Getting Arkansas' First District Back to Work

Rep. Rick Crawford

Rep. Rick Crawford, Opt-Ed: While Congress is stalemated over fixing our debt problem, millions of unemployed Americans are asking why we aren’t focused on jobs. There are diverse opinions on how to solve our fiscal crisis, but we can all agree economic growth is key to both reducing the debt and creating jobs. Economic progress should start with three basic principles: overhauling our complex tax system, scrapping unneeded regulations, and encouraging domestic energy production.

The recent jobs report was abysmal. The economy is at a standstill and the unemployment rate has been stubbornly stuck above eight percent for 28 consecutive months. In a speech to car manufacturers, President Barack Obama likened the job numbers to “bumps in the road to recovery.”

The president’s remarks are insincere for two reasons. First, the “bumps” he referenced are the failed policies of a broken Washington. Second, under President Obama’s tenure, the bumps in the road have turned into potholes.

Ironically, while the president is scratching his head about the struggling economy, the answer is right in front of his face. All he needs to do is ask the people who led the way in every economic recovery this country has seen: small business owners.

A quick look at history will give you all the answers you need. During the period of economic prosperity following the late 1980s, three-fourths of job creation was generated by small businesses.

How did this happen?

It was the new-found ability for businesses to access capital. When President Ronald Reagan lowered tax rates, it unleashed a massive amount of investment in the private sector because businesses could stretch their dollar without facing excessively high taxes. Increased access to capital led to investment, which created jobs.

In the House of Representatives, my conservative colleagues and I have a plan. The plan is to spur economic growth in a similar fashion by reducing overall tax rates, broadening the tax base, and eliminating unfair tax deductions and credits that favor companies with powerful teams of Washington lobbyists.

As the hardworking people of the First District know, the government makes it harder on job creators by bogging them down with burdensome regulations. Farmers are facing skyrocketing compliance costs due to the overreaching Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A prime example of job-killing policies is the EPA's outrageous proposal to heavily regulate farm dust under the Clean Air Act. This regulation alone threatens thousands of agriculture-related jobs – hitting Arkansas especially hard.

As a Member of the Committee on Agriculture, I’ve heard testimony from various regulators on policies that place an unfair burden on job creators. When asked how much consideration they give to the effect proposed regulations have on jobs, they cannot provide an answer at all.

The President has no reason to be surprised by a high unemployment rate when his own agency appointees don’t even evaluate the economic consequences of their actions.

Perhaps the most costly problem affecting businesses - along with the wallets of nearly every American - is outrageous gas prices. The average household is forced to spend over $300 per month on fuel. As oil prices doubled during the Obama presidency, what has he done to address this growing cost on American families and businesses? He places a drilling moratorium on the Gulf Coast and travels to Brazil publicly stating that America would like to be “their best customer.”

Since my arrival in Congress, I voted in favor of two measures that encourage oil exploration in the United States. Unfortunately, these bills are held up in the Senate, where too often good bills go to die.

As a Member of Congress who was elected to steer our country back on track, my top priority remains getting Arkansans back to work. And that begins by scaling back the reach of government and enacting policies that allow the economy to grow.

With unemployment hovering at an unacceptable rate, one thing is clear: We cannot drag our feet any longer. The time to act is now.
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In 2010, Rick became the first Republican ever elected to represent Arkansas’s First Congressional District since Reconstruction, and he is honored to serve on the Agriculture and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees in the 112th Congress. Rick and his wife Stacy, also an ASU graduate, live in Jonesboro with their two children.

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