Two-Year Tax, Regulation Moratorium Can Jumpstart Economy
Congressman whose district includes Brighton and Hartland outlines proposal he says could 'unleash $2 trillion' to spur growth.
By Mike Rogers
Americans are understandably sick and tired of partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C.
They want real solutions that will allow the private sector to create real jobs, while finally reigning in Washington's out-of-control spending.
I am proposing a common-sense solution that costs nothing but puts the certainty back in the economy that job creators tell us is so desperately needed.
It could unleash $2 trillion in private sector dollars and wouldn't cost the taxpayers one penny.
This week, I will introduce a one-page bill to prohibit any new taxes or new regulations on America's employers for two years — including the massive new health care mandate coming down the pike.
Job creators tell us there is roughly $2 trillion in private money currently sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invested here in America. The money is not being put to use because employers don't know how much their taxes or regulatory costs will be next year.
Politicians in Washington, D.C., have been threatening higher taxes and more unnecessary regulations at every turn. A business right here in southeast Michigan may want to hire your out-of-work neighbor, but they simply don't know how much that employee will cost in taxes or government mandates next year, or the year after.
With a one-page bill, we can change that.
Other common-sense, bipartisan solutions for which I will continue to advocate include environmentally responsible American energy production that would create at least 1 million jobs and keep billions of dollars on our shores; cracking down on China's currency manipulation, which would create more than 2 million American jobs; and stopping China's cyber theft of American intellectual property, which could save up to $250 billion each year.
To allow the private sector to have access to the capital it needs to grow and create jobs, we must also stop the record Washington borrowing and spending of the past few years. I will continue to advance a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the cut, cap and balance plan, which would cut current federal spending, cap future spending and finally balance the budget.
Continuing to steal from the future opportunity of our children and grandchildren by record deficits and debt cannot be an option.
To help you keep track of this plan, I have launched a Jobs Tracker on my website at mikerogers.house.gov, where you can track the status of these jobs bills.
America has the greatest middle class on the face of the Earth, and it is worth defending. Now more than ever would be a terrible time to introduce new taxes or regulatory burdens that will threaten middle-class jobs or see them shipped to foreign countries that are hungry to steal our way of life.
These are simple, but real, solutions to create jobs at home.
Let's turn down the volume of bickering and get to work.
Editor's note: U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers represents Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, which includes the Brighton and Hartland areas. This opinion column was originally published in The Detroit News on Friday and re-released to the media Monday. You can follow Rogers on Twitter at @RepMikeRogers or on Facebook.
Jordan Genso
2:19 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
How are Hartland residents not insulted by our congressman basically assuming we are all idiots?
"It could unleash $2 trillion in private sector dollars and wouldn't cost the taxpayers one penny."
That statement right there is a perfect example of why people don't trust politicians. No one with a shred of dignity would say that that is an honest sentence. Sure, the government may not spend an additional penny directly as a result of the bill, but by any reasonable understanding of the word 'cost', it is completely false to say it won't "cost the taxpayers one penny." If you put a moratorium on tax increases that are scheduled to occur, that will add to the deficit. Whether it is because of $1 less revenue or $1 increased spending, the cost is the same to the taxpayer.
But taxes are the obvious one. What about regulations that bring in revenue for the government that would be put on hold under his bill? If you stop requiring new permits for public safety, that will cost the taxpayers money.
The sad thing is that Rep. Rogers benefits from furthering the idea that politicians are not to be trusted. His party wants voters to think that the government is untrustworthy, so they do everything they can to try and make that true and then act as if the other side is equally guilty. But that is not the case. There are trustworthy politicians out there (even if Rep. Rogers proves he is not one of them). We as citizens need to make sure they are the ones we elect.