In an Op-Ed to the Washington Times last week (Stop Exporting American Jobs 8/23/11) Rep. Duncan Hunter assiduously notes that very little is being said about jobs moving overseas but he fails to point out the obvious reason why: our government policies are the driving force behind the mass exodus of businesses abroad. A staggering increase in regulations coupled with the the highest corporate tax rate among industrial nations form the foundation of a very anti-business climate in our current administration.
Hunter goes on to suggest that companies are being offered incentives to move overseas, but the reality is that as the government continues to meddle in business affairs, it creates more disincentives to stay here. High taxes, legislation such as Dodd-Frank, and entities such as the EPA, SEC and the NLRB contribute to the rising cost of doing business here. For many companies, moving abroad is a matter of corporate survival.
Mr. Hunter calls for putting American workers first instead of sending them away. For those legislators who insist that government is the solution – instead of recognizing that it is the problem – maybe it is time to send them away. If Congress, of which Hunter is an elected member, did its job putting American workers first by sticking to the Constitution and staying out of the free-market, perhaps our businesses would once again have the liberty to grow and thrive in our great nation.