Economy First

Statement

Economy First

As the government was busy taking over healthcare, another bill was signed into law on March 18, the $17 billion federal jobs bill.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel probably summed this bill up best with its headline: "Newly Signed Jobs Bill Unlikely to Spur Hiring." The main features of the bill offer small businesses the opportunity to save nine months' worth of Social Security payroll taxes for each worker they hire who has been out of work for 60 or more days and the employer gets an extra $1,000 credit if that employee stays on board for one year.

And on the 24th, The House approved (the Senate has yet to touch) a $16.8 billion jobs bill that includes the extension of a federal program intended to spur infrastructure projects by local governments -- essentially, a tax break for state and local governments -- that will create few private sector jobs.

Unemployment hovers around 10 percent, Democrats claim recovery is their top priority and these are their solutions to our economic crisis? These are the efforts to get America back to work and help her prosper again?

Pretty small potatoes, when you compare it to the health care bill or the stimulus bill. And much like the stimulus package, these will have few results and make little impact.

At town hall meeting after town hall meeting, I have heard our residents say they need jobs. Wisconsin residents are hurting. But the priority has been the health care overhaul -- this excuse of a jobs bill was an afterthought. The whole thing leaves us with more government spending, more IRS agents and fewer doctors to provide care.

Over the last year, Republicans have put forth numerous bills focused on economic recovery that have been ignored. In my opinion, and from what we've already seen, the government is big enough and more government jobs are not sparking our economy. It's the private sector, the small businesses, the backbone of our economy, that will get things up and running again.

During the last decade, according to the Small Business Association, private sector jobs have generated 60-80 percent of net new jobs annually. They are the ones we need to help as best we can so that more business comes their way and they have a need to hire more employees.

It is time to put the partisanship behind us. It's time to put the economy first.

We must work together to help America's small businesses succeed. Right now, many businesses are scared that they will soon be facing increased taxes and mandates as a result of the health care legislation. And while much of that is true, we must focus on increasing the confidence of businesses that the government will not further hamper their ability the create work. We should offer them long-term tax relief so that we can experience long-term economic recovery.

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