In the next few years I, along with my classmates, will be graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh with the hope of starting a rewarding career in my field of study.

However, my prospects of fulfilling this dream have diminished dramatically over the past couple of years.

Roughly 50 percent of recent college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. This startling statistic not only shows the weak economy, but highlights the types of jobs that are available.

Unfortunately our current congressman, Bill Owens, has no plan to fix our economy so that decent-paying jobs are available for recent college graduates.

Since taking office, our congressional district has lost 5,200 jobs and has an unemployment rate that is roughly a full percentage point higher than the national average.

In fact, Congressman Owens has voted in favor of legislation, such as Obamacare, that will increase taxes on businesses and force them to either lay off current employees or make it nearly impossible to hire new ones.

As each day passes and I get closer to my expected graduation date, I worry that I will become just another statistic.

Congressman Owens has shown that he is either unable or unwilling to tackle this difficult task.

I believe we need a member of Congress who will work to create jobs, not destroy them.

Jonathan Carman

Plattsburgh

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