Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 70 stations) with a sense of optimism that the Supreme Court will send Obamacare back to Congress for a major overhaul revolving around federal subsidies. A new study found that one of the unintended consequences of Obamacare is that employers are reducing the hours of part-time workers so the employer would not be required to pay health insurance.
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman added that the survey found that 14 percent of employers are reducing part-time hours and that another 6 percent are considering following suit.
The first guest on Made in America was Representative Lee Zeldin, who was elected to the United States Congress to represent New York’s First Congressional District on the east end of Long Island.
Zeldin echoed the comments of Neal and Dr. Roffman that Obamacare was hurting part-time workers. What’s worse is that to get behind the threshold of employment numbers that forces employers to buy health insurance, some employers are hiring illegal workers so that they don’t count on the employment rolls.
“Obamacare is just not working. There’s no secret pathway that allows employers or workers to buy affordable healthcare insurance. It’s worse for seniors who are seeing cuts in Medicare Advantage and have fewer choices when it comes to physicians. They are feeling very insecure and they have little faith in Obamacare,” proposed Zeldin.
The Congressman agreed with Neal and Dr. Roffman that Obamacare will be a critical issue during the 2016 elections.
Neal and Dr. Roffman segued to a discussion on global warming, particularly to a shocking ruling that FEMA will withhold disaster relief payments to states that don’t have a global warming policy in place for their state
“This is pure coercion. They are punishing people who don’t agree with their stance on global warming. Worse, it is withholding the money that was paid by the state’s taxpayers,” remarked Neal.
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman concurred, noting that Left Progressives want control. They are using the EPA to punish a state’s energy users who rely on coal and will not be able to meet their energy needs, while withholding the money they would need in an emergency if their energy supplies go down.
Neal noted that if the U.S. builds 40 nuclear power reactors, we could replace all coal-burning plants so that carbon emissions would be a non-issue. But the Left doesn’t want that either.
Meanwhile, according to Dr. Roffman, France and Russia are using nuclear energy to meet their country’s energy needs – even loading generators onto barges that can serve smaller communities.
Joining the Made in America discussion was Stephen Moore from The Heritage Foundation who characterized the global warming fight as something that has taken on a religious fervor.
“We’re at a point where if you don’t buy into global warming, you are wrong. The discussion has been so frenetic that only 33 percent of Americans are even concerned about global warming. Of the 15 major issues facing America, global warming is number 15,” suggested Moore.
Moore contends that scientists have a reputation for making major pronouncements only to have to backtrack when their findings are proven wrong. Global warming will be one of those issues.
“What is so troublesome is that we aren’t even allowed to question or debate scientists about their global warming predictions,” concluded Moore.
The final guest on Made in America was Dan Ikenson from The Cato Institute who agrees with many Republicans that the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) should be eliminated since 75 percent of the companies getting EXIM credit are large corporations that really don’t need the money.
Neal strongly disagreed, noting that as an exporter, banks don’t give him the credit he needs to compete on the global stage, so he uses the EXIM bank to help guarantee his line of credit. If EXIM went away, there currently is no replacement.
“Small and medium-sized companies have other ways to get money other than through EXIM. In fact, EXIM has squeezed out smaller banks that could have been a loan source for small businesses. EXIM hurts U.S. companies and global customers,” contended Ikenson.
Dr. Roffman took exception to his contention that small companies have access to capital, noting that Dodd-Frank has essentially shut down small community banks that were once the primary source of funding for small businesses. Dr. Roffman added that SMEs in Florida depend on EXIM guarantees.
“EXIM helps companies achieve their dreams. They need the resources of EXIM. Ironically, while Republicans push for free trade, they are attacking something that helps free trade for American companies,” noted Neal.
As part of his ongoing segment on the rise in robots, Dr. Roffman suggested that Japanese television viewers are in for a new experience when a robot named Pepper will emcee a TV show on TV Tokyo, where he will talk to audience members, tell jokes and do tricks, and they won’t have to pay him much,” quipped Dr. Roffman.
Meanwhile, in England, robots will be replacing service animals for the blind.
“A wonderful idea, as long as the batteries don’t die,” 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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