While Labor Day is recognized as a time to celebrate the American worker, this year’s holiday has taken on a more somber tone, especially for those in construction. The unemployment rate for the construction industry is nearly twice the national average, and more than 1.75 million construction workers are out of a job.
Small businesses are the catalyst for creating jobs and economic recovery, yet today’s construction contractors face a dizzying array of obstacles, including burdensome and costly federal regulations and mandates along with high tax rates.
Tax rates could shoot up even higher if Congress fails to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax relief measures, the estate tax and the capital gains tax — leading to one the largest tax increases in U.S. history. In addition, outof- control federal government spending has ballooned our national debt to $13.3 trillion — more than $40,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States.
In order to break out of this dire situation, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) developed a 2010 Job Creation Proposal that will help stimulate the construction industry and put Americans back to work. The proposal includes a wide-ranging package of recommendations, including providing tax relief to small businesses, such as construction contractors, as well as to families and individuals; increasing access to capital; allowing the entire construction workforce to participate in federally funded projects; and enacting a comprehensive national energy plan.
Implementation of ABC’s recommendations will help jumpstart the construction industry during this economic downturn.
Let’s hope that next Labor Day construction workers will have more reasons to celebrate.
David J. Remick,
Milesburg
-- David J. Remick is executive director of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc., Central Pennsylvania Chapter.
Letters
Job creation plan
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Faith and public funds
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Bad plan
NetSummary
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Pay for home care
On Dec. 15, President Barack Obama announced a proposed rule that would extend federal minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers. This is an exciting development for home care workers across the country.
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Public investment
Public investment? Pennsylvania's funding of our local schools is a crying shame. Sure, times are tough, but the state managed to come up with $10 million for Bucknell University, a private school, to have a new bookstore in downtown Lewisburg. I'm still not sure how Bucknell wrangled that deal or why a private university is entitled to public funding.
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Ill-conceived measure
Ill-conceived plan. It is imperative that motorists drive safely and courteously when approaching bicyclists. The only problem with the new bicyclist law requiring motorists to allow four feet of distance between their cars and the bicyclists is that this will place the car in the opposing travel lane or require it to cross the yellow line in a no-passing zone.
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Heroic workers
I was astounded when I saw Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011's headline "Workers tackle robber over $603".
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Cell phone ban
Last week I was reading "Cell ban tough to enforce" in The Daily Item and it was very controversial.
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Worth $603?
The article on Dec. 20 in the edition of The Daily Item about the Dollar Tree robber caught my interest.
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Alarming ailment
In the Dec. 20, 2011 issue of The Daily Item, I read the article "Childhood disorder bolsters research."
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Public obligation
As part of her argument for home schooling, "Studying in Pajamas", Jan. 20, Joanna Wert dismisses public schools and "the majority of American workers" with a few condescending generalizations. She goes on to extol her own children's virtues and accomplishments, and then lists famous people whom she claims were home-schooled.
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Faith and public funds
