On the recordSeptember 28, 2013
Yesterday, the President yet again chose to bash Congress and blame the House Republicans for the failure of America's economy. I have seen him make this argument on television many times, but he never shows up on Capitol Hill to actually engage in productive conversations. He does talk, however, to the Russians, the Chinese, and the Iranians. This is no surprise. This is the same man who spends more time with Hollywood stars than Members of Congress. It is not Congress that will shut our government down--it's our President. I would argue that he already has shut the government down. Five years ago, unemployment was at 5 percent and the national poverty rate was at 12\1/2\ percent, and approximately 30 million Americans received food stamps. Today, unemployment sits at 7.6 percent, the poverty rate exceeds 15 percent, a staggering 47.8 million Americans are enrolled in the food stamp program, and 48 million people between the ages of 18 and 64 have not worked one day in the last 12 months. The President's economic agenda is only pushing us further into danger, and it's a disaster. For more than four decades, I have owned my business and I can say with certainty that today's economy is the toughest economy our country has seen from a small business standpoint. Everything from health care to taxes to regulations is killing businesses and forcing job creators to play defense. Rather than generating profits, businesses are saving profits.…
