OPINION:
With 23 million people unable to find full-time employment, 1 in 6 people living in poverty and food-stamp use at an all-time high, we have a Democrat-controlled Senate and an administration stuck on “no.” No is the answer to jobs, approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, oil drilling, natural gas exploration and clean coal mining.
However, President Obama gave $2 billion to drill for oil that creates jobs in Brazil instead of the United States. He sent millions of taxpayer dollars to Finland and China to develop alternative energy that creates jobs there, but not here. Furthermore, the Republican-controlled House passed and sent a number of jobs bills to the U.S. Senate where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said no by refusing to consider those bills. By issuing tons of regulations, the administration again has said no by placing a heavy financial burden on job creators, driving coal miners out of business and affecting thousands of jobs. Moreover, while foreign countries such as China increase efforts to approve trade agreements for their products and services, the Democrats in the Senate and Obama administration do little or nothing to expand U.S. trade abroad. The adverse effect is no increase in demand for products and services, less need for existing jobs and no reason to hire more workers. Finally, the administration insists on raising taxes on businesses, preventing them from expanding and creating new jobs.
Democrats should stop saying no to jobs bills and stop penalizing job creators if we are to get back on the road toward employment for the 23 million Americans looking for work.
FRANK MEDICO
Mount Vernon, Va.
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