Neal Asbury began his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 48 stations) with some well-deserved recognition for the state of North Dakota, which has dramatically turned around its economy and employment picture – lessons that should be emulated by the federal government.
Made in America welcomed North Dakota Republican Senator, John Hoeven to the show. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
He is leading a revitalization of the state that started when he was governor and today has seen North Dakota’s average personal income ranking change from 38th in 2006 to 6th place in 2012. Department of Commerce data shows that over those six years, North Dakota’s per capita personal income went from 14 percent below the national average to 25 percent above.
“While a lot of our growth is connected to The Bakken Shale field, we are spurring growth in renewable energy, applied manufacturing, technology, agriculture and aerospace. People are recognizing that we’re a business-friendly state, and skilled workers from surrounding states are coming to North Dakota, where once they were leaving the state,” noted Hoeven, who added that the state is making a big push to give jobs to returning veterans who have the work ethic and skills that are attractive to employers.
Neal recounted a conversation with a high school friend of his who is a successful recruiter in Pittsburgh, and is sending many well-paid automobile engineers and lean manufacturing managers from the Midwest to North Dakota to build windmills.
“There are some very basic solutions to growth: create an economic climate that welcomes business; promote growth policies; and support entrepreneurialism–our job creators. We need to promote the idea that America is the greatest place in the world to do business,” concluded Hoeven.
Neal and Dr. Roffman continued the discussion about the achievements being made by states despite the current administration’s policies, which have caused so many Americans to give up on looking for work and may never return to the workforce.
“North Dakota was once defined by the film Fargo, but the state is not a punch line anymore. They are creating jobs, but more importantly, are helping people believe in America again. Contrast North Dakota to the collapsing economies of California and New York, whose solution is to pass a millionaire’s tax. That doesn’t boost the economy it depresses it,” suggested co-host Dr. Rich Roffman, who added that progress is being made almost exclusively by red states, while blue states are languishing.
Neal agreed, advocating for sound principles that help America believe in itself again: put people first; support entrepreneurs; reduce over-taxation and over- regulation; don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers; support an energy policy that reduces dependence on foreign oil; and combat unionism in favor of right-to-work.
Made in America welcomed Jerry Rogers to the show, who is vice president of the Institute for Liberty, and is trying to muster support for preventing the merger of Comcast and MSNBC, which he ties to hyper-cronyism.
“It’s no secret that Comcast and Time Warner are the two least liked cable companies, and it won’t help when people discover the cronyism behind the merger. It’s another Obama example of supporting big government, big business and big unions. People need to wake up to the fact that the country is ignoring the antitrust legislation passed in the last century, and which are contributing to the growing frustration that taxpayers are being left out of the loop,” said Rogers.
Rogers proposed that this cronyism can occur because Eric Holder is running the most politicized Department of Justice in the country’s history.
“We need to elect public servants that are willing to put people first. Power and influence can only be useful when they are legitimate. This merger puts the legitimacy of this administration into focus,” warned Rogers.
Dr. Roffman noted when media giants like Comcast and MSNBC merge, there is a real danger that viewers won’t be getting the real truth about the news they are watching.
The final interview on Made in America was with return guest Alan Tonelson, the author of The Race to the Bottom, which looks at why current globalization policies are undermining the U.S. economy.
“President Obama must have been smoking something when he advocated for doubling exports in five years. From the last quarter of 2009 until the last quarter of 2013, inflation adjusted data puts the rise in U.S. exports at 34 percent, making it doubtful that exports will double,” noted Tonelson.
Neal asked Tonelson if the 17 Free Trade Agreements the U.S. has with other countries is boosting our economy.
Tonelson agreed that they bring some economic benefits but characterized the trade agreements as lopsided, allowing politicians in other countries to manipulate trade policies and create artificial terms.
“You can’t have a one-size fits all trade policy when you are trading with such a diverse group of foreign governments. Our trade policy needs to change, especially if we want to turn around this sluggish economy. But Congress doesn’t seem to be motivated to do anything and it looks doubtful that they’ll grant President Obama the trade authority he needs to negotiate free trade agreements, so the process remains stalled,” according to Tonelson.
Neal and Dr. Roffman continued their discussion of cronyism, with the startling news that the University of Tennessee has been given a $4.8 million grant to encourage more young people to eat vegetables and fruit.
“One might think that this directly ties to Michelle Obama’s crusade to reverse childhood obesity, which isn’t a bad thing. But even her own White House pastry chef is turning his back on the crusade and quit because he could no longer live with Michelle’s demonization of eggs, butter and cream,” revealed Dr. Roffman.
Dr. Roffman also turned up a huge conflict of interest at the EPA where 15 of the 20 members of the EPA’s supposedly independent advisory board have accepted a combined $180 million in outside consulting fees, which lead to Dr. Roffman to wonder how they could possibly render unbiased opinions about a case that comes before the board. And so it goes.
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.nealasburysmadeinamerica.com.
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