that his track record as a Congressman and as Speaker of the House is far more conservative than Governor Romney and far outweighs what has happened in his personal life, especially given that his actions in question were almost 20 years ago. There is no argument that Speaker Gingrich was one of the leaders of the Conservative resurgence in the 1990’s and delivered a major in both houses in 1994, which was the first time this happened in a generation.

 

I am tired of watching RINO’s lead the GOP and completely ignore the conservatives. The establishment fails to aggressively promote the Republican and Conservative agenda and it has bit this county in the ass, culminating in 2006 we lost Congress and the support of the people, and deservedly so. Now we are left with a President that makes Jimmy Carter look like a moderate. The Tea Party Conservatives have taken the bull by the horns and at least restore sanity to one branch of Government and if they can beat back the establishment we will successful retake the Senate in 2012. Republican moderates are not successful in a Presidential Election. We must have a candidate that can motivate the base and articulate conservative ideals that the majority of Americans believe in. While Romney may be more conservative than his track record as Governor of Massachusetts, but can we afford taking that chance when the stakes are so high? We must elect someone that we are sure holds our conservative values, especially when it comes to National Defense, the Military, the Economy, and upholding the Constitution.

In the end I am endorsing and will vote for Newt Gingrich because I feel his actions in Congress and since he has left Congress have far outweighed whatever Mitt Romney and others can come up with. Newt has walked the walk. His leadership forced President Clinton to reform welfare, and balanced the budget. While he isn’t the best looking or the “sexiest” candidate out there he is the one with a proven track record. In this perilous time we can’t afford to take chances and while we still have a choice, Mitt Romney is not a chance worth taking.

My Cincinnati City Council Endorsements

Well it’s getting down to the wire for the Cincinnati City Council Race. Since all I talk about is politics, I figured it’s time for me to say who I endorse personally for council and why.

What I look for in a candidate is someone that understands that the role city government has in its relationship with its citizens and within the region.  I want people on council that understand and appreciate the financial challenges that Cincinnati faces, and has a plan to get us out of this mess through growth.

The city leaders need to have an understanding that it’s not taxes that will get us out of the financial mess we are in but reforms and growth of the tax base through population and business growth. We need council people that do not look at our poor as criminals or exploit them for votes. I want council people to provide fiscally sound and proven successful avenues to allow them to become successful members of our community. To do this they need to challenge our city schools to not only provide a few select great schools, but to have every school be as successful as a Covedale Elementary or a Walnut Hills High School. They need to bring jobs back to the city, not only will this help our revenue and tax base, this will help uplift those that struggle now, and take the burden off of some of our city services.

With that said here are my endorsements for the 2011 Cincinnati Council Race:

Amy Murray – she is one of the most sensible people on council; I would compare her to Roxanne Qualls in temperament and pragmatic approach to addressing the issues. She has vision and knows how to work with all on council keep city business moving forward.

Leslie Ghiz – she is an outstanding advocate for the citizens of Cincinnati. Her priorities are well placed in making sure our fire fighters and police officers stay on our streets. She has no qualms about calling a spade a spade. While that may rub some including the Enquirer the wrong way, it is refreshing to hear a politician call out others on council that play politics rather than doing what is best for the citizens of Cincinnati.

Catherine Mills – she is young, bright, intelligent, and knows how to articulate her position. She is someone that can help lead this city into the 21^st Century.  

Chris Bortz – Chris is someone that understands the role government at the city level. He believes in being fiscally sensible He believes that the city needs to invest in itself to attract more people into the city. I think that while public services is the number one priority of city government, number two needs to be to grow, enhance and promote our city. Chris understands this. Being a Charterite he is not tied down to a political agenda of either the Democrats or Republicans.

Roxanne Qualls – Roxanne’s biggest strength is her insight in community and neighborhood development. Her work in community development is welcome in an atmosphere where many neighborhoods within the city are constantly suspicious of each other and of Council. While I don’t agree with her on many other issues, her leadership in community development is something we need on Council.

Kevin Flynn – he is consensus builder, some one that will be able to bring the two parties together to break the grid lock and actually get the agenda moving forward.

Michael Allen – a former Republican, now independent he is currently not tied to a particular party which is a great thing for the citizens of the city. His prior experience as a judge, county prosecutor, and party chairman will be an asset as far as understanding how things get done at multiple levels. He says he doesn’t want to be a leader on council, but he could likely become a strong leader on council quickly.

Wayne Lippert – Wayne is a common sense businessman. He appears to be very pragmatic about his decision making much like Councilwoman Amy Murray. While hasn’t made himself as well known as an appointed Councilperson, he comes across as someone that has a grasp on the issues and knows how to lead. Hopefully he has done enough to get his name out there city wide.

Chris Seelbach – Chris is my surprise pick. Someone I thought I would never vote for.  While I know I would disagree with him on many issues, especially at the national level, I find his love and energy for Cincinnati refreshing. I feel like he is already invested in Cincinnati, and wants it to make it better for all. He seems to understand that the key issues is to bring people and business back to Cincinnati as a way to raise tax dollars rather than raising taxes on the current citizens.  I think he is a much stronger than people give him credit for. If he follows in the footsteps of his mentor David Crowley then I don’t think the citizens have much to worry about. Like I said while I will disagree with him on many issues, I think he has the passion and temperament to help move the city forward.

 

The citizens of Cincinnati deserve a Council with a vision and with leadership. We need those on Council that aren’t looking at what they are going to do once they are off Council but what can they do for Cincinnati on Council. We need to bring people and jobs back to Cincinnati. The people don’t care if they are green jobs, blue jobs, or purple jobs, people just want jobs.

In the end I think this was easiest time I have had in a while to come up with nine council people that I would vote for.  I think to put this combination on council would finally begin to end the unlimited politicking and grandstand that is currently infested on council. We need a council that is full of leaders and not politicians. This group represent people that I feel have the best interest of the citizens of Cincinnati at heart. I believe and proudly endorse this group as the best group to lead us forward in the next two years.

 

 

It is time for Council to make some tough cuts.

Leslie Ghiz recently tweeted “The budget looms…Thoughts on ways to raise revenue W/O taxing.” It got me thinking, how can the city balance the budget? I would imagine there are few accounting tricks left in the bag to help balance the budget this time around. Real leadership is going to have to emerge to balance this budget.

Councilwoman Ghiz is right we need to increase revenue without increasing taxes. The problem is that increasing revenue without raising taxes takes time, and planning. This will not fix the budget problem in the short term.

So Cincinnati City Council has two choices, either raise taxes, fees, etc. or cut from the budget.  To bridge what is nearly a $35 million dollar gap, I don’t see how council can any longer not make cuts to the Cincinnati Police Department and Fire Department given how much of the budget they take up. Believe me, I agree with the conservative block on council, in that the last thing I want council to do is layoff police officers and fire fighters. I have yet to see how the math adds up without some layoffs. My hope would be to minimize the layoffs to the rank and file by making reductions in administrative and non-police/fire personal and expenditures. An internal look at trying to save money by fixing inefficiencies within the departments would save money and jobs as well.

I think it is time for even the most avid supporter of police and fire to acknowledge that with declining city revenues and a declining city population that real cuts to the police and fire budget have to be made. These cuts should be done with care and with minimal impact to the rank and file, but unless someone has a realistic plan that doesn’t cut police and fire, it must be done.

Councilwoman Ghiz is right we must raise revenue without raising taxes. That comes through getting rid of red tape for businesses, working with our school board and neighborhood councils on making all of our neighborhoods attractive places to live, and investing in our infrastructure. This is where the streetcar comes in. It is a project out of the capital fund, and yes the operating cost will be a net loss for the city. But that doesn’t mean that the increase in property values and in turn property taxes would not offset those losses. The city has for years given multi-million dollar tax breaks to companies that have failed to deliver on promises to add jobs in Cincinnati. I am willing to give the city the chance in this project to invest in itself to attract citizens and business to Cincinnati, and in turn increase the tax base.

To increase revenues and to avoid going down the road when it comes to the budget in future years we must increase the tax base through population and job growth. Cincinnati does this by investing in itself through capital projects. We must make our city an attractive place to live not only through outstanding public safety, but with a great school system, strong neighborhoods, and making this city the easiest place to do business in the Midwest.

What does it say for those thinking to come to Cincinnati, if aren’t willing to invest in ourselves through projects like the streetcar? Councilwoman Ghiz is right we must raise revenues without raising taxes, but hard cuts to all departments including police and fire must happen first to balance the budget in the short term.

 

Councilwoman Quinlivan’s plan and what it would really mean for Cincinnati

Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan wants to change the length of
service on council to four year terms rather than the current two year terms (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110725/EDIT02/107250328/Guest-column-Change-terms-to-four-years-for-city-council).
Ideally she wants staggered elections every two years, with half the council up
for reelection every two years. She feels this would allow council to make the
tough decisions without facing the pressure of reelections. With all due
respect to Councilwoman Quinlivan, it is council’s job to represent the people
of Cincinnati and they should feel the pressure of reelection if they fail to perform.

Councilwoman Quinlivan has alternative motive for
wanting this change and it’s all political. She knows that in an at large
election in which it is an open field that in an urban city it is likely within
2 to 3 election cycles the city of Cincinnati could very well have a permanent
liberal super majority on Council. Her argument is that all of our “peer”
cities that she list has four year election cycles. What she fails to mention
is that each of them have a council that is elected by districts. Now if
she proposes that we go to districts as well then I would be in favor of it,
but somehow I doubt that is what she has in mind.

The voters of this city deserve to be able to hold
those that serve on council accountable. To do this it is imperative that
either it stay as it is currently with elections every two years or go to a
district or ward system of representation. Councilwoman Quinlivan’s plan in its
current form is completely unacceptable and I hope the current majority on
Council does not fall for this political ploy and power grab by the liberals on
council.

Death of Osama Bin Laden

Like many people that were affected by 9/11 today was a day that we have been looking forward to for almost 10 years. While I didn’t lose anybody 9/11, I was directly affected because I worked for Comair Airlines and was at the Cincinnati Airport when it happened. I remember watching planes land a park anywhere there was an open gate at the airport, it didn’t matter what airline it was. I can recall the airport being evacuated and bomb stiffing dogs going throughout the airport. The once the American skies reopened I wondered how many people would fly again and if I would be laid off again just like I was when the Comair pilots went on strike

 

 The events changed the way America looked at the world. For the first time, many Americans felt vulnerable to terrorism within the United States. Much like we associated Stalin with communism and Hitler with the Holocaust, the face of terrorism was Osama Bin Laden. Until the towers came down I don’t think the average American, or those within our own government understood what we were up against.

 

Enough of rehashing the past, we all know the story, and that isn’t the point of the blog. May 1, 2011 should go down as a day of celebration, and reflection, much like Memorial Day. We celebrate the death of an evil and vile man. We also should take time to reflect and give thanks to the men and women that served our country and worked hard over the last ten plus years to kill this man.

 

We must also give thanks to President Bush. His leadership and his willingness to the fight terrorism relentlessly, and unapologetically, helped us get to the point that we had the ability to kill Bin Laden. Finally President Obama must be given his due. No matter your political leaning, President Obama did something that Bill Clinton refused to do before 9/11 and that was he was will to put his neck on the line when he had solid intelligence as to where Bin Laden.

 

President Obama had the courage to send troops into Pakistan, which was extremely risky given the current state of relations and the chance of the mission being a failure. The President should be commended for taking such action, and authorizing this military mission. Of course though our President and the rest of the country owes and debt of gratitude to those that were directly involved in executing this mission with such precision and professionalism.

 

May 1, 2011 will not be the day that ended terrorism unfortunately. There are still plenty out there that want to destroy America because of their intolerant and radical views. What this date symbolizes, is that America has the resolved, the will, and the resources to destroy those that seek to destroy us. Throughout our history, whether it was England during the Revolutionary War, Japan during World War II, Russia during the Cold War or Al Qaida during the war on terror, there has been one theme throughout American History. You make knock us down, but by the grace of  God,  America will get back up dust ourselves off and we will unleash the entire force of the American military to hunt you down and if need be kill you.

Cincinnati, It’s Time to Grow

This is going to be the beginning of a series of blogs about issues that are facing Cincinnati. These issues must be addressed to turn our city into a vibrant urban area. Some of these issues will no doubt overlap but in the interest of not writing one large diatribe I will break this off into several parts.

The first issue I am going to address is population growth. This issue has been brought to the forefront with the recent census numbers that have been released. Currently the number of residents is officially under 300k. This is a continuation of a downward trend since the 1970’s. City leaders must come up with a plan that will finally turn this around. Population growth, especially middle class population growth will equal an increase in tax dollars that Cincinnati desperately needs. I have been ranting about this since 2009; finally it appears that those on council are beginning to take this issue seriously.

One important way to retain and attract people to live in Cincinnati is to continue to provide what I would consider quality of life services within the city. These quality of life services would be anything from reducing crime to working to keep the city pools open. We have to be a city that is accessible to all income groups. Cincinnati cannot pay lip service to the poor and succeed.

Councilwoman Amy Murray did this by staring her pothole repairing initiative.  This was great idea because this can improve the quality of life for all citizens no matter what your social economic status is. Fixing the potholes faster will likely lead to less car repairs for those that use city streets, which include city owned vehicles (police cars, fire trucks…etc.) and metro buses. This in turn will likely save citizens thousands of dollars in car repairs; it will save the city of Cincinnati thousands of dollars as well, which may help offset our overruns in the city fuel budget.

Another area that will encourage population growth is by identifying neighborhoods and groups that are working to attract and retain residents to their neighborhood. This is why I implore City Council to work with the Covedale Neighborhood Association and recognize Covedale as an official neighborhood. The facts show this is what the residents want and that this will stabilize neighborhood, increase the value, and the profile of the neighborhood. This will help retain current residents and help attract new residents as well.

Being on Cincinnati City Council has never been a tougher job or as important a job as it is now. The last thing Cincinnati needs is a councilperson that is all about show but has very little in the ability to lead a diverse population. Cincinnati needs to evaluate its’ council candidates not as Democrats or Republicans but determine who has the leadership qualities, fiscal values and is confident enough to handle the pressure that comes with leading Cincinnati through this challenging time.

New Lows for Liberals.

You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before. – Rahm Emanuel

Before I go on my rant about this issue I want to be clear on a couple of things. The attempted assignation of Rep Giffords  along with those that died and were injured is a national tragedy and reminds us again that those that are in the public eye no matter the whether it be an actor, entertainer, or in this case a politician must take their security seriously.  Especially with politicians we must allow them to do their jobs no matter of their beliefs without fear of physical harm coming to them or their family and friends. This is a basic principle of a thriving democracy, the ability to govern without the threat of coercion by this type of behavior. The citizens of this country must continue to use legal and ethical means to get the desired results from our elected officials. With that said, here I go!

 It is absolutely dangerous and disgusting how the liberals and the liberal media are using the shooting to try and demonize conservatives.  The Democrats just like Emanuel has been quoted as saying, and are using this tragedy to try and do things that they didn’t or couldn’t do before. The end game is out for all to see and that is to destroy conservatives, the Tea Party, and to take away more of our constitutional freedoms.

Rep Carolyn McCarthy is working now in the name of this tragedy to take more of our second amendment rights. She is now using this massacre to forward again her agenda in stealing 2^nd amendment rights from law abiding Americans. Guns don’t kill people it is people that kill people and those that seek to harm others will do so whether there are gun laws or not. Exploiting this tragedy as a vehicle to force more of her liberal socialist agenda down the throats of Americans is shameful.

Senator Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) is no better; he is calling again for the fairness doctrine to limit free speech for all Americans. He seems to think that we can’t think for ourselves and that we cannot make decisions on our own. Actually the end game for Clyburn, and the rest of the liberals that fear conservatives, is to use the fairness doctrine to get rid of the one media format that they don’t control and that is Talk Radio. The thought that any talk radio show right or left leaning could influence normal stable American’s is just fallacy that is being promoted for political gain. The kind of rhetoric that tries to play on people’s emotions to limit our constitutional rights is the most dangerous and damaging rhetoric of all.

Lastly I am going to address the Sarah Palin part of the controversy. I find sad and funny at the same time that liberals are somehow trying to paint this as her fault. If ever the phrase “that’s the pot calling the kettle black” ever applied it is in this case. Democrats are infamous for playing the “Republicans hate seniors and minorities” card every chance they get to stir up emotions to win votes. So for them to do this is expected and par for the course sadly enough, nothing like a liberal exploiting a tragedy to score political points. How desperate are they to get there power back and to scare the American people into giving up their constitutional rights? It’s just pathetic!

In the end all it does is further legitimizes how big of a threat the liberals perceive Governor Palin. I suspect she is truly one of the few people the Obama does not want to face in November, but that’s for another blog…soon.

We must as a society, be skeptical of any person or party that tries to exploit a tragedy for personal or political gain. What does that they about that group or individual, and what’s that say for us as a nation if we accept that kind of rhetoric and allow it to continue? There is always a line, and this time the liberals crossed it.

Three Kinds of Democrats

So in the run up to election day, I have been debating what to write on my blog in the limited time that I have had lately with a new born a full time job and working on my master’s degree.

So I am going to write what I call the Three Kinds of Democrats. Type 1 are Democrats that think it’s cool and are against the “system” or ant-establishment.  Type 2 are the ones that feel like this party is looks out for the poor and less fortunate and minorities above anything else. Type 3 Democrats are those that are claim they are Democrats but are really the true Socialist/Marxists/Communists of the party. The goal isn’t to help the masses but to control the masses. Let me discuss these types a little further.

Type 1:

These guys are the animal rights, global warming, hired protesters of the group. Mostly made up of college kids to mid-thirties, they take up these causes because they either really believe in some specific liberal ideological issue or they are hired by liberal groups for political events. This group may or may not continue working these causes after school. I look at this group at those that enjoy being a part of what ever political fad is being promoted at the time.

Type 2

These are your true Democrats in the sense they have a fundamental belief in the Democratic Party and what they stand for. They are not extremist, and are likely uncomfortable with the current party leaders and where they have taken they have taken their party.

This kind of Democratic believes that women should have the right to an abortion but wouldn’t likely have one themselves. They believe that unions are still needed to protect the workers from large corporations, and they believe in a strong national defense, but that the Army should be used to deter attacks on American not to be used unless absolutely necessary. They believe that Democrats are care takers of the less fortunate and minorities. They see some commonalities with Republicans and likely center-right Clinton, Liebermann, McCain type beliefs To sum these Dems up they are the JFK Democrats.

Type 3.

These are the most dangerous of all to America. These are the Socialist/Marxists/Communists leaders that have stolen the Democratic Party. These are the Nancy Pelosi, Harry Ried, and Barrack Obama’s of the nation. What makes them so dangerous is the fact that they are the current leaders of the nation. Their goal has nothing to do with making it better for the middle class or minorities. It’s about controlling the masses. Control Type 1 by giving avenues for them to make their voice heard, and they pay just enough lip service to the “middle class” issues of Type 2 concerns to keep both groups happy. What we should be concerned most with though is Obama and his agenda.

Obamacare, TARP, the bailouts are about weakening our nation and forcing more people to rely on the government. Why else would he extend unemployment for 99 weeks? Why else would he believe the government should mandate healthcare. If you control access to healthcare for the people then you will effectively control the people. This Type 3 Democrat is about transforming this society to two class, the ruling class (which are themselves), and everyone else.  Just like every other time Communism/Socialism has been tried, the middle class and poor get poorer while the ruling class gets richer and more powerful, and then controls and exploits the lives of everyone

Type 2 Dems; take back your party because the current leaders are destroying it and this nation. We will never agree about every issue but we don’t need this fundamental change that Obama has been trying to force on us since he has been elected.

Hamilton County is coming up short on paying for the Stadiums.

Over the last several months the big news when it has come to county politics has been the shortfall of tax revenue to pay for Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark. The County Commissioners are currently in a heated debate on how to pay for the stadiums. It appears that the Citizens of Hamilton County are likely to see a tax increase because of this situation. Unfortunately the County Commissioners are looking at a short term fix rather than looking for long term solutions.

Obviously there has to be some short term solutions and they are going to be tough and unpopular. With that said the first thing I would recommend is an across the board 10% cut in every department. I am sure departments would say they have been cut too much already but in a government bureaucracy I have no doubt that we can afford 10% in cuts whether is in staff or becoming more efficient with the tax dollars being spent.

These cuts would net $20 million in cost savings with the current projection of a $209 million dollar budget. Granted this would still leave the county and $10 million dollar short fall, but that would be much more manageable to deal with than the current amount.

The other way I would bridge the gap is raise the sales tax .15 percent for no longer than five years to cover the gap. While I strongly oppose any raises in taxes this makes the most sense because in would impact anyone who buys goods and services in Hamilton County. This tax I would only allow it to be used to make up the budget gap after the 10% cuts that I recommended earlier. Any leftover would go back to the people in the form of a property tax rebate.

While this would only be a short-term solution, our county government has to look long term now. Hamilton County, like the city of Cincinnati needs to come up with a way to increase our tax base.  The county must do this by lowing taxes on properties to increase population of the county. Much of the counties tax revenue problem stems from residents leaving the county for other outlying counties in the area. While the county property tax isn’t the only solution, favorable property tax laws for residents can go a long way to attracting people to the county.

The second recommendation I have is on the side of job growth. We have to bring jobs back to Hamilton County. Ohio already struggles with how unfriendly it is for business and because of all the municipalities that can be involved in setting up business in Hamilton County it is even a more bureaucratic than most counties in the region. To solve this problem we need to one uniform way of doing business in Hamilton County. Lets cut the red tape and all the excess fees it takes to run a business in Hamilton County and make it simple and desirable to do business here. We have seen it time and again when government gets out of the way of business then business profit, jobs are created, and the economy will flourish.

To accomplish this I would recommend that all of the cities, townships, villages…etc, come together to develop on set of laws and regulations that will be enforced county wide, no exceptions and no additions or subtracts.  This county’s main goal should be to be the most business friendly environment in the state and the region to increase the tax base while lowering taxes for both business and those that live in Hamilton County.