Recently, Del Nancy Guthrie (D-Kanawha) has made a few comments regarding her views on free market policies. She is under the misconception that free market policies do not work. She is wrong; the free market is working nationally, but their benefits come to a screeching halt at the West Virginia border.
She says that wages are down, we are losing the manufacturing industry, we in violation of the US Constitution’s Commerce Clause, and that we need more government intervention in order to fix this “crisis”. She is wrong on all four counts.
In fact, according to the National Bureau for Labor and Statistics, “More Than 8.1 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003 In Longest Continuous Months Of Job Growth On Record”.
They went on to say, “110,000 jobs created in September. September 2007 is the 49th consecutive month of job growth, setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted expansion of the U.S. labor market” and thanks to an $8.3 billion reduction in the trade deficit, our exports and Gross Domestic Product have grown 14.8 percent and 3.8 percent respectively.
And as far as the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution and the rights of government to regulate International Commerce, it does that already through the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration. Their roles are to improve economic conditions, promote growth and trade with foreign states. The government further regulates trade by imposing customs, import/export taxes. The federal government also sets quotas. It states the amount of trade that is permissible with other countries.The only crisis here is that we are not seeing this growth within the boarders of the Mountain State .
The changes needed for West Virginia to become a thriving and prosperous state, begin with our legislature. Our businesses need a free-market environment in order to thrive; unfortunately, I do not think that a legislature where Delegate Guthrie’s point of view prevails will enact the prescribed reform.
The reason that we are losing the manufacturing base in our state is because of the poor business climate - just ask the owners of Weirton Steel and Fenton Glass. When you add the costs of regressive taxes and the worst legal climate of the 50 states, businesses simply smother and close their doors resulting more lost jobs.How are businesses expected to have capital to invest to improve their facilities, add more jobs, and raise wages if they are taxed so heavily on profit, on their inventory, and on the machinery and equipment which are necessities in order to make their product?
More taxes are not needed, instead we need a repeal of the Business and Occupational Tax, a repeal in the Business and Franchise Tax, and a repeal in taxes on inventory, machinery, and equipment.
In addition to our atrocious tax policies, our legal climate leaves much to be desired for in regards to attracting any form of business.
How do you expect a business to come to WV and invest when they know the vulnerabilities that await them the first day they open the door? Businesses simply do not trust our judicial system to be fair and balanced.
Our pro-plaintiff judicial system drives up the cost of liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Both high priced liabilities reduce our wages, and they threaten the survival of our employers.
We do not need more government “protectionism” advocated by Delegate Guthrie. We need to abolish Joint and Several liability to replace it with straight liability. The only people that should be forced to pay for damages done are those that are directly responsible for the actions that harm the victim.
We also need to eliminate lawsuits that can be filed without proof of injury. Anyone can enter into a place of business and file a lawsuit of injury without any proof that an actual injury occurred. This has turned our legal system into a lottery.
We have to stop taking baby steps to improve our business climate, and rather take leaps and bounds to attract business, create jobs, and allow current companies to grow creating even more jobs.
The government managed economy advocated by Del Guthrie and her colleagues in the ruling party has failed us for the past seventy-four years. We will never feel the effects of free markets in West Virginia until our government ceases to over regulate and over tax our people. The only alternative to the free markets is government control, which failed in Eastern Europe, and has failed West Virginia .
She says that wages are down, we are losing the manufacturing industry, we in violation of the US Constitution’s Commerce Clause, and that we need more government intervention in order to fix this “crisis”. She is wrong on all four counts.
In fact, according to the National Bureau for Labor and Statistics, “More Than 8.1 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003 In Longest Continuous Months Of Job Growth On Record”.
They went on to say, “110,000 jobs created in September. September 2007 is the 49th consecutive month of job growth, setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted expansion of the U.S. labor market” and thanks to an $8.3 billion reduction in the trade deficit, our exports and Gross Domestic Product have grown 14.8 percent and 3.8 percent respectively.
And as far as the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution and the rights of government to regulate International Commerce, it does that already through the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration. Their roles are to improve economic conditions, promote growth and trade with foreign states. The government further regulates trade by imposing customs, import/export taxes. The federal government also sets quotas. It states the amount of trade that is permissible with other countries.The only crisis here is that we are not seeing this growth within the boarders of the Mountain State .
The changes needed for West Virginia to become a thriving and prosperous state, begin with our legislature. Our businesses need a free-market environment in order to thrive; unfortunately, I do not think that a legislature where Delegate Guthrie’s point of view prevails will enact the prescribed reform.
The reason that we are losing the manufacturing base in our state is because of the poor business climate - just ask the owners of Weirton Steel and Fenton Glass. When you add the costs of regressive taxes and the worst legal climate of the 50 states, businesses simply smother and close their doors resulting more lost jobs.How are businesses expected to have capital to invest to improve their facilities, add more jobs, and raise wages if they are taxed so heavily on profit, on their inventory, and on the machinery and equipment which are necessities in order to make their product?
More taxes are not needed, instead we need a repeal of the Business and Occupational Tax, a repeal in the Business and Franchise Tax, and a repeal in taxes on inventory, machinery, and equipment.
In addition to our atrocious tax policies, our legal climate leaves much to be desired for in regards to attracting any form of business.
How do you expect a business to come to WV and invest when they know the vulnerabilities that await them the first day they open the door? Businesses simply do not trust our judicial system to be fair and balanced.
Our pro-plaintiff judicial system drives up the cost of liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Both high priced liabilities reduce our wages, and they threaten the survival of our employers.
We do not need more government “protectionism” advocated by Delegate Guthrie. We need to abolish Joint and Several liability to replace it with straight liability. The only people that should be forced to pay for damages done are those that are directly responsible for the actions that harm the victim.
We also need to eliminate lawsuits that can be filed without proof of injury. Anyone can enter into a place of business and file a lawsuit of injury without any proof that an actual injury occurred. This has turned our legal system into a lottery.
We have to stop taking baby steps to improve our business climate, and rather take leaps and bounds to attract business, create jobs, and allow current companies to grow creating even more jobs.
The government managed economy advocated by Del Guthrie and her colleagues in the ruling party has failed us for the past seventy-four years. We will never feel the effects of free markets in West Virginia until our government ceases to over regulate and over tax our people. The only alternative to the free markets is government control, which failed in Eastern Europe, and has failed West Virginia .
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