One of the keys to getting business and industry to locate in an area is providing a qualified workforce, Conklin says, and therefore, education is a vital issue. He supports federal funding to fix rural schools and fund vocational education and employee retraining. Conklin supports an increase in the minimum wage to help workers, as well, which, in turn, will spur the economy. It's been a long time since it has been raised. It doesn't meet the cost of living.
History always repeats itself.
John F. Kennedy believed in a rising tide, not trickle down economics. If you put money into the hands of people and give them good wages, they will give back to the economy. He says he has received a number of endorsements by major labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, because of his stance on job creation and labor. According to Conklin, he has been personally affected by all of the issues he holds dear. He says his son needs education, he has created jobs through his businesses, his brother was a Vietnam veteran and his parents and wife's grandmother must deal with social security and medicare.