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Jeb Bush on Jobs

Former Republican FL Governor

 


State minimum wages ok, but not at federal level

Jeb Bush does not support raising the federal minimum wage. Last March, Bush said: "We need to leave it to the private sector. I think state minimum wages are fine. The federal government shouldn't be doing this."

With Los Angeles recently raising its minimum wage to $15 and other cities following suit, the issue is a hot topic. The current $7.25 federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009. Conservatives usually argue that raising the minimum wage will cut jobs because businesses will hire fewer people if they have to pay them more. Numerous Department of Labor studies have shown this isn't true.

Bush acknowledges that there is a growing income gap in the U.S., but thinks that the federal minimum wage won't close the gap, saying that he thinks minimum wage furthers the issue. He continued: "But the federal government doing this will make it harder and harder for the first rung of the ladder to be reached, particularly for young people, particularly for people that have less education."

Source: Bustle.com 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls , Jun 16, 2015

Employ American Workers Act led to lost ideas & lost jobs

Buried inside [the 2009 stimulus] was a union-backed provision called the Employ American Workers Act, which restricted H-1B visas for any company that received federal recovery assistance. "Within days of the president signing it into law," recounts a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, "a number of US banks reneged on job offers extended months earlier to foreign-born MBA students." The net result, says Slaughter: "Lost ideas. Lost jobs. Lost taxes."
Source: Immigration Wars, by Jeb Bush, p. 93 , Mar 5, 2013

Job growth during Bush terms, but very low wage jobs

In his 2006-2007 Budget Message he said that the "state's economy is one of the strongest in the nation, with rapid job growth and income growth providing its citizens with a wealth of economic opportunities." He cited the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and an "unprecedented" job creation rate.

While there was job growth during the Bush term of office it was smaller than in any gubernatorial administration since 1978. In addition, much of the job growth was the product of a growing population rather than the tax cuts the governor generated.

Most of the jobs created during the Bush administration were in the low-paying sectors of the economy. The state's 2004 median hourly wage ($13.10 per hour) was below the national average and the state had an unusually high percentage of very low-wage workers who earned wages at or below the federal minimum wage.

Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p.109-10 , Dec 11, 2009

Gambling is emblematic of "something for nothing" culture

Jeb worked against a slot-machine gambling amendment in 2004. Jeb, as a good Christian conservative, has long opposed gambling as emblematic of the "something for nothing" culture that afflicts America. And so when the gambling interests put on the ballot an initiative to allow slot machines at pari-mutuels in Miami-Dade and Broward counties by local referendum, one would have expected Jeb to fight it tooth and nail, right?

Wrong. In fact, Jeb barely lifted a finger. The consequence: the pro-slots initiative passed. Jeb mobilized his people to defeat it in Miami-Dade, but could not stop it in Broward.

But why so little effort? [Jeb might say], "My brother was facing a tight race again, and I needed every Republican and independent vote I could get, including the libertarians who have no problem with gambling." And so, Florida in 2006, with a conservative Republican governor, finally got casino-style gambling that Democratic governors had successfully staved off in 1978, 1986, and 1994.

Source: America's Next Bush, by S.V. Date, p. 14-15 , Feb 15, 2007

Operation Paycheck: stimulus for 33,000 construction jobs

In recent weeks, we have already taken bold steps to help restore our economy, launching programs like Operation Paycheck and passing an economic stimulus package aimed at creating more than 33,000 new construction jobs in this state. And I am pleased to say that these measures are working.

Over the long haul, we must restore the health of the businesses we already have and we must grow new businesses that diversify and strengthen our economic base. Chief among the new industries that will transform Florida are those that create high-tech jobs, from Florida's globally-recognized strengths such as the simulation, optics, and space technology fields to emerging new sectors such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.

Source: State of the State address to 2002 Florida Legislature , Jan 22, 2002

More R&D & tax incentives for small farmers.

Bush signed the Southern Governors' Association resolution:

Source: Resolution of Southern Governor's Assn. on 2002 Farm Bill 01-SGA5 on Sep 9, 2001

Repeal the federal unemployment "temporary surtax".

Bush signed the Southern Governors' Association resolution:

Source: Resolution of Southern Governor's Assn. on FUTA 01-SGA7 on Feb 27, 2001

Other candidates on Jobs: Jeb Bush on other issues:
Former Presidents/Veeps:
George W. Bush (R,2001-2009)
V.P.Dick Cheney
Bill Clinton (D,1993-2001)
V.P.Al Gore
George Bush Sr. (R,1989-1993)
Ronald Reagan (R,1981-1989)
Jimmy Carter (D,1977-1981)
Gerald Ford (R,1974-1977)
Richard Nixon (R,1969-1974)
Lyndon Johnson (D,1963-1969)
John F. Kennedy (D,1961-1963)
Dwight Eisenhower (R,1953-1961)
Harry_S_TrumanHarry S Truman(D,1945-1953)

Religious Leaders:
New Testament
Old Testament
Pope Francis

Political Thinkers:
Noam Chomsky
Milton Friedman
Arianna Huffington
Rush Limbaugh
Tea Party
Ayn Rand
Secy.Robert Reich
Joe Scarborough
Gov.Jesse Ventura
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty





Page last updated: Oct 27, 2021