Fred Kundrata's "Flight Plan" for Jobs in Ohio

By Fred Louis Kundrata

As a former United States Air Force combat pilot and current international airline pilot, I know the importance of a flight plan. I would never consider flying to any destination without one. To navigate this economy back to life, I will use the following Flight Plan to guide me in Washington as your Congressman of Ohio's 2nd District.

This is my number one mission in Washington...build America's economy through smart legislation, reduced taxes and regulation, thus freeing the stranglehold that currently exists. The economy is in a stalled condition. As a pilot, I know if you are in a stall you do not "tighten" the controls, but you need to ease off and relax the controls to bring the plane out of the stall. Similar to a plane, we need to loosen the controls on taxes and regulation that are strangling this recovery. Therefore, common sense relaxed controls need to be implemented...and immediately! We must act fast because in any stall, eventually, if unrecovered, we hit the ground. With our debt at $15 trillion and increasing every day, my actions to fix the economy will recover us from the stall so we can once again be flying high to better days ahead.

L: *Logistics

Logistics is HOW we will fix the economy in our local area, using our unique and manifold logistical strengths here in southern Ohio: our rail network, major roads and highways, the strong and resilient Ohio River, and functional airports such as Clinton County's Wilmington Air Park and nearby Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. Each sector of our strong logistical family of systems will be harnessed together to build our local economy and bring more business to job creators which in turn means more jobs and a better life for all in southern Ohio.

Closely associated with being in this heart of America, so rich in our logistics capacities, lies the strength to develop a "Military Defense, Research and Development (R&D), Technology, and Manufacturing Triangle" in our area using the key locales of Wright-Patterson AFB (WPAFB) Area B, the Wilmington Air Park, and the metro Cincinnati area as the key points of this triangle. If we combine all three together, synergies will exist. The goal is to combine our strengths of R&D, manufacturing, and a ready and capable work force to create a unique group from which jobs and opportunities will flourish as we become a hub of defense sector work, helping to make America stand strong forever. In my twenty-eight year military career, including service to America as a combat pilot war veteran, I have been the fortunate end-user of some of the outstanding R&D, weaponry, and engines formulated and produced here in this area. As my military career progressed from pilot duties to staff leadership roles in the acquisition communities of WPAFB and the Pentagon, I have the relationships and working knowledge to help formulate such a broad and comprehensive network of people and organizations. I plan to bring all the players together in a concerted effort to share and combine our strengths and capabilities, tying the defense community together here to enhance economies of scale and efficiency, able to save the government perhaps billions of dollars in the future. Further, I envision not only companies who currently contribute to the defense sector playing a major role in this effort, such as GE, but encourage and will promote companies within the triangle who have considered a defense contract, but have been daunted by the complexities of the bureaucratic red tape, therefore not pursuing such an opportunity. To those organizations, an open invitation is theirs for the taking and my offices here and in Washington will assist in the transition to defense contracting.

I have the legal and military experience to help such companies weave through the process. A position on the House Armed Services Committee, coupled with my military and legal experience and knowledge give me the working tools to help companies through the current processes, while introducing future legislation to simplify the military contracting world. This will provide for efficiencies and cost savings to our nation's budget deficit and massive debt. Also, through legislative efforts to streamline the defense contracting process, I anticipate more small and medium size companies playing a bigger role in defense sector work as entry barriers and legal costs are reduced. Therefore, the network and legislative efforts can have a major result in exponential job growth in this area, securing good military defense sector jobs for many, many years into the future. Let's put our logistics to work, sharing and interlinking defense sector organization's strengths and capabilities, to build what will be known as our nation's first "Military Defense, R&D, Technology, and Manufacturing Triangle" to maximize our potential and job growth in southern Ohio...we truly are Logistics!

I: *Immigration Reform

The goal of immigration reform should be to keep families intact, and to uphold American ideals of civil rights as an example to the rest of the world. Coupled with these goals, we should also recognize that common sense and compassionate immigration reform offers enormous potential to strengthen our economy and workforce. I would support legislation for a constitutionally sound structured process specifically for the estimated eleven million illegal immigrants to be on a pathway toward citizenship, that is considerate, yet differs from the current pathway for legal immigrants.

G: *Global Outlook

Global Business Initiatives must be pursued. I have had the opportunity to connect with people in over 60 countries and cultures all over the world. I would influence my global contacts to take advantage of the unique opportunities available to them here in Ohio, and thus build our local economy into a global business environment. As a Congressman, I would work to eliminate all barriers to global business trade and traffic, and to guarantee free access to all markets.

H: *Healthcare Reform

Repeal of Obamacare and reforming the healthcare system is vital to restoring our economy. It is time for common sense and principled reforms that support increasing competition for insurance across state lines. Reform should allow small businesses to pool together their employee health plans in order to enjoy the same economy of scale enjoyed by large corporations for managing employee health costs. This portability allows small business the reassurance that health care costs for their employees will not be as crippling on their budget as it is today, thus allowing their budgets to add more employees and lowering our staggering unemployment rate. Further, promote a healthcare system that maintains a high quality of care and access for all Americans. For health reform on a local level, I will support legislation to expand the Healthcare Hub here in Cincinnati at the UC Medical Center and Children's Hospital. This will promote future job growth opportunities as the hub grows, increasing medical access to all users globally as well as locally.

T: *Tax Reform

Restructuring the entire tax code will be a great beginning toward a fair tax system to boost America's confidence in a tax foundation that is transparent, credible, and accountable. This effort should start with eliminating as many tax loopholes as possible, on both the personal and the corporate level. This would allow for a fair analysis of expected revenue. Then a fair tax can be implemented. I would be open to the possibility of a flat tax rate. The final outcome of tax reform should ultimately create incentives for job growth, innovation, and opportunities for businesses to invest in plants, equipment, and labor.

P: *Power America's Economy

I support efforts to develop a National Energy Efficiency Strategy for reliable, affordable, and cleaner domestic energy. Let's maximize use of all available energy sources: hydro, wind, nuclear, solar, oil, coal, and perhaps most importantly in our area, natural gas. Explore the possibility of building energy terminals along the Ohio River to facilitate our logistical strengths sending energy around the world, increasing jobs and opportunities here in Ohio. Through the use of state of the art technology that ensures environmentally safe energy production and shipping we can bring outstanding jobs and opportunities to this area and energy to the rest of the world.

L: *Live within Our Means

I support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution that permanently sets a strong foundation that we can't spend more than we take in, except in the case of a national emergency. Second, pass legislation creating statutory spending limits that further enforce spending restraints on runaway Congressional spending. Finally, cut spending to immediately reduce our nation's debt and deficits with all programs scrutinized for efficiency opportunities to eliminate wasteful spending. Entitlement reform is a key objective of living within our means.

A: *Accountability!

Hold all government officials and politicians accountable to the people under all aspects of legislative and regulatory activity that they impose on our economy such as a balanced budget, passing bills that grow our economy, and requiring that new programs and initiatives pass a cost/benefit analysis. Further, encourage legislation requiring an annual audit of all programs and departments and hold them accountable, like businesses, to look for efficiency opportunities and controlling rising costs. A more accountable and transparent government will be a more effective government.

N: "Never Give Up"

I ask for your support in my campaign to become your next Congressman. I will work tirelessly for Ohio's 2nd District, but we will all be working together as a community to bring about this necessary change to get through these tough economic times. We must have a common goal and be prepared to work together, sacrifice together, and excel together as a community until we have secured America and Ohio's 2nd District as a shining example to the rest of the world for business and job growth. I thank you for your support. God bless you and your families and God Bless America.

Sincerely, Fred