Fair Trade Can Boost Job Creation

Letter

Straight Talk With Sam Fair Trade Can Boost Job Creation

Last week, the President held a jobs summit. The purpose of this summit was to come up with ideas that will help create jobs. With an unemployment rate over 10 percent for the first time in a quarter of a century, I'm glad that the administration has finally gotten the message that Americans need jobs.

The administration's first attempt to help create jobs resulted in a $787 billion "stimulus" bill that did nothing to stimulate our economy. In fact, the White House says that 640,000 jobs have been "created or saved" by the stimulus. As of October 30th, $214.5 billion of the stimulus had been spent. That means that each job "created or saved" cost taxpayers $335,000.

We know that government does not create or save jobs. What government can do though is set the table for economic growth. That is why I believe we should be pursing policies that will help create opportunity for small businesses to grow.

If the President wants to help create jobs, he should immediately submit the three pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to Congress. These trade agreements won't require a tax increase or add to our national deficit. What they will do is create good-paying American jobs in areas like manufacturing and agriculture.

I believe that American farmers and manufacturers can compete with anyone in the world as long as it's a level playing field. Rather than trying to tax, spend and bail our way to prosperity; Congress ought to be helping create the conditions for economic growth.

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