CUTTING TAXES

In the mid-1990's it was said "The era of big government is over!"-but that has not been the reality.

Big government and the higher taxes needed to fund big government have been proven to stall the economy, drain businesses and lower job growth-hurting our working people.

I support the tax cuts that Washington has passed, and I will work to make these cuts permanent. However, I believe the current cuts do not go far enough.

Cutting the size of government, further cutting taxes and allowing you to keep more of the money you rightfully earn, will get America moving again!

CUTTING COSTS

Government spending in Washington DC must be controlled.

Our representatives in Congress need to remember that they work for us, and that they are wasting OUR MONEY on unneeded spending.

Joe Ortega believes that the pensions and salaries of government officials, including the President, Senate and Congress, need to be targeted for salary cuts.

Our government needs people with a background in business, with experience in creating jobs, meeting a payroll and balancing a budget. Our government needs to operate without budget deficits, providing the best for the American people.

JOBS PRODUCE TAX REVENUE

I have a proven track record of creating jobs and putting people to work. Creating new jobs and building our economy will create more tax revenue for our government coffers.

These increased revenues help funding of Health Care (Medicare/ Medicaid) and Social Security; help provide assistance for senior citizens and veterans services and provide greater funding for our schools.

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

I believe we have a constitutional right to bear arms to protect our families from terrorists and criminals.

We have a right to carry a concealed weapon as long as properly trained.

Statistics show that crime has gone down in the 41 states that have such a law.

Many foreign nations have tried sweeping gun control, and it has failed everywhere it has been tried. Be it in Australia, Japan, Jamaica, Great Britain, or elsewhere, disarming of law-abiding citizens results in an epidemic of violence and crime.

ABORTION

Joe Ortega is pro-life.

ENERGY

America must be less dependent on foreign oil.

To be more self-reliant we must allow energy exploration in the coastal plain of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), while protecting the remaining 92% of ANWR from development.

In addition, we must prioritize the development of new technology and alternative sources for energy procurement

TIDAL POWER

Similar to the more conventional hydroelectric dams, the tidal process utilizes the natural motion of the tides to fill reservoirs, which are then slowly discharged through electricity-producing turbines. The former USSR produced 300 MW in its Lumkara plant using this method.

SOLAR

Solar energy is one the most resourceful sources of energy for the future. One of the reasons for this is that the total energy we recieve each year from the sun is around 35,000 times the total energy used by man. However, about 1/3 of this energy is either absorbed by the outer atmosphere or reflected back into space. Solar energy is presently being used on a smaller scale in furnaces for homes and to heat up swimming pools. On a larger scale use, solar energy could be used to run cars, commercial vehicles, or even power plants.

GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal energy is an alternative energy source, although it is not resourceful enough to replace more than a minor amount of the future's energy needs. Geothermal energy is obtained from the internal heat of the planet and can be used to generate steam to run a steam turbine. This in turn generates electricity, which is a very useful form of energy.

HYDROELECTRICITY

Hydroelectricity comes from the damming of rivers and utilizing the potential energy stored in the water. As the water stored behind a dam is released at high pressure, its kinetic energy is transferred onto turbine blades and used to generate electricity. This system has enormous costs up front, but has relatively low maintenance costs and provides power quite cheaply. In the United States approximately 180,000 MW of hydroelectric power potential is available, and about a third of that is currently being harnessed.

FUEL CELLS

There are many uses for fuel cells - right now, all of the major automakers are working to commercialize a fuel cell car. Fuel cells are powering buses, boats, trains, planes, scooters, even bicycles. There are fuel cell-powered vending machines, vacuum cleaners and highway road signs. Miniature fuel cells for cellular phones, laptop computers and portable electronics are on their way to market. Hospitals, credit card centers, police stations, and banks are all using fuel cells to provide power to their facilities. Wastewater treatment plants and landfills are using fuel cells to convert the methane gas they produce into electricity. The possibilities are endless.

ETHANOL

American-made, renewable ethanol directly displaces crude oil we would need to import, offering our country critically needed independence and security from foreign sources of energy. Ethanol is key to reducing our country's trade deficit in crude oil, a figure that has been steadily increasing: $27 billion in 1987 up to $100 billion in 2002. The U.S. Commerce Department estimates that each $1 billion of trade deficit costs the U.S. 19,100 jobs. With few exceptions, corn is the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol production. Ethanol can also be made from other products such as grain sorghum (milo), wheat, barley, sugar cane or beets, cheese whey, and potatoes. Cellulosic feedstocks such as municipal waste or recycled products, rice hulls, bagasse (fibrous residue from sugar cane), small diameter trees, wood chips, and switch grass may also be used to produce ethanol, but these products are not yet utilized on a commercial scale. Brazil, the world's largest ethanol producer, makes the fuel from sugarcane.

WIND POWER

The potential for wind power development in the United States is vast. Simply using the technology of today, there is enough wind power flowing across the country to supply all of our electricity needs. North Dakota alone could supply over 40% of the nation's electricity. Adequate winds for commercial power production are found at sites in 46 states. However less than 1% of the nation's electricity is currently supplied by wind power.

TECHNOLOGY TRIANGLE and the BRAIN GAIN

In Northeast Ohio we are blessed with first class research organizations. The University of Akron known as a center for polymer research, Kent State University leading the way in liquid crystal technology and Case Western Reserve University and their work with fuel cell technology provide northeast Ohio with a burgeoning Technology Triangle.

This is a key for the future of the United States, as well as for northeast Ohio. The Federal Government must assist with these areas of technology, building our economy in northeast Ohio and moving the world forward with technological advancements.

WAR IN IRAQ

Joe Ortega believes that the war should come to a quick closure. Any country that is harboring terrorists should be told that we plan to take action on any terrorists training camp in their territory.

Every dollar we have spent in Iraq should be paid back to us from their oil reserves and we should sell it to oil companies in this country at the going rate and that money should then be put back into Social Security and a lock box should be put on Social Security so that the Government should not be able to borrow from it any more.

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