President Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address on Tuesday night. According to a preview video released this weekend, the speech will outline Obama’s vision for improving the economy and creating jobs. With an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, there’s much work to be done. But after three years of Obama’s failed policies, it’s unclear if anything Obama says Tuesday night will differ from the Keynesian ideas he’s already proposed. This week’s chart comes from Heritage’s analysis of the December unemployment report. The economy added 200,000 jobs …
UPDATE: The U.S. Energy Information Administration announced on Jan. 27 that data used for its study of oil and gas production on federal lands was “incomplete.” The EIA is currently reviewing information from the Department of Interior and will correct its report upon completion. — In his announcement rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline today, President Obama boasted that under his administration, “domestic oil and natural gas production is up.” Obama, of course, failed to mention that his administration can’t actually take any credit for the increase. The vast majority of …
Indiana lawmakers are bracing for another high-profile fight over a right-to-work bill when the legislative session opens Wednesday. Last year Democrats fled the state in protest, preventing the legislature from conducting business for five weeks. The right-to-work bill would end forced unionization for private-sector workers in Indiana. Its supporters say the bill would increase jobs and choices in the Midwestern state with a 9 percent unemployment rate. Unions complain it threatens their existence. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) is speaking out in favor of the bill, even recording a 60-second …
When it comes to creating jobs, North Dakota has found the right formula. The state has the largest percentage increase in employment over the past year and was the fastest of all 50 to recover from the recession. The reason is simple: energy production. “North Dakota has been the poster child for what can happen when we unleash free enterprise and allow states to develop and commercialize their resources,” Heritage’s Nick Loris wrote recently on The Foundry. “North Dakota is drilling at record pace.” The state’s unemployment rate is 3.4 …
The Grinch who stole Christmas has some competition in Washington. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) appears determined to steal Thanksgiving from employers and employees. On Friday the NLRB announced it will vote on November 30 to revamp organizing elections to heavily favor unions. Currently, unions build support at a company for months before calling for a vote. Management often has no idea that such activity is going on. Once organizers believe they have enough support, they ask the NLRB to conduct a secret-ballot election. Typically the vote occurs five …
The House of Representatives is poised to pass legislation today that prohibits the National Labor Relations Board from interfering in the business decisions of U.S. companies. The bill would effectively end the NLRB’s complaint against Boeing’s expansion plans in South Carolina. Boeing came under attack from the NLRB in April after constructing a plant in South Carolina to build its 787 Dreamliner. The case is currently before an administrative law judge in Seattle. South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott wants to put an end to the matter now. The freshman Republican …
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is looking to make a point with his invitee list at the president’s address to the joint session of Congress on Thursday evening. He will be hosting 12 individuals of various private ventures in an effort to drive home the importance of the private sector in any effort to spur job creation. “The Speaker’s guests are all employers who have run into unnecessary Washington-made barriers as they’ve tried to create jobs,” a release from Boehner’s office noted. Among those attending is Gibson Guitars chief executive …
This morning Republicans will have their last chance to get answers about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before it opens on July 21. The brains behind the operation, Elizabeth Warren, is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at 9:30 a.m. ET. Today also marks the second day of the Roger Clemens trial, which is occurring at a federal courthouse in Washington. The former pitcher is charged with perjury, obstructing Congress and making false statements when three years ago he told congressional investigators and testified in …
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) spent 31 years in manufacturing before his election to Congress last November. He’s not letting that experience go to waste. Johnson is out with a new video this morning to coincide with President Obama’s visit to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to promote manufacturing. He criticizes Obama’s recent comments blaming inventions like the ATM for unemployment. “This is a depressing display of economic ignorance,” Johnson says. He adds: “Technological innovations create jobs. They drive our economy forward, by helping workers be more productive. That raises everyone’s …
It has been a little over one year since the stimulus package was passed through Congress in order to spur private consumption and to decrease high unemployment, and a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal by Harvard economist Robert Barro discusses the impact the stimulus has had on the economy. The article argues that the government’s method of mass spending to improve economic conditions is an inefficient way to spend taxpayer money, and that the questions about whether the stimulus moderated the recession are complex – more complex …
