In a meeting recently with the Chamber of Commerce, President Obama said, "Now is the time to invest in America. Today, American companies have nearly $2 trillion sitting on their balance sheets."

The give and take of our economy requires more than a President pleading for businesses to invest. It requires a government to say, "Yes We are Open for Business." The greatest thing government can give the private sector is clarity.

It is the lack of clarity coming out of Washington that is stymieing investments in America. For example, the Obama Administration has been holding up private investments into biomass power through the EPA via technical rules for biomass power generation. So while EPA announces it will study the biomass issue for the next three years, utilities like Oglethorpe Power announced they are indefinitely suspending their plan to build 300MW of new biomass power generation. To build 300MW of new biomass generation requires a total capital expenditure of $1.2 to $1.5 billion, creating 1500 new jobs. In addition, the ripple impact of such an investment would trigger an estimated at $300m per year in wood procurement, causing further economic stimulus.

Lack of clarity leads to a lack of capital invested. The effect is job creation is held at bay while Washington studies and high unemployment persists. The culture of big government forces the economy to regulate first, trade second and produce third. Mr. President, it is time to decide first, produce second and regulate third.

Only when Washington re-opens America for business will we see the flowing of capital and the abundance of human ingenuity return.