Free Republic

It's suddenly fashionable in Washington, D.C., to lament the hemorrhaging of US manufacturing jobs. On Capitol Hill, this translates into lots of congressional hearings and "listening sessions" to uncover what is already known about the quandary. American manufacturing has the potential to thrive, but only if politicians come to the same conclusion about one cause of the problem: the cost of government is putting American business at a competitive disadvantage. There is no turning back. Global competition is here to stay. The United States cannot demand that our competitors construct similar tax and regulatory structures to "promote a level playing...

Washington, D.C.—Today, the Small Business Survival Committee (SBSC) released its eight annual rankings of the states according to their respective policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship in the “Small Business Survival Index 2003.” In terms of their policy environments, the most entrepreneur-friendly states under the “Small Business Survival Index 2003” are: 1) South Dakota, 2) Nevada, 3) Wyoming, 4) New Hampshire, 5) Florida, 6) Texas, 7) Tennessee, 8) Washington, 9) Michigan, 10) Mississippi, 11) Alabama, 12) Colorado, 13) Illinois, 14) Virginia, and 15) Indiana. In contrast, the most anti-entrepreneur policy environments are offered by the following: 37) North Carolina,...