America, the Europe of the West?

[Jake Martinez]

Posted on The Heritage Foundation-On July 11, 2011:

“Last night, President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders failed to reach agreement on a deal to raise the nation’s debt limit.

Meanwhile, it has been more than 800 days since the U.S. Senate passed a budget, liberals in Washington are pushing for higher taxes, unemployment is soaring, the deficit keeps growing, and America is careening toward an economic future as the Europe of the West.

That’s a future of crippling debt, spending, and permanently high unemployment that some in Congress are trying to avoid.

On Saturday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R–OH) pulled the plug on a debt ceiling increase that would have raised taxes in exchange for reductions in spending. It was the right move. Tax increases are the last thing America needs as it struggles with 9.2 percent unemployment and stagnant job growth.

But America’s dismal economic reality–and the policy of taxing and spending–are facts of life the Obama Administration would like America to accept, along with their explanation of why growth has been so slow to date.

On yesterday’s Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner insisted that tax increases are necessary (though he used the code words “raising revenues”) and trotted out a long list of reasons why recovery has been so slow, including high gas prices, terrible weather, local governments making cutbacks, and the Japanese earthquake. What’s more, Geithner said that the President is “being too hard on himself”over America’s frustration with the economy and said that “we don’t have the ability, because of the overhang in housing and the problems in the financial system, to do—to engineer artificially . . . a stronger recovery.”

In other words, “It’s not our fault, don’t blame us, and get used to it.” The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Franc says that the White House’s defeatist tone likely will likely fall on deaf ears as Americans demand a future of growth, not decline:

It’s a message of resignation. Yes, it says, we’re doomed for economic decline no matter what, but trust us to manage it more gracefully than anyone else.

But Americans will likely stand athwart such defeatism and say “Stop!” There is no need, they will say, to tolerate European levels of unemployment. It’s an increasingly easy sell: Jettison the President’s European-style economic policies, and you jettison European-style unemployment.

The reality is that Americans need not resign themselves to the future that the White House would have them embrace. Flawed policies are holding back the U.S. economy, and there is room to grow if the government gets out of the way.

As Heritage’s Bill Beach explains that, “Based on our talents, resources, and capital structure, the economy should be growing now at 4—5 percent. That growth rate would produce over 250,000 jobs per month…enough to reduce the unemployment rate.” But because of big government policies, we’re not realizing those gains.

Washington can start on the path toward liberating that entrepreneurial capacity by making the right decisions on the debt limit. Higher taxes aren’t the right direction; cutting spending is.

Heritage’s James Sherk and Rea Hederman write that “Creating a hostile or favorable business climate is a policy choice . . . The tax and regulatory burden is a policy choice made by the government. If America creates a French-style social welfare state that erects barriers to entrepreneurship, then America will also get French levels of unemployment.”

America doesn’t have to be France. It doesn’t have to carry a European-style debt and tax burden. But the White House and congressional leaders must choose to enact policies that reject a European-style future.”

Source:

http://blog.heritage.org/2011/07/11/morning-bell-america-the-europe...

Note: The following articles and/or blog posts and videos relate to this disturbing issue-You Decide:

I. Will Jobless Graduates Hurt Obama’s Reelection?-Posted on National Journal-By Jim Tankersley-On July 11, 2011:

http://nationaljournal.com/magazine/recent-grads-economic-struggles...

II. Obama: Raising taxes in a recession ‘last thing you want to do’!-Posted on The Weekly Standard-BySTEPHEN F. HAYES-On July 11, 2011: 

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-vs-obama_576524.html

III. Get Used to It! Geithner Says the Economy Will Suck “For a Long Time”!-Posted on The State Column-By The State Column Staff-On July 10, 2011:

http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/timothy-geithner-hard-times-...

IV. This Is the Obama Depression!-Posted on NewsMax.com-By Hiram Reisner-On July 10, 2011:

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/NewtGingrich-BarackObama-JohnBoe...

V. The disappearing black middle class!-Posted on Chicago Sun Times-By JESSE WASHINGTON-On July 10, 2011:

http://www.suntimes.com/6397110-417/the-disappearing-black-middle-c...

VI. Obama Plan: 'Spike' Energy Costs and Kill 1.4 Million Jobs!-Posted on WND.com-By Drew Zahn-On July 9, 2011:

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=320209

VII. Under Obama, Tax Revenues Have Exceeded Combined Costs of Interest, Entitlements and Federal Wages!-Posted on CNSNews.com-By Terence P. Jeffrey-On July 8, 2011:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/default-under-obama-tax-revenue...

VIII. 2.4 Million Fewer Americans Working Now Than When Obama Signed Economic Stimulus!-Posted on CNSNews.com-By By Matt Cover-On July 8, 2011:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/24-million-fewer-jobs-obama-sig...

IX. Real Unemployment Rises to 16.2% in June -- 25.3 Million People!-Posted on CNSNews.com-ByMatt Cover-On July 8, 2011:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/real-unemployment-rises-162-jun...

X. Analysis: Flat jobs data signal weakest recovery in decades!-Posted on Yahoo! News-By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer-On July 8, 2011:

http://news.yahoo.com/flat-jobs-data-signal-weakest-recovery-decade...

XI. Liberalism: Out of a Job!-Posted on Pajamas Media-By Richard Fernandez-July 8, 2011:

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2011/07/08/out-of-a-job/

XII. Main Stream Media’s Deplorable Notable Quotables on Debt Solutions!-Posted on July 11, 2011:

http://www.mediaresearch.org/notablequotables/nq/2011/2011071011181...

Note:  My following blog post contains numerous articles and/or blog posts and videos that relate to this disturbing issue-You Decide:

Is it important to understand the Marxist assault on the foundations of our system?

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/is-it-important-to-underst...

Note:  If you have a problem viewing any of the listed blog posts please copy web site and paste it on your browser. Be aware that some of the articles and/or blog posts or videos listed within the contents of the above blog post(s) may have been removed by this administration because they may have considered them to be too controversial.  Sure seems like any subject matter that may shed some negative light on this administration is being censored-What happened to free speech?-You Decide.

“Food For Thought”

God Bless the U.S.A.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E&feature=related

Semper Fi!

Jake