Jobs
Last year, I stood in opposition to a stimulus bill that the Obama Administration promised us would solve all of our problems. All they needed from the American people was a little bit of money, “only” $9,500 from each man, woman and child in the country.
I voted against this bill because I saw it for what it was: a bill that spent too much money on government, too much on special interests projects, and was loaded with more pork than a Sunday pig pickin’. I voted against it because I knew it wouldn’t work.
Here we are a year later and unfortunately I was right. I wish I had been wrong. I wish it HAD worked and that it had helped folks in Western North Carolina find jobs. It hasn’t. So far just 33.7% of the funds from the stimulus bill have been spent and that money has been ineffective in creating jobs.
Due to the Obama administration’s failure to provide any solutions with real help to the American people, I convened a meeting of economic development officials from all ten counties of our district to discuss what we can do to increase job creation.
My plan is simple:
- Stop making the problem worse by issuing an immediate cease-and-desist order on new taxes and regulation.
- Restore investor confidence in our economic future by confronting our deficit.
- Reduce the price of doing business in America by increasing our energy supply and lowering business taxes.
- Evaluate our foreign trade agreements to make sure that they are fair.
- And strengthen the retraining programs across North Carolina’s community college system so that those who want to work are prepared.
Our communities are full of good, reliable men and women who know how to work hard and creating jobs for them is my number one priority. I know that government can’t create real, long lasting jobs, that the private sector and small business leaders are the engine of our economy.
As long as I am representing you in Washington, I’ll fight hard to make sure that businesses have every opportunity to succeed and create a strong, growing workforce.