As opposed to rules that force them too?
Posted on 09/11/2011 9:57:14 AM PDT by tsowellfan
Washington (CNSNews.com) – While demanding bipartisan support for a $447-billion jobs bill, President Barack Obama questioned whether Republicans want a “race to the bottom” and would allow children to be exposed to mercury.
“The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy,” Obama said in his speech to a joint session of Congress.
“The question is -- the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.”
Sagging in the polls, Obama spoke to an even more unpopular Congress about his plans for reviving the economy. His so-called American Jobs Act – a second stimulus of sorts -- comes more than two years after Democrats passed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The current Obama plan includes extending the payroll tax cut agreed to last year, providing tax incentives for hiring, and providing funding for construction and infrastructure improvements.
Obama also had a response to Republicans’ calls to reduce job-killing regulations.
“What we can’t do -- what I will not do -- is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades,” Obama said. “I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients. I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy.”
“We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top and I believe we can win that race,” the president said.
Obama said the plan would be paid for, but specifics on that would be forthcoming. He said he would ask the recently appointed congressional “super-committee” to find ways of offsetting the bill’s price tag.
He called the plan “balanced,” saying it would “reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts, by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share.”
The president said he thinks Americans are with him on the issue of raising taxes on the rich.
“While most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent citizens and most profitable corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody else gets,” Obama said. “Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary -- an outrage he has asked us to fix. We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake and where everybody pays their fair share, and by the way, I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order.”
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the best thing the government can do is remove barriers to private sector job growth.
"The proposals the President outlined tonight merit consideration," Boehner said in a statement Thursday night. "We hope he gives serious consideration to our ideas as well. It’s my hope that we can work together to end the uncertainty facing families and small businesses, and create a better environment for long-term economic growth and private-sector job creation.”
To the extent any Republicans support “free trade”, it’s a valid criticism.
What we should initiate, is significant import tariffs.
I suggest 100%. This would almost exactly raise enough tariff dollars to replace the entire US federal tax system. Income taxes, all of it.
Tariffs. It’s how America originally worked. We seem to have become a global superpower back then.
Import tariffs.
Across the board. One rate. No loopholes. No exceptions. Everything imported into America.
Of course since import tariffs are on ... imports, this would mean zero taxes on anything made, grown or drilled out of the ground right here in the United States of America.
Jobs would start blossoming across America, immediately, to compete with the now less competitive imported prices...
American companies would no longer find “outsourcing” to be attractive, nor profitable. Products invented in the United States, would NOT be made in China - rather things invented in America would create jobs in America.
America first.
As opposed to rules that force them too?
That would be a great idea... if only we exported anything besides Maine Lobsters and California Oranges.
I think we're in much deeper trouble than you know.
Oh I know.
That is why I am suggesting a solution.
I agree with you about import duties. Although many here and elsewhere in conservative circles have bought into the “free trade” mantra. I believe in free trade within the US, and possibly among the most faithful of allies, but managed, bi-lateral trading agreements with everyone else. The best way for us to restore our economy to starting making stuff here again.
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
projection, camrade obama.
you project your evil onto others.
And this is a "race to the top."
Everything about this President is racial.
The only group that supports this President via a majority in polling data is African-Americans. We are in "reparations" territory, and Obama will keeps the spigot open until the well runs completely dry. Period.
Bill Clinton wants a race to the bottom.
0bama already won that race.
“..Wait a minute - you are driving we are in the back of the bus!”
Exactly. Someone explain to president Stupid that if the FIRST stimulus of $700 billion did NOT work, what are the chances another $500 billion will???
Go back to Kenya, you klown!
This jug eared semi-Kenyan spouts whatever buzz words and platitudes make him seem intelligent and sophisticated. He’s just reading off scripts fed into his teleprompter. Other than that he hasn’t a clue. He has never lived in or participated in the real world of labor, production and commerce nor have most of his appointments who are academics and apparatchiks who have been in Gov’t all their “working” life
The republicans can should take tax cuts and make them permanent.. (as possible)..
With savings to many other programs.. like energy, health and welfare.. and agriculture and some changes to military spending..
The military should bring home all (by a few) personnel in Japan, Korea and Europe.. and maybe Iraq...
They could one up the POTUS in several ways.. then let the Potus VETO THAT...
Call it Cut and Cap revisited... with another name...
Even just reading the words, ugh....!
It would be hard to beat Obama in a race to the bottom.
WAKE UP AMERICA!!
OBAMA is no different than the 911 HIGHJACKERS.....he's a MUSLIM TERRORIST who has Highjacked the government and is flying the FIFTH AIRPLANE into our economy.
DOWN WITH OBAMA NOW!!
#1 MUSLIM TERRORIST!!
If it has a price tag, it's not paid for. If it's paid for, then the price tag is $0.
poof, gray big time.. or just the lighting?
Ah yes Barack, we get it, Republicans want to KILL KIDS!!! Republicans want to THROW OLD PEOPLE OFF CLIFFS!!! Republicans want to POISON EVERYBODY!!! AAAAAARGH!!!
NO FRICKING WAY!!
At the beginning of the 1929 stock market crash - things got bad ....but Congress (Republicans - Smoot and Hawley) pushed for a Trade/Tariff bill “to protect our companies from foreign imports”.
Well - the other countries retaliated with similar tariffs - and the result made bad things FAR FAR WORSE.
At present, the US is the biggest seller of goods to foreign markets - but - we buy an awful lot from other countries.
Now ...maybe “selective” equivalent tariffs ...i.e. -tell China that we will have tariffs to match any/all tariffs that they put on our products coming into China. AND -tell China that we will have big time fines for their failure to protect intellectual property (i.e. - no more software theft...no more building/selling products that violate US patents, etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.