Bachmann Speaks at Monticello Chamber

Bachmann Speaks at Monticello Chamber of CommerceLast week, I spoke at the Monticello Chamber of Commerce and discussed the issues of interest to the small businesses and community leaders in Minnesota’s Sixth District. Much like the other meetings and events I attended last week – including roundtable discussions with area healthcare providers and with local police and fire chiefs, visits to local businesses and organizations, such as the Minnesota Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Companies, and a tour of one of the most impressive new school facilities in the country located right in St. Joseph – everyone’s mind was on the so-called “stimulus” bill just signed into law by President Obama.I wanted to share that speech with you. Below are my prepared remarks:Thank, you, Susan, for that kind introduction, and for all your hard work on behalf of the Monticello Chamber and our community. You have truly done a great job at the helm of this organization. It is such a thrill to be speaking with you all here today at this Monticello Chamber luncheon - and to be joined by so many friends and familiar faces.I wish I had some happy news to bring you from Washington, D.C., but it seems like that is the only thing not included in the recently passed so-called “stimulus” bill. It will come as no surprise to any of you that our economy is struggling right now. One in ten mortgages is in arrears and credit’s tight. Businesses are closing their doors and Americans are losing their jobs. And the response of your government has been an ever-escalating series of bailouts and interventions. Your government has committed $9.7 trillion to these efforts just in the past year.Congress has been busy writing checks to everyone from Detroit automakers to Wall Street day traders. We're now nearing a historic $11 trillion debt and just like you, I'm getting pretty tired of these rushed multi-hundred-billion-dollar snap reactions. Months ago, we were told by President Bush and Congressional leadership that we needed to act NOW to save our struggling financial markets. Without my support, we rushed through a $700-billion bailout bill known as TARP that was supposed to unfreeze the stagnant credit market. Guess what? It didn't work. In fact, no one seems to be able to account for how the first $350 billion was spent, and yet Congress felt confident enough in their “responsible stewardship” of your tax dollars that they cleared the way for the second $350 billion that will surely follow the path of the first.When the Big Three automakers came calling for their cash, we were once again quick to give them whatever they needed as long as they looked like they were genuine in their requests. Keep in mind; we gave them $17 billion of your hard-earned money without a guarantee that they would reform the failing business model that put them in their precarious situation in the first place.And most recently, we watched day after day as the House and Senate negotiated a “stimulus” bill, arguing about a billion dollars here, and a billion dollars there. Remarkably, a few billion dollars doesn’t mean all that much when your final package still hovers around $800 billion.We poured more money -- money we don't have, money you don’t have -- down the drain in a sloppy and irresponsible spending spree that will leave the prosperity of our nation in great jeopardy. I understand that Americans are hurting, and I want to help them; but there are wiser ways to go about this. Congress should be working smarter, not faster. And, Congress should focus on passing legislation that will allow our private sector to do what it does best – create jobs and prosperity. But sadly, we're on the verge of placing free-market capitalism, the proven mechanism responsible for America's resounding wealth and prosperity throughout our nation’s existence, on the scrap heap of history.The government now controls the largest share of the US economy since WWII – nearly 25%. The federal share of the nation’s economic activity is one in four dollars. This is a trend that is antithetical to a free market economy and it is a direction that must be reversed. My fear, and the fear of the many others who have opposed these costly bailouts, is that in the long-run this policy will only make things worse and undermine the foundation of America’s economy. Remember, it's going to be your children and grandchildren who will be paying the bill for Congress’ irresponsible spending bonanza.The reason the US has been the world’s leader in business, medicine, technology, and commerce; the reason our citizens have enjoyed the world’s best quality of life, is in large part because of a free market system that rewards success, encourages creativity, is open to change, rewards good decisions and punishes bad, and that instead of redistributing wealth, grows it.This “stimulus” bill was touted as a package to create new jobs and get our economy moving again. But a closer look reveals a bill that got caught up in the ways of Washington, loaded with every lobbyist’s pet project — at the expense of programs and ideas that really could get the economy moving.Take investments in transportation and infrastructure, which could make a real difference to our economy.Projects like widening Interstate 94 or building the Stillwater Bridge could be a big boon to our economy and make a significant improvement in the quality of life for Minnesotans. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials reported last year that there are more than 3,000 highway projects nationwide that could be ready for construction within 60 to 90 days. And, those are just highway projects.While America has watched the unemployment rate creep up, those employed in construction and construction-related jobs have watched it spike higher and more quickly. While it seems axiomatic that investing in transportation and infrastructure would provide new job opportunities for many unemployed construction workers, the truth is the benefit is broader than that.The U.S. Department of Transportation reported last year that every $1 billion in federal highway investment, when combined with the required state matching funds, supports 34,779 American jobs. Of that, only about 12,000 are actual construction jobs. The rest are in supplier industries or related economic sectors.Regrettably, the so-called “stimulus” package that was passed by Congress last week — without my vote — paid only lip service to transportation and infrastructure investments.The $792-billion package included $27.5 billion — or 3.4 percent of the funding — for highway and bridge construction. It spent billions of dollars for projects that do much less to stimulate job creation or economic growth. In fact, much was spent on things that you could reasonably say have no stimulative impact at all.What will $5.5 billion for new federal government office buildings or $570 million for climate change research do to help you and your family? What will $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts — a 30 percent funding increase for the agency — do to help the economy.This bill included twice as much for 33 brand new federal programs ($95 billion) and twice as much for expansions of 73 federal programs that should have been addressed through the regular appropriations process. It did this at the expense of truly stimulative spending, like highway construction.I supported a Republican motion to reprioritize funding in the stimulus package to cut out wasteful spending and triple the money for shovel-ready transportation and infrastructure projects.Unfortunately, a majority of my House colleagues — under pressure from the Speaker of the House — rejected this motion. Similarly, a majority of my House colleagues — again, under pressure from House leadership — rejected an alternative package that would have stimulated the economy by putting money back into the hands of small businesses and families across the nation. Among other things, this alternative, which I did support, would have:Reduced the lowest individual tax rates from 15 percent to 10 percent and from 10 percent to 5 percent. In the 6th District, 272,306 filers would benefit from the reduction in the 10 percent bracket alone and 228,926 filers would also benefit from the other rate reduction. Allowed small businesses to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income. Nearly half a million Minnesota small businesses — each employing 500 or fewer employees — would benefit from this.
And provided a home-buyers credit of $7,500 for those who can make a minimum down-payment of 5 percent.
Unfortunately, this so-called “stimulus” package got so bogged down in pet projects that the real stimulus got shoved aside. As the Los Angeles Times noted, the bill did more to promote a social, policy agenda than an economic agenda. The final package included only 0.28% in small business tax relief. It spent as much on plug-in cars – which aren’t even on the market – as on small business tax relief. This single $2-billion example epitomizes the mis-prioritization in this bill.

But if this news wasn’t bad enough, it’s even scarier to look at what’s on the horizon. The Congressional majority isn’t limiting their reach and influence to only Wall Street and our financial sector.

As you all know, the White House and Congressional leaders are chomping at the bit to enact the “Employee Free Choice Act,” commonly known as “Card Check.”

There is perhaps no greater affront to the fundamental root of our nation’s democracy than denying an American their right to a secret ballot.

Yet, influential labor organizations see this piece of legislation as an ideal opportunity to put American industry in a stranglehold under the guise of worker rights.

We know that there is something more threatening taking place here, and big labor is gradually seeing their dream of a completely unionized American workforce become a reality. There numbers have been dwindling naturally. Card check will revive them.

Right now, legislation is making its way through the Congress, with the support of the Administration and all of the labor union lobbyists that would revoke a worker’s right to a secret ballot.

Under card-check legislation, if union organizers collect enough cards from employees indicating interest in a union, the union would be certified. Employees would be forced to make a decision about whether or not to support union organization right in front of their co-workers and right in front of the organizers.

And, there is much evidence of the use of intimidation, discrimination and even harassment in such circumstances. Under current law, such decisions are made by secret ballot with full confidentiality.

In fact, Congressman George Miller, a Democrat from California and the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, which has jurisdiction over this legislation, just held a large rally at the Capitol in favor of this legislation. And, President Obama’s pick for Labor Secretary, Congresswoman Hilda Solis, was not only a cosponsor of the card-check bill, but the treasurer of a lobbying organization whose priority was passage of card-check.

I am deeply concerned about this legislation and what it stands for. The right to a secret ballot is one of the most cherished of American freedoms and it should be protected.

Last year, I joined with organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – as well as groups that serve unionized employees like the Fraternal Order of Police, the American Hospital Association, and others – in opposing this bill. All of us are very concerned that this legislation not only lacks protection for workers, but destroys the cherished right to a secret ballot.

Regrettably, the Employee Free Choice Act passed in the House on March 1, 2007. But, the Senate failed to vote on it. And, now in the 111th Congress, a renewed push for passage is being fueled by support from the new Obama Administration.

To combat this threat, many of my colleagues in the House and I have put forth alternative legislation called the Secret Ballot Protection Act. It protects the right of workers to have secret ballot elections in determining whether a union will represent their workforce.

It prevents a workforce from being unionized solely based on card check and protects workers from being pressured or coerced to join a union. It even prevents a union from being officially recognized if formed without a secret ballot election.

At a time when our government spends billions of dollars to advance and support free elections around the world, what sense does it make to abolish federally protected private ballots in our own workplace?

Now that the so-called stimulus package has been passed, card-check will likely soon follow. The Democrat majority in the House and a new Democrat President in the White House have made clear over and over again that they consider November to be a mandate for change. And change is what they are bringing to the people. But the people will have to evaluate if this is the change for which they bargained.

President Ronald Reagan said it best when he said:

“Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.”

I do have faith in the American people and see brighter days ahead. Americans may need a helping hand from time to time, but once we’re up, we like to walk on our own.

As our economy begins to rebound, which ironically has been made tougher now as a result of the $1.1 trillion in debt we’ve just accrued, it’s my hope that Americans will firmly reject the broad strokes of our federal government.

The best way to stimulate the economy and create jobs is to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden on small businesses and families, and keep money in the private sector. Let’s make sure it stays that way.