Plans to help manufacturers contrast with higher-tax talk in State of the Union address. Business groups had a muted reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address—much more so than last year—as the president spoke in generalities and ladened his probusiness rhetoric with what some saw as antibusiness proposals. While the president devoted a significant part of the speech to the need to help domestic manufacturers and boost natural gas production and clean energy, he also called for higher taxes on the wealthy and on overseas profits, a financial crimes investigative unit and the elimination of tax breaks for companies that export jobs. Blakey … Read More