Will "Your Guy" Help the Economy? by Brad Markins

As we spent the weekend celebrating our freedom I decided to ask a very politically savvy businessman to write a guest blog post. We are heading down the stretch in the race for our new president and there is much to be considered.
Unlike most media outlets that add a disclaimer to all editorial comments (we don't necessarily share the views of this writer...) I want you to know that I agree with every word (and would even if I wasn't married to him). I hope you'll take the time to share some of your thoughts.
Diane Markins
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A few days ago I was listening to a radio talk show and the host was inviting Obama supporters to call in and give reasons why they thought he would make a better President than McCain. Most of what was said is standard stuff for when you like “your guy” over the “other guy”- honesty, experience, better ideas, etc., etc. One topic came up with all but one caller; that Obama would be able to provide better jobs. You know, those “good paying jobs” that we are losing because so many are going overseas. The host never asked any of the callers, “How do you think he will do that?”

There is a group of buildings near my office that has been a manufacturer of circuit boards for close to 20 years. It was a small company that was bought buy a medium sized company that, after a few more years was bought buy the third largest circuit board manufacturer in the world. In its heyday it ran three shifts a day, seven days a week and employed 1200 people. Today it’s in the process of being torn down. As I drive by it each day and see the line of dump trucks being loaded with rubble from the demolished buildings I wonder where those 1200 people are working now. I wonder how many of those 1200 will vote for Obama so they can get one of those “good paying jobs” back.

Our government needs to do a better job overall to keep these businesses from moving away. I’m not an economist but it would seem to me that if these companies could make as much of a profit by staying here, or at least nearly as much, they wouldn’t leave. The reason they leave is (this is going to sound very complicated) that they can make more profit outside the U.S. Our policies towards business need to be less restrictive. Obama’s solution to this is to fine companies that take their plants overseas and then add a tariff to their product when it comes back into the U.S. You’re right, that makes no sense to me either.

A lot of people get mad when they hear about how the oil companies are making a ga-zillion dollars and how CEOs are earning 30 -40 and even 50 millions dollars a year. I don’t know if that’s necessarily a bad thing. Think about how much worse our economy would be if these companies were going broke. Some are on the verge, just look at General Motors. But the reality of all this is that CEOs and big oil companies are not the backbone of this country, small business is. Approximately 95% of all non government employees are employed by- you guessed it- small businesses. That is where all those “good paying jobs” are.

I don’t think that all of those 1200 people are all still unemployed but I would wager that a good amount of them have lower paying jobs now. And I would also wager that, if they could have their old jobs back none of them would care if the CEO made 50 million dollars.

If the economy is your top issue this November, then look at which candidate will make it easier, not harder, for small business to do what it is good at: conducting business.
Brad Markins