Buddy Roemer Announces Jobs Plan In Front of the Chinese Embassy
Sept. 1, 2011--With the economy flat and Labor Day approaching, a number of candidates are setting out plans for promoting job growth.  Former Gov. Jon Huntsman announced "Time to Compete" yesterday in New Hampshire, former Gov. Mitt Romney is to announce his plan in Nevada on September 6, and President Obama is to make a speech on jobs before a joint session of Congress on September 8. 

Former Gov. Buddy Roemer chose to announce his plan "in front of the bear den," that is the Chinese Embassy.  Referring to China, Roemer stated, "There's a big bear standing in the room eating our jobs." 

In his rather lengthy speech, Roemer argued that, "This experiment with the global free trade had been tried and it has failed."  "Global free trade did not work because other nations did not accept it," Roemer said.  "Free trade is so seductive," he stated, "but it doesn't work."  Roemer outlined how for much of America's history tariffs allowed the country to build its manufacturing base. "Using tariffs to protect our industries made the United States great," he said.

After laying out the case for what tariffs have accomplished, Roemer said, "I'm not a tariff guy."  He proposed three specific steps he would pursue. 

First, he said, much could be accomplished with what he called "the tax deduction solution."  This would entail amending the Internal Revenue Code sections 162 and 212 and sections 167 and 179—"adding one sentence to the IRS Code and deleting one paragraph"— so that goods and services would not be tax deductible unless they are American.  "This will encourage American businesses to buy American," Roemer said.

Second, Roemer said, he would eliminate the foreign tax credit, which he said is a major loophole.

Third, Roemer said, he would require importers to pay our government for a fair trade adjustment form.
Speaking to reporters before and after his speech Roemer offered some observations on the progress of his campaign.  After taking an apartment in New Hampshire in July, he spent more than three weeks in the state in August.  Yesterday, for example, he visited Conway, although he said it took about five hours to get there because of road closures due to flooding from Hurricane Irene.  Roemer said that last week was his best fundraising week so far.  He reflected on his exclusion from the debates, the next of which is set for September 7.  Roemer noted that "not one question about the money [has been asked] in these so-called debates."  Roemer said it is still early and he anticipates he will be able to get in a couple of debates.  "I like my opponents, but they're not talking about the issues," he said.  Roemer said that after a 20 year absence from politics, "I'm more relevant now than I was then."  "America desperately needs a crotchety old man like me," Roemer said.