House GOP Releases Plan to Create Jobs
By Krystle Weeks | Thursday, June 16th, 2011 | PolicyWith unemployment at 9.1% (13.9 million) during the month of May, there is a greater sense of urgency for the Obama Administration to create new jobs both in the public and private sectors. In addition to job creation, the economy continues to decline.
The dismal unemployment numbers and the economic decline has not gone unnoticed by some in Congress, who have called on President Obama to address this issue and get the economy on
track. The House GOP leadership held a press conference today with members of the newly created House Jobs Caucus, which is comprised of freshmen members, who have been entrepreneurs before
being elected to Congress. During the conference, the House GOP released their new jobs plan, which will motivate small business owners, fixing the tax code to help those creating employment opportunities, and encouraging growth.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said:
“Yesterday, the head of the Democrat National Committee said that their party owns the economy, and she expressed some frustration questioning why businesses didn’t embrace their agenda. That shows you how out of touch they are. The reality is, most people in this country are employed by small businesses, and what small businesses see is a myriad of overregulation, of unfair taxes and of new mandates that keep coming down the pike.
“Again, where is the realization that we have to create an environment where small business people and entrepreneurs are going to take some risk? Economic growth is not a government program. It is high time this Administration realize they should join us. We put together a Plan for America’s Job Creators. Central to that notion is that we have to empower entrepreneurs, people who are willing to open new businesses, people who are willing to commit their capital to grow jobs and grow value. That is how we are going to get this recovery going again. Not through insistence here in Washington that government knows how to grow this economy.”
Joining Cantor, Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) made the following statement (which you can watch here):
“I’m Scott Rigell and families in the second district and across this great land are reeling from the effects of unemployment. Recently the President said this about the jobs report:
“People and the markets are still skittish and nervous…. And so they pull back because they’re still thinking about the traumas of just two and a half years ago.”
As an entrepreneur, as a person who knows the great joy that comes with being able to look someone in the eye and say, “You’re hired,” I know that America’s small business owners are not looking to the past. By our very nature, we want to look to the future. We want to be optimistic, we want to invest, and yet what we see are so many obstacles in front of us.
I want to speak directly to my fellow job creators this morning: Here’s what you’re faced with because of the Administration’s policies:
- Would you like to create green jobs off Virginia’s coast with a wind farm? Well be patient, because it’s going to take you about seven years just to get a permit.
- Would you like to get HUD to assist the financing of your construction project? Well be patient because it’s going to take about a year for the initial review of your application.
- Do you wonder why the local banker isn’t coming by to make a house call and say “Hey how’s your business doing, how can I help you, can I lend you some money?” They’re not coming out, because they’re back there trying to grasp the enormity of Dodd-Frank and the implications of that. They’re out there hiring regulatory analysts.
To our job creators, I want to look you right in the eye: I want you to know that we are fighting for you. We know what you’re up against first hand. These good men and women behind me and so many of us who were sent to Congress as first time elected officials: We get it. The American people get it. We ask the president to stand with us as we get the country back on track creating jobs.”
In order to get the economy back on track, we need to be open to free market ideas that will not only address current budget woes, but boost employment in both sectors.
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About the author
Growing up in Maryland typically does not yield a Republican. Fortunately, Krystle Weeks was one of the lucky few booted to the Commonwealth for her staunch conservative views. From an early age, she has been debating politics, and since 2006, she has been involved here in the Commonwealth helping Republican candidates to victory. Aside from politics, Krystle is a runner and a dynamite cook. You can email her here. Krystle also blogs at Crystal Clear Conservative and Charm Offensive Cooking.
Comments
6 Responses to "House GOP Releases Plan to Create Jobs"
OK, I am a small, self employed truck driver. I now have my own authority. I think I qualify as a small business man. My industry also happens to be probably THE already most heavily regulated industry in the nation and there are a host of new burdensome regulations in the pipe headed for us.
Now, I do not want to be too one sided with my argument. I think I am reasonable when I really can understand the need for heavy regulation of the trucking industry, but is every truck driver going to be expected to be Atlas bearing the weight of the globe on his shoulders?
“the enormity of Dodd-Frank?” The financial reform bill that does nothing to reform the financial industry shenanigans that got us into this mess? Since Dodd-Frank does virtually nothing I’m not sure why banks would have to grapple with it so hard.
Why does Dodd Frank have to do anything to be a straitjacket with the current admin? They just make up their own regs whether or not authorized by the legislation. It’s already happened with Obamacare.
Actually the most interesting sentence from KW is this one:
“The dismal unemployment numbers and the economic decline has not gone unnoticed by some in Congress,”
I can’t tell whether she is being sarcastic but it is both hilariously and outrageously accurate. I’m so glad the Repubs got around to doing this before July 4 and also before their golf outing with the One.
Actually, it went unnoticed for the first 6 months of this Congress that was elected to create jobs but quickly took off on their radical conservative social agenda. All of a sudden, they now realize that they have ignored the agenda they were elected to enact. Ironically, the local businesses are the ones continuing to be stressed by the reductions of public employees who now can’t buy cars, or homes, or furniture becasue of the state’s reaction to the fiscal situation. So the posturing in the House is as absurd as is their so called focued concern about small businesses; most of them don’t congregate in the country clubs anyway.
Little David, good comment.
Mike said, “Congress that was elected to create jobs but quickly took off on their radical conservative social agenda.”
Well said. I remember when Congress first started their session, they started with a battle over the CR and suddenly Republicans were talking about … PBS ? Planned parenthood ? I remember thinking, what the hell does this have to do with anything ? Those cuts were miniscule compared to the size of the budget deficit. Yeah, I’m all for dropping PBS funding because I just don’t think the government should be in the entertainment business, but why put a deficit battle in jeopardy by getting into an argument over such contentious issues on Day 1 of the new Congress, essentially proving to half of the population that the new Congress is going to be exactly what they feared it would be ? At first I was hopeful that it was just a ploy to shock the other side into agreeing to the rest of the cuts but then in the end we find out that not only were Republicans really pushing for the cuts in PBS and planned parenthood with everything they had, that’s just about the only REAL cuts they were pushing for! The segment of the population that wanted cuts in spending got NOTHING for their troubles, most of the “cuts” were a total illusion and weren’t cuts at all.
These are exactly the kinds of reasons that the TEA party exists, because Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats just don’t get it anymore, if they ever did.
What is not addressed is the structural issues that we have – such as income at the top is skyrocketing, while the middleclass is stressed and going downhill. The top 2% take in 24% of all income, and top 10% have 50% of all buying power, while upper income tax rates have dropped from 91 percent in 1950 to 35 percent now. Where do the GOP policies address this – without a strong middleclass we don’t have a strong economy. We need people that are educated well in science and technology supported by advanced infrastructure so that we can compete in the world economy.
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