(Victoria Seaman) – Joe Biden’s policy platform would cause economic ruin in Nevada.
Every state in the country is suffering economically from the global coronavirus pandemic, but the Silver State’s reliance on tourism, business conferences, and the other trappings of a healthy, prosperous population make it uniquely vulnerable to this unavoidable economic crisis. Our state’s bureaucracy is struggling to keep pace with the scale of mass unemployment, which is unofficially the third-highest in the country. It’s no secret why. Whether it’s gaming in Reno, conventions in Las Vegas, or retreats at Lake Tahoe, Nevada needs a healthy, confident America to fuel our tourism and conventions economy.
Basement-bound Joe Biden — oscillating between calling President Trump’s early and forceful response to the virus “hysterical xenophobia” and his own hysteria to keep our economy shuttered for as long as possible — does not inspire confidence in his ability to keep our ship of state on an even keel.
Unfortunately for Nevada, as we restart our economy, we’re going to need a lot better than a “steady as she goes” mentality. We need a national economic boom — and Donald Trump has a record of delivering exactly the kind of robust national economy we need. He’s already presided over more than three years of sustained economic growth, historically-low unemployment rates, and a level of business and consumer confidence that made people eager to spend cash in Nevada.
The President is already laying the groundwork for a rapid post-pandemic recovery based on the same proven approach that delivered the strong and growing economy we enjoyed before the invisible enemy reached our shores. Just recently, for instance, he signed an executive order starting the process to permanently repeal regulations that have been suspended due to the pandemic.
If Joe Biden were to win in November, not only would we lose a President with a track record of economic success, but our economy would also be placed under a new set of shackles at the worst possible time. For example, Biden has promised that the “first thing” he would do if elected is repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump signed into law in 2017. This would represent a crippling tax hike on businesses that are already struggling to stay afloat, as well as individual taxpayers, taking $1,400 per year out of the hands of the average Nevadan.
It doesn’t stop with taxes. Biden’s endorsement of a “Green New Deal” is taking concrete form now that democratic-socialist Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the co-chair of the Biden Campaign’s climate policy task force. Even if Biden doesn’t spring for the full $93 trillion pipedream that “AOC” introduced in Congress, he has been vehement about his desire to ban fracking, impose crushing regulations on coal production, and institute an economy-wide carbon tax. At a time when Nevada desperately needs nationwide economic growth, Biden would instead orchestrate the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the energy industry, triggering rising fuel prices that would function as an additional tax burden on ordinary Americans.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden would also undoubtedly reverse President Trump’s recent executive order temporarily suspending all new permanent immigration, which is designed to ensure that American citizens fill all the new jobs created during our impending economic recovery. In place of that sensible policy, we would see Biden offer taxpayer-funded “free” healthcare to illegal immigrants, encouraging even more foreign workers to come to our country and compete with Americans for jobs.
The aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic is simply the worst possible time to load Biden’s job-killing policies on the back of an already fragile economy.
We need a leader who understands what it takes to guide the country back to prosperity. That leader is not Joe Biden.
Victoria Seaman is a wife, mother, businesswoman, Nevada Councilwoman and former Nevada assemblywoman.
