Tom Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. I believe spending and allocation of appropriations originates in the House of Representatives, not in the executive branch, but in the House of Representatives.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Well, what you're addressing is free market capitalism. We know it works, and America was founded on that. And the fact that the administration today continues this crazy level of spending and then blames businesses for not hiring--and we've heard about hope and change and saved and created jobs, all these different theories out there. But the one theory we know they're using right now is that Keynesian theory of economics, and that is, the infusion of money through the government into choices of their own. So they're spreading that wealth that we all know that they said they would not do, but spreading wealth. And where does that money come from? Where does that wealth come from that's being spread? It's coming from the citizens of the United States, the taxpayers themselves, the small business owners. So if we're going to turn this economy around, we've got to apply a new theory of economics, the supply side theory of economics--free markets, capitalism, competition, all those things that just energize the economy. That's what I look forward to, a new governing majority here in Congress that is going to bring free market and capitalism back to the United States.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. They failed to take responsibility for the fact that they took the majority in 2006, that they swore in their very own Speaker in 2007 and yet failed to take responsibility for the actions with the unemployment and with the job losses that we see today. Just blame it on someone else, a previous administration.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Was that in 2010? It sounds like today, doesn't it? You know, it's interesting you bring that up because that's what we're dealing with here in the Congress. What the Senate is voting on, whether today or tomorrow, is the extension of unemployment benefits, right?

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. If the policies of the Obama administration were working so well and if they were saving and creating so many jobs, then why do we need to extend unemployment benefits? Doesn't it seem like an admission to the fact that it doesn't work, that they are failed policies?

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. You hit on the solution, which is, if we empower the American people--empower the taxpayer, empower the business owners--they will drive us through these tough economic days without any problem because of that entrepreneurial spirit, that ``can do'' spirit, that grit, that willingness to dig deep and to work hard. We know that has pulled us through so many challenging days. You know, what we've heard for the last couple days--I've heard and I'm sure you have--is the Democrats blaming a previous administration over and over and over.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. If I might interject real quick here, and I'm going to have to leave the conversation in a few minutes, but what we've seen for over 12 months now is unemployment at, what, 9.5 percent, and we've heard a lot about saving and creating jobs. We've seen a lot of bailouts, buyouts, stimuluses, cash for clunkers, financial reform, TARP 1, 2, and I'm sure there will be many more. The fact is they're not working. But we're going into January of this year and taxes are going to go up on every citizen of the United States. Every tax bracket will be raised. Capital gains will go up. The dividend tax will go up. Inheritance tax goes up. The marriage tax goes up as well. And I'm curious, how does this administration, how does the leadership of this House face the American people this November and say that is going to create jobs, that's going to get you back to work? Taxing you more to fund failed programs of the last 12 months is going to get you back to work. I don't know how they're going to do it. But I'm going to stand before my constituents with a positive message and let them know that there are men like you and me and others in this Chamber that are going to stand up daily and stand up and put forth positive solutions to get this country back on track. And we're going to get it back on track, but it's going to take a lot of work, and it's going to take pushing government out of the way and empowering the American people to once again dream and dream big.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to urge Democrats to hear the voice of the American people as they ask, where are the jobs? There is no budget, there is still no plan to create jobs to get this economy rolling again. The Democrats have got to stop their crazy out-of-control spending and get serious about job creation. This will happen through the expansion of the private sector and not through the expansion of government. We have got to encourage small businesses, not penalize them with more taxes and regulations. House Republicans have offered commonsense solutions to get our economy back on track. Rolling back taxes, cutting spending, cutting the deficit and the debt, removing regulations and balancing the budget, these crucial actions must happen to get this House in order and get Americans back to work. So, Mr. Speaker, the American people want to know, where are the jobs? I want to know where are your solutions? We have offered ours.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. So Georgians want to know how are we going to get back on track. So I spent part of my time this week on what I was calling my Economic Advisory Tour. We decided we're going to tear down the walls that we see here in Washington where Washington is not listening to the constituents. Instead, we're going to open up communication. Instead of Washington pushing down ideas on job creation on the private sector, why don't we get the ideas from the business leaders themselves, the risk-takers, the entrepreneurs, the ones that have the vision and the dreams themselves. And so we had a great tour this week. And we came up with a simple formula. We're not that far away. In fact, we have, what, in America, 17 million Americans without a job, 27 million businesses all throughout the Nation; and we know all those businesses want to expand, succeed, have a profit because we believe profit's a good word here in the Republican Caucus. But you have 17 million unemployed. You have 27 million businesses, so the formula is simple. If just one business out of every three would hire one person in the next 12 months, unemployment would be cut in half. And you know what? I didn't say government.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. And we didn't say if government would hire one more American. We said the private sector. So the question comes down to this, and this is probably what would be a great discussion tonight is, Why? Why are businesses in north Georgia and all across this Nation saying, you know what? I'm not going to hire somebody right now, even though I want to. I want to expend my business. I want to see my profits grow, my sales increase. I want to invest in capital, but I'm not right now.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. If I could expand upon that, because you make an interesting point. Because what I have started to understand, just from talking to business owners, is that the labor pool is a zero sum game. You are either in the private sector or you are in the government sector, one or the other. And so as the government sector expands, you are actually drawing intellectual capital and wealth out of the private sector all together and expanding the governmental sector. So the inverse of that would be if we want to shift some intellectual capital and wealth back to the private sector, we must shrink the governmental sector.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. I guess to illustrate that point even more clearly, let's assume government is the solution here. And we hear a lot of people say government's the solution. So why don't we make every American a government employee? Why wouldn't we do that if everyone could have--

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. But they say that's the solution, to expand government. That's what creates jobs. So why don't we do that for everyone?

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. It doesn't work. Why? You are right. The answer then is the private sector.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Right. Eight failed years, if I remember right.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. So if you go back to your other graph that talked about employment and the growth of employment, or I guess in our case what we are talking about is the growth of unemployment today, you would see it probably correlates with that deficit spending.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Yeah.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. So the solutions aren't reform and takeover of various industry in this Nation. In fact, it's just the opposite, because in the 15 counties that I spoke to this week, they said, Look, just get out of our way. Let us once again be creative, come up with the ideas to dream and to expand my business. But don't put that next regulation, don't force health care upon me. Don't increase taxes right now at all. Instead, let us, the business owners, the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers, the ones who are willing to risk it all and work the hardest here and put it all on the line, allow us to do that without government interference.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. It seems that there was a report put out by the Heritage Foundation that indicated that America is now classified for the first time as ``mostly free,'' I believe, given their ranking system. And that would be a great illustration. I don't think most Americans realize that America is second highest in the world when it comes to corporate tax rates, behind Japan, that all of these other nations that you have on this chart have lower tax rates than the United States of America. And we wonder why jobs go overseas to other countries.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. It's that print, spend, and borrow mentality down here. What you were referring to a minute ago, there's a line of demarcation that I refer to as the tipping point that occurs. And whether it's an economy or anywhere else, there is a great book written on that very subject matter of how that occurs throughout time in various ways. So what we need to do right now is look for solutions that tip the other way. I think we Republicans are certainly the ones for less taxes, less government, personal responsibility, and it's those positive solutions that I think Americans are looking for right now. They're looking for that glimmer of, I guess, sunshine out there that says we're going to get through this. I'm telling you, we are going to get through this. We're going to get through this as Americans together working hard, once again, dreaming and not being dependent on the Federal Government to be the solution.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. But a great State, so much to work with there, but there's that uncertainty that lies out there. So in my 30 days here, the House voted on TARP II--of course, I opposed that--the expansion of unemployment benefits to a far-reaching amount, and then the war supplemental budget which was 61 percent un- war related, and it goes one thing after another, whether it is financial reform or whether it is this reform or that reform, just in my 30 days. So there is a little bit of certainty out there in the business community. The certainty is that something's going to come down from Washington that's going to put another burden on them, another tax on them and it is killing job creation today. It's time to change that certainty around and say you can be certain that coming out of Washington it's going to be less taxes, less government, personal responsibility, and liberty and just for all. Let's get back to free markets and capitalism.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. It's great to join you tonight on this discussion. I think it's the number one discussion going on across America right now, and that's our economy, how's it going to get back on track. And we've seen 15, 16 failed months of economic policy coming out of Washington, DC right here. And as I spent my time on the recess, and I had the opportunity 31 individual times to speak to various groups on those 12 days, I can tell you the economy is on the tops of the minds of the people.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Thirty-one separate addresses or speeches over 12 straight days.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. But I can tell you, it's the number one topic on the minds of north Georgians, is how to get this economy back on track. But what astonished Georgians so much was that just 4 days before July 4, the day of independence, the day of celebrating independence from tyranny and bondage of years ago, 4 days before that, $167 billion of indebtedness was created on 1 day here because of the Federal Government. That's the numbers, 1, 6 and 7, with 9 zeroes behind it, a phenomenal amount, nearly $1,500 per person here in the United States just on 1 day.

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Speaker, last week during the July 4th recess, I had the privilege of announcing my Economic Advisory Council as I toured each county in Georgia's Ninth Congressional District. During this time, business leaders in all 15 counties I represent took time from their busy day to join me to discuss ideas for job creation. Do you know what was unanimous from each of these business leaders? It was stop the crazy spending that's going on here in Washington and start sending clear signals that Washington is serious about creating jobs through the expansion of the private sector and not expansion of government. This starts with lowering taxes and stopping the runaway debt. We must stop cap and trade, repeal ObamaCare and get our house in order. In fact, Congress should block all tax increases, freeze discretionary spending to at least 2006 levels, and stop all proposed regulations that have any negative economic impact. In other words, the business community in my district is saying loud and clear, ``Washington, you're not helping. Get out of the way and let the free market work.'' I couldn't agree with them more.