Do ‘job creators’ really create jobs?Date: 10/17/2011 By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
I do love language and I’m noticing how many Republicans are using a new phrase when describing proposals to raise income tax rates on the very rich.
They now say, “job creators” to describe this demographic group. Naturally, even though people such as William Buffett, among other wealthy people, have urged Congress to raise tax rates on people in his wage class, the standard line is the Bush-era tax cuts on “the job creators” must stay in place in order to grow jobs.
Really? The logic is the very rich in this country are the ones controlling job development. Please show me how the current rates, which have been in place for years, have actually created jobs. Where are and what are these jobs?
By almost any analysis, the bulk of the jobs created in this country come from what is described as “small business,” not from the very wealthy.
As I cover stories in this area, I see people starting small businesses and hiring people. They are participating in one of the cornerstones of the American dream. The job growth is coming from them.
For example, my foster daughter has a successful business and she is starting another. She and her husband are middle class, not super rich and they are job creators, but would the Republican dogma we see on display in Washington D.C. help them?
No.
Last week, the Patrick Administration — a whole bunch of those terrible Democrats you hear about on FOX — announced a $150,000 grant that will help the precision machining industry here in the area. The grant will help pay for training so the employees of those companies can develop skills that allow the companies to remain competitive.
Many of the local precision machining operations fall under the classification of being a small business. If they can remain competitive, they can grow and growth could mean additional jobs.
This grant is a great example of what government can do to work with employers to stimulate business growth. It’s not about pork. It’s not about graft. It’s about identifying an action to help businesses address a key problem.
Granted, there are large companies that are investing in expansion and job growth, but the current Republican talking point is that those companies are the only ones that matter.
The talking point also makes a huge leap in logic that taxing a personal income translates into a corporate action about job development. Again, I’d like to see examples of how raising the personal income rate on an individual would compel that person to go down to his or her business and slash jobs.
This argument is really about maintaining a status quo in this country for a small but vastly powerful group, not about any sort of tax reform that would approach achieving parity.
***
For many years, I worked in Holyoke and grew quite fond of the Paper City. I acknowledge it has its issues — as do all urban centers — but I have never felt unsafe there.
It has a lot to offer in terms of history and culture and the annual Discover Holyoke event on Oct. 22 is a great introduction to the city and what it offers.
A wristband that costs $1 allows participants entrance into both free and reduced admission features, ranging from performances, exhibits and demonstrations.
Please consider adding Discover Holyoke to your schedule on Oct. 22.
Hey, agree with me? Disagree? Drop me a line at news@thereminder.com or at 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. As always, this column represents the opinion of its author and not the publishers or advertisers of this newspaper.
|
