A big dog and pony show in Washington Thursday as President Obama hosted the so-called jobs forum designed to combat rising unemployment.
Anything that puts Americans back to work is good, but the government can't provide jobs on a massive scale. Thank God President Obama seems to understand that.
Now you may remember that I volunteered to be the president's top adviser. So far I haven't heard from the White House, but I'm still optimistic Mr. Obama will be checking in shortly. In the meantime, here's my advice on unemployment and the bad economy.
Mr. President, No. 1, stop the craziness and freeze government spending for two years. That will put some starch back into the U.S. dollar, which is falling apart.
No. 2, only the private sector can create meaningful jobs, so give companies that hire people tax credits for doing so. Encourage private business to hire more people by giving them tax breaks.
No. 3, because the federal deficit is now $1.4 trillion, which is completely insane, you need to institute a two percent federal sales tax on everything but food in the grocery stores. Let's call it a deficit-buster tax, and it could bring in more than $200 billion a year. Combined with the spending freeze, the policy would whittle down the deficit substantially.
Again, reversing the deficit would encourage foreign investors to put money back into the USA because the dollar would be worth more.
Next, do not raise income taxes and keep the capital gains tax at 15 percent. That will lead to more money being spent and invested in companies so they could hire more people.
Are you getting all this, Mr. President? I hope so.
It is very obvious that we simply cannot keep borrowing money and spending more than we take in. That will lead to complete economic chaos down the road.
Yes, some people will suffer with tough spending discipline, but the greater good is that the U.S. economy gets strong again. This is not the time for liberal spending policies and enhanced entitlements. It is the time to help the private sector prosper.
In the end, this is a national security issue. If the USA continues the crazy spending, every American will suffer — and soon.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Nineteen-year-old Taylor Swift has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. The reason we admire Miss Swift is she's a very good role model for young girls. She presents a respectful image and handled herself well with the Kanye West foolishness, so she is patriot.
On the pinhead front, even weddings are now being interrupted by machines.
Click here to watch a groom update his Facebook status during his wedding!
Obviously that guy is a pinhead, and we don't even want to hear about the honeymoon.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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