Guest post by Craig Dulworth:
I am a job creator. I started a manufacturing business in 2004 and now employ 35 people.
Where are the jobs? It is as plain as the nose on your face. All you have to do is look at the industrial parks and shuttered manufacturing facilities in this country. Millions of jobs have left and thousands of plants lie idle.
The answer to the jobs question is quite simple. To have jobs one must make the goods that are going to be consumed. The problem in this country is Americans aren’t willing to pay an extra few pennies or dollars for higher quality made in America goods.
If Washington DC would put the effort into manufacturing that they put into banking you would see this country and economy revitalized. Banks are a service to leverage job growth. In today’s America we give the banks money for free so they can invest in commodities rather than lending to the true job creators.
Common sense has left Washington as has science and simple math. To right the wrongs of decades requires difficult choices. Social Security must be means tested. Healthcare should be universal and government provided. I would gladly exchange more in taxes to eliminate the cost of paying for employee health insurance and the out of control costs. I would come out ahead as would my business. Medicare for all should be the call of the day for all small businesses.
The tax code needs revision to make is simpler, removing deductions and loop holes, make the code more progressive. As a small business owner I pay the full rate for all income of the business even though most of that money is reinvested. A hedge fund manager pays 15% capital gains rate. Manufacturing creates jobs and strengthens the economy. Manufacturing built this country and the loss of manufacturing is dealing this country a death blow. Manufacturing built the middle class and now we see the middle class dying a slow death.
Washington needs to create policy and tax policy to encourage companies like mine to grow. That will happen with fair trade, not a free trade deal that isn’t worth the paper is written on, end of currency manipulation by China, or tariff Chinese goods if they don’t do these things.
I am a job creator. I pay taxes at the maximum federal rate on both my personal income and company earnings are taxed as personal income. Small business creates jobs but the tax code is written to favor the fortune 500. GE pays nothing and has 1000 tax accountants on staff. I pay the max. GE sends jobs to China, I create jobs here. Congress needs to make the tax code more fair to reflect what small business does for our economy rather than a code that reflects what lobbyists of major corporations do for them.
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Craig Dulworth owns a small manufacturing company in Indiana.
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This guest post was submitted in response to my query about how the best way to deal with the current economic situation. This post does not necessarily reflect my thoughts and feelings.
Your comments and reactions are, of course, appreciated. Just play nice. I have standards. And I don’t want to have to delete you.
