Issue Position: Economy

Issue Position

I am running because I want to work for the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania by helping us get back to work in good, high paying jobs.

Today our country faces major economic challenges: decisions made in Washington over the past decade have left our country in debt while families struggle to make ends meet. As I have traveled Southwestern Pennsylvania, I have been impressed with resolve of hard working Americans to persevere through this difficult time. At the same time, I am disappointed at the lack of serious solutions from some Members of Congress.

We need solutions, not partisanship, in the face of this crisis.

One of the most important solutions is to invest in our crumbling infrastructure -- our highways, our bridges and our public transportation systems. American infrastructure is aging, and some areas of the country -- like Western Pennsylvania -- are in critical need of significant infrastructure repairs.

A reinvestment in America's infrastructure will not only help ensure the safety of our transportation systems, drinking water and sewage system, but such an investment will make it less expensive for companies to transport goods and create badly-needed, high-paying and long-lasting jobs.

We need to work towards balancing our federal budget and paying down the massive debt that is strangling our ability to grow and crippling the strength of the dollar. When the deficit is as large as it is right now, the bond traders often invest in treasury bonds to restrict the money supply and curb inflationary expectations. This investment raises the interest rates on Treasury bonds. This, in turn, pushes more investors to take money from private, non-governmental investments and invest it in these bonds. This hurts publicly traded American businesses that rely on the influx of capital to grow.

When American businesses suffer, we all feel the pain in the form of salary cuts or, even worse, layoffs. Our national debt suffocates our ability to grow, and career politicians in Washington have been allowed to kick the can down the road for far too long on this issue.

Finally, I believe the federal bailout was misguided. The federal government must ensure that federal money spent to bolster our economic situation actually reaches entities that will spur economic development. If the money is locked away in a vault or returned to the government without serious changes in lending practices, then developers and individuals who actually create jobs through various economic development projects -- real estate development, technological development and manufacturing, for example -- are unable to secure the capital they need to create jobs and stimulate our economic recovery.

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