Obama is best for our Valley’s economy

In the face of a stiff wind, the Mahoning Valley has begun inching forward. We’re battling years of bad trade deals like NAFTA that have decimated our manufacturers. Our families have been hit hard by the Bush economy, with rising costs, falling wages, and plummeting home prices.

In spite of the odds, the glimmers of progress are all around us. A new high tech industry is blooming downtown because of the Youngstown Business Incubator. New jobs and investment are coming because of the Chevrolet Cobalt and, soon, the Chevrolet Cruze. Our young people will soon have increased opportunities thanks to a new community college in the Mahoning Valley. The investments we’re making in the arts will enrich our quality of life and draw new families to our area. The choice we make in this presidential election will determine if this progress is the foundation of a new prosperity, or if it is just swept away by the current economic storm.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have come to Youngstown to ask for our votes. But only one of them has earned those votes with an agenda to strengthen our manufacturers and the families and communities that rely on them. Barack Obama will help us seize this moment.

Auto industry

As bleak as recent years have been for our auto industry, Barack Obama knows we have an incredible opportunity to create the next generation of fuel efficient cars right here in America. He will invest $150 billion over 10 years to produce the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. He will work to ensure that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe.

He will work for comprehensive energy independence and a climate change plan that will invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers, including right here in the Mahoning Valley, to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. They will also provide assistance to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient vehicles are built by American workers. These investments will create five million good new jobs — jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.

He has also been an early and strong supporter of guaranteed loans to the automakers to retool their plants to produce these new vehicles. But he knows even the best cars won’t be enough unless our automakers are competing on a level playing field. Barack Obama will fight for fair trade policies that open up foreign markets, while defending our market against unfair practices like steel dumping.

Barack Obama understands that NAFTA has been a disaster for the American people, a trade deal that was oversold and has under-delivered. Unlike his opponent, he will fix NAFTA so that it works for our workers.

Unfortunately, the bottom line is that John McCain’s economic policies will be the same as President Bush’s — and we should expect the same results. We need a candidate who will not only visit us but one who will stand with us.

Barack Obama will stand up for our families. His health care plan will make insurance affordable and available to everyone. That’s not only good news for your family, it is critical for the auto industry. By lifting some of the cost of health care from automakers, American vehicles will be more competitive in the international market.

Middle class

Barack Obama’s tax plan is a plan to strengthen the middle class. If you make less than $250,000 a year, your taxes won’t increase one single penny. Not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes — nothing. In fact, 95 percent of American families will get a tax cut. And he’ll end the outrageous tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas.

Barack Obama won’t be able to fix all of our problems overnight. We all know a true recovery will take years of hard work. But one thing I know about our workers is that we’re not afraid of hard work. All we’ve ever asked for is a level field and a fair shot, and that’s what we’ll have under President Obama.

X U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, is represents Ohio’s 17th District.