From the Senator’s Desk

Courtesy of the Senate Republican Conference:

U.S. Global Competitiveness Ranking

Drops for Fourth Straight Year

• According to a report issued today by the World Economic Forum, the United States dropped from fifth to seventh place in global competitiveness.

• America ranked first in global competitiveness when President Obama took office in 2009.

• The report also ranked the United States at a staggering 136^th place in terms of the federal government’s massive debt-to-GDP ratio.  

•  Over 100 countries have more competitive tax rates than the United States. 

President Obama’s policies are making it more difficult to do business in the United States:

• Government red tape, high tax rates, and burdensome regulations are the highest hurdles for doing business in the United States, according to the report.  
• While U.S. businesses remain competitive in terms of innovation and technology, the U.S. received some its worst rankings in the areas of high debt, deficits, and taxes.

The president should work with Congress to make it less expensive and easier to do business in the United States:

• By extending all tax rates for at least one year, reforming the tax code, reducing the deficit, and eliminating unnecessary red tape and regulations, we can give job creators the certainty they need to expand and hire more American workers.
• With over 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, the president should get serious about restoring America’s global economic competitiveness.

On Twitter

With $16 Trillion in debt it is no surprise that Utahns in town hall meetings showed strong support for #cutcapbalance: youtu.be/5hzyZOqi1wc

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) September 4, 2012

Dems: Americans "belong to" government ow.ly/duazy (h/t @freedomworks)

— Brian Phillips (@SenLeeComs) September 5, 2012

@nataliewardel Good luck speaking to the BYU students today! Tell them to follow @senleepresssec to see how we tweet from DC ;)

— Emily Bennion (@SenLeePressSec) September 4, 2012

Is America more competitive than it was #4yearsago? Not so much: bit.ly/TXcOkL #tcot #tlot

— Joe Tauke (@SenLeeResearch) September 5, 2012

Around the Water Cooler

Recession ‘taking hold’ in Eurozone, OECD says

Europe’s debt crisis is pushing the 17-country eurozone toward recession and dragging down the global economy, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

Greek unemployment surges to 24.4% in June

Greece's unemployment rate surged to 24.4 percent in June, according to official figures Thursday, as protests continued against a massive new austerity package, with police blocking their colleagues from starting work.

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow, Senator Lee will attend the dedication ceremony for the new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons building at Dixie State College.