Obama, CEOs To Talk Job Creation Wednesday

WASHINGTON -- The White House says President Barack Obama will discuss ideas for creating jobs and making the U.S. more competitive when he hosts about 20 CEOs on Wednesday.

The White House isn't saying yet who's on the invitation list for the event at Blair House.

White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki (SAH'-kee) says the session will give the president a chance to continue building his relationship with the business community. Obama has said that's an area he needs to work on.

Likely areas of discussion will include promoting exports and making sure the next generation is skilled enough to compete in a global marketplace. Other topics include tax reform, government regulation and the country's medium and long-term federal deficits.

Obama's meeting with the corporate executives comes just weeks after the Commerce Department reported that U.S. corporations posted the highest profits ever recorded during the third quarter of the 2010 fiscal year. Despite a combined $1.659 trillion in corporate profits, hiring remains scarce.

According to the most recent unemployment figures, 9.8 percent of all working-age Americans are seeking a job.

Comments

[Arts4u]

05:00 PM on 12/14/2010

"Many low-labor-cost countries are bypassing the "commodity" outsourcing services such as call centers. They have pools of highly trained professionals who can provide services in design, innovation, knowledge processes, finance and accounting, marketing and sales, human resource management and procurement.' Because of this more white collar jobs are leaving our shores. Still think that unregulated capitalism works? Pandora's box has been opened - how do the corporations and our elected politicians plan on fixing the jobs crisis (which ironically is now in the hands of the corporations themselves)?

[demilieu]

03:18 PM on 12/14/2010

I'd like to be a fly on the wall for those conversations.

[mrcontinental]

06:42 AM on 12/14/2010

Whatever, he's getting his marching orders.

[Malcolm Hensley]

07:23 PM on 12/13/2010

Its easy to blame the CEO's for losing our manufacturing base but they for the most part are only playing by the rules of world wide free trade that our politicians agree too!

Every CEO is responsible for generating profits to his company stock holders. That means he has to move his manufacturing to the nations with the lowest operating cost.

The fast developing nations have proven they will sacrifice their environment and there workers well being to obtain these jobs and the tax revenue these business will generate.

Any arguments?

If I were Obama I would start to change the rules by asking congress to pass tariffs on imports based on their GHG (Green house Gases) emissions footprint. Including the footprints of the raw materials and the footprint for transportation of the imports.

My argument would be to protect the world against global warming! Let that make its way up to the WTO courts.

After we lose then Obama could impose equivalent taxes on domestically made products. I would take the full time of it winding through the courts to give domestic manufactures a chance to tool up and take advantage of nuclear and renew ables sources of energy!

Next step use other Green Tariffs for the destruction of Rain Forest and other environmental issues.

Its time the government started working for its citizens and not just Wall Street!

The funny thing is if the government did it right they could improve everyone's life not just Americans!

[LinkSync]

05:53 PM on 12/13/2010

What BO should do is decalre all the CEOs enemy combatants and disapere them all to Gitmo.
He should do the same to all the Repugnants in CO.ngress and most of the democRATS too.

Water board every single one 4 times a day while he is at it.

[baxtron]

05:20 PM on 12/13/2010

companies need more profit than last year, otherwise it is a failure. the rest of you can rot in the sewer.

[baxtron]

05:12 PM on 12/13/2010

Likely areas of discussion will include promoting exports and making sure the next generation is skilled enough to compete in a global marketplace.

Ignore the cheap goods imported into your markets. Focus on half of the issue and race to the bottom.

[TexasDem0]

05:02 PM on 12/13/2010

Eliminate tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.
Don’t grant government contracts to companies that send, or sent, jobs overseas.
Give the contracts to companies that will keep or create jobs at home.
Eliminate tax breaks for bogus international status by having an offshore post office box.
Promote a “Made in USA” purchasing program for all levels of government.

[wrightthewrong]

04:42 PM on 12/13/2010

Oh goody -- Obama and his best friends getting together for more tax giveaways to the wealthiest and most profitable companies EVER, who refuse to hire American people...

[Carbon Forteetoo]

01:07 PM on 12/13/2010

Obama should hold their tax cuts "hostage" unless they hire 10 million immediately.

[WiseGoat]

12:16 PM on 12/13/2010

Honestly, OBAMA DOESN'T KNOW nor understand what he is doing.
Job creation from the private sector is almost impossible at this point (If you want companies to "stay competitive")

The 'made up' laws of business do not support this plan. Any sensible business man knows that it would be unwise fr them to hire American workers at a higher rate than it would be to higher say, a Chinese worker, to do the same job. UNLESS the US is willing to compete with foreign worker salaries, THERE WILL BE NO JOB CREATION.

We are stuck in an awkward position, but somehow people don't understand: THIS SYSTEM IS FLAWED and IT MUST BE CHANGED, unless we will remain in this awkward position for a long time to come.

[Carbon Forteetoo]

01:09 PM on 12/13/2010

So you seem to want to lower the American worker down to Chinese standards. Why do you hate the American worker?

[WiseGoat]

04:29 PM on 12/13/2010

Did you even read my comment?

...and NO. I do not want the American people to lower their standards in order to compete with the Chinese.

[OSCPJ]

04:53 PM on 12/13/2010

Wise goat sees reality.  If jobs are created or not, it has nothing to do with hatred or love of the American worker.  Why can't you guys get that?

Feelings are one thing, but believing feelings will overcome reality is another.  Instead of "Hope", it should of been, "Hard Work". 

No matter how you feel, or how Goat feels, the game is set.  The Endgame only a matter of time.  I hope you have more than your "Love for American Workers" as a gameplan for the future.

[Mi4Peace]

12:09 PM on 12/13/2010

It seems to me that if CEO's want to be patriotic, Instead of claiming to be patriotic, and actualy claiming their company will go bankrupt unless they pay employees less or lay people off. Or not hire any workers at all. They could stop paying themselves 10 million dollars per year and reinvest some of that salary back into the company. The company would have more capital to operate and hire workers with a living wage.

[OSCPJ]

04:57 PM on 12/13/2010

This is where the Progressives fail to understand Economics or Business.  Individuals either succeed or fail in life.  It is not the job of business to pay employees more. 

A company is judged by it's board members, not what you think they should do. 

Progressives fail to hold experience in Business or how Economies run.  You guys have to get off the Govt need to pay people to work (or not) and Business needs to hire more and pay better.  That model doesn't work and has never worked.

At the end of the day, Progressives fail to answer, "Who is going to pay for this?"  "How efficient is that spending of money?"  They would rather answer, "Tax the Rich", "Take from the Companies", or "Evil Wall Street took it from the backs of workers".  Those answers get old, and don't work with those not fully indocrinated into your camp.   You didn't learn that during last elections and will be doomed to repeat that in two years.

[TexasDem0]

05:10 PM on 12/13/2010

Henry Ford understood that by paying his production line employees a fair wage, they would buy the cars they were building, thus he was creating his customer base at the same time. When all the working class is living in the poverty of corporate serfdom, who will buy the goods and services American corporations want to sell, China?

[baxtron]

05:19 PM on 12/13/2010

It is difficult to rationalize not making 4 or 5 billion in profit vs keeping 2,000 more people employed. The CEO of COSTCO has a different approach, he pays even the wharehouse worker more than a living wage. COSTCO's membership was up 25% in 2009 completely blowing your bottom line, idiotic elementary business 101 class out of the water. you, like most biz grads, truly believe that companies operate in free markets, or that their sucess or failure is 100% independent of the society around them. being this blind is simple. it avoids real questions on how to develop a working society. ancient Greeks spent their whole life thinking about it. you should spend more that 10 sec, because CNBC is showing another hot chick.

[APMOTRBC]

12:03 PM on 12/13/2010

I do believe that the downfall of our country was "expect more. pay less." Why should we expect more and pay less? If we are expecting more, we should pay more. Stuff costs money. We have for far too long accepted that we just deserve things that are expensive and take investment for little or no outlay of our own dollars.

We all want a free lunch . . . it is very depressing . .. we should all expect less and expect to pay more. In fact, my mother raised me at all times to put back at least double what I extracted from every situation . . .but I now see people demanding to extract double for any single effort they put forth. It will be the downfall of our humanity.

[SansCulottes08]

10:32 AM on 12/13/2010

No doubt Obama will start out by heaping gratitude on the CEOs for continuing to generate wealth while the vast majority of lazy, unworthy, sanctimonious Americans do nothing but whine and beg for handouts. He'll continue by recognizing their philanthropic activities on behalf of those less fortunate, and reassure them that he has no sympathy for the bitter ideologues of the professional left who just don't get that class envy doesn't sell in America. He'll reflect on how outsourcing and globalization is good for working American families whether they like it or not, and he'll reassure the CEOs that the Democratic Party is never going back to its wrong-headed, knee-jerk support for foot-dragging unions. He'll quietly tell the CEOs that the national Democratic leadership understands that long-term unemployment provides the right kind of incentive for chronic workplace complainers to get off their butts and give 150% so they won't be part of the next round of job cuts. Finally, Obama will get down on his knees, lip his lips, pout coyly, and ask the CEOs if there is anything more he can do . . . anything at all . . . to show his appreciation for their support.

[sc300nc]

10:31 AM on 12/13/2010

Obama spends his entire term in office berating and insulting big business. Now he expects them to listen to his ideas? Guess again, President OishouldlearnhowtokeepmymouthshutBama

[Carbon Forteetoo]

01:10 PM on 12/13/2010

Obama hasn't been insulting and berating big business. Fox News, and Reichwing Radio just say he has.

[TexasDem0]

05:03 PM on 12/13/2010

Where do you get your misinformation? Pox News and Rush no doubt.