How do they sleep at night?

How do the people who rule American industry and investment sleep?

They claim that government regulations make it excessively burdensome to expand their businesses and create new jobs. Apparently it’s not important that a lack of regulation led us into the Great Depression and now the Great Recession.

They also claim that if the Bush “temporary” tax cuts are not made permanent, they won’t have the spare cash to invest in job creation. Those tax breaks are set in place for two more years, yet new jobs are not being created.

Some industry executives say that the current tax rates are still too high to be able to hire more employees. However, the tax rate is considerably less than it was 15 years ago while unemployment is now double the rate of that time.

Furthermore, industry leaders say their record profits would be spent on hiring if only the American people would just start buying more goods. The problem there is that the public can’t increase spending if they are unemployed or have decreasing income.

So how do the people who rule American industry and investment sleep? On a mountain of cash, holding a leash around the neck of the government and the necks of the 99 percent of us who make up the rest of the American population.

John Creaser

Villa Park