Posted 12:52 am Friday, January 27, 2012
Obama’s ‘Blueprint’ A Design For Failure
As we learn more about President Barack Obama’s “Blueprint For An America Built To Last,” the more skeptical we become. Outlined — but just barely — in his State of the Union Address, his “Blueprint,” now available on the White House website, contains a rehash of failed ideas and programs.
“Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last — an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values,” Obama said on Tuesday night.
The defects are in the details, however.
How does he plan to rebuild American manufacturing?
“Take away the deduction for outsourcing, make companies pay a minimum tax for profits and jobs overseas, and reward companies for bringing jobs back to America,” the “Blueprint” says. So far, so good. It gets slightly better. “Lower tax rates for companies that manufacture and create jobs in the United States.”
“Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last — an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values,” Obama said on Tuesday night.
The defects are in the details, however.
How does he plan to rebuild American manufacturing?
“Take away the deduction for outsourcing, make companies pay a minimum tax for profits and jobs overseas, and reward companies for bringing jobs back to America,” the “Blueprint” says. So far, so good. It gets slightly better. “Lower tax rates for companies that manufacture and create jobs in the United States.”
The United States has the highest corporate tax rate of any developed nation; any progress made on that front would be beneficial to the economy.
But then the “Blueprint” gets worrisome: “Get tough on trade enforcement.”
That usually means tariffs or trade barriers, which only ever mean reciprocal barriers erected by our trade partners (read: China).
But the last point here is the most ludicrous: “Create more jobs and make us more competitive by rebuilding America using half of the savings from ending foreign wars.”
That’s not how it works. Presidents love to talk about “peace dividends,” as if ending a war means there’s a big pot of money they’ll be able to use for programs back home. But that’s not how wars are financed.
Both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were “off the books.”
But then the “Blueprint” gets worrisome: “Get tough on trade enforcement.”
That usually means tariffs or trade barriers, which only ever mean reciprocal barriers erected by our trade partners (read: China).
But the last point here is the most ludicrous: “Create more jobs and make us more competitive by rebuilding America using half of the savings from ending foreign wars.”
That’s not how it works. Presidents love to talk about “peace dividends,” as if ending a war means there’s a big pot of money they’ll be able to use for programs back home. But that’s not how wars are financed.
Both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were “off the books.”
As the Associated Press points out, “The idea of taking war ‘savings’ to pay for other programs is budgetary sleight of hand. For one thing, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been largely financed through borrowing, so stopping the wars doesn’t create a pool of ready cash, just less debt. And the savings appear to be based at least in part on inflated war spending estimates for future years.”
Next, Obama’s “Blueprint” lists “skills” initiatives to help get Americans back to work. Good for him. A number of them look promising; “Help start-ups and small businesses succeed and create jobs by reforming regulations and expanding tax relief” is one good example.
But many are either troubling or downright scary. He calls on Congress to act to “attract, prepare, support, and reward great teachers to help students learn.”
But federal involvement in education has been an abject failure. If you truly want to improve the quality of our nation’s teachers, stop bowing to the teacher unions, which defend the worst of the worst, and allow meaningful school choice.
And finally, Obama calls for “equal pay for equal work.” That’s a great slogan, fits well on a sign, but what does it mean?
Presumably, it means a woman should earn the same salary as man, performing the same job (he specified this in his address). And sexual discrimination is already illegal. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was signed into law by Obama on Jan. 29, 2009 — it affords substantial protections and remedies to women.
Also, a glance at recent demographic data shows women are making significant gains on their male counterparts — they graduate college in greater numbers, for example.
We need new ideas from this president. Not rehashed, failed programs from the past.
Next, Obama’s “Blueprint” lists “skills” initiatives to help get Americans back to work. Good for him. A number of them look promising; “Help start-ups and small businesses succeed and create jobs by reforming regulations and expanding tax relief” is one good example.
But many are either troubling or downright scary. He calls on Congress to act to “attract, prepare, support, and reward great teachers to help students learn.”
But federal involvement in education has been an abject failure. If you truly want to improve the quality of our nation’s teachers, stop bowing to the teacher unions, which defend the worst of the worst, and allow meaningful school choice.
And finally, Obama calls for “equal pay for equal work.” That’s a great slogan, fits well on a sign, but what does it mean?
Presumably, it means a woman should earn the same salary as man, performing the same job (he specified this in his address). And sexual discrimination is already illegal. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was signed into law by Obama on Jan. 29, 2009 — it affords substantial protections and remedies to women.
Also, a glance at recent demographic data shows women are making significant gains on their male counterparts — they graduate college in greater numbers, for example.
We need new ideas from this president. Not rehashed, failed programs from the past.
