Last week, we blogged that we’re going to open up the blog to local candidates. We offered them the opportunity to make one final case as to why they deserve their vote and why they are the best candidate for the job. Our caveat to everyone was that we didn’t want personal attacks or other negative stuff.

First up, we have Kathy Dahlkemper. She’s running against Phil English in the 3rd Congressional District. Thank you to Kathy for writing this editorial.

Unemployment is on the rise in our region and our country. Combined with the effects of increasing inflation, high energy costs, and soaring unemployment, the middle class is being squeezed worse than ever. Families are struggling to meet their basic needs. Our priority has to be reinvigorating our economy and retaining and growing jobs within Pennsylvania.

With the financial markets in turmoil and millions of families losing their homes to foreclosure, it is imperative that we invest in creating jobs for the wellbeing of our families and our children. Under George W. Bush and Phil English, Pennsylvania has lost 200,000 jobs. We have also suffered from trade policies like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that have shipped good paying jobs overseas. We need a new direction. We must look to both tax relief for the middle class and new economy jobs and innovation for our growth and stability.

Innovation has accounted for half of all economic growth in America since World War II. It’s a proven engine for creation. Americans have split the atom, spliced the gene, landed man on the moon, and created millions of jobs from inventions like the laser, transistor, and the Internet. Now we must turn our innovative potential to creating the green jobs of the future.

Northern Pennsylvania leads in manufacturing. We lead in engineering. We lead in education. With the right kinds of investment, we can lead the technological revolution that will drive the twenty-first century. To accomplish this, we should accelerate the movement of basic research to commercial application. Greater partnerships between government laboratories, university researchers, and private enterprise will promote the growth of clean technology in the marketplace. Providing tax incentives for clean energy, including wind power, solar power, biomass, and other sources of renewable power will greatly increase the domestic market for clean energy technology and create thousands of jobs for American workers in the green technology industry.

Green jobs are good paying, stable jobs, and Northwestern Pennsylvania is poised to take the lead in job-creating Green Energy Technologies. The modern energy industry has its roots in our region; there is no good reason why the future can’t begin here as well. But jobs are only part of a comprehensive plan to economic recovery. Tax relief for the middle-class is essential to helping Pennsylvania families thrive.

Part of the economic hardship facing our families is the result of stagnant wages and income. Cutting taxes for 95% of workers and their families by providing $500 for workers and $1,000 for working couples as proposed by Senator Barack Obama is an important step in restoring the economic fabric of our country. By doing this, families can begin to dig out of the financial mess created by rising costs in everything from food to transportation and look towards saving and creating wealth.

Northwestern Pennsylvania is known for its hard working people–people who have worked in the manufacturing industries that have helped make this region and this country strong. Continuing the strong tradition of this district, we must look to the new economy for our growth and stability. We can grow our economy by aggressively taking part in the energy revolution, a revolution that will create unlimited new jobs and opportunities for Pennsylvanians. We must also make sure that we provide for our workforce to be trained for the challenging work of the future. What we all want for ourselves, our families and our children is the opportunity to work and to earn a family-sustaining income. Investing in job creation and providing much needed tax relief will help to make this a real possibility for all Pennsylvanians and for all Americans.