As the production manager at Haven’s Candies, I know all too well how the slow economy has affected jobs. It’s discouraging that in August our nation produced no new net jobs and the national unemployment rate remains at over 9 percent.

Businesses are reluctant to hire new employees in this economy because of the many uncertainties that face us, including the myriad of government regulations that businesses must deal with. These regulations are costly, time-consuming and hinder economic growth. Anyone who runs a business understands this.

That is why I applaud Sen. Susan Collins for recognizing one important way to help businesses grow and create jobs. She has authored the “Regulatory Time Out Act” that would provide a welcome one-year moratorium on burdensome new government regulations.

This bill would give businesses time to get back on their feet and create the jobs that our nation so desperately needs. It creates an exception for emergencies or issues that deal with threats to national security, public health and public safety.

Our nation’s employers need “time out” from burdensome regulations so they can spend more time growing their businesses and less time trying to comply with more heavy-handed government regulations.

I fully support Sen. Collins’ efforts and hope this bill is soon approved by Congress.

Arthur A. Dillon III

master candy maker, Haven’s Candies

Westbrook

Jobs are what people perform for a constructive purpose. To be constructive, the purpose must be something other than “to be paid.”

For example, were we to create jobs to disassemble the New York skyline (for what purpose I leave to your imagination), the sole intent of the job would be destructive.

For which purpose, destruction equals improvement or advancement.

As human beings we have (I think we still have) an accomplishment or reward incentive that directs us to succeed in our positive endeavors in order to be recognized (compensation will often do) for our efforts toward an end that has positive benefits to the entire human race. The best advancement is that which engages the most positive components of the human species.

Emotion aside, we presume that the good Lord provided us with intellect and wits to challenge any force that will lead us to destruction. One such force is that which drives us to attempt to create jobs that are unnecessary.

Necessity does not equate to needed income. We already have a welfare and support system that allows the needy necessary funds in order to subsist.

Jobs bills will not solve the problem of underemployment, human industry will. And human industry cannot be legislated, nor implemented through federal, valueless funding. Federal printing presses are machines that produce paper that says nothing but IOU. Does the government owe us?

Rev. Dan Lakeman

Windham

I commend General Electric on securing a contract with Russia for an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion in sales.

My question is, why does the labor and the products (turbines and high-tech medical equipment) have to be performed in Russia?

Why aren’t these products being built in America and shipped to Russia instead and make jobs here, especially in these times when we need them the most?

I am sure if the reversed situation was to happen, Russia would not let the production and labor escape to another country.

Let’s keep American technology and production (jobs) in America.

Charles Ellis

Harrison

As Congress considers President Obama’s jobs bill and many Mainers continue their struggle to find meaningful employment, a new report has been released by the Economic Policy Institute that shows our trade deficit with China has cost the United States 2.8 million jobs in the 10 years since China entered the World Trade Organization, including more than 9,500 jobs lost in Maine.

It’s simple. When our trade deficits increase, we lose jobs.

A pending free trade agreement with economic powerhouse Korea is expected to lead to an increase in our overall trade deficit according to the U.S. International Trade Commission, a federal agency that has previously underestimated the impact of trade agreements. This trade deficit increase will likely cost even more Mainers their jobs.

We’ve also seen how the North American Free Trade Agreement has led to job losses in our manufacturing sector and the proposed Korea Free Trade Agreement also has the potential to wreak catastrophic economic damage if approved by Congress.

A separate pending trade agreement with Colombia follows this same failed trade model. Although it would have a lesser economic impact, it has the added distinction of expanding our trade relationship with a country whose farmers and trade unionists continue to suffer terrible human rights abuses.

Sen. Olympia Snowe and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Michael Michaud have shown political courage and pledged their opposition to both the Korea and Colombia free trade agreements in spite of the support these bad trade deals have received from the president and congressional leaders.

Sen. Susan Collins should join the rest of the Maine delegation and speak out strongly against these pending agreements.

Angela Griffiths

South Portland

I fully support President Obama’s $3 trillion jobs bill. I stand with him in wanting to tax the top 2 percent of our country’s wealthiest, at the same percentage as the middle class is being taxed.

I support the president in this plan that will take the burden off the middle class who the Republicans feel should take all the burden on keeping this country operating.

Our president’s hands are tied by a Republican Congress that is interested in protecting the top 2 percent of this country’s rich. President Obama’s plan is fair and the Republican Congress should pass it or be terminated from office.

This Congress is not interested in the people who voted them in. They have signed a pledge to never raise taxes on the wealthy. The top 2 percent has had the lowest tax rates ever, and with all their profits, still have not created jobs.

We need to support our president as he is fighting for the middle class with a jobs bill that Congress has to pass.

Rose Larkin

Harpswell 

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