Obamacare and Regime Uncertainty
From my column today at Forbes. An excerpt:
A number of smart folks on the Left, who have never and would likely never do something so crass as actually participate in a productive enterprise, have argued that complaints about regime uncertainty by business people is all so much whining. The problem, they argue (not without some truth) is with demand -- if business people were being presented with profitable market growth, they would invest to capture it, irregardless of the President's personal disdain for business people.
And yes, given that scenario, they would likely invest. But would they hire?
Already, the true cost of an employee dwarfs what is on his or her paycheck. Bad employees are increasingly difficult to hire, as employees immediately run to the eager, waiting arms of an attorney when they are fired for cause. But if one doesn't fire a bad employee quickly, he or she is a walking liability time bomb, with my company liable for any boneheaded action an employee might engage in. With rising minimum wages, family and medical leave laws, an increasing number of protected groups who will sue over any bad outcome -- is it any wonder we have jobless recoveries?
RobH:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless I hate to be a grammar nazi--and I love all of your posts--but irregardless should just be regardless.
October 18, 2011, 8:09 amJoshK:
Agreed on the irregardless. Love the posts though.
October 18, 2011, 8:18 amMatt:
Whenever someone cites regime uncertainty, regulation or taxes as impediments to business, liberals retort that low demand or sales is the real problem.
True.
But that's like saying a gunshot victim died from bloodloss.
Isn't it possible that regime uncertainty, regulation or taxes are what is leading to the low demand?
October 18, 2011, 8:42 amCharles Rice:
"Bad employees are increasingly difficult to hire, ..."
perhaps that was supposed to be
"Bad employees are increasingly difficult to fire, ..."
- Your crowd sourced editorial staff
October 18, 2011, 9:18 amIronman:
Timely - we just posted our tool answering the question "How Much Does It Cost to Employ You? (2011-12 Edition)" this past Monday!
October 18, 2011, 9:57 amDan:
I take issue with your opening sentence, which brands people "on the Left" as never having served in a productive enterprise.
It's hard to take the rest of what you say seriously when you start with a bias like that, which sounds more like a political talking point than a reasoned analysis. A lot of people "on the Left" actually are part of productive enterprises. They're not all just sitting in a coffee shop somewhere reading Marx before going out to chant slogans in front of the NYSE, though that may be your impression.
October 18, 2011, 2:45 pm