DEMOCRATS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF MANUFACTURING
By Bob Confer

With the Big Three and their suppliers all finding tough times of late, many in Congress are calling for government intervention in the automotive industry. They want the state and federal governments all working together as one to repair a broken political-economic system that is detrimental to the manufacturing sector. 

Our representatives in Washington have taken up this cause with earnest over the past few months, emphasizing the importance of the auto industry to the Buffalo-Niagara region. According to the 2002 economic census, nearly 17,000 people are employed in auto parts manufacturing in Western New York. That’s a lot of families and, more importantly to our Senators and Representatives, a lot of votes, indicating that this crusade for the blue-collar families of Buffalo and the USA is nothing more than political grandstanding by our Democratic friends.

The concerns of these Democrats – Schumer, Clinton, and Slaughter - make for great salesmanship on their behalf. Coming in a key election year, their supposed efforts all sound extremely interesting to the average voter, one who is misled by campaign ads and snippets of congressional wisdom that represent bluster and not necessarily action. The Democrats have a proven track record of inaction when it comes to the manufacturing sector and, if anything, they are most responsible for the hurtful economic environment that all US manufactures must struggle to work in and against.

This assessment can be declared so through studies conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers. The NAM is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing all manufacturers small and large. Their mission is to enhance the competitive position of our manufacturing sector by shaping a legislative and regulatory environment conducive to economic prosperity in the United States. Every year they grade each member of Congress on their attentiveness to the needs of manufacturers. The grading system is based entirely upon whether a Congressman or Senator votes for or against a bill that would have been in the best interest of manufacturing.

The NAM recently released their assessment of the first session of 109^th Congress. They also have readily available on their website data concerning previous Congressional sessions. Our Democratic delegation has performed poorly, voting against manufacturing at rather astounding rates. Senator Schumer has aligned with manufacturing on only 22% of the votes this year. In the 107^th he sided with industry only 6% of the time and 29% and 14% in the years prior. Hillary Clinton has proven to be just as anti-manufacturing. This year she has voted at a 14% clip and at 32% and 6% in the two previous Congresses.   Amazingly, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter is actually a greater foe of the NAM than these two. Her records stand at 16%, 10%, 10%, and 9%.      

In recent years this economically-sordid crew has voted against countless bills and appointments that were in the best interest of not only manufacturers but the common good as well. They have conspired against a jobs and growth tax relief bill, squashed medical liability reform, tempered the Energy Policy, damned Class Action Reform, promoted the Death Tax, denied long-term tax cuts, spoke against research and development and flattened a crucial bill that would have prevented “regulation through litigation.”

These individuals are not friends of manufacturing. They are definitely not friends of the working class they claim to protect. Realize that every sound bill they turn away increases the already-burdensome taxes, litigative impairments, and prohibitions directed at manufacturing. This increased cost burden ultimately limits working wages and job growth amongst all employed in production. In worst case scenarios, the continued damnation of production by the Democrats prevents development of new products and facilities on American soil by forcing penny-pinched corporations to head oversees where the governments are for and not against them.  

So, the next time you hear a Democrat attempting to pull at your heart strings by touting your need for job security or calling for the salvation of American Industry ignore the crocodile tears and baseless speeches. Instead, ask yourself this: What have these Democrats done for me lately?