Gingrich: Jobs and Paychecks Must Be Job One

(Newt Gingrich) – The number one focus of House Republicans must be developing and implementing the right policies that will help entrepreneurs and small businesses create jobs and paychecks.

America only works when Americans are working.

A booming economy will help balance the budget. It is also the best social policy we can have for American families. As President Ronald Reagan used to remind us, the best social program is a job because it allows the individual to take care of their family with dignity and independence.

Many other activities and programs may make us feel good, but none are as important as creating the right policies for job creation.

As Speaker John Boehner takes office and accepts the Speaker’s gavel from Nancy Pelosi, every conservative and every Republican will feel a moment of satisfaction.

Speaker Boehner is off to a good start, and the initial steps House Republicans have taken toward cutting spending and repealing Obamacare are in the right direction.

The plans Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has for rewriting the 1974 budget act to remove its liberal, pro-spending bias and establish a conservative, pro-smaller government budget process are historic.

The initial steps House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa is taking to investigate bad government and failing bureaucracies will help educate Americans on the need for smaller government that respects the Constitution.

However, all these steps will be overshadowed if the economy continues to decay and serious reform measures are not undertaken to make America more competitive in the world market.

There are two big changes Republicans can bring to the jobs, pay checks and economic growth debate:

First, we can emphasize the advice and experience of those who have actually created jobs.

Second, we can learn from Germany how a high-income manufacturing country achieves full employment competing in the world market.

Let me explain each.

First, one of the great failings of modern government in general and the Obama administration in particular is its domination by people who have never created jobs.

The first thing House Republicans should do is organize a systematic outreach to people who actually create jobs. Darrell Issa is off to a good start in soliciting advice from select trade groups, corporations and think tanks.

House Republicans should expand this initiative with a “Job Creating Proposals by Job Creators” website open for suggestions only from people who have actually created jobs.

Every House Republican member should hold jobs advisory meetings in their district and should publicize the existence of the “Job Creating Proposals by Job Creators” website.

In addition, every House committee should review the suggestions and ideas to determine which ones fall in its jurisdiction. Then, beginning in March, every committee should begin “job creation” hearings.

It cannot be overstated that every member of every committee should be thinking actively about what they can do to boost job creation in America.

Last year, American Solutions hosted Small Business Leader Meetings throughout the country. During these meetings, one consistent theme that emerged was that creating the right environment for job creation is a much bigger issue than just tax policy. Litigation, regulation, education, health, energy, and infrastructure all play a role in creating a pro or anti jobs economy.

New legislation will be needed in every one of those areas as well as tax policy to maximize new job creation and new paychecks.

This means every member of Congress should consider it their primary focus to help job creation in America.

Second, Germany is living proof that a high-income country can create jobs and compete in the world market if its government focuses on job creation.

German manufacturing workers earn 50% more than their American counterparts (in 2008, $48.22 per hour in Germany and $32.26 in the US.)

Today, while most other countries are struggling, Germany has its lowest unemployment rate in 18 years.

House Republicans should hold hearings and look carefully at lessons to be learned from a successful high-cost, high-productivity, high-profit economy like Germany.

We want an American economy that has good jobs and big paychecks.

Getting government to quit being anti-jobs, to quit regulating business and entrepreneurship out of business, to insist on education that works for both the young and for workers who need retraining and to insist on bureaucrats who help rather than cripple the businesses whose taxes pay their salaries – these are the kind of decisive changes we need if America is to once again be the most productive, creative, and prosperous country in the world.