Kasich talks economy during Bluffton visit

Presidential hopeful and Ohio Governor John Kasich pushed his vision for a revitalized economy and America during a rally Wednesday in the Bluffton Promenade.

In addition to serving as Ohio’s chief executive, he served 18 years in Congress.

He will continue to travel the state for the rest of the week, rallying support in the buildup to Saturday’s GOP Primary.

Here are five take-away points from his Bluffton stop:

Restore the country’s economic strength

“I’ve done this before,” said Kasich.

Before be became governor of Ohio, the state was $8 billion in debt, he said. Since he’s been in office, unemployment has fallen, taxes have been reduced by $800 million and he has eliminated wasteful spending, he said.

It’s a formula he would take to the White House, he said.

Small business is the key to growth

“If you over-regulate the small businesses, you kill them, Kasich told the crowd in Old Town. “When you kill small business, you hurt the families of the community.”

Kasich’s plan is to freeze all federal regulations for a year, except for health and safety rules, to “restore commonsense.” He also wants to cut taxes for individuals and make the tax code simpler.

Get spending under control

“Democrats, they love to spend,” Kasich said, “but so do Republicans. We just feel guilty about it.”

During his time in Congress, Kasich served as the chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he said helped balance the federal budget in 1997.

Doesn’t like the term ‘compassionate conservatism’

Kasich also discussed the mentally ill in American communities.

“You cannot leave the mentally ill sleeping under bridges or filling up our prisons,” he said. “You have to get them back up on their feet again.”

Some opponents argue that this assistance is “compassionate conservatism,” a term Kasich does not agree with.

“This is not about coddling,” he said. “With help comes personal responsibility. We are not going to help support somebody forever.”

On Planned Parenthood

While he said he would not cut off funding to women’s health programs, he said he would not fund Planned Parenthood.

Three female activists representing the Planned Parenthood Votes organization interrupted Kasich during his speech to ask why he wants to take away women’s health rights.

He said he wants to continue efforts to promote early childhood education and to end infant mortality.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Kasich talks economy during Bluffton visit."