Will Shuler Continue Party’s Job-Destroying Regulation Binge? Businesses Point to Democrats’ Anti-Growth Policies as Impediment

The following came in from the National Republican Congressional Committee:

As business leaders this week shine light on the job-destroying effects of the excessive regulatory spree undertaken by President Obama and Congressional Democrats, it remains to be seen whether Heath Shuler will get the message and finally start to make growing the economy a priority. The complaints from business owners and trade associations come at a time when unemployment reports and business polls show job creation is seriously lagging behind expectations, with burdensome new regulations and economic uncertainty to blame.

“Heath Shuler and his liberal Democrat allies have long put their big government agenda ahead of creating jobs, and these new polls and unemployment reports show the unfortunate results,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Americans are demanding job creation above all else, but Shuler and his fellow Democrats in Congress have failed to deliver. It is becoming increasingly clear that Shuler will be held accountable for his party’s record of ignoring the concerns of small businesses and growing the size of government instead.”

On Monday, a collection of letters from businesses and trade associations were released that pointed to the Democrats’ big government policies as hostile to job creation:

“‘The problem is not simply that EPA is issuing a lot of regulations. Rather, it is that it has significantly increased the number of major rules,’ wrote William Kovacs, vice president of regulatory affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Business Groups' Target: EPA,” Wall Street Journal, 2/7/11)

This was followed on Tuesday by a survey that showed businesses are still being prevented from hiring new employees:

“Figures on employment turned less optimistic. Small businesses with plans to add to payrolls fell 3 points to a net 3 percent, down from December’s two-year high.” (Alex Kowalski, “Confidence at U.S. Small Companies Climbs to Three-Year High,” Bloomberg, 2/8/11)

Now that job creators finally have a voice in Congress, it is still not clear whether Heath Shuler and his liberal Democrat allies are listening. With the American public wanting job creation more than anything, will Shuler finally get the message and help cut the red tape that is holding economic recovery back?