Boehner, Back in Ohio, Wonders Where Jobs Went

On April 26 during his weekly national Republican Address, House Speaker John Boehner kept on doing what he does best – insulting Americans rightly concerned about their futures.

Ohio families tell Speaker John Boehner they need relief.

Two weeks ago, Boehner defiantly pledged his “hell-bent” determination to pass immigration legislation that would devastate American workers. Last week, Boehner mocked his Republican caucus for allegedly not working with him to deliver President Obama one of his most coveted goals – an amnesty that would give work permits to 12 million illegal immigrants and nearly triple legal immigration within a decade.

This week, from the factory floor at Hartzell Propeller outside Dayton, Boehner delivered his canned speech about how badly the GOP wants to create jobs. Boehner repeated the question that he says Americans are asking: “Where are the jobs?” Watch Boehner here.

I’ll provide the three-part answer which Boehner knows but would rather not talk about. First, since the North American Free Trade Agreement, American jobs have been relocated in foreign nations. An estimate puts the total lost post-NAFTA jobs at 1 million. Second, since the advent of the H-1B visa in the early 1990s, millions of foreign-born workers have replaced Americans. And third, about six million illegal immigrants work in non-farm employment.

There just aren’t many American jobs out there. According to its website, Hartzell is looking for three new employees: a technical writer, a propeller mechanical engineer and a composites quality engineer. The engineering positions require B.S degrees; the technical writer, at least an associate’s degree. All three require previous experience. For educated, experienced and specialized employees, there’s still a chance. For others, not so much.

To its credit, Hartzell uses E-Verify to ensure that its jobs go to legally authorized U.S. workers, either native-born or legal immigrant.

Boehner had a chance to help E-Verify become mandatory. In 2011, the House Judiciary Committee passed the Legal Workforce Act that included mandatory E-Verify. But Boehner, using his power as speaker, blocked the bill from going to the House floor for a full vote where it would have passed, and based on that chamber’s membership at the time, passed by the Senate, too.

Then, once the legislation reached President Obama, he would have faced two choices: veto E-Verify and demonstrate a blatant anti-American sentiment or sign it to help put unemployed Americans back to work.

Blame Boehner for missing the best opportunity in years to restore those precious American jobs he’s always blathering about.