Government can at times be more of an obstacle than a friend when it comes to economic development. While the government has done many great things to support its citizens, its burdensome regulations and high taxes are undoing all the growth our job creators have achieved over the generations. And with the economy where it is now, hardly able to sustain itself, we need to decrease the size and cost of government. And most of all, we need help in upstate New York, not more hindrance to our job creators.
In Herkimer County, our largest employer, Remington Arms, is facing serious challenges due to unfriendly laws that attack sportsmen, Second Amendment rights and manufacturing in general. The worst of these challenges was the passage of Gov. Cuomo’s so-called NY SAFE Act.
I believe that Remington Arms, which has a deep-rooted commitment to this community and its employees, will do its best to remain here in this state. New York, however, has to take a step back and examine whether these oppressive laws and taxes are worth the thousands of jobs that could be put in jeopardy.
New York job creators aren’t just being hassled by the state; they also face regulatory burdens from other sources. Take, for example, the Johnstown Holiday Inn. In the 1950s, the business had a billboard sign facing the New York State Thruway. Sometime in the mid-1960s, the Federal Highway Beautification Act was passed, prohibiting such signage. Luckily, the Holiday Inn was grandfathered in. I am sure this law was well-meaning, but it has recently caused a big problem for the Holiday Inn and the City of Johnstown. The sign was ruined due to bad weather and the Holiday Inn rebuilt the display; however, the federal government is pressuring the inn to remove it.
My colleagues and I have worked diligently to help the Johnstown community battle pressures from the federal government to remove this sign. The federal government has threatened to defund the highway by millions of dollars if the sign remains. Tell me, how does this hassle over a sign help Mohawk Valley residents, its economy or our state? This sign is more than just an advertisement for the inn; it serves as a beacon for the community to attract travelers to quaint Johnstown.
These are two of the many examples of how government has acted more like a foe than a friend of economic growth. New York and the U.S. government can keep decimating the economy, but at the root of our economic turmoil are the rules, regulations and taxes that have gutted our region of its job creators and lucrative industries.
I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions about job creation and the economy. Please share them with me by emailing me at butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling my Herkimer office at (315) 866-1632 or my Johnstown office at (518) 762-6486.