Eager for change? Don't vote for Clinton

As eager for change in the White House as many Ohioans are, some may not plan to support Donald Trump for president. But Hillary Clinton, the other major candidate on the ballot, is no alternative. Voting for her is out of the question. There is something those who worry about her but do not plan to vote for Trump can do about Clinton. They can help hold her in check. Clinton's plan to accelerate the government's assault on coal, natural gas and oil, rules her out as an option for Buckeye State voters. Most Ohioans still rely on affordable electricity from coal-fired power plants. Clinton wants to close them, driving up utility bills. And what little is left of our state's mining industry provides thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly. Clinton's plan is to "put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." But coal is not alone on Clinton's hit list. Next on her agenda is throttling back on the shale drilling industry, which has proven a godsend in some areas of Ohio — and could, if not nipped in the bud, end the nation's reliance on foreign oil. Her dislike for fossil fuels is matched only by her disdain for manufacturing jobs. She claims she wants to safeguard working men and women whose jobs are threatened by foreign competition. This, from the woman who not long ago called the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership the "gold standard" for trade deals. In terms of her believability on that score, fresh in the memories of many Ohioans is the pledge she and then-President Bill Clinton made to defend Ohio steelworkers years ago. Precious few of those who trusted the Clintons then are working at steel mills now. Clinton as president would mean more assaults on individual rights such as the Second Amendment and personal property rights. It would mean more Obamacare, higher taxes, a White House not to be believed on anything, a foreign policy tilted toward our enemies, and a liberal Supreme Court working hand in hand with her. Those who cannot bring themselves to back Trump may wonder why they should go to the polls at all Nov. 8. They must. Should Clinton win the presidency, it is imperative she be restrained by a strongly Republican Congress. One of our senators, Republican Rob Portman, is up for re-election this year. His opponent, Democrat Ted Strickland, is an unquestioning supporter of Clinton. Portman will defend Ohioans. Strickland will defend Clinton. The choice for voters is that simple. All members of the House of Representatives are on the ballot. Sending GOP lawmakers to Washington is vital. Buckeye State resident should vote for them. If Clinton becomes president, Ohioans will need members of Congress who owe their allegiance not to her, but to the people who elected them.