Ron Lewis: “Well, Mr. Chairman, that was not what I saw. Even with that, should we not be trying to help displaced workers with…”

“Well, Mr. Chairman, that was not what I saw. Even with that, should we not be trying to help displaced workers with better vocational training, better adult training? That is the key. Look at OSHA, a bureaucracy that is out of, basically out of control, if we look at some of the horror stories. Rod Stewart owns and operates a small business that manufactures corn brooms and cotton mops in Union City, IN; Reit-Price Manufacturing Co., which he owns, started by his father in 1900, employs four people. When Indiana OSHA inspected his operation 3 years ago, even though it was a first-time inspection, the inspector fined Mr. Stewart $500 for not having paperwork on hand listing hazardous items in the shop. Well, Mr. Stewart did not need to fill out any paperwork because there was not any hazardous material that he deals with in his business. When Mr. Stewart realized that OSHA considered many items to be hazardous, even though they can be purchased anywhere, in a grocery store or a hardware store, he was able to talk the inspector out of fining him for not having paperwork on his Lava hand soap, but he was still fined $500 for other items, such as a standard oil can WD-40, which can be purchased at any gas station. Mr. Stewart has not always had just four employees. He used to have more than 20, but due to foreign competition, particularly from Mexico, seven corn broom manufacturers have gone out of business this year. That is 400 to 500 people who have lost their jobs.”