John Ensign: “my home State of Nevada is a State that is friendly to business. We pride ourselves on the opportunities that businesses…”

“my home State of Nevada is a State that is friendly to business. We pride ourselves on the opportunities that businesses have to thrive and grow in our State, while providing an excellent quality of life for employees and their families. As chairman of the Republican High Tech Task Force, I come into contact with many companies, all who hear my pitch for why they should expand into Nevada. But as good as businesses have it in Nevada, or if they move to Nevada, what we do here in Washington, DC will ultimately help make or break their success. And when businesses fail to thrive, so does our economy. Investors in a business in California may be sitting down today to determine whether their 2-year plan includes expanding to Nevada with, for instance, a manufacturing plant that will employ 200 people. They are excited about the possibilities, but there are too many blank spaces when it comes time to crunch the numbers. Weighing heavily in their calculations, they are concerned that the current dividends and capital gains tax rates will expire in 2008. Because of the uncertainty of those critical factors, they are leery about the prospects. They will make that decision about expanding and reinvesting in their businesses today. Not next year and not the year after that. Today. But we have tied one hand behind their back. We are standing in the way of their growth and potential if we do not extend the dividends and capital gains tax rates.…”