Weekly Columns and Op-Eds
Weekly Column from Congressman Paul Gosar-“Businesses Create Jobs, Not the Government”
Washington, DC,
June 22, 2012
In April of this year, I kicked off a district wide “Jobs and Energy” tour. I visited local small businesses and talked to people about how the economy was affecting their daily lives, and what I have been doing in Washington to help.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2012 CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel Weekly Column from Congressman Paul Gosar
709 Words Forty. That’s the number of consecutive months the unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent in America. Since Obama’s $700 billion ‘stimulus’ was signed in to law, the average unemployment rate is 9.2 percent and only 69,000 new jobs were added in May. America deserves better. In April of this year, I kicked off a district wide “Jobs and Energy” tour. I visited local small businesses and talked to people about how the economy was affecting their daily lives, and what I have been doing in Washington to help. As a small business owner, I believe it is the private sector and not the government that is going to get our economy back on track. Businesses create jobs, not the government—and as simple as this may sound to you and me, there are many in Washington, D.C. that do not understand this concept. Policies and statements coming from this administration and out of the U.S. Senate suggest many in D.C. believe government is the answer. In a press conference earlier this month, the President said at one point that, “the private sector is doing fine.” He was quick to retract that comment but he never retracted his next statement, a complaint that America’s real growth problem is shrinking government. "If Republicans want to be helpful,” said the President, “if they really want to move forward and put people back to work, what they should be thinking about is, how do we help state and local governments.” As a small business owner and someone who has spent a lot of time in our community, I know one simple fact: entrepreneurs create jobs; not government growth. Throughout my travels, I have received feedback and details on how the federal government is interfering with private industry and economic growth. In the last month alone, I pumped gas at the locally owned and operated Thumb Butte in Prescott, I have visited Gowan Company, CEMEX, Ruger, Yuma Hospital, Boeing, Goodwill, and the Morenci Copper Mine and Smelter. Each of these places had their own stories and each manager or owner could speak of federal rules, regulations or taxes that are hurting their bottom line and preventing job growth. I’ve also met with many local business owners who belong to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). At our business roundtable discussion, I heard constantly from local residents that it is not the limited size of the federal government keeping them up at night – it is the overreaching policies that burden their ability to get the job done. I have heard concerns about the overstepping of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the uncertainty and increases in taxes, the financial impact of the upcoming implementation of Obamacare, and many other issues and fears created by the federal government. No one has told me D.C. is not taking enough money or that the offending agencies were not staffed well. Overall, when meeting with our small business owners, I ask what they need in order to be successful and create jobs. The answer is almost always, “Just get the government out of the way.” In several instances, I found that the businesses are ready to hire new employees, but they are holding off due to concerns about the economy or simply because they cannot find the right candidate for the job. This inspired me to hold a job fair in order to bring job-creators that were looking to hire together with qualified job-seekers. Working in collaboration with Goodwill of Central Arizona, we connected 409 individual job-seekers with 38 employers actively looking to fill more than 300 positions. By all accounts the job fair was a rousing success – proving that once again, local businesses hold the power to jobs, not the government. We need to strengthen the private sector of our economy with a common-sense tax code, less regulation and the repeal of Obamacare. Most of all, we need more people in D.C. who understand that businesses create jobs, not the government. Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S was elected in 2010 as a part of the historic freshman class. His next Jobs & Energy stop will include a day working in the hospitality field seating guests and serving food in locally owned restaurants. More information can be found at Gosar.house.gov |