Good-paying, more secure middle class jobs are the biggest driver of economic growth

That has been quoted by every candidate I managed to hear prior to the last election. I didn't hear anyone say they wanted fewer jobs.

But where do 'secure middle class' jobs come from? Listening to our current leadership, most come from the Government, or directly from Government largess. No....they come from corporations making things or providing services that consumers and businesses, domestic and overseas, are willing to buy. To do this will require companies to plan carefully, raise capital, and manufacture/provide services profitably. The investors who provide this capital, individuals and institiutions, will expect a return on their investment. For many mid cap and most large companies, at least half of the long term return will come from dividends. Corporate dividend policy is a complex dynamic, but is crucial to stock price stability to investors and the ability to use company stock as an incentive/reward to key employees, who are ultimately the ones whose decisions will make the company profitable or not. Corporate dividend policy is one of the most important decisions a company will make in its life cycle.

A change in the taxation of dividends must be thought through very carefully.

BruceM