 |
Townhall...
Democrats Announce
New Assault On Small Business
by Lurita Doan
It’s déjà vu all over again. Democrats in congress have re-introduced a
small business–jobs bill that has no hope of helping small business.
Pandering to labor union interests, filled with Democrats’ flawed
understanding of what creates private sector jobs, and crammed full of
recycled regulations from the failed Waxman-Markey Energy bill, H.R.
870 is dangerous legislation that uses buzz words rather than sound
business principles to encourage small business growth and job creation.
The legislation, thinly disguised as a jobs creation bill, panders to
the tired, failed policies of Democrats’ left-wing, extremist base. The
bill focuses on “green jobs”, construction of “wind turbines and solar
panels”, enforces ineffective but restrictive penalties on China trade
and determines which industries will be rewarded by handouts from the
government by identifying which industries Democrats believe provide
jobs that are “actually needed”.
Important memo to Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer: Wake up! When a country
is trying to grow the economy and “grow” jobs—all jobs are “actually
needed.”
The bill is filled with bits and pieces of entitlement benefits and
government handouts from other pieces of failed Democrat legislation.
For example, there is funding for state Head Start programs and funding
for emergency food stamp subsidy programs (p. 5).The, bill reeks of
socialism in the form of “Employment Opportunity Grants”, (p.3) thinly
disguised as federal government handouts to reward businesses that
support left-wing ideological efforts.
Even more dangerous is the vague legislation which allows “grant”
recipients to create ACORN-like entities: “a recipient of a grant may
use the remaining amount of the grant to assist public entities,
nonprofit community-based organizations “(Sec.4.c.2).
Of course, in order to get the grants, business will have to “consult
with community leaders, including labor organizations” (p.7) and
conform to develop the jobs in the areas where the Secretary of labor
thinks growth is most likely. (p.12). As if that’s not enough, slipped
in at the very end of the bill is an amendment to the IRS tax code
implementing a new tax on Securities Transactions (Sec. 7).
This plan, as identified by Democrat leaders, will supposedly “create
an environment and policies that encourage and realize that we make
‘it’ — products, agricultural products as well — that we make goods in
America.” Fine words, but Democrat deeds have ensured that their
policies discourage entrepreneurship, risk taking and the growth of
capitalism.
Alas, the Democrats’ assault on Americans most responsible for creating
wealth and new jobs goes on. Thanks to Obamacare, Stimulus funding,
FinReg small businesses have already been shouldered with new burdens
and reporting requirements, which have restricted access to capital,
increased taxes and eroded business profitability.
For example, healthcare insurance providers have announced that the
rate hikes due to Obamacare may result in businesses facing a 9%
increase in the cost of healthcare premiums. For many small businesses,
9% oftentimes represents the business’ entire profit that year, so the
Obamacare mandate could wipe out the fruits of an entire year’s effort,
or even worse, put a small business in the red.
Americans see small businesses frequently being used as a prop by
Democrat leaders. When the Administration needs to show diversity, it
trots out a small business. When the President needed to break bad
news, such as the rising unemployment numbers--he staged a press
conference at the offices of a small business owner. To show he’s in
touch with the younger generation and distract attention from policies
which will, in essence, enslave them and their children -- Obama showed
up at a start-up bootstrapping facility.
Small businesses create 3 out of every 4 jobs and deserve to be more
than just convenient props for the Democrats’ failed policies.
Over the past 28 months, Americans have been inundated with Democrats’
latest jobs-creation attempts, none of which actually have reversed the
tide of unemployment (currently at 9%) or created the kinds of jobs
that create long-term economic growth. Yet, full of hubris and
delusions of innovation, Democrats continue to trot out their
retreads--tired legislation that almost certainly guarantees long-term,
systemic, economic failure.
If the definition of insanity is, as Albert Einstein said, doing the
same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then it
would seem that the country has even bigger problems than the crushing
attacks on small business and increasing unemployment—a political party
that controls the White House and the Senate, that hasn’t figured out
that they are not just wrong, but very, very wrong. And, that is very,
very bad news for this country.
Read it at Townhall
|
