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Made in America Panel Characterizes $1.8 Trillion in Regulatory Costs as an Ideological Struggle

Made in America Panel Characterizes $1.8 Trillion in Regulatory Costs as an Ideological Struggle

Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 48 stations), by reminding listeners that federal regulations cost American businesses $1.8 trillion a year in compliance costs. The result is that it is impacting startups and holding back entrepreneurs.

“Regulation is part of this country’s ideological struggle to help grow the economy and create jobs. It is causing enormous problems throughout business,” said Neal.

Returning to Made in America was Ryan Young from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who noted that 36 new regulations are passed every day, which continue to put a heavy burden on all businesses, but especially entrepreneurs.

“Most of the world’s wealth hasn’t been created yet. So when we put a burden on entrepreneurs, it impacts innovation and our future. When a company reaches a certain size, their employees are spending their time trying to meet regulations, and not creating value. At the same time we have thousands of government employees spending their time writing up new regulations,” proposed Young.

Young suggested that if you want to see this in action, look at the energy industry, where regulators are busy writing up regulations instead of doing the work to expand emerging energy technologies.

“We are at a point which we call Regulation without Representation, whereby the government can pass 3,000 regulations that aren’t approved by congress.  This is not the way the Constitution was structured,” concluded Young.

The discussion turned to Obamacare, and the recent news that $474 million of taxpayer money is being spent to fix the healthcare exchanges in four states.

“Now there’s word that 20 million more people will lose their healthcare coverage. Obamacare is a disaster,” said Neal.

“People creating and fixing these websites are in for one heck of a ride.  It’s the people trying to get affordable healthcare coverage that are being left out.  It’s all a scam. Insurers are quoting artificially low premiums as a teaser, but rates are going to soar. Already, Obamacare has cost the state of California $1.2 billion more than they had budgeted—after just one year.  Families are going to have to choose between having enough money to eat, pay their rent, or keep their healthcare coverage,” said co-host Dr. Rich Roffman.

A related discussion revolved around the news that as fast food workers picket for a rise in the minimum wage, McDonald’s is testing 7,000 self-serve touch screen cashiering system that will eliminate thousands of fast food jobs.

“This is yet another indication that fast food jobs were intended as an entry level job so that workers could move up into full-time employment.  These jobs were never intended to feed a family,” noted Neal.        

            Joining the show as a first time guest was Nick Robert Wukoson, a 2014 Republican candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 18th Congressional District of Florida.

Wukoson is concerned that many political candidates are re-elected even if they aren’t doing the job for which they were elected.

“I have an Accountability Plan that will create transparency so that taxpayers can see how every federal dollar is spent and whether our programs are working.  We have to stop over-stuffing our government with people who aren’t doing their jobs,” maintained Wukoson, who wants to stop candidates from being anointed front runners based on the amount of money they raise.

The final guest on Made in America was Dr. Steven F. Hotze, founder and CEO of the Hotze Health and Wellness Center in Houston, Texas, who has brought suit in the 5th district circuit court challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act since it is essentially a revenue bill that originated in the senate. Under the Origination Clause of the Constitution, a revenue bill can only be introduced in the House.

“I’m not only challenging Obamacare based on the Origination Clause, but also the constitutionality of forcing a business to do business with another business.  I am confident that we will win this suit,” predicted Hotze.

Hotze’s suit has received support from Texas’s attorney general and from Senator John Cornyn, who will be filing an Amicus Brief in support of this lawsuit. He will circulate it for signatures among Republican Senators. Congressman Pete Sessions has committed himself to circulate Sen. Cornyn’s Amicus among Republican Congressman.

Neal and Dr. Roffman moved on to their weekly segment identifying rampant cronyism.

First, Dr. Roffman predicted that the New York Times’ firing of Jill Abramson, the paper’s former executive editor, will have far reaching implications, including the broadening of the subject of administration transparency and the disparity in wages between man and women.

“We all know how the president feels about the Keystone XL Pipeline. So it was curious that he and VP Joe Biden gave big thumbs up to the Cross Border gas pipeline being built in the Ukraine, because it will diminish Russia’s stranglehold of energy supplies in Eastern Europe.  What they don’t divulge is that Biden’s son, Hunter will serve on the board of Burisma Holdings, which is building the pipeline. One thing that all these pipelines have in common is that they are clogged with cronies,” concluded Dr. Roffman.

Each week Neal Asbury’s Made in America provides Neal’s insights into the week’s top news stories and their impact on the worlds of entrepreneurship, small business ownership and the overall economy. Neal’s analysis, together with co-host Dr. Richard Roffman, a veteran 30-year publisher with extensive domestic and international experience, takes a non-biased approach based on real life experience in business as an American manufacturer and exporter. Made in America airs nationally each Saturday from 7-8:00 PM on Radio America.  Link to Made in America at http://www.nealasburysmadeinamerica.com.

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