The case for Kasich

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/02/09/the-case-for-kasich/

In a highly charged election where others are locked in a war of insults and partisan bickering, John Kasich is different. The Ohio Governor has never lost sight of what really counts: a steady hand at the wheel with a focus on results.

All Republican candidates talk about conservative principles. But Governor Kasich is the only one to implement conservative solutions at the state level, in Ohio, and in Washington. He did it by working together with everyone, not tearing his opponents apart.

Kasich is the only person in the last 45 years to balance the federal budget, a feat he accomplished as House budget chairman. He has done the same thing in Ohio, reducing taxes and streamlining state government in the process.

Kasich understands that talk is cheap, but if you want action, the way to get it is to impose fiscal discipline on the Congress and the spenders in Washington, by controlling and balancing the budget.

Why does Kasich put so much emphasis on the budget, when others are barely even mentioning it?

He knows two things the others do not:

— You cannot have a strong country with weak finances and expose us to trade and currency manipulation by other nations.

— You cannot have job growth with high taxes and overregulation and out of control government spending.

In other words, the budget affects everything. No matter what a politician tells you, his or her real priorities can be seen in the budget. Money matters. Words don’t.

Kasich has laid out a specific plan to bring our budget into balance that includes reasonable reform and a more efficient, effective federal government.

Kasich is willing to make the tough calls necessary to save Social Security and to rescue Americans from the terrible excesses and inefficiencies of Obamacare. Other candidates barely mention these subjects.

Kasich is willing to stand for a stronger military, and to realign federal spending to accomplish that goal.

Most of all, Kasich believes deeply that prosperity is generated not by the government, but by the private sector and the people.

A balanced budget is vital, because it gives entrepreneurs, businesses, and customers the confidence to take risks on new products and technologies, which are the drivers of prosperity.

Kasich’s vision includes using fiscal discipline to provide tax cuts that are proven to stimulate economic activity, and to cut overregulation, which often is the dead weight hanging around the neck of businesses trying to sprint and expand.

Kasich knows that even government benefits from a balanced budget. It is proven that lower taxes actually increase government revenues in the long run, as long as we invest wisely in things like roads, highways and our military strength.

Most candidates do not talk about budget balancing because it’s tough, hard work, and it makes a leader unpopular on occasion. A leader has to be willing to say no to friends, and trust that they will see the greater good to be gained by controlling our budget, cutting taxes, and stimulating the productive sector of our economy – the private sector job creators.

For 40 years, Kasich has been his own man. He does not like lobbyists, and he is famous for calling things the way he sees them. Some call him blunt. I call him focused and determined, with little patience for the usual double-talk of politics.

If you are tired of talk and want a guarantee of action, Kasich is your guy. He has done it before, and with your vote he can do it again.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr is a Republican from Gloucester.