As your candidate for state representative in this rodeo of an election, I’d like to put my two cents in print: I’m better than Donald Trump.

The Donald and I share some common ground: We both think the state of working America is ­ a “yyuuugge” deal.

Forgive me. I had to! The serious question in this election is: Can you better your chances through hard work? After all, that is the timeless American promise.

I’ve been to 600 of your doorsteps in March, and have heard what I’ve felt since my childhood in a small steel town ­ that the chances of a person who has to work for a living could be better. Again, The Donald and I agree.

So, here’s the point of this letter. Why am I better than Donald Trump?

Simple. Trump thinks jobs come from him; I think jobs come from your wallet.

What’s that mean? It means that you keep everybody else employed just by purchasing the things you need everyday. That’s the genius of capitalism. And, more importantly, it’s why your financial security matters to me and the rest of Ohio.

For the last 30 years, our expenses grew and our wallets shrank, even though we kept working. Not a very secure situation.

Our policies could’ve done better. Before the financial crisis, any money you saved earned 5.5 cents per dollar. We bailed out Wall Street to avoid a Great Depression, and now any money you have saved (if it didn’t get wiped out) earns next to 0 cents per dollar. We’re still bailing.

So how do Trump and I stack up against this problem?

Trump would start with a tax cut … for Trump. I would give the tax­ relief to you and, being a small business owner, send Trump an invoice.

For what you ask? For putting every construction worker in Ohio on the job repairing the roads and rails that carry our commerce, the water pipes that quench our kids’ thirst, and the internet capacity that keeps us connected to each other and the rest of the world.

Why not? America helped Trump earn all that coin in the first place. The least he could do is pay it forward to all the people putting in the hours and getting 0 percent interest on their CDs at our local banks so we can still have a stock market.

But I’m not running against Trump. I’m running against someone who believes his economic plan ­ that, if we give Trump more money, some of it will trickle down to us. That idea doesn’t work. We’ve tried it for over three decades.

I believe in Henry Ford economics — that better pay means better customers, and better customers means better business. You’ll have to decide who’s right this November.

John Russell

Galena

Editor’s note: The letter writer is the Democratic candidate for state representative in the 68th Ohio House District this fall.