By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
In a previous column, I stressed that, if you don’t like something about the government, then change it by voting.
Those who don’t vote have no right to complain. This truism, I am sure most readers have heard, so I interviewed Craig Riedel so readers know where he stands on the major issues.
1. “Why should I vote for Craig Riedel?”
“I am the only ‘America First’ conservative who will deliver results for Northwest Ohio. I spent my career in the private sector, not in government. Ohio needs bold leadership to usher in a new era of prosperity for our state.
“As your state senator, I will lead the fight to eliminate or reduce Ohio’s income tax to attract new residents to Ohio and reduce the number of persons moving to states with lower taxes. I will also work to eradicate waste, fraud, and abuse in our government, and banish DEI from our institutions.”
2. “Why are you a better choice than others running?”
“Those who compare my opponent’s record to my own will see that I am the only consistent conservative in this race. I have never voted to raise taxes, even when pressured by leadership in my own party to do so.
“I voted against the corrupt House Bill 6, which led the Speaker of the Ohio House to be convicted on bribery charges. And I have always supported preventing biological men from competing in women’s sports.
“My opponent and I fell on different sides on each of these issues when we were both in the Ohio House. The difference is that I don’t cower to pressure from either party; I always vote for what’s in the best interest of the people.”
3. Affordability. My grandson and his wife, both college graduates and with excellent careers, realize that to buy a home and raise a family is not yet a realistic option for them. The average cost for a 3-bedroom, 2-car garage home in the U.S. ranges from the lowest $325,000 to over $500,000 in a nice area.
“Affordability is a major problem in Ohio. Our state’s leaders in both parties haven’t done enough to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. The state hasn’t made Ohio a zero-income tax state or fixed our broken property tax system.”
“If we want to create good-paying jobs to lift people out of poverty, we must get the government out of the way. Furthermore, we cannot allow state or local governments in Ohio to force families and senior citizens out of their homes because of ridiculous, unvoted property tax increases.”
“As your state senator, I will shrink the size of our government and reduce everyone’s tax burden. This will unleash growth in our state and make things more affordable for hard-working Ohioans.”
4. How will you deal with the mindset that openly opposes requiring proper identification to vote in elections, a safeguard to ensure only citizens over age 18 can vote?
“It’s unconscionable that anyone could be against photo ID. I urge our federal legislators to pass the SAVE Act as soon as possible as a first step to safeguarding our elections. Here in Ohio, we must continue the progress already made to uphold the integrity of our elections.”
5. Other concerns are that the higher municipal income taxes and property taxes in Ohio contribute to an overall tax burden that is often higher than those in many neighboring states.
“Ohio’s system of funding schools and local governments is broken. We must eliminate income tax at the state and local levels and overhaul the property tax system. Our leaders are quickly losing the trust of citizens who have worked their whole lives to now be taxed out of their homes.”
“I believe we need innovative solutions to regain the trust of Ohioans. I support a DOGE-style effort to cut wasteful spending and ensure our citizens are getting the biggest bang for their buck.”
6. “Concerns over the future of childcare accessibility, and the long-term funding of public employee pensions.”
“Childcare is a major issue for many working families in Ohio. The worst thing we can do is over-subsidize the market, which only fuels the price of childcare going up.”
“A great example of this is higher education. As to pensions, I am deeply concerned about the program’s sustainability. We must take a deep look at the pension system to make sure that it’s solvent for decades to come.”
7. How will you deal with the problem of spending $80,000 and ending up with a worthless college degree in women’s studies. We need more young people trained to work in the skilled trades.
“I agree. Ohio’s education system needs a major overhaul. There needs to be more focus on student outcomes and career readiness. Too many kids are forced into four-year colleges even though they would be better off on a different path. I am a staunch supporter of the trades.”
8. As I spent over 40 years as an academic, I and many others are concerned about the freedom-to-teach issue as expressed by one Ivy League College, Dartmouth (current acceptance rate is 6.0-6.4 percent) “At Dartmouth we teach students how to think—not what to think.”
This phrase is our core philosophy emphasizing critical thinking and independent thought. For example, two worldviews exist which involve where did we humans come from, why do we exist and what happens when we die.
The position officially endorsed by the government is “where we humans came from [we evolved by mutations which are selected by natural selection], why we exist [to survive and reproduce] and what happens when we die [our body turns to dust and that is the end of us].”
The prohibited worldview teaches “where we humans came from [we (i.e., the first parents of mankind) were created by a higher power], why we exist [to serve God, love our neighbor, and raise a family], and what happens when we die [a heavenly afterlife].”
“I am deeply concerned about ideological agendas being pushed in our public schools and universities. I support measures, such as Senate Bill 1, which safeguards free speech and expression. We must ensure that those teaching our students are teaching how to think, not what to think.”
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Dr. Bergman is a multi-award-winning professor and author. He has nine degrees and has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate level for over 40 years. His over 2,100 publications are in both scholarly and popular journals. Dr. Bergman’s work has been translated into 15 languages. He has spoken over 2,000 times to college, university and church groups in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa. He lives in Montpelier and is available to present in churches and schools. Jerry can be reached at JerryBergman30@yahoo.com
For more local news, see LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Vote No On Issue 7 — Preserve Bryan’s Board Of Public Affairs.