Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America by warning that with today’s economy and taxes, 25 percent of low wage retail jobs are going away, predicting that high unemployment and under-employment are the “new normal.”
Joining the show as a first time guest was Iain Murray, who heads the Center for Economic Freedom at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which works to ensure that voluntary economic transactions remain free from government coercion and control.
“The carbon tax and Cap and Trade were missing from the debate during the election. Now even conservatives are favorably considering the carbon tax because they see it as a way to generate revenue that will help keep America from the fiscal cliff,” said Murray.
Murray explained that while that it may raise revenue, rising energy prices will hurt the poor the most, because every time they fill up their gas tank or plug in an appliance, they won’t be able to afford it. Consequently, much of the new revenue will be converted into government assistance.
“This may surprise people but the big energy companies like Exxon are now in favor of Cap and Trade because it will attack coal. Since many energy companies have invested in natural gas, which competes against coal, when coal prices rise, so will the price of natural gas. And who will pay for the rise in energy? Every American consumer,” proposed Murray.
Neal and his co-host Dr. Rich Roffman, resumed the conversation about low wage retail jobs. They want to see new manufacturing jobs created so that low wage retail workers can move up to higher paying jobs.
“We have progressives beating up retailers for low wages. But Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million workers, and they can do it because there aren’t any unions. But Obamacare will cost retailers millions of dollars, which isn’t conducive to hiring and retaining employees. Obamacare will cost a family of four about $15,000 a year. How can a low wage employee afford that?” asked Neal.
Dr. Roffman reminded listeners that if Wal-Mart was a country, it would be China’s sixth largest trading partner.
“People want products with low prices and Wal-Mart fills that need. They make their money not on margins but on volume. People want cheaper goods, and it helps Wal-Mart employ lots of employees,” said Dr. Roffman.
Neal’s next guest was return guest Andrew Langer, President Institute for Libertypresident of Institute for Liberty, Andrew Langer, President Institute for Liberty, discusses the Hostess bankruptcy and what might become of the Twinkie. an aggressive defender of the rights of individuals to pursue the American dream.
“We’re seeing iconic companies like Hostess folding. It’s a sign of how Obama is reshaping the American economy. There’s no outcry when unions make outrageous demands and won’t make any concessions, costing thousands of jobs. It’s just selfish, but they are emboldened by Obama,” said Langer.
Langer hinted that it may not be a coincidence that as Michelle Obama advocates healthier eating that a snack company like Hostess is left hanging in the wind.
“What we’re seeing are some elitists that think they know better than you do about your health and about how to run your business,” concluded Langer.
Lowell Ponte, Radio Host, former think tank futurist, former editor of Reader’s Digest Magazine, and a columnist at Newsmax.com, joins Neal to discuss: “Should America secede from the dollar?” Made in America’s final guest was Lowell Ponte Ph.D., a former think tank futurist and one of the world’s most widely quoted experts on global climate change. Lowell was hailed as “the world’s most widely read investigative science reporter” when he worked at Reader’s Digest Magazine. Along with Craig R. Smith, Ponte wrote “The Great Debasement: The 100-Year Dying of the Dollar and How to Get America’s Money Back.”
“We may think that the government can repeal some things, but they can’t repeal supply and demand. The government keeps dumping money into the economy, but the dollar today is faith-based, and we have an elastic currency. At one time, it was backed by gold, until 1912. Today, a dollar is worth about two cents in comparison to a 1912 dollar. When Kennedy was president, 49.1 percent of our economy went to defense. Today, 2/3 of our economy goes to redistribution of wealth,” said Ponte.
Ponte announced that he would give free copies of his book to listeners who called 800-630-1494.
In his weekly cronyism report, Dr. Roffman reported that on the same day that the Department of Energy gave car battery manufacturer A123 $946,000 to manufacture batteries for the weak selling Chevy Volt, A123’s attorneys were filing for Chapter 11.
“So a company that was given almost $1 million to create U.S. jobs instead laid off all of their employees,” concluded Dr. Roffman
Each week Neal Asbury’s Made in America provides Neal’s insights into the week’s top news stories and their impact on the worlds of entrepreneurship, small business ownership and the overall economy. Neal’s analysis, together with co-host Dr. Richard Roffman, a veteran 30-year publisher with extensive domestic and international experience, takes a non-biased approach based on real life experience in business as an American manufacturer and exporter. Made in America airs nationally each Saturday from 7-8:00 PM on Radio America. Link to Made in America at http://www.nealasbrysmadeinamerica.com.
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