As President Barack Obama prepares to unveil his job-creating proposal to
Americans tonight, the Associated Builders and Contractors have some
suggestions.
The group, which promotes non-union contracting and free-market principles,
called on the president eliminate excessive regulations to bring down the unemployment
rate.
“The torrential flood of costly
and burdensome regulations from this administration has created a climate of
uncertainty among small business construction contractors,” said 2011 ABC national
Chairman Michael J. Uremovich, president of Great Lakes Energy Consultants LLC
in Manhattan, Ill. “Business owners are buried in government red tape that
erodes their bottom line and creates an uncertain future – hardly the formula
needed to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.”
It said efforts should instead be on
increasing contractors’ access to capital.
“ABC believes a safe and
reliable infrastructure, including transportation, energy, schools and military
construction, is critical to our nation’s competitiveness in the global economy,”
Uremovich said. “While the federal government lacks the resources to make
significant investments in our nation’s infrastructure, demand for
infrastructure projects still exists. Public-private partnerships present an
opportunity to responsibly invest in improving our nation’s infrastructure
without adding to our deficit.
“As part of
any plan to invigorate the economy and create jobs, it is necessary to break
down those barriers that prevent banks from financing construction projects,”
Uremovich added. “It is critical that real estate development and
construction firms have access to much-needed capital in order to allow
construction growth and development.”
