Doug Oberhelman, CEO of Caterpillar has a great piece in the Chicago Tribune:

Big business has become an easy target for politicians who love sound bites about "the decline of American manufacturing." This rhetoric is counterproductive and could lead to dangerous policies that could harm the competitive position of American companies. The U.S. tax code is a prime example of an area where we have an opportunity to make or break our economic recovery. Businesses in the U.S. need tax reforms that give us a level playing field around the world. When companies invest in the U.S., they face a tax rate that on average is 57 percent higher than other developed countries, as well as China. To make matters worse, Congress just passed a set of tax increases that will make it cost prohibitive for Caterpillar Inc. to bring our foreign earnings back to invest in our U.S. operations, including in Illinois.

Some politicians claim these new laws close "tax loopholes" and will keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S. In reality, the policies will drive capital and investments to other countries that are more than willing to support new businesses. America will lose out on the benefits of investing in research and development, new facilities and technologies and the resulting growth and jobs.

And while Congress is moving in a decidedly wrong direction on areas like tax policy, it remains stalled in discussions about true job creation opportunities.

Keep reading to learn how patent reform and increased trade opportunities would create jobs.