Congressman Bill Johnson Announces District Director

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-6) is pleased to announce that David Locke will serve as District Director. David most recently served as Auditor for the City of Marietta.

 

“I’m so pleased that David is joining our team as District Director. His experience and knowledge will bring great value to the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio who are looking for leadership. David will be an asset as we work toward creating new economic opportunities while protecting and strengthening our current workforce,” Congressman Johnson said.

 

“I’m excited to join Congressman Johnson’s team District Director,” David said. “Congressman Johnson is a true fighter for working families and small business owners. He is committed to strengthening the economy in eastern and southeastern Ohio. It has been a privilege for me to serve as the Marietta City Auditor, and I look forward to serving Washington County and the other areas of the 6^th Congressional District in this new role.”

 

As District Director, David will manage three Ohio-based office in Ironton, Marietta and Salem, focused on serving constituents and advocating for citizens with the federal government. He will also be a critical part of the Johnson Team as it works to create new economic opportunities for eastern and southeastern Ohio. David will be based out of the Marietta Office.

 

A small business owner and Marietta native, David Locke was elected Auditor for the City of Marietta in 2007. He is a graduate of Ohio University, holding a degree in accounting.

Congressman Bill Johnson Statement on 2nd Anniversary of Failed Economic Stimulus

Rep. Bill Johnson (R, OH-06)

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-6) issued the following statement regarding the two-year anniversary of the failed economic stimulus:

 

“After two years of massive government spending that’s added nearly a trillion dollars to the national debt, President Obama’s so-called economic stimulus has failed. In fact, our economy continues to sputter. We’ve lost 2.5 million jobs since the failed stimulus was signed into law, and unemployment rates in eastern and southeastern Ohio remain dangerously high. Reckless government spending does not create jobs; it grows government. Small business and vital industries are facing an uncertain future with higher taxes and more burdensome regulations. We need smart fiscal policies that reduce the size of government and let the private sector do what it does best: create jobs.”

GUEST COLUMN: "Smart Fiscal Policies Today Will Benefit Us Tomorrow" by Rep. Bill Johnson

Rep. Bill Johnson (R, OH-06)

By Congressman Bill Johnson

 

One of the themes that’s emerged from the townhall meetings I hosted in eastern and southeastern Ohio recently is that people are tired of unchecked government bureaucrats and irresponsible fiscal policies that threaten our financial health. We had substantive discussions in Columbiana, Washington and Lawrence counties, and I look forward to our next series of townhall meetings.

 

During those meetings, I gave attendees an update of some of the financial-based legislation I’m working to advance, and I want you to know about it as well.

First, I’m proud to be co-sponsor of the Balanced Budget Act that would require the federal government to balance its budget every year – and force the government to live within its means.

 

The concept behind the Balanced Budget Act is one that every working family and small business owner understands: it says Congress cannot spend more than it receives in revenue. And since Congress has shown a frightening propensity for finding loopholes, the Balanced Budget Act would require a constitutional amendment that would guarantee that the budget really is balanced. We should only seek to amend our Constitution as a last resort, and I believe that our skyrocketing debt and deficit will very soon create a fiscal crisis. If the federal government continues ignoring fiscal responsibility, then we have no choice but to enact an iron-clad constitutional amendment putting an end to this reckless behavior.

 

And, along similar lines, we’ve waited long enough for the federal government to stop raiding the Social Security Trust Fund for spending binges. So I’m co-sponsoring legislation that will stop this once and for all. Our seniors and those nearing retirement have faithfully paid into Social Security all their working lives, and they rightly expect that money to be available to them. The Social Security Preservation Act will protect this program for those currently receiving benefits, those nearing retirement and those already planning for retirement.

 

There’s no question that Social Security needs reforms – significant reforms that will strengthen it and ensure its viability for future generations. Unfortunately, the knee-jerk reaction of some who hear “reforms” and “Social Security” is to prey on the fears of seniors and others who depend on the program. So there is no confusion, I want to make my position on Social Security very clear.

 

Seniors and those currently receiving benefits must continue receiving those benefits with no interruption, no decrease and appropriate cost-of-living increases.

 

Those nearing retirement must have confidence that the money they’ve paid into the program will be available to them.

 

And reforms to strengthen the program for future generations must be done responsibly so continued spending doesn’t bankrupt America.

 

I know many people have differing and strong opinions about Social Security.  Some want to blindly pretend that all is well and there will always be enough money to pay out all obligations of the fund.  Those people are wrong.  We must take corrective action to protect Social Security long-term.

 

Others want to privatize Social Security.  They want to take all of the money from government hands and force every account into Wall Street investments.  Those people are wrong, too.  Money paid into Social Security by current retirees and those approaching retirement should never be put at risk like that.  And people who are just starting out should have more choices and more control over their own retirement dollars but they should never be forced to put their accounts into riskier investments.  

 

As we go forward in the 112^th Congress, I look forward to supporting legislation that will put an end to unelected government regulators and bureaucrats making arbitrary decisions that imperil jobs and stop politicians from running amok with taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.

 

Congressman Bill Johnson represents Ohio’s 6^th Congressional District, which encompasses all or parts of 12 counties in eastern and southeastern Ohio.

GUEST COLUMN: "Getting To Work for You" by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH-06)

By: Congressman Bill Johnson

“We, the People …”
These words established a nation that stands together in times of great celebration and great sadness. We came together as a nation recently when we learned of the deadly shooting in Arizona that took innocent lives and left a Member of Congress and others grievously wounded. We came together to pray, to hope and to try to make sense of this seemingly senseless tragedy.
I strongly condemn this senseless action and encourage all Americans to stand together and do the same; there is no place for this violence in our society or in our politics. Our political system is an open one, one where people are free to debate ideas and that will not change because of one heinous act. What brings us together as Americans is far greater than anything that divides us.
The politicizing of this event is both shameful and morally irresponsible and I find it sad that some people are using this tragedy to try and score political points. It is not right to blame any group of people for the acts of an obviously troubled and disturbed individual.
Instead, this is a time that all Americans should rally around Representative Gabrielle Giffords, her staff, and the other victims of the Tucson shooting in a show of solidarity of everything that is great about America. I join my colleagues and the rest of the country in wishing Representative Giffords a speedy, full recovery, and I pray for the other innocent Americans who tragically lost their lives or were wounded.
It is important that you know that the actions of one person will not prevent me from engaging and reaching out to all corners of the 6th Congressional District. I was elected to represent everyone in the 6th Congressional District, and that is what I will do. Above all, that is my most important job – making sure that your voice is heard in Washington. I will be listening to hear your concerns on the issues we are all facing, and the recent incident in Tucson will not deter me from doing that. And I’m looking forward to getting to work on my committees, the Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, and Veterans. My position on these committees will allow me to fight and advocate for the District.
As I mentioned in last week’s column, we will be holding townhall events throughout the region in the upcoming weeks and months. Details will be forthcoming. I would encourage you to attend one of these events so I can hear what is on your mind. I was fortunate to meet many of you over the last year, and I’d like to get to know many more of you. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 202-225-5705 if I can be of service to you.

I was honored and humbled to be sworn in on January 5th and have the privilege of working on your behalf. I won’t forget that I work for you, and nothing will stop me from doing the important work of the people of the 6th District.

GUEST COLUMN: "A New Congress Committed to Fiscal Sanity" by Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-06)

Rep. Bill Johnson with his family and  Speaker Boehner

The 112th Congress has convened, which is another way of saying that the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are back in Washington, D.C. I am humbled and grateful to serve as the new representative for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. 

The most important thing I will do as your Congressman is to make sure that your voice is heard in Washington. As we got to know each other during the campaign, I learned that you’re tired of the reckless spending, the backroom deals and the lack of accountability for the federal government. I am committed to changing the way Washington works so that it starts working for you.

Right now, too many small business owners and working families don’t believe the government is on their side. In fact, too many Americans think their government is working against them. On the second day of the 112th Congress, we read the U.S. Constitution in the House of Representatives, which is the first time this document has been read aloud – in its entirety – in that Chamber. I participated in this reading and it underscored for me the importance of holding true to our founding principles. Our great nation began in a revolt against high taxes funding a government that did not represent us. Similarly, the American people in November voted for a new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives that is committed to representing you.

One of the first votes I took as your Congressman was to change the rules in the U.S. House to make it easier to cut federal spending, increase transparency and openness, and to hold government more accountable. We’re going to have to begin a serious conversation to get spending under control and there should be no program that is exempt from scrutiny. If a program is not working, your tax dollars should no longer pay for it.

I intend to ask two questions for every piece of legislation I consider: how much will it cost and who is going to pay for it. If the answers to those questions aren’t satisfactory, I will vote against the legislation. You didn’t elect me to increase our debt or continue running up unsustainable deficits. You didn’t elect me to kick the can down the road, as previous Congresses have done when hard decisions had to be made. And you didn’t elect me to go along with the status quo that has put our economy on the wrong track. The last two Congresses have increased our national debt by $5.34 trillion – that’s about $3 billion per day. We have to get our fiscal house in order.

I recently voted to cut the operating budgets of the U.S. House of Representatives by 5 percent, which is expected to result in a savings of about $35 million. Since 2008, U.S. House office budgets have gone up by 14 percent, and cutting our budgets is a first step toward showing you that we’re serious about changing the tax-and-spend culture that’s run rampant in Washington for too long.
In the coming weeks and months, I will hold a series of townhall meetings throughout the 6th Congressional District. I hope you will join me so we can discuss the steps necessary to hold government more accountable and halt the disturbing intrusion of government into our lives. I look forward to hearing from you.

OH-06: Charlie Wilson, Spouse Abuser

This is what OH-06 has representing them in Congress.  I knew this guy was trash, but I had no idea...  On Nov. 2, OH-06 has a chance to do something about this situation...

New NRCC Videos for OH-06 and OH-18

OH-06:




OH-18:

Ohio Dems: Congressmen for Sale? Maybe

In the last election cycle, Ohio Democrats had a lot of fun by accusing Republicans of what they called "pay-to-play" politics. Marc Dann was especially good at it...and is especially good at practicing it now that he is in office. But there is a growing amount of evidence that perhaps freshman Congressmen Zach Space and Charlie Wilson just might be a pay-to-players as well.

On that horrible Farm Bill was an amendment from Charlie Rangel that would have lifted the embargo on Cuba. In an article from The Hill, we learn that Zach Space received contributions from an anti-Cuba PAC (U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC) and the amendment went down in falmes:

Fifty-two of the 66 Democrats who voted against Rangel’s amendment have received one or more contributions from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC since the beginning of the 2007-2008 cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

It has given $56,000 to 22 Democratic freshmen this year, and 17 of those freshmen voted against Rangel’s amendment. The giving began during the run-up to the 2006 election. Freshman Reps. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), Phil Hare (D-Ill.), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Albio Sires (D-N.J.), Zack Space (D-Ohio) and Charlie Wilson (D-Ohio) received donations before they were elected, and all but Giffords voted against Rangel’s amendment.

Emphasis added.

Charlie Wilson is on the record as saying that "So called 'free trade' is not fair to Ohio workers. (Sep 2006)" and strongly opposes free trade. He has no other record on Cuban issues than his vote against the Rangel amendment so we can't draw a conclusion yet as to whether or not the PAC money bought his vote.

Zach Space is on record as saying that the "Loss of jobs overseas is serious, long term threat" so he's not a free trader either. Has he been influenced by PAC money to come to this conclusion? Insufficient evidence here...

Let's move on to MoveOn.org...

As we all know, MoveOn.org got a sweetheart deal from 527 Media outlet the New York Slimes Times to run a nasty smear on General Petreaus. The Senate voted to condemn MoveOn.org for the stunt, but the Democrat leadership of the House lacks the courage to vote on the issue because their masters have spoken. We do, however, have some clue about how Zach Space would have voted. His staff said that they wouldn't have used that language but wouldn't condemn MoveOn.org either.

Zach Space received $170,158.40 from MoveOn.org. Think that might have bought them some love? I think so... Space ranks in at #5 on the list of top twenty reasons why Speaker of State Nancy Pelosi choose not to bring the issue up in the House.

Over in the Senate, Sherrod Brown voted against condemning MoveOn.org because he received a boat load of cash. My fellow State of Ohio Blogger Alliance colleagues Puddle Pirate at Brain Shavings and Brian at One Oar... have been covering that story.

Bottom line? It sure looks like the Ohio Democrats are for sale and that pay-to-play culture is alive and well...just under new management.

The "Bush Dogs" and Leftysphere

I have been watching, with some amusement I must admit, this push to purge the Blue Dog Democrats by the nutroots. It is interesting to watch the left fall in to the same sort of habits that the far right did when the Republicans held the majority. It took the nutters on the right side of the aisle a decade to get to the point where Chris Bowers et al. are today...

I've got my issues with weak Republicans (see RINOvich), so I understand the desire to want to advance an agenda. It is the timing of this nonsense that just slays me. While most prognosticators have been saying that it is highly unlikely that another flip will occur this cycle, the Democrats have the slimmest of majorities in the Senate and the House isn't out of reach either. Congress has an approval rating of 18% for Pete's sake!

What has me doubly amused is that the Leftysphere's version of Matt Dole can be found...wait for it...on the BS Blog. Here we see "2010 Buckeye" saying that the national crowd ought to take a hike and the Zack Space is the bestest Democrat in the whole wide world. Good times and good memories there...

My view on all of this is simple: Protecting Incumbistan when there are better alternatives is not good politics. But purging folks with whom you agree on 75% of the issues is just downright stupid.

UPDATE: Justin Higgins has more over at Right on the Right

Significant Number of Ohio Republicans Support Amtrak Subsidies

Corporate welfare is a blight on capitalism and Amtrak is no exception. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the normally fiscally conservative Rep. Jean Schmidt voted against an amendment designed to kill the $425 million dollar appropriation for the National Radilroad Passenger Corporation, also known as Amtrak. She's not alone... Here is the breakdown of the entire Ohio delegation:

Aye OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
Nay OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
Nay OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
Aye OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
Nay OH-5 Gillmor, Paul [R]
Nay OH-6 Wilson, Charles [D]
Nay OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
Aye OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
Nay OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy [D]
Nay OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]
Nay OH-11 Jones, Stephanie [D]
Nay OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
Nay OH-13 Sutton, Betty [D]
Nay OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
Nay OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
Nay OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
Nay OH-17 Ryan, Timothy [D]
No Vote OH-18 Space, Zackary [D]

Chabot, Boehner and Jordan got it right.

Schmidt, Turner, Gillmor, Hobson, Tiberi, "Cut and Run" LaTourette, Pryce, and Regula all got this one wrong.