Schuring’s Spirit of 16 Express hits the road in final push

State Sen. Kirk Schuring (R-Jackson Twp.) is hitting the road and pounding the flesh in the final days of the campaign for Ohio's 16th Congressional District seat. Schuring hopes to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Navarre), who joined the Senator as he took his campaign message to Medina County Wednesday, accompanied by a bus full of volunteers, staff and local leaders.

"We're being outspent by 3-to-1 by all these outside special interest groups, and we can't match them dollar for dollar, so we're taking this campaign to the people," Schuring told PolitickerOH.com aboard the Spirit of 16 Express. "We're doing this the way that campaigns should be run."

Schuring said that he and his group of volunteers were going door-to-door and business-to-business to make sure that voters in the 16th know who he is and what he's about.

Schuring has run his campaign as a native of the 16th, stressing the importance of his personal connection to the district and the people in it.

"I've had a long relationship with Medina County dating back to my days in the insurance business," Schuring said. "I'm one of you, and it would be an honor to be your voice in Washington."

The Schuring camp had a breakfast meeting at Alexandri's Restaurant in Wadsworth Wednesday morning. After breakfast, Schuring visited small businesses downtown and said he thinks it's important people understand that small businesses drive the economy.

"Main Street is good for everyone because if Main Street is healthy then our standard of living will improve because we'll have people with jobs, and they'll have jobs with additional incomes, and will be growing the economy with the creation of jobs," Schuring said. "I think we've lost sight of that somewhat on the national level, because small businesses are important to our economy. And if we're going to get this economy turned around it's going to be because of the work of small businesses."

At one point during his travels, Schuring spoke to a small business owner who was filed with the Internal Revenue Service as a Subchapter S Corporation, meaning the business avoids the double taxation of a "C" corporation by having income pass through shareholders, with profits and losses filed on a personal tax return.

"[She] understands that even though that income shows up as her personal income, it's really her business income, and she's got to plow a lot of that income back into the business," Schuring said. "So when you hear about those who claim that people making over $250,000 a year are rich, and that therefore can afford to pay additional taxes, what's lost in that equation is the fact that a growing number - in fact, as many as 80 percent of small businesses - now are subchapter S businesses. That income needs to go back into the business so they can grow the business, create jobs and retain jobs as well."

Regula introduced Schuring to a group of 100 associates at Westfield Insurance Group. Schuring told the group that he wants to be the 16th district's next Congressman and emphasized the need to be
accessible to the people back home.

"Congressman Regula has been a role model for the way you represent people," Schuring said.

Schuring met another group for lunch at Yours Truly before the campaign went canvassing in Medina.
Wadsworth Mayor Robin Laubaugh (R) and state Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Lakeville) accompanied Schuring on his visit.

Schuring spoke about the importance of helping small businesses to provide things like healthcare benefits to employees by using free market principles.

"Most businesses right now are seeing on average about a 20 percent increase each and every year for their health insurance premiums," Schuring said. "So one of the ways I think we can [help] is to invoke free market principles. Let small businesses form purchasing alliances, where they can use the power of the large numbers to get some of the quantity discounts that larger corporations get."

Schuring would also work to facilitate tax-free, health reimbursement or health savings accounts for employees.

"That allows them to go out and shop the physician of their choice, choose the medical modality of their choice, maybe even, and importantly, choose wellness care, preventative care," Schuring said. "If we do more in the area of wellness care and preventative care it will save us money over the long haul."

Schuring said that a free market place allows for more competition, and with more competition, prices go down and quality goes up. Schuring said that even before he was a member of Ohio's state legislature, he had relationships with all four counties constituting Ohio's 16th. He said he used to travel Medina and Wayne Counties during his days in the insurance business. He said he also travelled to Ashland County.

"I've said it many times, every community, every Congressional District has a different personality," Schuring said. "I think I understand the pulse and the personality of this district because I've lived here and interacted here all my life."

The Spirit of 16 Express bus tour continues Thursday in Wayne County and Friday in Stark County.