Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 48 stations), by chastising the Obama administration for spending an inordinate amount of time helping the EPA over-regulate industry while paying scant attention to the VA scandal, which is literally killing American veterans.
“It rips your heart out,” noted Neal.
“Obama’s EPA can make knee-jerk decisions on energy regulations with weak research, but when it comes to the VA, all you hear is that the issue needs more study, more research and then we can address the problem,” suggested co-host Dr. Rich Roffman.
Returning to Made in America was Fred Wszolek, a spokesman for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI), who noted that unions, which initially embraced Obamacare, are finding that after actually reading the bill, they don’t like what they see.
“Unions thought that they would get exempted from parts of Obamacare that they didn’t like, but are finding that they were wrong. They actually thought that employers would absorb the higher healthcare costs, which is ridiculous. Now they have egg on their face and have to go back to their members and tell them that their premiums and co-pays will go up,” said Wszolek.
Wszolek proposed that unions think they can get anything they want from the Obama administration, due to their support. But they are finding that when it comes to Obamacare, they are getting most of the same treatment as everyone else.
“The people pushing for minimum wage also expect employers to pick up their healthcare costs. They seem to think that there’s a magic wand that employers can wave and healthcare costs will be free. That’s why I have no sympathy for these unions,” concluded Wszolek.
The discussion between Neal and Dr. Roffman turned to the growing acceptance of back-shoring and re-shoring to drive the Made in America movement and create U.S. jobs.
Neal related his trip to the headquarters of Sam’s Club (part of Wal-Mart), which is making a huge investment in finding ways to have more products made in the U.S. While progress is being made, Neal proposes that it will take a partnership between U.S. consumers, retailers and manufacturers for this movement to succeed.
Dr. Roffman agreed, and suggested that people who criticize Wal-Mart should recognize that because the retailer can keep prices low, customers who ordinarily couldn’t afford products for their family – like shoes, clothing and school supplies—can shop at Wal-Mart.
Joining the show was Susan Ferrechio, from the Washington Examiner, who noted that Congressional lawmakers are looking at privatization to help veterans who are stuck on long waiting lists at medical facilities run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In the House, Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., has promised to introduce legislation that would allow veterans to obtain private care if they are forced to wait longer than 30 days for medical attention within the VA system.
“Privatization is suddenly gaining traction as more reports surface of VA centers creating secret waiting lists to hide backlogs that have in dozens of cases left veterans to die as they wait for medical appointments. The House will intensify pressure on the administration to have VA Secretary Eric Shinseki step down,” said Ferrechio, who added that his case wasn’t helped when it was revealed that 1,700 veterans haven’t even been able to get added to the waiting list.
(NOTE: THE SHOW WAS TAPED PRIOR TO SHINESKI’s RESIGNATION)
The final guest on Made in America was William Yeatman, a Senior Fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who specializes in Environmental Regulation and Energy Markets.
Neal related a story that encapsulates the regulatory fever at the EPA. A manufacturer of ice machines was told during an EPA hearing that his compressor had to reduce its energy emissions by thirty percent using a recommended refrigerant. The EPA failed to acknowledge that this refrigerant would be illegal in two years, which could put the company’s future in peril. When told that some 45 employees would lose their jobs, the commissioners had little sympathy.
“That really sums up the EPA. They have become an authoritarian body that is heartless when it comes to job losses due to their policies. They actually lecture entrepreneurs that if they find ways to reduce energy costs they can make more money. Can you imagine any small business that is not always looking for ways to reduce costs? The trouble is that many of these costs are due to over-regulation,” noted Yeatman.
Yeatman took exception to the Obama administration’s war on fossil fuels, which is part of an extended agenda to blame coal for “killing the environment,” which has not been substantiated.
“The Obama administration’s energy policy continues to be dictated by a small group of influential special interest groups,” maintained Yeatman.
Neal and Dr. Roffman moved on to their weekly segment identifying rampant cronyism.
Dr. Roffman returned to a favorite subject: the financial boondoggle connected to alternative energy like solar and wind which is reaping millions to Obama’s friends and fund raisers.
“A case in point is the $737 million loan from the Department of Energy for a solar farm, which will employ 45 workers. That comes to $16 million per employee. Any sane person would never agree to this travesty, unless one of the investors is the brother-in-law of Nancy Pelosi,” noted Dr. Roffman.
Dr. Roffman also found that the Department of Energy is loaning $47 million to a wind farm in New Jersey being built by a Chinese firm. Trouble is that the wind farm has been voted down twice by New Jersey regulators, so the new money is designed to “sweeten” the deal to force the wind farm’s approval.
“Is this an overture to China? It’s actually an overture to Obama cronies who stand to make millions from this risky venture,” concluded Dr. Roffman.
Each week Neal Asbury’ 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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