Community Commentary: Obama’s jobs bill deserves a layoff

Did you know that the so-called jobs bill adds the unemployed to the list of “protected classes” who can sue any employer for discrimination based on the applicant’s perception that their unemployed status led to their not being hired? How crazy is that? This provision is a giveaway to the trial lawyers, who, by the way, are the second (after public employee unions) largest donors to the Democrats.

Did you know the so-called jobs bill includes a clause that states waive their sovereign immunity if they accept even $1 of federal funding? The Founding Fathers who wrote our country’s Constitution would turn over in their graves if they saw that. The intent of that clause is federal power and to stop states from taking federal legislation to court. What happened to states’ rights and federalism?

Did you know that the jobs bill creates a permanent massive bureaucracy called the American Infrastructure Financing Authority? President Obama wants to create what amounts to a federal bank. Why? More government jobs, and thus more government union works, which translates into more votes. There is simply no reason for the federal government to open a bank.

Did you know the so-called jobs bill eliminates the tax deductions for routine business expenses for many oil companies? Those evil oil companies — go get ‘em! Yeah, right. If you eliminate tax deductions for routine expenses, you eliminate the incentive for those same companies to invest in research and infrastructure, reducing oil exploration and production, and you drive up their costs, which drives up your price of gas at the pump. Remember, corporations don’t pay taxes — you do as a component of the price of the products and services they sell.

Do you understand that the so-called jobs act spends one-time money that is allegedly paid for by tax increases over 10 years? This is akin to households using their credit card to purchase a Slurpee and paying for the Slurpee over 10 years. You’ve burdened future generations with this year’s operating costs. The jobs bill is one year — what do you do to quench your thirst next year when you have no more Slurpee money?

And finally, what’s not seen in the so-called jobs act is the hidden impact on the private sector. Every dollar spent by government is one less dollar churning through private enterprise. The multiplier effect of that dollar is many times greater in the private sector than it is passing through the many hands of federal bureaucracy where the dollar taken as taxes becomes pennies spent on so-called jobs.

Those who have written in support of the bill invoke the class warfare argument the Democrats so love. Take a guess at which political party gets more donations from Wall Street, and which political party gets more donations from special interests, and which political party gets more donations from the Fortune 500?

That’s right — Democrats. And who gives more to charity? Those evil, rich, uncaring and insensitive Republicans!

ROBERT SMYTHE is a Huntington Beach resident and an adjunct associate professor at USC.