Loss of jobs in the Valley can't be solved in an hour

Last week's visits to the Mahoning Valley by front-runner John Kerry and his closest rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Edwards, were so brief, we doubt they had a chance to fully grasp the depth of the economic pain caused by the recession and the federal government's policies on such issues as trade.
We would urge them to read and absorb the front-page story in Tuesday's Vindicator headlined, "Loss of jobs hits hard." If they do, they will learn that since 2000, the combined loss of jobs in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties was 20,705. The analysis is contained in a report titled "2004 -- The State of Poverty in Ohio." The report was produced by the Council for Economic Opportunity in Greater Cleveland.
The Mahoning Valley has long been the poster child for the nation's joblessness, which is why it attracts presidential candidates every four years who tell us, "I feel your pain," in the words of former President Bill Clinton.
But as the story in Tuesday's Vindicator showed, the economic problems brought on by job losses, particularly in the manufacturing sector, are so chronic that political one-liners just won't do.
We're not downplaying the importance of major presidential candidates coming into the Valley to focus on issues such as trade and the devastation caused by the exporting of factory jobs and foreign outsourcing of services. But we have grown weary of the kind of whistlestop visits paid last Sunday by Edwards, senator from North Carolina, and Tuesday by Kerry, senator from Massachusetts.
Systemic problems
While the local press had access to the Democratic candidates, the time was limited. There wasn't the opportunity to discuss fully the systemic problems that have long plagued the region's economy and to hear what real solutions they had to offer.
Stump speeches allow candidates to stay on message, but serve little purpose if they aren't tailored to what ails a particular region such as the Valley.
Over the years, this area has heard every soundbite dealing with jobs and the economy. And we have been treated to a plethora of promises.
But as the article in The Vindicator revealed, in the last four years, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties lost a significant number of jobs, which prompts the question, "What happened to the promises that were made in 2000?"
Given Ohio's importance in this year's presidential election, we offer the following suggestion to President Bush and the Democratic nominee: When you campaign in the Mahoning Valley, be prepared to talk specifics and to offer solutions to the economic stagnation.
And plan on spending more than an hour or so. That way, you'll get a real feel for what has happened to a region that was once a major cog in the nation's industrial wheel.