Obama’s Anti-Job Bill

Published September 23, 2011 in the Lynchburg Ledger. 

In my last column, we were anticipating Obama’s so-called jobs bill and now we have it.  It is further proof that Obama and the Democrats do not have a clue as to how to create new jobs in the private sector.

 

First, Obama’s bill is another stimulus although the Democrats deny it.  The first stimulus did not work and neither will this because government spending does not create long-term jobs.

 

Even though stimulus is a non-starter, Obama is in full campaign mode as is the Democrat National Committee (DNC).  Obama is visiting friendly venues promoting his bill while at the same time engaging in some of the most hateful and divisive class warfare to date.

The DNC is running ads on TV and even online at Google promoting a bill that has yet to be introduced in Congress.  Many Democrats who want to get re-elected are shying away from this one knowing that as a whole, it is a disaster.

House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have found a few elements of the proposed bill that have some merit and are maneuvering to support those elements while opposing all the bad stuff in the bill.

Calling them “areas worthy of further discussion,” they include:

• The proposed two percent payroll-tax cut extended into next year. Republicans want it extended longer or made permanent.

• Implement the free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea that were negotiated by President George W. Bush but have yet to be ratified by Congress.  I’ll bet it is the Democrats in the Senate blocking it.

• Extend through 2012 the ability of businesses to expense 100 percent of the cost of certain property they place in service. Such “bonus depreciation” assistance would make it easier for businesses to invest in new machinery and equipment.  However, businesses are not going to even think of investing in expansion while government regulations are strangling them.

Since Obama is really campaigning for re-election, he would love to run against the Republicans by saying they are blocking the creation of jobs.  By selecting only the few good portions to support, they will thwart his efforts.

On Monday, Obama continued the assault by revving up the class warfare once again calling for more taxes on the so-called rich.  He is proposing massive Medicare cuts and says if the bill does not also have higher taxes on the wealthy, he will veto it.  Does not sound open-minded and bi-partisan to me

When Obama says Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary who makes $60,000, he is lying.  First, Buffet is disputing $1 billion in taxes his company owes and second, Buffet pays capital gains tax on the net profit of invested funds which were already taxed at the normal rate.

Obama will not create jobs by taxing those who produce the jobs even more.

In a column published in the Chicago Tribune on September 13, 2011, columnist Dennis Byrne published an open letter to President Obama from a local contractor, who he did not identify.  Naming someone in Chicago criticizing Obama would be as good as signing a death warrant, Chicago politics being what it is.

The unnamed contractor said if you really want to help us, “leave us alone.”

He says, “The problem is not the recession; the problem has been going on for a long time and it is getting worse.  It is the endless procession of government scrutinizers and their rigid fixation on the rules and regulations that are holding us back.”

He went on to explain how in 27 years he had an impeccable safety record with his vehicles and drivers.  However, he was just fined $14,000 for a paperwork violation.  The drivers are required to fill out a government form every time they get into a truck cab.  Some of the forms were not filled out completely correct. 

Another example was they did not have the proper pre-hire application on file for a driver he had employed for 17 years.  He actually had to fire the employee and then rehire him just so the proper paper work could be filled out.

The contractor went to replace his backhoe which he bought four years ago for $60,000, but discovered the replacement would now cost $90,000.  The dealer explained that the new one complies with all the latest air quality standards. 

He could not afford to buy the new one because of excessive government regulations.  If enough contractors make the same decision, the backhoe company will be laying off workers.

He concluded by saying if he went to start his company today, he simply would not be able to do so because of all the burdensome government regulations.

Obama and his economic advisors either simply do not understand how the free market works, or they are deliberately trying to crash the economy to rebuild it in a socialistic image.  That is anti-job.

What they do understand is political corruption. ACORN and other radical left-wing groups would be eligible for up to $15 billion in federal funding if Obama’s so-called jobs bill becomes law.  Section 261 of the bill provides $15 billion for “Project Rebuild.” 

Since Congress cut off funding for ACORN, this is a blatant attempt to refund them.  Many of the newly formed groups, such as the “New York Communities for Change” and the “Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment” are eligible for federal funding as they have obtained Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) numbers which nonprofits are required to have in order to seek federal grants.
If the bill becomes law, it is a safe bet the rebranded ACORN groups will be first in line with grant applications.