This is the second in a series of posts detailing a course of action for the new Republican majority in the House and the Senate.
One of the first moves by the new GOP majority ought to be to set up a group that focuses on actions that will help grow the economy. That working group should have members from both the House and the Senate Republicans, and it ought to be mandated to come forward with proposals on a short timetable. America's economy has been in the doldrums long enough. During all the Obama years, the real income of the average America family has fallen. Washington tells us that we are in recovery, but that "recovery" is certainly not felt anywhere but in the wallets of the super-rich. The GOP focus should be on helping the middle and lower income workers. Six year of Democrats handing out plums to their special interest friends and to Wall Street have to end.
Some moves on the economy are easy. Congress should vote to approve the Keystone Pipeline. Obama may veto this, but this is one veto that might get overridden.
Congress should also identify certain regulations that add costs without real benefits in the economy. A good example of this sort of regulation is the EPA rule that basically makes construction or operation of a coal fired power plant impossible. We still get about 40% of our electric power from coal. If the EPA regulation is left untouched, power costs across America will necessarily soar. Do we really want to drive the price of American manufactured goods up particularly when there is no evidence that the coal fired power plants do any harm?
Another move that Congress could make would be to change the definition of part time workers in Obamacare. (This assumes that the repeal is vetoed or otherwise prevented.) Millions of people have lost jobs for 40 hours a week and been forced to work less than 30 hours per week in order to avoid Obamacare coverage and costs. In typical Democrat fashion, they passed a law that moved millions of workers from self sufficiency to a point at which they lost hours and could no longer make ends meet. Even if Obamacare is not repealed, this body blow to the American worker has to be removed.
By the end of February, America's workers ought to understand that for the first time in a long time there is finally a group in Washington that is looking out for them. It is not just a group like the Democrats that says it cares about the poor and the middle income (while consistently delivering blow after blow to them). America's workers need to know that the Republican majority is actually doing something to help them.
One of the first moves by the new GOP majority ought to be to set up a group that focuses on actions that will help grow the economy. That working group should have members from both the House and the Senate Republicans, and it ought to be mandated to come forward with proposals on a short timetable. America's economy has been in the doldrums long enough. During all the Obama years, the real income of the average America family has fallen. Washington tells us that we are in recovery, but that "recovery" is certainly not felt anywhere but in the wallets of the super-rich. The GOP focus should be on helping the middle and lower income workers. Six year of Democrats handing out plums to their special interest friends and to Wall Street have to end.
Some moves on the economy are easy. Congress should vote to approve the Keystone Pipeline. Obama may veto this, but this is one veto that might get overridden.
Congress should also identify certain regulations that add costs without real benefits in the economy. A good example of this sort of regulation is the EPA rule that basically makes construction or operation of a coal fired power plant impossible. We still get about 40% of our electric power from coal. If the EPA regulation is left untouched, power costs across America will necessarily soar. Do we really want to drive the price of American manufactured goods up particularly when there is no evidence that the coal fired power plants do any harm?
Another move that Congress could make would be to change the definition of part time workers in Obamacare. (This assumes that the repeal is vetoed or otherwise prevented.) Millions of people have lost jobs for 40 hours a week and been forced to work less than 30 hours per week in order to avoid Obamacare coverage and costs. In typical Democrat fashion, they passed a law that moved millions of workers from self sufficiency to a point at which they lost hours and could no longer make ends meet. Even if Obamacare is not repealed, this body blow to the American worker has to be removed.
By the end of February, America's workers ought to understand that for the first time in a long time there is finally a group in Washington that is looking out for them. It is not just a group like the Democrats that says it cares about the poor and the middle income (while consistently delivering blow after blow to them). America's workers need to know that the Republican majority is actually doing something to help them.
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