To create jobs we must produce wealth

Better three years late than never.  The president is to reveal his jobs program tomorrow (Thursday).  You can bet his plan will emphasize spending but will it attack the real problems, which include too many unneeded regulations.  To create jobs and build prosperity for the long term the nation must produce and compete with the world.  We must bring manufacturing jobs back home.  We have done enough for China; let's take care of ourselves now.

Last Saturday USA Today proposed its own plan of seven ways to create jobs.  Most are short term fixes at best, although  two proposals  are included in actions I recommended months ago. Let's  take a look at their plan with my comments.

                         Repair roads and bridges
Shades of the WPA.  Give every unemployed person a shovel and hoe and go dam up  some streams.
Repairing infrastructure will put people to work who are now drawing unemployment insurance, which will lower the effective cost of the program. However, heavy machinery will be utilized so the number of jobs  it creates may be disappointing.  This will likely head Obama's plan.

                         Give states a helping hand
This amounts to swapping state debt for more federal debt, but if Obama proposes this it will benefit him politically.

                        Add workers at a discount
A few workers could be added by some companies if they are rewarded by tax breaks for each new worker.  A very short term benefit.  Again, no real wealth is created, and unless the need for more workers develops, the job will be eliminated.

                        Share jobs to save jobs.
Let's say you were employing 40 people; you now need only 30, so instead of laying off 10, you cut everyone to 30 hours.  It is a little late to do this.  Besides, can you see the postal union, for example, agreeing to this?

                        Lower corporate taxes
Now you're talking sense. This has been one of my major proposals.  Drop that 35 per cent rate low enough for companies to bring back manufacturing to this country.  Also, let corporations bring their money from overseas to this country without taxation and put it to work here making products and hiring workers.

                        Train the jobless
Train them for what?  What's the purpose in training someone for s job that doesn't exist?  Create the jobs and train for them.

                        Cut red tape
Probably the most effective action we could take and it does not cost  a cent.  Eliminate the job-killing and unneeded regulations that the EPA likes to impose.  The feds must get out of the way and let the private sector free to grow, hire and create wealth.

You will note that while this plan has two of my proposals it does not include at least three that should be taken.

                         Repeal Obamacare
This was a horrible plan from the beginning; Obama must agree because he granted  hundreds of exemptions.Small businesses do not know how much it will cost them and the damage it will do to their
operations so they cannot expand.

                         Let the energy industry free

It is about the  only sector adding jobs, and it could create hundreds of thousands, eventually millions, if left alone to make this country self-sufficient in energy.

                        Reduce our imbalance of trade, especially with China
Let's bring back jobs that we have let  go overseas.  To have prosperity we must be competitive and produce goods the world wants and needs.