Obama – Innovation and increased productivity a “structural issue”

Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. “That’s me…” Calling all candidates looking for a radio or TV spot … here you go. These words – in response to a question about public sector hiring – highlight President Obama’s socialist side. He really thinks the structural issue – his words – with the economy is innovation and increased productivity.

Forget about every other gaffe and stupid statement by every political candidate for the past two years, this one takes the prize. When asked about private sector hiring and why he could not figure out a way to get those companies to hire more workers, Obama admitted that companies were tasked to make business decisions for the good of their own company.

Of course, he thinks that is a problem in itself, but he goes even further off the cliff. Media people for GOP candidates … someone please create a campaign commercial highlighting this foolishness.

The president, with my emphasis in bold.

There are some structural issues with our economy where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient with a lot fewer workers. You see it when you go to a bank and you use an ATM, you don’t go to a bank teller, or you go to the airport and you’re using a kiosk instead of checking in at the gate.

How many lives are saved every day – and suffering reduced – by innovations just in the medical field alone? Do you realize how many jobs were lost when cardiac surgeons no longer needed to cut patients wide open for heart surgery? Sure, the doctors were able to complete more procedures, more effectively with better results … but let’s not discuss that.

How about all of the toll takers who lost their jobs when they started handing out car transmitters? Of course, fewer toll takers needed to be out in the cold inhaling all of those fumes while being worried about getting hit by 18-wheelers … but let’s not discuss that.

How about all of the buggy-whip makers who lost their jobs when automobiles became affordable? Power nailers replacing hammers. Riding lawn mowers replacing manual push mowers.

Don’t even get me started on how many jobs were lost due to the invention of the computer and the Internet!

Yes, innovation and productivity is alien to Obama and his economic staff. These are economic functions that must be dealt with instead of encouraged. And yes, I used the word “socialist” in my first paragraph.

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin, who writes…

And could you expect anything less from a command-and-control ideologue who believes “at a certain point you’ve made enough money” and whose vice president has boasted that “every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive”?

These people have no clue about the nature of American ingenuity and small business creation/preservation.

Update: AP at Hot Air also wrote about this last night.

Who knows? Maybe he’s signaling an exciting new innovation in federal regulation. If the NLRB can tell Boeing where it has to build its planes, why can’t it tell Netflix to stop instant streaming in the name of saving jobs?

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

1 Comment

  1. Plainvillian on June 15, 2011 at 9:04 am

    Socialist economic decisions are based on the belief in a static paradigm that they direct rather than economic growth based on freedom associated with risk and reward.? Socialist economies dictate stasis, and fail.
    The Crony Capitalism of the present administration is a giant leap toward a directed economy.? Somewhere, Marx is smiling.



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