5. Desperate Democrats Push 'Made in USA' Bill in California
Debt-ridden California has lost more than 610,000 manufacturing jobs in the past 10 years thanks in large part to the high taxes and regulatory burden imposed by the Democrats.
Now three Democratic activists are in desperation proposing an arguably impractical measure that would require state and local governments to buy only "Made in USA" products.
The three Democrats have sent the ballot initiative, the Bring Manufacturing Jobs Back to California Act, to the state's attorney general, and they will circulate a petition with the aim of getting sufficient signatures to get the bill on the November 2012 ballot.
Beginning in January 2014, the measure would require the state and all local governments to buy or lease only products that are manufactured in the United States, and made mostly from materials produced in America.
Construction and public works contracts would be awarded only to companies that agree to use or supply American-made products and materials.
One of the three Democrats, John Thiella — who formerly worked for the state's tax commission — said the measure would harness the combined purchasing power of the state and its cities, districts, and local government agencies to create new manufacturing jobs in the country and the state of California as well.
The Act "is about simple economic justice in an economy being destroyed by outsourcing and long-term unemployment," said bill proponent Bill Zimmerman, campaign manager for several other citizens' initiatives in the past.
"The decline of our industrial base, and the loss of high-wage manufacturing jobs, has led to suffering for unemployed workers and frustration for consumers who can't find good 'Made in America' products in stores."
The ballot initiative notes that the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge span is being built in China by workers paid just $12 a day.
Under the bill, the legislature could provide exemption only for "specifically identified and particularly described" items, and for books or media intended for libraries, and artwork or artifacts intended for museums.
The measure seeks to address a distressing trend: Many California-based companies have been moving their operations to other states, CNS News reported.
And analysts say the blame rests with California's burdensome tax and regulatory environment.
The state ranked 49th in the Tax Foundation's 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index, which compares the states in five areas of taxation that affect businesses.
Although California's corporate tax rate is the highest in the West, a survey by the California Chamber of Commerce found that respondents believe too much government regulation is the primary factor in discouraging companies from locating there.
