Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 48 stations) with the accusation that the Obama administration is engaging in a self-fulfilling prophesy when it comes to their attacks on Burger King’s decision to move its corporate headquarters to Canada from Florida in light of its acquisition of Canada’s doughnut chain, Tim Hortons.
“As the Left accuses Burger King of being unpatriotic for avoiding higher taxes by moving to Canada, this issue wouldn’t be a factor if the administration carries through on its pledge to reduce corporate taxes. This hasn’t happened and it won’t happen, so Burger King is cast as a bad player simply because they want to reduce taxes so they can grow and hire more employees in the U.S.,” suggested Neal.
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman agreed, adding that Miami has few Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, and the loss of Burger King will impact the city’s prestige.
Returning to Made in America as a guest was David Harsanyi, a senior editor at The Federalist, who concurred with the show’s take on the Burger King move.
“It’s ridiculous to suggest that the Burger King merger with Tim Hortons is to avoid taxes by moving to another country. While they may move their corporate headquarters to Canada, they still have to pay U.S. taxes for their U.S.-based restaurants. But the Obama administration doesn’t want to deal with the corporate tax rate, which prompted Burger King’s move,” noted Harsanyi.
Harsanyi proposed that politics don’t mesh well with reality when it comes to the economy and competition, which impacts the prices consumers pay and drives job growth.
“We have to avoid engaging in a battle about economic patriotism. Making moves to be profitable and return money to investors is not unpatriotic,” concluded Harsanyi.
Neal segued to a discussion about Warren Buffet’s duplicity when it comes to his proposal that small businesses need to pay more taxes, even while his own companies seek to avoid their own.
“Who is he to dictate what small businesses should pay? It wasn’t that long ago when he was a small entrepreneur himself, but he seems to have conveniently forgotten that struggle. It’s all about survival, and if high taxes prevent us from growing and hiring, the entire economy suffers. But it doesn’t bother him that he can throw roadblocks in front of the Keystone XL pipeline because it will cut into the profitability of his Burlington Northern railroad which ships oil all over the country,” noted Neal, who proposed that Buffet should be fighting on behalf of American entrepreneurs.
Dr. Roffman agreed, adding that there’s nothing wrong with being a capitalist, but when you become a crony capitalist, leveraging your ties to the Obama administration to make more money, you have an administration that is essentially choosing between companies they like with those they don’t.
Seton Motley, a consultant, founder and president of Less Government, returned to the show.
Responding to Neal’s estimate that federal regulations add a $1.8 trillion burden on American business, Motley added that regulations also cost every family about $15,000 a year.
“Remember that old kid’s game Red Light-Green Light? Well the federal government plays that game when it comes to regulations. Companies have to stop what they are doing until they know how regulations will impact them. Corporate taxes and regulations are out of control, which is why companies like Burger King elect to move. If I invite you to my home and I attack you with a baseball bat, I shouldn’t be surprised that you choose to leave,” suggested Motley.
The final guest on Made in America was Peter Anthony Andrews, one of the most storied executives in the history of the film and television industry having served as Vice President of Prime Time Programming at NBC, Senior Vice President of Columbia Pictures and Executive Vice President of MGM Studios. Mr. Andrews joined Table 21 Films in early 2011 and is currently CEO of Global Prime Vision.
Andrews discussed the often overlooked economic impact of having TV and motion picture productions shot in a location. Not only does it bring good paying jobs, boost the local economy, but also acts as a promotion that drives tourists to a city. Miami Vice is largely credited with reviving Miami.
“New Mexico, Louisiana and the Carolinas have done a good job providing tax incentives to production companies that shoot there. Canada, in particular, has done a tremendous job luring production companies with 25 – 30 percent rebates after filming is completed. That’s a great incentive to return for other work,” noted Andrews.
Neal and Dr. Roffman moved on to their weekly segment identifying rampant cronyism.
“The EPA always proclaims how sensitive they are regarding the impact of energy sources that may harm the ecosystem. But it doesn’t seem to apply to BrightSource Energy, which creates solar farms for energy production, and receives a good deal of its funding from the U.S. government. Despite the fact the mirrored surfaces of the solar panels act as a death ray that kills some 20,000 animals a year, the EPA turns a blind eye on this. Perhaps because most of the investors are friends and donors of the Obama administration,” concluded Dr. Roffman, who added (tongue in cheek) that perhaps the fried birds could be harvested and donated to a food bank.
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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