Kasich seeks to ‘make things better’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich told a packed audience at LeMoyne College last night that he is not taking the low road to get to the highest office in the country.

“My purpose in life, as my mother used to say, is to make things better,” Kasich said. “Change the world and make people say things were better when you were there.”

He held the attention of the crowd by weaving his views on national security, budget, and education in between anecdotes, experiences, and boyhood memories of his working class family.

“I like the consistency in his messages,” said Brenda Hoban, a city school bus driver. She and her husband Tom have tired of watching the boxing matches between candidates.

Kasich explicitly identified ISIS, the Islamic State, as an irrational enemy that needs to be destroyed, but deplored banning all Muslims from the U.S. He also pointed out the need for the U.S. to defend the Ukraine, a point he later emphasized by saying that an invasion of one NATO country is an invasion of the U.S. as well.

Peter Menaker, a 20-year old college sophomore, likes Kasich’s belief that things can be fixed, especially in foreign policy.

“We need to trust our allies and know who are real enemies are,” Menaker said.

Next, Kasich mentioned his work in drafting budgets during his time in Congress. He frequently referred back to his three factors of growth for an economy: common sense rules and regulations, reduced taxes, and fiscal discipline.

“We actually achieved the first balanced budget since man walked on the moon,” Kasich remarked. “We paid down half a trillion dollars of the national debt, we had balanced budgets for four straight years, and we had a five trillion dollar surplus.”

Kasich elaborated on improving government efficiency in the face of constant change.

“Everything is changing,” he said. “There is only one thing that doesn’t change — government. We need to uberize government at all levels. We need to break it down and simplify it.”

Answering a question from a retired school superintendent, Kasich recognized the need for mentoring programs in public schools across the country.

“Mentoring kids changes lives,” he said. “Have high standards, give power to the school boards, and start vocational training at an earlier age.”

Towards the end of his talk, Kasich challenged the audience to engage at the local level.

“We’re here for a purpose,” he said. “The Spirit of our country doesn’t rest in Washington. If your community has a problem with drugs, fix it. You’ve got to get a little dirty under the fingernails.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Kasich seeks to ‘make things better’."