Acknowledging that Ohioans, particularly those in the southern portion of the state, are facing economic difficulties, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland spoke to a group of more than 100 people in the Daniels Auditorium at Southern State Community College in Hillsboro.
The economic forum was organized by the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Doug Seipelt, a Highland County resident who is working on the Obama campaign, introduced Strickland to the crowd.
“The American people need to understand that this is not a Wall Street problem. This is our problem,” Seipelt said. “I can’t say it any more straightforward. We need mass change in Washington, D.C. that starts at the top and has to work to the bottom. When Ted Strickland speaks, he means what he says. He is not part of the problem, he is part of the solution.”
As he took the stage, Strickland recognized area Democratic leaders and candidates and encouraged people to vote for the Highland County Children Services levy, saying, “We need to take care of our kids.“
Strickland acknowledged the considerable fall in points Wall Street saw Monday following the House voting down the $700 billion financial bailout.
“I assume they will regroup and bring another bill to the floor,” Strickland said. “I hope they do. I don’t like the situation probably any more than any of you do. (This situation) was not necessary. But it has happened. The chickens have come home to roost … Irresponsible political and economic planning has brought us to the brink of an economic meltdown.”
Strickland told the crowd that he did not want to “be all doom and gloom,” however, the country could be facing the most serious financial crisis “since the 1930s depression.” Congress, “simply cannot do nothing,” Strickland said. “If we do nothing, people will hurt across this country. This is serious, my friends. We could see near panic in this country.”
While he feels some sort of bailout plan needs to be passed, Strickland said that is not enough to fix the nation’s economy. Strickland spoke about the millions of dollars that he has cut from the state budget this year, as the tax base is simply unable to support the budget. Jobs have been lost, and companies cannot afford to expand to create more jobs in the current economic climate, he said.
Strickland said Ohioans have an opportunity to change the direction of the economy by how they vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election. While he endorsed Obama as a candidate, he spent much of his time speaking about Obama’s character rather than the specifics of his policy. Strickland called the issue of race in the campaign the “elephant in the room” and said he was proud that the Democratic party has chosen the first black presidential candidate in the nation’s history. Additionally, he said that Sen. Hillary Clinton could have been the first female president, and noted that this presidential campaign has been historic for several reasons.
“We ought to be proud that in this country (what’s important is) not the color of a person’s skin, it’s what’s in that person’s heart and in that person’s mind,” Strickland said.
Strickland took questions from the audience, most of which centered around the economic situation in southern Ohio.
Hillsboro resident James Marshall said he didn’t have a question but wanted to recognize Strickland for being a man of his word. Marshall said that he met Strickland in a Hillsboro auto parts store and they had a lengthy discussion, during which Strickland gave him his card. Marshall said he had some difficulties with work that had been done on his home and that every time it rained, the electricity went off. Marshall said he tried for seven months to have the problem corrected. He then called Strickland’s office and the governor said he would see that it got fixed, “even if I have to come down there and fix it myself,” according to Marshall.
“The next day they were knocking on my door and it was fixed,” Marshall said, as the crowd in the auditorium burst into applause.
Strickland was then asked how he felt about state issue six regarding the casino.
“While it is not something I support, I support the will of the people,” Strickland said.
When asked specifically how he would be voting, Strickland said,
“I’m going to vote ‘no,’ but I understand in this region the (economic) suffering is disproportionate.” Knowing that times are tight for many people in the area in regard to the situation with DHL, “I’m not going to ride in on my high horse and tell (voters) what they should or should not do.”
Strickland said he is continuing to work closely with the state economic task force working on the DHL issue, saying he recently had dinner with the CEOs of ASTAR and ABX.
“We continue to work on every possibility,” he said. “I’m not an attorney … but I believe there is an antitrust element.”
The economic task force is taking a two-pronged approach, he said, in that they are still trying to save the air park, while trying to get the best benefits and severance packages for workers if jobs are lost, while trying to market the air park to another company. “I can’t tell you that we will be successful,” Strickland said.
Following his speech, Strickland mingled with the crowd, posing for pictures, and continuing to answer questions.
Dinah Phillips, chairperson of the Highland County Democratic Party, said Strickland realizes the difficulties people in Southern Ohio are facing.
“I think he wanted to come here to listen to what people’s thoughts are on the economy,” Phillips said. “That’s what’s most important in a lot of minds right now, and he’s trying to talk to all of us … This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. It‘s a national issue.”
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Election 2010
