Gov. Rick Scott is disputing a comment about American economic drive made by President Barack Obama during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Obama, when asked what he thinks China considers are impediments to investing in the United States, replied that weve been a bit lazy and needs to get hungrier to attract overseas money.
Scott, in a release, pointed to his recent trade mission with Enterprise Florida to Brazil, the hurdles of federal regulations and that Every day my focus is on attracting new businesses and jobs to Florida.
Obstacles to job creation in America are a result of policy, not of motivation, Scott added.
The release from the governor's office:
"President Obama's latest observation that job creation efforts have been hindered because America has been lazy in attracting investment is clearly incorrect. To characterize the efforts of American businesses and Governors throughout the nation who are working hard to build jobs in this way is not only wrong but stands in the way of their efforts to sell the value of our great nation every day. I recently returned from Brazil, where I and dozens of Florida business leaders worked hard to attract jobs to America. Every day my focus is on attracting new businesses and jobs to Florida.
Obstacles to job creation in America are a result of policy, not of motivation. Our business taxes are among the highest in the world. Our regulations are among the most difficult in the world. If you need evidence, look no further than the companies who have moved their oil rigs from the Gulf coast to foreign countries in the last year because of the regulatory environment. Just last week, yet another major medical device manufacturer announced they were cutting more than 1,000 jobs because of new Obamacare taxes. The President's comments indicate a belief that more taxes, more regulation and more government is the solution, yet those are the very things standing in the way of those of us who are trying very energetically to recruit businesses and jobs to our states.
Please, Mr. President, help us bring jobs to America and let us have an honest conversation about the barriers in our way."
The White House transcript of the exchange at the summit.
MR. McNERNEY: I think one related question, looking at the world from the Chinese side, is what they would characterize as impediments to investment in the United States. And so that discussion Im sure will be part of whatever dialogue you have. And so how are you thinking about that?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, this is an issue, generally. I think its important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity -- our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture.
But weve been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. Weve kind of taken for granted -- well, people will want to come here and we arent out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America. And so one of things that my administration has done is set up something called SelectUSA that organizes all the government agencies to work with state and local governments where theyre seeking assistance from us, to go out there and make it easier for foreign investors to build a plant in the United States and put outstanding U.S. workers back to work in the United States of America.
And we think that we can do much better than were doing right now. Because of our federalist system, sometimes a foreign investor comes in and theyve got to navigate not only federal rules, but theyve also got to navigate state and local governments that may have their own sets of interests. Being able to create if not a one-stop shop, then at least no more than a couple of stops for people to be able to come into the United States and make investments, thats something that we want to encourage.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859 or (772) 215-9889.
