LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

White House business meeting positive

1/12/2014

I recently participated in a White House Business Council meeting in Washington, attended by executives of small and medium-sized businesses across the Midwest. This event provided a forum to discuss with Obama Administration officials topics such as the federal budget, corporate tax reform, health care, and infrastructure investment.

The administration uses such meetings to help shape government policy, so that it is better aligned with the needs of the business community to help our economy grow. It was enlightening to discuss complex subjects, gain insight from different perspectives, and share my views on them.

We discussed how the Affordable Care Act is leading to changes in health-care provider business models, with the intent of reducing the cost of delivering care.

During a discussion of ways to create jobs for the long-term unemployed, I pointed out that the rate at which money turns over in the economy is at a 50-year low. I recommended identifying the factors contributing to this and taking countermeasures. This would speed up the economy, creating jobs.

I left this meeting with an appreciation of the capabilities of Obama Administration officials — a number of whom have decades of business experience — the complexity of the issues they work on, and the challenges they face in developing and implementing government policies to address them.

SCOTT BUEHRER

Vice President of SalesBionix Development Corp.Enterprise Boulevard