Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 70 stations) by discussing the quandary faced by Americans. While more taxes have been paid than at any time in history, the nation still faces a half trillion dollar deficit. Neal suggested that the reason may be that our tax dollars instead of being used to pare down the debt have instead been squandered in government waste.
The first guest on Made in America was Derek Willis from the Americans for Prosperity, whose organization is working to help Missouri become the 26th state to adopt a Right-to-Work tenet for the state.
“Despite the fact that the Missouri House and Senate voted overwhelmingly for Missouri to become a Right-to-Work state, Governor Nixon has vetoed their request. Now Missouri legislators must amass more votes to overturn the veto. We’ve made 250,000 phone phones and people want the freedom to work without being compelled to join a union. They just want the choice. We’ll find out on September 16,” noted Willis.
Willis agrees that it is a very emotional issue, as it has been in Wisconsin.
“Look, we know that we have had more people join the Missouri chapter of Americans for Prosperity than are members of the Missouri teacher’s union. They know that personal income grows 12 percent more in Right-to-Work states than in other states and that it is coupled with more jobs. I know that there are corporations that will move to Missouri if it becomes a Right-to-Work state,” maintained Willis.
The discussion turned to a favorite Made in America topic: the overreaching of the EPA, which now promises poor minorities that they will benefit from new EPA regulations; although this won’t happen until 2030.
“The EPA doesn’t get it that their policies are hurting the very people they claim they are protecting. Electricity prices would fall immediately if they stopped attacking coal, which has made the U.S. the Saudi Arabia of coal,” proposed Neal.
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman agreed, mocking the EPA’s prognostication that prices will drop in 2030. “Have you ever seen these long range projections actually come true?” asked Dr. Roffman, adding that the EPA doesn’t seem to understand that they aren’t protecting the middle class if they impose strict regulations on ozone that will cost companies more money to meet these regulations that they will have to pass onto everyone else.
As the introduction to the next guest, Neal was saddened that Oreos will now be made in Mexico due to American regulations that cause sugar prices to soar in America.
Dr. Roffman noted that the Oreo manufacturers and other U.S. manufacturers would rather stay in this country, but new regulations are giving them no choice but to move overseas.
Julie Gunlock from the Independent Women’s Forum, was the next guest on Made in America, who blamed the government for picking winners and losers in farming subsidies. As a result, American sugar growers have passed on higher sugar prices so that companies like Oreo have no choice but to seek relief by going overseas.
“It’s a shame that farm subsidies are helping some farmers at the expense of end users. The market should determine prices, not the government. We should praise companies that want to stay here, but congress needs to take care of their constituents in farming, even though they are driving companies out of the country, taking jobs with them,” concluded Gunlock.
The final guest on Made in America was Scott Barnett, founding CEO of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, a chain of shrimp restaurants inspired by the movie Forrest Gump in which Forrest’s army buddy Bubba dreams of his own shrimp company.
“After Forrest Gump became a big hit, Paramount Pictures came and asked us to open a Bubba Gump Shrimp outlet. It was the first time that a successful restaurant opened that paid homage to a single film. The first restaurant was in Monterey, and now we have some 40 restaurants in the U.S. and some overseas, including one in Hong Kong – a dream of mine. We did a test that found that 94% of the public recognizes the name Bubba Gump Shrimp, so we keep growing,” noted Barnett.
Wrapping up the show, Dr. Roffman continued his exploration of the impact robots are having on the labor force. The newest use is having robots take on the often dangerous job of oil drilling, which they can do more safely and cheaply than human drillers. Fracking-abandoned wells seem to be a promising application.
“You gotta love the EPA, which finds ways to waste taxpayer money every chance they get. The newest is spending $84,000 to study the way churches address climate change. Meanwhile, the EPA’s endorsement of wind farms is having unintended consequences. They are killing 574,000 birds and some 880,000 bats, with minimal punishment. And then we have the solar farms where highly polished mirrors act as microwave ovens roasting any unsuspecting animal that soars overhead,” 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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