No Loss for Words

The most important issue for Americans is getting our unemployed workers back to work.  Our consumer driven economy needs our people working to fuel the recovery.

What specific actions do we need government to enact that would cause a business to invest or to hire new workers?  At what level of government do we need these actions?

My first thought was Energy Policy in our country and I see the potential for jobs with pay and benefits that can support families, but I see over-regulation and legal challenges that prevent those jobs from ever coming to market.  The energy segment is really important to the national economy not just because of the jobs, but also because of the products they produce for our homes and our cars.

It is of national importance to get these industries back on track producing competitively priced energy for American consumers.  Failing to address the issues preventing energy companies from doing what they do will not provide those jobs and will increase the cost of energy to all of us.

So what do we need the government to do that will make it possible for private sector “for profit” companies to get to work?  I’m asking because I don’t know. 

I have ideas, but I am not an authority so I need help.

I do know it is really easy to file a lawsuit to prevent a company from drilling or mining because of environmental concerns.  The cost to file the suit is minimal and the risk to the filer is minimal.  Even lawsuits without merit can be filed as a harassment strategy.

It is really frustrating to work through the regulatory process and when you have a permit in hand find you are stopped in your tracks because of a lawsuit challenging some aspect of the permit.

I use national energy policy as an example of how government over-regulation or being overly sympathetic to litigation prevents the formation of jobs and forces higher consumer prices for energy products available to American consumers.

Here are two reasons for the Federal government to act proactively to reduce regulations and change statutes that allow frivolous or trivial lawsuits that can create the jobs and produce the energy our country needs.

Am I off base on this?  If I am not, then can we do it legislatively or does it require control of the executive branch?  If we capture an executive position, how do we implement changes that will clear the way for jobs and cheaper energy?

I can think of The Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act as two legislative initiatives that increase cost to consumers and lose jobs for American workers.  I am certain that there are dozens of federal and state laws that do as well.

We need to recommend specific changes to state and federal laws that will address these concerns so that voters can see why or how they lost their jobs or how their neighbor lost her job.  People need to see the relationship between a statute and industries impacted.  Let’s give voters a chance to choose between jobs and spotted owls.