The U.S. Economy and Jobs

POSITION PAPER
THE U.S. ECONOMY AND JOBS

Government’s responsibility concerning the U.S. economy and job market is to establish a sound business climate that fosters entrepreneurship and the private capital investment needed to create, expand, and maintain business – especially small business, the job-creating backbone of our free enterprise system.

The ultimate unemployment program is a private sector-created job. Why? Because government does not create wealth; government only redistributes and often squanders the wealth created by the private sector.

Unfortunately, so long as the liberals who dominate Washington, D.C. continue to embrace government as the answer to our economic troubles, the economy will sputter, unemployment and underemployment will remain at unacceptably high levels, Americans will struggle, and the deficit and national debt will continue to explode. Government meddling in the economy is not the solution; government meddling is a big part of our economic problems.

My top domestic priority in the Congress will be the enactment of Reagan-JFK economic policies that encourage private sector investment and small business job creation. Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy demonstrated that cutting individual and business taxes across-the-board, lowering taxes on capital gains, eliminating burdensome regulations and red tape, and restraining domestic federal spending, is the commonsense formula that unleashes the magic of our dynamic free enterprise system.

Yet, President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and devoted liberal followers like Tim Walz place their faith in big-government and tax-and-spend programs that empower bureaucrats to redistribute income and hand-pick winners and losers in the economy. But as we know all too well, such socialist schemes skew the marketplace, create unintended hardships, and discourage risk-taking, innovation and job creation.

Instead of enacting much needed private sector incentives, the liberal Democrats keep driving up the cost of business and creating marketplace uncertainties – raising personal income and business taxes, imposing draconian regulations upon employers, and threatening increased energy and health care costs with their Cap and Trade and Obamacare monstrosities. Given the state of the economy and the anti-growth policies coming out of Washington, D.C., is it any wonder that business investment remains flat?

To make matters worse, Tim Walz continues to vote for the Obama-Pelosi agenda of tax, borrow, spend and expand government. Walz’s vote for the $1 trillion stimulus make-work “jobs” bill was an irresponsible “pipedream” that needlessly drove up the deficit and failed to keep unemployment in check (Democrats promised jobless levels of 8% or less, but current unemployment is almost 10%). Added to this is Walz’s recent vote to increase the public debt limit by an additional $2 trillion (to an astronomical $14,300,000,000,000), which, conveniently, authorizes just enough borrowing to get through the congressional mid-term elections.

The unprecedented level of federal spending unleashed by the Obama administration and the liberal Congress is unsustainable and places our Nation and way of life at great risk. The federal government is spending America’s youth (and generations not yet born) into a life of confiscatory taxation, economic tyranny and government servitude.

Simply stated, we must put the lid on federal spending and reverse course immediately or the United States stands to become a failed, debtor nation that could slide into default much like Iceland and Zimbabwe.

Unfortunately, Tim Walz remains the most liberal Congressman in the history of southern Minnesota and his lock-step allegiance to the Obama-Pelosi agenda is an impediment to restoring our economy and the greatness of America.

By contrast, I understand that the United States became the world’s preeminent economic and military power specifically because of the innovation and work ethic of the American people and the enormous wealth created through our free enterprise system.

As a conservative who honestly and openly opposed the big-spending, big-government ways of both Republicans and Democrats this past decade, I can be counted upon to fight the liberal establishment and turn Washington, D.C. inside-out-upside-down.

I am committed to casting the tough votes needed to address our economic plight, slash the bureaucracy and reverse course in Washington, D.C. As 1st District Congressman I will humbly serve you and fervently defend the principles that made our Country great.

Jim Hagedorn
Republican Candidate for Congress
Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District