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A few suggestions to help fix our economy

This was in our local fish wrapper and I thought it was worth sharing here. The second point is especially note worthy as we have really shot ourselves in the foot time and time again in this specific area.

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Six bullets to boost economy

“There’s no silver bullet to cure the economy,” Jay Carney, the spokesman for the White House, said earlier this month. He was referring to the widely acknowledged best method to kill monsters. But it appears the White House has run out of any bullets at all, silver or otherwise, to cure this monstrous economy. Well, may I suggest six bullets to load into their revolver?

1. Tort reform — Lawsuits and the threat of lawsuits are seriously damaging private business and especially health care.

Some say that 25 percent of medical costs are due to the cost of malpractice insurance and the practice of preventive medicine (giving redundant or unnecessary tests).

Malpractice insurance per doctor costs as much as $100,000 per year. “American Thinker” magazine estimates that the medical industry spends up to $100 billion per year on malpractice insurance.

That savings could be passed along to Medicare and private patients. Washington could impose reasonable caps on punitive damages and address frivolous lawsuits. Let’s put normal Americans ahead of trial lawyers.

2. Roll back excessive environmental restrictions.

Allow Americans to begin harvesting our natural resources again. Allow Americans to harvest our timber on public lands, to begin drilling again in the Gulf and off our coasts, to begin drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

For decades we have successfully and safely drilled in Prudhoe Bay, which is just up the coast from ANWR. Currently, the U.S. imports $400 billion in foreign oil each year. That is enough money to pay 10 million workers $40,000 per year if kept in our country.

3. Tell Obama’s EPA to reverse its designation of CO2 as a pollutant. CO2 is an important “plant gas” and only makes up four one-hundredths of 1 percent (.04 percent) of the atmosphere.

This unnecessary designation is blocking the expansion of heavy industry and energy plants that America needs for a productive future. Instead, we need to fast-track the construction of nuclear power plants to produce cheap, safe and clean energy to power competitive industry.

4. Close our borders and begin deporting illegal aliens.

There are between 12-15 million foreigners illegally in our country, taking Americans’ jobs and consuming Americans’ limited public benefits. Coincidentally, there are 14 million Americans unemployed.

In the 1950s, President Eisenhower implemented “Operation Wetback” wherein he deported illegal aliens to open jobs for people of all races legally here in America.

Having worked in construction since the ’70s, I’ve personally seen a huge increase in the number of illegal aliens taking construction jobs from Americans who carry the heavier burden of taxes, insurance, bonds and contractor’s licenses. I have personally lost contracts to those illegally working in this country.

5. Drug test all Americans who collect welfare or unemployment benefits. Why should the taxpayers pay to support people who can’t work or won’t work because of drug dependency? Then use the saved money to offer them treatment and get them on their feet again.

6. Reform federal union laws.

It was the excessive greed and power of trade unions that rendered American industry uncompetitive and drove those good jobs overseas.

Now it is the excessive greed and power of public employee unions that are driving our federal, state and local governments into bankruptcy. The state cost of PERS in Oregon alone has risen from $900 million last biennium to $2 billion in the current biennium. That is a 122 percent increase in one term!

That is why school districts across the state are laying off teachers in droves. And without drastic action like we saw in Wisconsin and Ohio, it will only get worse here in Oregon.

None of these steps will be popular. But our political leaders have to decide which is more important to them: being popular or restoring the American economy.

President Obama needs to put the bumper sticker on his car that says, “Keep honking. I’m reloading.”

2 Comments - Share Yours!:

Findalis said...

6 good ideas but we have 1 big boob in the White House.

PatriotUSA said...

Not to mention the rest of wackos in his administration!