op-ed
Growth or Stagnation – Your Choice, Your Vote
Dave Ball
09-19-18
The midterm elections are 44 days away. At issue is a very fundamental decision for America and Americans; do we wish to be governed as free people by the principles of our founders in a vibrant and growing economy or will we opt to become servants of the state in a state controlled society with a stagnant economy. It’s up to us and the choices are clear.
Do we want to grow at 4% as we are now or stagnate at 1% as we did under Obama. Jobs or no jobs. This will be determined by the people for whom we vote. Our choice. Our vote.
We will begin by looking at the candidates for U.S. Senator and Governor of Pennsylvania.
For U.S. Senator
Lou Barletta is a conservative Republican businessman currently serving in Congress. Bob Casey is a liberal Democrat and the incumbent Senator.
Pro-Growth – On taxes and the economy, Barletta voted for tax cuts and supports the President’s economic program.
Pro-Stagnation – Casey voted against the tax cuts and, in fact wants to raise taxes to fund expansive government programs.
Pro-Growth – On government spending, Barletta favors small government and wants to decrease spending before any revenue increases to balance the budget.
Pro-stagnation – Casey favors massive spending that will require tax increases.
Pro-Growth – On jobs, Barletta supports good paying jobs, removing unnecessary regulatory constraints that kill jobs and supports farmers.
Pro-stagnation – Casey has voted for Obama era job killing regulations and opposes the energy industry.
America-for-Americans – On immigration, Barletta is a long time staunch foe of illegal immigration and opposes sanctuary cities. He supports increased border security.
America-for-the-state – Casey supports sanctuary cities, voted against Kate’s Law (increasing penalties on illegal aliens who re-enter the US), and puts illegal aliens before Americans.
Pro-growth – On energy, Lou Barletta supports the energy industry, opposes the carbon tax and opposes the gas severance tax.
Pro-stagnation – Bob Casey supports the carbon tax, supports killing the coal industry, supports additional taxes on gas and oil and supports overreaching environmental regulations.
America-for-Americans – On healthcare, Lou Barletta supports healthcare reform.
America-for-the-state – Casey supports Obamacare which has raised medical premiums in PA 120% and is making healthcare unaffordable.
For PA Governor
Scott Wagner is a conservative Republican businessman who recently resigned as a PA State Senator and Tom Wolf is a liberal Democrat who is the incumbent governor.
Pro-growth – On taxes and the economy, Scott Wagner will aggressively cut spending, cut taxes and work to eliminate school property taxes.
Pro-stagnation – Tom Wolf will raise the state income and sales tax and place a job killing severance tax on shale gas.
Pro-growth – On government spending, Wagner will cut wasteful spending and reduce the state employee count.
Pro-stagnation – Wolf is a big government guy for whom the solution to everything is more government and more government spending.
Pro-growth – On jobs, Wagner understands that low taxes and the absence of unnecessary regulation creates jobs. He supports right to work.
Pro-stagnation – Wolf has demonstrated that he favors regulation and high taxes, including a gas severance tax. He opposes the Right to Work law.
Pro-growth – On Energy, Scott Wagner fully supports the energy industry. He supports the removal of unnecessary regulations and opposes a severance tax on Shale gas.
Pro-stagnation – Tom Wolf is committed to increasing regulation of the energy industry as well as a severance tax which will make Pennsylvania less competitive and jeopardize the 55,000 energy jobs in Pennsylvania, especially here in western PA. He wants to dump money into the economically questionable solar industry and ban fracking in state owned land.
Tired-Old-Trick – As far as senior citizens, as they do every election, the Democrats are pulling out their old, shop worn playbook of trying to scare older people by fabricating tales that Republicans are going to take things away from them. This year, the four Pinocchio award goes to the story that Scott Wagner will cut their Medicaid and tax their retirement income. This is absolutely not true. He has said repeatedly he will not tax retirement income. Wagner has said he will change the Medicare program to allow more flexibility to ensure quality care is being provided to more individuals, including seniors.
Why do the Democrats pull this despicable trick every election? Because they have no plan of their own to offer. Wolf has many questions to answer regarding his own record of not helping seniors such as failing to deliver on promised property tax relief. If seniors have an advocate in this election, it is Scott Wagner.
This year’s bonus attack ad fabrication is that Wagner is the consummate Harrisburg insider. If that were true, why did he have to fight his own party and run a write in campaign to get elected in 2014 and then have to fight the majority leader? And why did he have to fight three other Republicans for the Governor’s nomination? This is not an insider. This is a disrupter.
Right now, Southwest Pennsylvania is in great shape. Per capita personal income is $52,834, unemployment is 4%, businesses are doing well, homes are selling as soon as they hit the market, and people are moving into this area. People are looking forward with optimism. In a growing economy, many things are possible. In a stagnant economy, life becomes a struggle.
We have two pro-growth, pro-economy, candidates for the two top jobs in the state who will keep moving us forward. Opposing them are two pro-stagnation liberal Democrats who want to return to the big government, heavy regulation, tax and spend policies that have failed in the past and will fail in the future, producing stagnation and unemployment.
The choice is pretty obvious – Vote for growth – vote for Lou Barletta for U.S. Senator and Scott Wagner for Governor.