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California is one of three "least competitive" states for business based on taxes, according to chief financial officers surveyed by Alvarez & Marsal Taxand LLC, the world's largest independent tax group based in New York.

http://www.businessinsider.com/study-company-us-2012-4 NIALL FERGUSON: This Is The Study That Shows Why The US Economy Is Doomed Rob Wile | Apr. 5, 2012, 2:02 PM | 17,651 | 67 A Harvard Business School study that Niall Ferguson pointed us to today shows the U.S. has fallen severely behind in terms of international competitiveness. The study, from January, found that for Harvard alums personally involved in a company relocation decision, 57 percent said the decision "involved the possibility of moving existing activities out of the U.S." Meanwhile, only 9 percent considered moving existing activities from another country into the U.S. "A U.S.-based respondent...

This is a recurring annoyance for me. The RNC seems to have no idea that education is hugely important to most Americans, and should be a major campaign issue. Frankly, big visions are NOT required. Details need NOT be mentioned. Just say that public schools are a mess, liberal ideas made them that way, and Republicans can turn things around. All true.Problem is, we need people at the top with practical common sense and a desire to win. These people need to be aggressive. The weird wizards now in charge of public education will not notice anything less than a...

The United States now ranks fifth, overtaken by Sweden and Singapore in the 2011-2012 rankings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness report, released on Wednesday. While Switzerland still leads the table, Finland moves to fourth position in the current index from last year's sixth spot. According to the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), United States is facing a continuous decline that began three years ago, falling one more position to fifth place. U.S. companies are highly sophisticated and pioneering, it also has an outstanding university system, Worlds Economic Forum report (WEF) said on Wednesday. However, “a number of escalating weaknesses...

Jeff Immelt as the head of Competitiveness? What Is This Administration Smoking? The record of Jeff Immelt as CEO of GE: Takes over as CEO in September of 2001. At the end of 2000 this is the company he inherits: Shares Outstanding: 9,932,000,000 EPS: $1.29 Total Earnings: $12,812,280,000 Sales Per Share: $13.07 Sales: $129,811,240,000 Profit Margin: 9.9% Employees: 313,000 Based on the 2010 Value Line end of Year predictions: Shares Outstanding: 10,675,000,000 EPS: $1.10 Total Earnings: $11,742,500,000 Sales Per Share: $14.30 Sales: $152,652,500,000 Profit Margin: 7.7% Employees: under 300,000 Sales grows about 1.8% compounded annually Profit Margins fall Less employees...

The naming of General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt to head the new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is supposed to show the country that President Obama really is serious about dealing with the nation's economic woes through the free market system, rather than the government programs and handouts that characterized his first two years in office. Except it doesn't. Sure, Immelt brings a lot of business experience to the post -- he's spent many years in the trenches of one of the world's biggest companies, and his last 10 as its CEO. Problem is, this isn't necessarily the kind of...

As the world economy entered its worst decline since the Great Depression, corporations were less interested in innovating. Now, as the economy begins to recovers U.S. corporations are in danger of being eclipsed by their Chinese rivals. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the total number of patent applications filed across the world grew by 2.6% in 2007. This is the lowest growth rate since the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000 . To make matters worse, the data, the latest available, showed zero growth in the U.S. China, however, showed a gain of 18.2%. Preliminary 2009...

The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report finds the United States has fallen to fourth position behind top-ranked Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore in its competitiveness rankings of 139 countries. The report notes China has moved up in the rankings and sub-Saharan African countries continue to hold the bottom. The report finds the recent economic crisis is having an impact on its competitiveness rankings. It notes the United States is continuing its decline. After being toppled from first to second position last year, it now has fallen two more places to fourth position. Despite this, co-author of the Global Competitiveness Report,...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-national-broadband-plan Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 16, 2010 Statement from the President on the National Broadband Plan America today is on the verge of a broadband-driven Internet era that will unleash innovation, create new jobs and industries, provide consumers with new powerful sources of information, enhance American safety and security, and connect communities in ways that strengthen our democracy. Just as past generations of Americans met the great infrastructure challenges of the day, such as building the Transcontinental...

Graft, Red Tape Dent Russia’s Ratings 09 September 2009 By Maria Antonova Despite regulatory reforms, Russia got poor marks in terms of competitiveness and the ease of doing business, with corruption considered the biggest problem, according to two global reports released Tuesday. Russia ranks 120th in the World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” report, which evaluates laws and regulations that affect business activity in 183 countries. Russia improved on three of the survey’s 10 indicators by easing the process of registering property, lowering the corporate income tax rate from 24 percent to 20 percent, and defining bankruptcy rules more clearly. But...

The effect of the Obama administration’s economic policies have already had an impact on our international standing — and that is bad news. Financial Times reports that the US has dropped out of its customary position as the most competitive economic environment, allowing Switzerland to capture the top spot. Why? Three guesses (via Katie Favazza): "The US government’s sweeping intervention in the private sector has taken its toll on the country’s competitiveness, according to an annual survey by the World Economic Forum. The country lost its number one spot to Switzerland in the WEF report on global competitiveness, partly because...

The US government’s sweeping intervention in the private sector has taken its toll on the country’s competitiveness, according to an annual survey by the World Economic Forum. The country lost its number one spot to Switzerland in the WEF report on global competitiveness, partly because of “particular concerns on the part of the business community about the government’s ability to maintain arm’s-length relationships with the private sector and in the perception that the government spends its resources wastefully”. Barack Obama, US president, has continued and deepened the government’s involvement in private industry that was started by his predecessor, George W....

A report on Internet speed in the United States says the country isn’t likely to catch world leader South Korea for 15 years. Or for much longer — at current growth rates, the United States will only reach South Korea’s speed today in 15 years. The report, by the Communications Workers of America, details Internet download and upload speeds all over the United States and some of its affiliated territories. In the last year, the average upload speed in the United States “barely changed,” the report said, and download speed only grew a little, from 4.2 megabits per second in...

I recently sat down with a reporter from the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America to talk about the impact that lawsuit abuse is having on America’s small businesses. It seems she had stumbled across our Web site, IAmLawsuitAbuse.org, which brings home the sad reality that lawsuit abuse hurts working families and neighborhood businesses. As someone who is still trying to understand the unique legal culture of the U.S., the foreign-born reporter was shocked that even the most ridiculous of lawsuits has the potential to destroy a business or force it to lay off employees.

The Air Force Tanker Deal By Thomas Lifson The next generation of Air Force in-flight filling stations is slated to ride on the wings of an airplane designed in France. A consortium of Northrop-Grumman and Airbus beat Boeing for the contract to supply the next generation of Air Force tankers. Critics decry a job loss from outsourcing, fret at dependence on foreign suppliers for the capacity to fuel our strategic global reach, and don't want their tax dollars heading toward Europe. But it is worth at least considering the view that the brass are planning a canny game of strategy, looking...

Abstract: The founders of the United States considered intellectual property worthy of a special place in the Constitution - “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” In today's knowledge-based economy, capturing value from intellectual capital and knowledge-based assets has gained even more importance. Global competition is no longer for the control of raw materials, but for this productive knowledge. This paper is the third in a series of studies focusing on immigrants' contributions to the competitiveness of the U.S. economy....

Average SAT scores at lowest since 1999 By JUSTIN POPE, AP Education Writer The class of 2007 averaged the lowest math and reading SAT scores since 1999, the College Board reported Tuesday. Last spring's high school seniors scored on average 502, out of a possible 800 points, on the critical reading section of the country's most popular college entrance exam, down from 503 for the class of 2006. Math scores fell three points from 518 to 515. The declines follow a seven-point drop last year for the first class to take a lengthened and redesigned SAT, which included higher-level math...

The results of the 2007 edition of IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook highlight a big shake-up in economic and business power. Emerging nations are quickly catching up in competitiveness. New companies and new brands are appearing all over the world. They now contest the long-standing competitive supremacy of industrialized nations. “This could lead to an increase in protectionist measures in Europe and the US”, says Professor Stéphane Garelli, Director of IMD’s World Competitiveness Center. Of the 55 economies ranked by IMD, the US still ranks No. 1 in 2007, closely followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. However, 40 economies are now...

China is increasing its competitiveness in the nanotechnology market, according to research announced Friday. The United States is still a leader in nanotech, but the low cost of doing business in China is boosting that country's ranking for nanotech research and development investments, according to a report that Lux Research released Friday. Public and private groups invested $12.4 billion in the industry's research and development worldwide in 2006, while companies sold more than $50 billion worth of nano-enabled products, according to the report, "Profiting from International Nanotechnology." Lux researchers viewed government spending, patents, publications, and other metrics to analyze the...

With high school students under mounting pressure to achieve high grades and gain acceptance to select colleges, a new trend is taking hold—getting rid of class rankings, which some say just intensify the pressure teens already feel in the competitive college application environment. A recent story in Time reports that Naperville, IL, noted for its excellent school system, has jettisoned the rankings, which colleges have traditionally used to sort the academically weak from the strong. The rankings will be phased out over the next year; 2007's upperclassmen will choose whether to include a rank in their official transcripts, Time reports....

The United States has drtopped from 1st place to 6th in this important report. America is no longer the most competitive economy in the world. Basically, you should fire anyone who isn't doing their job, or complain to a manager if an employee is not doing their job. Switzerland, Finland and Sweden are the world’s most competitive economies according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007, released by the World Economic Forum on 26 September 2006. Denmark, Singapore, the United States, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom complete the top ten list, but the United States shows the most...

China has slipped six places to 54th in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) global competitiveness rankings, a report said yesterday. Due to cautious macro-economic management, China is enjoying buoyant growth rates, low inflation, one of the highest savings rates in the world, and manageable levels of public debt, the WEF's Global Competitiveness Report (2006-07) said. However, a number of structural weaknesses need to be addressed, including those in the largely State-controlled banking sector, the report warned. China also has low penetration rates for technologies such as the Internet and personal computers, and its secondary and tertiary school enrolment rates are...

28 September 2006 Forum sees threat to U.S. economyISA InTech, September 28, 2006 The U.S.’s huge budget is not good news, said the World Economic Forum. The Wall Street Journal reported the institute’s annual study of global competitiveness said the U.S. economy is the sixth most competitive in the world, slipping from first place in last year’s ranking. The competitiveness study ranks countries according to a range of criteria—including macroeconomic policies, market regulations, technological development, education systems, and public institutions—that the forum believes influence an economy’s level of productivity, and thereby its ability to sustain economic growth over many years....

...His team was down by one and there were two outs. There was a man on third, and his team's power hitter was up, so Romney thought the game would be over. Then the other team intentionally walked the power hitter on Romney's team. Romney said he was shocked. Romney got up to bat and struck out. His team ended up losing by one run. Romney's father couldn't believe the opposing coaches intentionally walked a better hitter to face his son, a cancer survivor who needs a shunt in his brain just to live...

With virtually no mention in the mainstream media, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez convened on June 15, the first meeting of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), an apparently extra-constitutional advisory group organized by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). A March 31 press release on the White House website, under the title “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Progress,” announced the formation of the NACC. The press release noted that the NACC would meet annually “with security and prosperity Ministers and will engage with senior government officials on an...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 8, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      In Focus: Jobs & Economy      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I visited the city of Chicago. In that great city, and across America, our strong and growing economy is creating jobs and delivering prosperity to more of our people. In the Chicago area, businesses have added more than 74,000 new jobs over the past two years. And in Illinois, the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.6 percent, the lowest rate there in over 5-and-a-half years.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004 We have good...

In his recent bestseller, "The World Is Flat," Thomas Friedman warned Americans about the challenges of an era of increased globalization and international competition. In an ever "flattening" world, many jobs can easily be outsourced to skilled, lower-cost workers in other countries. Today, American workers have to compete against workers from around the world. Friedman explained what this should mean to American students by recounting a warning he offered his daughters: "Girls, when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, 'Tom, finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' My advice to you is:...

Detroit narrows productivity gapISA News, June 7, 2006 The big three automakers are gaining on their Japanese rivals vis-à-vis the number of hours to make a car. The dollar-per-hour problem remains. The Wall Street Journal reported the companies have nearly closed the productivity gap with U.S. factories owned by Japanese automakers. The 2006 edition of the Harbour Report on North American auto-factory productivity found the average number of labor hours General Motors Corp. took to build a vehicle in North America last year had fallen to 33.19 hours, only 41 minutes of labor more than it took Honda Motor Co....

BALTIMORE - Dismal new results on U.S. student performance in science ought to spur Congress to pass President Bush’s competitiveness agenda this year — and to extend his “No Child Left Behind” program to high schools. The competitiveness agenda — which includes scholarships aimed at producing 10,000 more science teachers per year as well as increases in U.S. research funding — has bipartisan support but is moving slowly through Congress.Markups of key legislation have yet to take place in the House or Senate, and leaders have yet to schedule floor time for the bills, which could represent a major success...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – NASA lacks the money to support vigorous science research while building the international space station and returning astronauts to the moon, according to a report released Thursday by the National Research Council. The end result, the scientists warned, will be further erosion of the nation's leadership in scientific research.“NASA is being asked to accomplish too much with too little,'' said the document, prepared by a panel of scientists at the request of Congress. The proposed 2007 budget for the space agency could weaken programs for space and earth science, jeopardize national research goals and stunt...

The competitiveness of China’s manufacturing industries has suffered serious erosion over the past year, according to one of the world’s largest trade sourcing companies. (Snip ...)

For Immediate ReleaseFebruary 25, 2006 President's Radio Address      Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will meet with America's governors during their annual gathering in Washington, D.C. As a former governor, I appreciate the work of these fine public servants. I look forward to talking with them about the challenges and opportunities facing their states and our nation and discussing how leaders of both parties can work together to solve problems for our citizens. One of the most important issues we will discuss is how to improve health care for the American people, and we have...

Bush for more competitiveness, foreign skills By Ela Dutt, Washington: President George W. Bush has lately been selling the idea of American competitiveness vis-à-vis countries like China and India in the same breath as he urges Congress to allow more foreign skilled workers to come into the US. Bush faces somewhat of a dilemma as he wants to reach out to the public with his plans for raising math and science education levels to meet the needs of a more competitive global economy, at the same time that he wants them not to fear the incursion of foreign workers to...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryFebruary 4, 2006 President's Radio Address      Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week in the State of the Union address, I set forth my American Competitiveness Initiative. This plan will help our Nation to compete with confidence, raise the standard of living for our families, and generate new jobs for our citizens. Generations of risk-takers, inventors, and visionaries have made America the world's most prosperous and innovative nation. Just 25 years ago, most Americans used typewriters instead of computers, rotary phones instead of cell phones, and bank tellers instead of ATMs. Today America...

PALO ALTO, Calif. — U.S. chip designers are still the best in the world, though how long they can hold that position as India and China continue to produce hordes of engineers in the next few years remains an open question, according to EDA CEOs participating in a Thursday (Feb. 2) panel discussion here. John Bourgoin, CEO of MIPS Technologies Inc., said U.S. chip designers are unquestionably still the best on the whole, though he added that the degree to which that is true varies by specific applications. But with China now graduating an estimated 700,000 engineers per year, Bourgoin...

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. - President Bush urged Congress on Thursday to give new life to a research and development tax credit for business to better compete with China, Indian and other rising global economies. At a 3M Corp. plant outside Minneapolis, Bush said the United States needs to embrace technological innovation and emphasize math and science education. That was a theme of his State of the Union address and one he intended to promote Friday in Albuquerque, N.M., and Dallas. "Congress needs to understand that nations like China and India and Japan and Korea and Canada all offer tax incentives that...

WASHINGTON - After a series of reports warning of the growing economic threat from China and India, ``competitiveness'' has become the latest catch-word of Silicon Valley's high-tech industry. President Bush elevated the issue for the nation Tuesday, announcing a decadelong ``American Competitiveness Initiative'' that would pour $136 billion into scientific research and the promotion of math and science education. --snip-- High-tech leaders praised the proposal Tuesday night. ``I was heartened by the amount of time he spent talking about competitiveness,'' said Carl Guardino, head of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. ``To hear him focus on math and science, especially in...

(highlights are mine) 'Gathering Storm' Report Urges Strong Federal Action to Save US Science and Technology LeadershipA National Academy of Sciences study warns that without strong steps to improve federal support for science and technology, the quality of life in the US is threatened. For several years the reports have been stacking up in offices throughout Washington, DC. One is by the Council on Competitiveness, another is by the Electronic Industries Alliance, and still another is by the Business Roundtable. There are more than a dozen similar reports, all carrying the same basic message: The US is losing its competitive...

WASHINGTON -- General Motors took an interesting turn on Monday. It is going back into the automobile business. Granted, GM has always been in that, but it has also become the nation's largest private purchaser of health care. This supposedly secondary role has become primary. GM has been forced to allow product development, pricing and other decisions to be driven by the need to keep sufficient revenues flowing in so they can flow out in fulfillment of GM's function as a welfare state. GM provides $5.2 billion in health care annually -- more than Harley-Davidson's revenues -- to 1.1 million...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Finland is the world's most competitive economy, followed by the United States, Sweden, Taiwan, Denmark and Norway, according to a Global Competitiveness Report released Wednesday. The annual report by the World Economic Forum ranks countries according to economic growth prospects based on technological progress, the quality of public institutions and the macroeconomic environment. Finland, home to mobile phone giant Nokia (up $0.20 to $14.00, Research), captured first place for the third consecutive year for the best growth prospects, the Geneva, Switzerland-based WEF said in its survey of 104 countries. It said Finland was "very well managed"...

US economy is 'most competitive' The US retains the most competitive economy in the world, according to the 2004 World Competitiveness Yearbook by Swiss business school IMD. The survey, which takes in more than 300 different factors from government to private sector data, found Singapore had jumped two places to come second. It said the biggest risers overall were the Chinese region of Zhejiang (19th) and India (34th). In Europe, it warned EU expansion could hit Ireland (10th) and Portugal (39th). Overseas investment The report said both two nations and also Spain (31st) may possibly find they lose business...

United States in Second Place Behind Finland in Global Competitiveness Report UK and Canada slip down in ratings over “decline in quality of public institutions” 30 October 2003 - Geneva, Switzerland Finland is the most competitive economy in the world, according to the rankings of The Global Competitiveness Report 2003-2004 released today by the World Economic Forum. The United States is in second position in the rankings, followed by Sweden, Denmark and Taiwan respectively. The rankings are based on an extensive survey carried out by the World Economic Forum in more than 100 countries. The survey attempts to quantify the...

Lufthansa to give wing to broadband By Richard Shim Staff Writer, CNET News.com May 27, 2003, 12:24 PM PT Broadband access will be the latest in-flight service for travelers on Lufthansa, coming after an agreement struck by the German airline and a Boeing subsidiary devoted to mobile communications. Lufthansa and Connexion by Boeing announced Monday that after the recent completion of trials for broadband access on Lufthansa flights, the airline will make the service available starting in 2004 on its fleet of about 80 long-haul aircraft, including Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A330 and A340 planes. Financial terms of the service...

International Provisions of Tax Bill Undermine U.S. Competitivenessby Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D. Executive Memorandum #878 May 12, 2003The Senate Finance Committee tax bill contains a number of provisions that would undermine American competitiveness and restrict fundamental rights of labor and capital to cross national borders. If approved, these provisions will undermine the parts of the tax bill--such as the acceleration of marginal tax rate reductions and small-business expensing--that promote economic growth. Three provisions are particularly damaging.Americans Working Abroad Under the Senate Finance Committee bill, Americans who work and live in other nations will have to pay tax to the IRS...