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Congressman Carnahan Bailed Out Auto Industry – Jobs Moved to Mexico

(ST. LOUIS, MO.) August 16, 2010 – Jobs! Missourians need them and Congressman Carnahan is working against them. That is the focal point of the newest ad “Lost” from the Ed Martin for Congress campaign. [...]]]> IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Theresa Petry, (314) 807-7077

Congressman Carnahan Bailed Out Auto Industry – Jobs Moved to Mexico

(ST. LOUIS, MO.) August 16, 2010 – Jobs! Missourians need them and Congressman Carnahan is working against them. That is the focal point of the newest ad “Lost” from the Ed Martin for Congress campaign. The ad kicked off and began circulation today.

Congressman Carnahan approved Billions for an auto bailout, then sat and watched as Chrysler closed its Fenton plant and shipped the jobs to Mexico and Canada. The hard working people of Carnahan’s district want to know why $550 Million, of their tax dollars, was spent on stimulating jobs across the border. (Bloomberg Businessweek, Thomas Black, June 24, 2010) While 700 Chrysler dealers were closed in the U.S., five new Chrysler plants were built in Mexico – creating 1600 jobs…in Mexico. (Southeast Missourian, Melissa Miller, April 21, 2010) (IndustryWeek, Agence France-Presse, Feb. 9, 2010)

Where was Congressman Carnahan? He was busy jet-setting around the world on lobbyists’ dollars and rubberstamping Nancy Pelosi’s bills that he admittedly didn’t even bother to read. A short list of Congressman Carnahan aka Congressman Bailout’s wasteful spending votes are as follows:

$700 Billion Wall Street Bailout

$787 Billion Stimulus Plan

$1.1 Trillion Obamacare Plan

$1.1 Trillion Earmark Spending Bill

$846 Billion Energy Tax Plan

Enough is enough! Congressman Carnahan is obviously out of touch with his constituents. It’s time to say “No” to Rubberstamp Russ.

Congressional nominee Ed Martin, even while never having served in office before, has a proven track record of fighting for jobs. In 2008 he took on a David and Goliath fight and founded SaveAB.com. It was a grassroots effort to help save local jobs at Anheuser Busch. Even with 85,000 supporters the sale went through, but Ed’s determination to save jobs has not and will not waiver. He is willing to go up against the biggest Goliath of all –b ig government.

“Every day I am out traveling the district meeting with families and small business owners and spreading the word about my grassroots efforts “Shop Local – Hire Local.” There is such a sense of desperation and uncertainty among people. We need someone in Congress who will work in their best interest. The government can be described as a blanket for businesses, it can provide a small bit of comfort however wrapped too tight it becomes constricting and can smother small business. The intrusive regulations of cap and trade for example that Congressman Carnahan supports would be devastating to small businesses and smother them into non-existence. That is not how you create jobs,” said Ed Martin.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is in St. Louis today meeting with Ed Martin and lending his support. Congressman McCarthy knows what it takes to create jobs and keep small businesses in business. “Before his 21st birthday, McCarthy successfully opened and operated a small business, Kevin O’s Deli. Owning a small business gave McCarthy important experience about the difficulties that entrepreneurs face from burdensome regulations and onerous taxes.” (kevinmccarthy.house.gov)

For more information about Martin’s background and the campaign, visit EdMartinforCongress.com, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter @ed4congress.

Theresa Petry
Press Secretary
“Ed Martin for Congress”
(314) 807-7077 (cell)

theresa.petry@edmartinforcongress.com
www.edmartinforcongress.com

Of course, if it is learned that a fire broke out because the [...]]]> Generally, while in the teeth of a crisis, it is unwise to spend much energy on recriminations. Firemen wait until the inferno is reduced to embers before beginning to piece together the circumstances that caused the blaze.  It is a matter of priorities.

Of course, if it is learned that a fire broke out because the building did not have proper wiring, or stored flammables incorrectly, or some other such violation of the fire code and it is learned that the fire department just inspected the place and gave them a series of waivers for violations, that is a different story. In that case, we would see the inspector as indirectly responsible for the damage or injuries.

If it is further learned that the building owner had a very cozy relationship with the fire chief, giving substantial sums of money and support to the chiefs’ favorite causes, we would see corruption.

Far from being a free-market “leave us alone” corporation, British Petroleum has been very cozy with Big Government.  BP chief executive Tony Hayward was helping Senator John Kerry promote Cap and Trade legislation. BP funded a lobbying group that agitated for regulation – not de-regulation.  Right up until the point 11 people died on the Deepwater Horizon and oil began gushing into the gulf, BP was the very model of a modern corporation – a favored pet of Congress and the Administration.  Over and over, BP lobbyists lined up to advocate for subsidies, earning profits by digging into taxpayer and consumer’s pockets.  On the ill-fated oil rig, BP received slack from those appointed to enforce the rules.  I think we will learn that the long series of waivers from standard practice BP secured from their overseers cost the lives of our fellow citizens – good people who were just doing their job.

The Gulf Oil Spill is not a failure of the free market or the consequences of de-regulation.  It is a failure of lax enforcement brought on by judgment clouded by ideological considerations or outright graft.  Arguably, overregulation over the decades as government has encroached where it does not belong has lead to a system where big corporations  find it easier to influence the regulatory environment than to comply with byzantine laws.

We barely have a free market anymore.  Rather than being an impartial referee for the common good, government has gotten into the habit of picking winners and losers through regulations, tax codes, bailouts and subsidies.  That’s where the big campaign money is.  Big Corporations have learned that it is easier to suck up to the Big Government agenda and earn special consideration in laws and enforcement.  Big Government believes it can use corporate cash to buy elections.  We need to support efforts to disentangle Government so that it no longer favors individual businesses and industries, but simply and evenly serves the common good as defined by the Constitution.