Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, running against incumbent Barbara Boxer in California, demonstrates a long-standing commitment to and understanding of the importance of the private sector in generating sustained growth. As the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), the Republican candidate realizes that the business community is central in combating the current economic recession: “If we are serious about creating jobs, then our focus must be on making it easier for small-business owners and entrepreneurs – our nation’s true economic engines – to grow, thrive and create jobs.” She argues that small businesses, responsible for employing more than 50% of Americans, should be given tax-incentives and greater access to loans in order to expand and invest, and ultimately, create employment opportunities.

Unlike Carly Fiorina, Senator Boxer has repeatedly supported government policies hostile to business interests, particularly harmful in such a fragile economic environment. She recently voted in favor of the Wall Street Reform Legislation and the Health Care Reform Legislation, both of which will burden businesses with increased regulations. Ironically, Senator Boxer’s campaign website claims that she “has helped small businesses afford healthcare”, though the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates companies to offer a policy that is both expensive and inefficient, costing $940 billion over 10 years of tax-payer dollars.

On average, small businesses pay an average of 18% more than large companies for health insurance coverage. In order to pay for this additional cost, many small businesses have already stalled new projects, reduced working hours, and laid-off employees, exacerbating the national unemployment rate. Instead of nationalizing the health care system to further expand the size of government, Carly Fiorina proposes that the federal government dismantle laws that forbid the residents of one state from purchasing a health care policy from a provider in another. Repealing this law, not addressed in the health care reform legislation, would introduce competition into the insurance industry, lowering costs to meet demand and providing access to affordable health care.
Carly Fiorina also opposes the federal stimulus program, passionately supported by Senator Boxer, which has yet to achieve the promised results. Despite passage of the program, costing $862 billion, California’s unemployment rate has increased by 1.6 percentage points since the bill was passed. While The President embarks on a nation-wide campaign to promote the failed program, Carly has repeatedly criticized the Obama Administration’s tax and spend policies, an ideology that Barbara Boxer has vehemently followed and supported.

In addition, as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer suggests a cap-and-trade policy in an effort to reduce harmful gas emissions, though this will only impose increased regulations on business activity and has proven to be ineffective in diminishing the use of energy.

Barbara Boxer has proved in her 17-year tenure in the Senate that she has few reservations when spending taxpayer dollars to support the welfare state, even when it comes to repairing the national economy by decreasing the deficit. Carly Fiornia’s position on issues related to job growth will not only benefit residents of California, but citizens across the nation, as she fights in Washington for policies that benefit business.