CONGRESS MUST ASSERT ITS ARTICLE ONE AUTHORITY …
|| By RICK MANNING || The U.S. economy has just suffered through the worse ten-year period in terms of economic growth since the Great Depression. This lost decade of despair and hopelessness has led to more than 6 million more Americans aged 16-64 dropping out of the workforce than would normally be expected.
With the near-disastrous Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter of 2015 being announced at 0.7 percent annualized by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and just 2.4 percent for the year, America cannot be allowed to continue down this pathway to the poorhouse.
Yet, rather than help the economy, President Barack Obama’s pen and phone have energized an alphabet soup of federal agencies to enact expensive, job strangling regulations that are turning towns in Kentucky into ghost towns and replacing store clerks with self-help check out stands.
While denying the transport of oil through the efficient and safe Keystone XL pipeline, they are also making it significantly expensive to ship oil by rail at the exact time oil producers are struggling for every cent due to falling prices.
Non-union manufacturers are being harassed as OSHA is now allowing union representatives to participate in safety inspections of their shops.
Potential copper mines are being stymied, farmers are being threatened with EPA inspections of their land, and coal leases on federal lands have been stopped.
Even those who need a wood burning stove to keep them warm in the winter are now forced to buy top of the line models costing five figures or go cold.
High tech companies like Disney and others continue to use the lack of effective enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws to turn away and replace skilled Americans in favor of less expensive foreign imports, and with all the talk of job creation, there are actually fewer people aged 16-64 working in America in 2015 than in 2007.
What can Congress do in the face of a thirty front war where it seems a constitutionally unhinged Chief Executive can run rampant disrupting private sector growth?
Simple answer, assert their Article One authority when Obama is pushing for a must-pass bill, like the upcoming Puerto Rico bailout …
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Rick Manning is president of Americans for Limited Government. Follow him on Twitter @RManning957. This piece (reprinted with permission) originally appeared on Net Right Daily.
35 comments
“…the upcoming Puerto Rico bailout …”
I love the island of Puerto Rico. There isn’t a thing about the place I don’t love except for the crime and drugs.
All of those bad things are directly the result of the ending of corporate welfare for the Island in the form of federal tax breaks that expired in 2006 and Puerto Rico’s gubamint continuing to spend money they don’t have on programs they didn’t need. Unemployment went wild during Obama’s tenure and is only now slowly coming under control: http://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/content/uploads/sites/2/2016/01/PuertoRicoUnemploymentThruNov2015.png
A bailout would absolutely be the wrong thing to do.
With exception of one, every Puerto Rican I’ve ever met will tell you that PR is a beautiful paradise, infested with two legged cockroaches. My son-in-law is the only guy that has fond memories of anything outside of the tourist areas. He spent many summers there with his Grandparents.
Jeb wanted to give PR statehood last night.
Wouldn’t kill them but it would make the rules they play by a lot less flexible,
When I lived there back in the 90s, the issue of statehood was regularly debated. My observation was the older population was pro-statehood and the younger ones against it.
Meanwhile the 50 states are saying “Dude, don’t get yourself in this mess! Trust us!”
Is it true that residents of Puerto Rico don’t have to pay Federal taxes because of their status as a territory, rather than a state? I’ve forgotten that part of my civics class from long ago. Seems like I have been told that they don’t get to vote for President and of course, they have no Congressional Representation. To me, that sounds like a pretty damn good tradeoff if true! When I think about whatever good voting in the last few Presidential elections has done me, it would be great. I could damn sure use the money they take from me under threat of force more than I need Lindsey, Joe, or even Tim.
It’s been a long time – but IIRC, no fed income tax unless you’re working for a US company. My ex was a sales represent for a US publisher and I’m pretty sure he had to file a federal return for that income. I had a part-time job with a local company and I don’t think that was included on that return. Yes, they don’t vote in the Presidential elections.
Was down there for work a few years ago. It’s not if you work for a US company, I think if you work for the US government you have to pay income taxes. They also have other funky tax structures. But good pork and beans, and great crushed plantains and rum and chicks. The crime rate might be a bit high for you Non North Charleston folks.
I’ve always heard that they, as with Hawaii, have some effed up gun laws, but still they have crime.
Never been there but I could legally carry there. Maybe one day I’ll get to visit.
“… Puerto Rico’s gubamint continuing to spend money they don’t have on
programs they didn’t need.”…sounds like the U.S. gubamint not to mention State gubamints.
Yeah, that seems to be a reoccurring theme…
“replacing store clerks with self-help check out stands” Has nothing to due with Obama’s or any other President’s regulations.
Automation is supposed to reduce the requirement for labor from society. It should be used to lower how often people have to work to get what they need to live. Instead it is used to send people to the unemployment line so that businesses can keep more profit to themselves.
Exactly. It is all about profits. Automated customer service telephone menus were put in place before Obama. I hate those damn things, I’d rather scan my own groceries than deal with press 1 press 2 etc..
Sense 0bama fucked up company-paid insurance for most people, it benefits them to reduce their work force and replace it with machines.
Except really, he didn’t/
True, he had a LOT of help, from Congress.
What?
According to the Food Marketing Institute, 6 percent of U.S. supermarkets offered self-checkout lanes in 1999, and by 2007, 95 percent had them. Self-checkout machines are a good financial investment, paying back their $30,000 to $60,000 sticker price fairly quickly, and generating pure savings on wages after that.
I remember George HW Bush in 1991 looling lost at the lady with scanner at JC Pennys.
I don’t think we’ve had a President that was capable of making a living outside of politics or the military in over 60 years(Truman).
Carter was a nuclear engineer and has done pretty well post Presidency at running Habitat for Humanity. He ran his family farm before that. I think he would have been ok without a Political career.
You don’t think the move to automation was sped up by increased labor costs through mandates like the ACA?
No. Companies have always looked for ways to increase profits. Individuals will always try to build a better mousetrap. As far as those self checkouts, lots of stores now are finding out they aren’t that great. Too many customers balking about using them. Same thing is happening with call center jobs they outsourced overseas to save money on wages/benefits.
“Self-help check out stands” don’t require the employer to pay for health insurance.
So that’s why I’ve been pumping my own gas for a couple of decades?
“President Barack Obama’s pen and phone have energized an alphabet soup of federal agencies to enact expensive, job strangling regulations..”
Yes, and how much of this perceived minimal growth can be attributed to the fact that Obama doubled the the national debt under his reign. The government borrowing money to finance growth in the economy through deficit spending won’t keep you in business very long.
Yeah, it really sucks that gas is under $2/gallon and construction is booming everywhere. Seriously, Rick, what color is the sky in your fucking world?
Construction has improved and perhaps it should not rise to the levels of the housing bubble, but it still has not risen to normal levels. These two links are for SC construction employment and US construction employment. At the top you can change the years and click (GO).
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/SMS45000002000000001?data_tool=XGtable
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES2000000001?data_tool=XGtable
DOW closed up 400 today. Think the markets know something Rick don’t?
where the shovel ready jobs at
Guess who founded Americans for Limited Government? Howie Rich! Willie must be behind on his boat payment. First “Government Run Schools” and now this.
You object to unions representing employees trying to better themselves, yet you have no problem with trade groups and business organizations doing the same thing. Hmmmm….
Wrong! You want unions to have the power the business does not have. Antitrust, price fixing and no – poaching . . .
What unions do or try to do is illegal for businesses.
http://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/15/01/15/apple-google-agree-to-pay-415m-to-settle-no-poach-class-action-suit