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We need specific plans from the president, not just rhetoric
Date: September 7, 2011
By: Congressman Marlin Stutzman
Tonight, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress to deliver a “major speech” on jobs. The occasion calls for action and conviction, not just rhetoric. I’m hopeful that the President will avoid the clichés, poll-tested lines, and vague promises. Count me among those who want to hear genuine solutions and thoughtful policies.
Hoosiers understand that we need a real plan. The nation just received the disheartening announcement that the economy remained stalled, not creating a single job in August. In fact, twenty five million Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have simply given up looking for work. In Northeast Indiana, five of the eight counties I represent have unemployment rates higher than the national average, with Elkhart and Noble Counties suffering the most. These numbers paint a grim picture but I’m confident that the American entrepreneurial and innovative spirit can meet these challenges if Washington adopts genuine reform.
The President has an opportunity to outline specific steps and policies that will aid the private sector in job creation. If the economy created a job every time politicians turned a good phrase, we wouldn’t be facing historic unemployment. If the President wants to show that he’s serious about recovery, he should roll up his sleeves and get into the gritty policy details.
Back in January, I was pleased to hear the President correctly note that “sometimes, [federal] rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.” Unfortunately, since then, his administration has done little to curb the excessive tide of regulations that tie the hands of employers.
In 2010, alone, federal agencies issued 3,271 final rules. That’s close to ten rules a day. Just give that a minute to sink in. And while the regulatory machine picks up steam, businesses become less likely to invest and hire new employees. An economy focused on compliance rather than innovation cannot make a dent in 9.1% unemployment.
That’s why I believe that tonight President Obama should announce a yearlong “rule-freeze.” For the next year, no agency should issue further mandates on businesses, unless in response to a genuine national crisis. It’s a freeze plain and simple. Many businesses have already undergone hiring freezes. It only makes sense that Washington’s bureaucratic machine should cool off first.
If the President is unwilling to call off the regulators, he should at least support a responsible effort to slow them down. Tonight, President Obama ought to lend his full support to H.R. 10, the REINS Act of 2011. This legislation would reverse the process that allows agencies to pass major rules without Congressional approval, without the approval of the American people.
I’ve co-sponsored H.R. 10 because it would demand that Congress pass all major rules before they take effect. We elect lawmakers to make the laws and it’s hardly a novel idea to allow them to do so. That’s something that every American can support.
Having spent much of last month talking with Hoosiers back in the district, I consistently heard their emphasis on confidence as a prerequisite for growth. Because every successful business has to reasonably forecast their expenses, the President ought to stop his repeated calls for increased taxes and instead offer specific and bold initiatives to cut government spending immediately.
Our nation’s staggering $14.6 trillion debt hangs over the economy and creates an environment of uncertainty. Yet, whenever the President is brought to the table, he repeats his call for those “who can afford it” to “pay their fair share.” The reality is that President Obama has called for higher taxes on the small businesses that are best positioned to hire new employees.
My hope would be that this speech offers a course correction. If the President withdraws his calls for increased taxes once and for all, many employers could breathe a sigh of relief, project their expenses with more certainty, and begin to grow.
Finally, the President must offer a list of precise and immediate cuts to federal spending. Now isn’t the time for behind-the-curtain bargains. The American people need to see a plan for serious spending reform. The jobs crisis we now face cannot be separated from the federal government’s spending addiction. Washington already tried to spend its way out of this mess. It didn’t work. An agenda that opposes increased government spending is an agenda that supports real private sector job growth. If families and businesses in Indiana understand that, there’s no reason our President can’t.
I’m ready to work with the President in each of these areas. I’ll be listening carefully to the speech tonight. More importantly, though, I’ll be watching what actions his administration takes in the weeks to follow. Hoosiers still need jobs and want solutions. I’m hopeful that together we can work toward both.
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