Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 70 stations) by revealing that during 2014, the Obama administration passed 27 new regulations for each law passed. It is estimated that 75,000 pages of new regulations were written last year, and with 300 regulations already passed in just the first month of 2015, that last year’s numbers could be surpassed.
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman agreed, adding that these regulations hurt the average American and are job killers.
The first guest on Made in America was David Drucker, whose piece in the Washington Examiner—“Here Comes the GOP”—suggested that control of Capitol Hill gives Republicans a new opportunity, if they care to seize it.
“Obama’s extensive use of executive fiat has applied constant pressure on the GOP. Now it’s time for Republicans to use their power and demonstrate that they can govern by passing laws and putting them on the President’s desk. Even if Obama vetoes them, it will show voters that Republicans can get things done and will build the GOP brand,” proposed Drucker,
Drucker suggested that when the Keystone XL Pipeline is approved by congress, even if Obama vetoes it, the GOP won’t be blamed for its demise. And though the GOP won’t be able to override the veto, it will demonstrate that the House and Senate can work together.
“I think the big priority for Republicans is how they handle the spending process and create a workable budget. They also should be able to get bi-partisan support for bolstering border security,” concluded Drucker.
Dr. Roffman and Neal returned to the discussion about overbearing regulations. “Regulations are killing the environment for entrepreneurs and small businesses to succeed. This administration has been so arrogant about using regulations as a club, which is subverting the democratic process. It’s having a negative impact on job creators and these regulations are passed without any oversight or transparency,” noted Neal, whose commercial ice machine manufacturing company could lose business due to an ill-conceived regulation that was passed on New Year’s Eve to avoid any scrutiny.
Dr. Roffman concurred, adding that the EPA has been especially harsh on the coal industry, recently enacting coal ash legislation that will cost the energy industry some $20 billion and will destroy the coal industry.
Neal added that the biggest piece of legislation –Obamacare—will collapse under its own weight whether or not the Supreme Court rules on its legality. Premiums are soaring and many people can’t find a physician covered by the ACA.
The next guest on Made in America was Ryan Young of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who shared Made in America’s long-held contention that the minimum wage does not help the average American. In fact, only 2-3 percent of working Americans are even earning minimum wage.
“The federal government should not be determining minimum wage levels – these should be passed on the State level. People have to recognize that there are tradeoffs. In most cases, when salaries go up, hours and benefits are cut, and layoffs occur. The help comes with the hurt,” proposed Young.
Neal agreed, adding that if the minimum wage rose by 15 percent in the fast food industry, the price of food goes up with it. Neal noted that some recent projections indicted that a Big Mac would rise from $5.69 to $7.82 and a Steak Burrito from Chipotles would rise from $6.65 to $9.14; hurting the minimum wage earners who purchase these products.
“The minimum wage is an emotional issue that is often impacted by the heart – but it should be impacted by the head. The biggest thing this country can do is make minimum wage a non-issue, by bringing back high paying jobs that were exported overseas and by reducing regulations. We’re facing regulation without representation,” noted Young.
Bill Glynn, CEO of Healthy Home Company, was the final guess on Made in America, who predicted that Internet security will be a huge issue in 2015, driving the industry past $1 trillion, as the military and others become more concerned about cyber security, as evidenced by the Sony breach and others.
“A trend that nobody likes is the 3 billion educated people around the world who need jobs, when only 1.3 billion jobs will be created. This lost generation is in deep trouble and the only way to help them is to create a labor environment unencumbered by high taxes and regulations. We can make America the most tax-advantaged country in the world, which will have jobs flowing back into our country,” concluded Glynn.
As part of his ongoing segment on the rise in the development of robots to replace human workers, Dr. Roffman noted that Google is picking up steam on its driverless car which is now ready for road testing. But RoboDynamics has introduced Luna the Personal Robot that costs $999, which will do chores around the home and be your companion. It’ll even walk your dog!
On the cronyism front, it seems the Democrats aren’t the only ones that know how to enrich themselves off their connections. It seems Speaker of the House, John Boehner, despite his professed revulsion over Obamacare, has quietly added $3.5 to $5 million to his stock portfolio by investing in the insurance and medical companies reaping billions off of the ACA.
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.
JAN
