Congress Must Do Better in New Year
Congress finally completed its work last week when it extended the payroll tax break for the first two months of 2012. It did not happen easily and I don't blame you if you were left wondering what all the fuss was about.
There was some progress made this year. Lawmakers repealed the onerous 1099 provision in the new healthcare bill. Discretionary spending was cut for the second consecutive year, which hadn't happened since World War II. I was particularly proud that we were able to find bipartisan agreement to reauthorize several small business programs that had lapsed in the previous years.
However, the challenges that we face are still large and complex. Our nation is now $15 trillion in debt and we have an unemployment rate that is too high. There are solutions, but they will require leaders who are prepared to make tough choices. It will require us to find the common ground rather than playing politics.
Congress must do better in the New Year. Our first job has to be to get our economy growing again. We need to work to make the United States the best place in the world to do business. While government does not create jobs, it can work to reduce taxation, litigation and regulation. We can work to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, while creating good-paying jobs right here at home.
My hope for the New Year is that Congress will work together to help set the table for economic growth.
Sincerely,
