It is no secret that the Washington establishment, both Republicans and Democrats, are increasingly frustrating to those of us who live and work outside of their DC bubble. As Chairman of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, I have been travelling to Washington for years now, on my own dime, to talk and plead with our lawmakers regarding the critical labor shortage we have in this country. Yet after this last week of meetings, my level of frustration reached an all-time high as I believe our leaders have reached an all-time low.

In my lifetime, if anyone said that “jobs” was a major issue, it was because there was a lack of them available to people. Today, “jobs” is a major issue because we do not have enough people who work – and this problem is just as serious as any sky-high unemployment number we have faced in our country’s history. Much of today’s economic issues and problems, from supply chain, to inflation, to productivity and global competition, are a result of the lack of individuals who are willing and able to join the workforce. In fact, right now, there are more people leaving the workforce than entering it.