Once again, CNN's Piers Morgan is pouting that corporations like Apple should bring jobs back to the U.S. simply because they should. Morgan was rebutted by Chris Christie the last time he made that reasoning at the expense of shareholders' profits, but he was at it again on Monday night.
He has a "constant nagging problem" with Apple making money overseas. "So they are making squillions of dollars. And yet they still employ massively larger sums of people in China than they do in America," he fretted to guest Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). [Video below the break. Audio here.]
According to Morgan, Apple is successful enough that they can "take the hit" to move jobs back home. "And my argument is why don't they just bring 10 percent of that workforce from China back to America? Take the hit. Because I reckon they'd sell four million iPads next time. What is wrong with that?" he posed to Brown.
The Republican senator responded that he would love to see that happen, but America needs to create a "competitive" business environment first. He added that "they have an obligation to their stockholders," which is a similar argument Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) made to Morgan last month.
He challenged Morgan to "leave CNN, be the CEO of a company, and lead them in a way that's both profitable and beneficial to all the different people you want to be beneficial for. I think that would be fine."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 19 on Piers Morgan Tonight at 9:44 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
And my argument is why don't they just bring 10 percent of that workforce from China back to America? Take the hit. Because I reckon they'd sell four million iPads next time. What is wrong with that?
BROWN: Well have the president from Apple on.
MORGAN: What do you think of that argument?
BROWN: Well I think that you need to make America competitive again. There's a lot of –
(Crosstalk)
MORGAN: But shouldn't it be the –
BROWN: There's a lack of certainty and stability right now. People and businesses don't know what's next. There's this wet blanket right now over people. There's so much indecision, the high corporate tax rate, the high cost of health care and what's happening with that. And it's draining businesses. They don't know what's next.
In Massachusetts, the medical device companies are getting crushed by the medical device tax that's part of Obamacare. That's why I voted to repeal it. I think – I think for Massachusetts especially, it's crushing Massachusetts.
MORGAN: Wouldn't it be nice if a company as phenomenally successful as Apple, said, we are taking the lead here? Because they're creative geniuses. I love all their products. I don't like the fact they employ so many more people outside of America than in it.
BROWN: Listen, that'd be great if they would come back. But you need to make it competitive. You need to create an environment to hire and grow not only in Massachusetts but throughout this country. And when you're paying a 35 percent corporate tax rate compared to Ireland, which I believe is around 12 percent, and you're in the lower cost of health care, the lower cost of unemployment, lower cost of energy – they have an obligation to their stockholders, and they – I'd love them to come back. Hey, amen. Bring them. Come. Come to Massachusetts. We'd love to have you.
MORGAN: Senator, we are in agreement.
