U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann on Monday unveiled his jobs plan, titled “Less Government, More Jobs.” In a press release, Fleischmann said “The free-market based solutions in my jobs plan are what this country needs right now. The same ‘tax, borrow, spend’ policies from this Administration are not the solutions. The Republican-led House has already been working to put some of these measures in place, but unfortunately the Democratic Senate and White House have said, ‘No.’ They need to listen to the American people and realize their ideas have failed. I am proud to introduce solutions I believe will result in real job growth, not government growth.”

The plan consists of seven proposals:

1. 0% Capital Gains Tax
2. Rein in Regulatory Agencies
3. Stability in the Marketplace
4. Exploration-Based Energy Policy
5. Tort Reform
6. Tax Reform
7. Free Trade

The full 33-page plan may be found at the congressman’s house.gov site.

The plan was not amiably received by all. Chattanooga Organized for Action sent this retort following Fleischmann’s announcement:

• A zero percent capital gains tax: We’re already cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans, slashing capital gains taxes, and shifting the burden onto working families. Chuck Fleischmann wants to adopt a regressive tax policy that would add to our nation’s deficit while giving Wall Street a free pass. He’s calling for a “temporary” two year tax cut, but we see how that worked out when President Bush called for a “temporary” tax cut for the wealthy — a tax cut we still have. Absolutely not.
• Violently shoving aside regulatory agencies in order to gain “cred” with the fringe-right voters that threaten to kick Rep. Fleischmann out of office is political showmanship. These agencies keep the consumer safe, the worker safe, and make the U.S. a competitive market by ensuring we’re manufacturing the best products while keeping our citizens safe.
• Chuck calls for an “Exploration-Based Energy Policy” but what he means is an Exploitation-Based Energy Policy. He wants to allow multi-national corporations, corporations that are reaping in the most profits in the history of the world, to have free-reign over the natural beauty that exists in our country and around the world, letting them instead replace them with gaping strip mines and devastating oil derricks. Instead of thinking about the wallets of his corporate donors, Chuck needs to be thinking about the future of our kids.
• Our Congressman is also advocating a regressive tax policy that his predecessors have advocated for decades. He wants to lower the tax rates for big business and the wealthiest one percent of Americans. We know that doesn’t work, because it hasn’t for the past three decades. Increased revenues are necessary to provide this nation’s essential services and to solve the debt problems we face right now, this has been reiterated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the credit rating agency that downgraded the U.S. credit rating this year.
• “Free Trade” isn’t free at all. What the Congressman is advocating is a policy that ships American jobs overseas for the benefit of a few wealthy CEOs. While we’re shipping American jobs to other parts of the world, we’re allowing American companies to unjustly take advantage of poor and undeveloped nations by pillaging their resources and paying pitifully low wages to malnourished kids in order to keep costs low.