Where are the jobs?

By Congressman Bob Goodlatte
Republican - VA 6th Congressional District

Just two weeks ago the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest unemployment numbers and once again it was more bad news. The national unemployment rate is at 9.6 percent, with 95,000 jobs lost in the month of September alone.

With joblessness topping 9.5 percent for the past fourteen months in a row, it is the longest such stretch since the Great Depression. Despite this alarming announcement, the Congress continues to pursue an agenda that will further threaten the American economy.

While Americans are asking “Where are the jobs?”, the Majority in Congress continues to demonstrate that they do not appreciate how private sector jobs are created.

Twenty months ago President Obama signed into law the trillion dollar “stimulus” bill on the promise that it would create jobs immediately and keep unemployment below eight percent. The “stimulus” bill has failed to create robust private sector jobs. It certainly proves that the Democrats policies of higher taxes, runaway spending, government takeovers and record debt are having a chilling effect on the nation’s small businesses, the economic engine of our economy.

I am committed to finding real solutions to address our nation’s unemployment crisis. The first thing we must do is remove barriers to employment including the threat of higher taxes, new government regulations and costly mandates. It is common-sense that you should not raise costs and taxes on employers at a time when unemployment is at record levels.

By stopping the looming tax increases it would allow working families to keep more money in their pockets, encourage investment and provide financial relief for America’s small businesses. It would also provide immediate certainty for American job creators so they can hire new workers with the confidence that a higher tax bill is not on the way.

In addition, we must restore confidence in America’s economic future by restraining federal spending. This would allow banks who are financing the debt to invest in more productive activities, like small business growth to help turn our economy around.

Other common-sense solutions for job-growth including reforming the unemployment system to help those out of work find jobs, increasing the education and training of our workforce, and removing unnecessary barriers to domestic energy production.

Energy independence by itself could create millions of American jobs with a national goal of reaching energy independence from foreign oil. The American people want to see an end to the economic uncertainty and a plan to create jobs. Congress must abandon its job-killing, tax-and-spend policies and instead focus on real solutions that will grow our economy, create jobs and get Americans back to work.

To contact me about this or any other matter, please visit my website at www.goodlatte.house.gov.