Sears statement on Ohio’s January unemployment rate of 10.8%
This in via e-mail from the office of Ohio House of Representative Barbara Sears:
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, LAWMAKER SPEAKS TO CRIPPLING UNEMPLOYMENT
COLUMBUS–State Representative and local small business owner Barbara Sears (R-Monclova Township) today released the following statement after January’s unemployment was announced by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS). Ohio’s unemployment rate was 10.8 percent in January, unchanged from the revised rate of 10.8 percent in December, according to data released this morning by ODJFS.
“Ohio is in the worst economic condition in nearly three decades and there is no end in sight under the current leadership. Ohioans have now suffered 10 consecutive months of double-digit unemployment, and now more than ever the people of this state need leadership that will create jobs, assist small businesses and make Ohio nationally competitive.
“The people of Ohio deserve better than this high-tax, low-growth status quo. Whether it’s in Columbus or Washington, lawmakers need to ensure that they are fighting for the needs of their constituents back on Main Street, instead of merely following their party’s political agenda. The success of our state lies in fostering small business growth; businesses and the jobs they create are the backbone of our communities, and state leaders must make Ohio a business-friendly environment to help get Ohioans back to work.”
The number of unemployed has increased by 126,000 in the past 12 months from 526,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio was up from 8.8 percent in January 2009.
On January 12, 2009 Ohio ran out of money in the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, which provides cash benefits for unemployed Ohioans and is funded by employer payroll taxes. The state began borrowing from the federal government to continue making payments to unemployed Ohioans. To date, Ohio has borrowed approximately $2 billion from the federal government, which must be paid back in the future. Debt projections of this nature are expected to reach $3 billion by the end of 2010.
The following words from Rep. Sears’ own press release make the case for a new a new state representative from District 46…….
March 5th, 2010 at 4:22 pm“Ohio is in the worst economic condition in nearly three decades and there is no end in sight under the current leadership”.
I consider a state representative as part of the “current leadership”. They should be looking to make things better and working with everyone, even those who are not part of their own political caucus. Too many in Washington and COlumbus are simply trying to score political points.
Harry Reid was ecstatic that only 36,000 people lost their jobs last month.
March 5th, 2010 at 10:36 pmMPD is absolutely right. We are facing huge budget deficits across the entire state and Rep. Sears plan and support of a bill that would eliminate the state income tax on individuals would do nothing but drive our state deeper into debt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for lower taxes but we need to focus our sites on creating jobs and fixing our educational system. Its time to stop allowing these career politicians, both Republican and Democrat, to continue to play political games of chance with our money and our lives.
citizensforjeffjones@yahoo.com
March 5th, 2010 at 11:25 pm(admin delete) I don’t know how many of these boilerplate press releases she’s released, but not one of them has offered any ideas or alternatives. I love all of these ELECTED OFFICIALS who complain about the way things are, but don’t offer up their own ideas or bills to do anything different. Excellent leadership.
March 6th, 2010 at 12:32 pmRep Sears HAS offered alternatives more than 20 through the “Future f Ohio” Government Reform and Jobs packages. Specifically that when enacted, these bills aim to jump start Ohio. However, she serves in the minority caucus and the majority caucus chooses to ignore the alternatives. Do your research before you offer criticism.
http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=9883
March 6th, 2010 at 12:52 pmDoesn’t she consider herself to be elected to a position of leadership? That’s confusing -
March 6th, 2010 at 3:15 pmThere is plenty of blame to go around for our collective economic condition, but upon further review, I suspect Barbara would agree the release could’ve been phrased better
March 6th, 2010 at 5:32 pmI am fully aware of those crackpot bills. All of those bills either add more work for the state or they propose tax cuts and/or credits without (and here’s the shocker… ) any recommendations on how to pay for them. I forgot that reducing revenue and not decreasing expenses is sound financial reasoning. I can’t imagine why those bills haven’t gone anywhere. We should definitely pass HB 400 right now. We will just worry about what to cut at a later date.
March 7th, 2010 at 7:13 pmArmchair, although you see those ideas as “crackpot ideas,” it’s important to offer small businesses tax incentives to hire unemployed workers, and to offer college graduates incentives to stay in Ohio. Though funding of these bills isn’t completely clear, the financial impact of hiring unemployed workers and keeping graduates in Ohio will more than make up for the temporary price of a piece of legislation like this. When you add more taxpayers into the equation, tax revenues will ultimately rise, regardless of a temporary cut for businesses to bring new people into the market. The state needs these programs, as graduating students are losing interest in staying in Ohio because the jobs aren’t there. You reward small businesses by offering tax cuts and credits, rather than increasing their tax burden and giving them no reason to create new jobs. You can’t say the House GOP hasn’t offered ideas; the House Dems just choose to ignore them. It’s time for Ohio to elect a Republican governor and House majority to make things happen.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:08 pmCV, we did have a republican governor who had a republican majority in the house and the senate. I don’t think the real solution is more partisanship/majority control.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:16 pmI’m all for working in a bipartisan manner, but the reality of the situation is that the Ohio House has not operated in this manner. And yes, we did formerly have a GOP governor and majority, but the former governor’s poor choices in investment seemed to be more the focus of attention than getting things done. Now that they can put that behind them, the state GOP needs a chance to prove to Ohio that they can make a real difference.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:35 pmPerhaps the solution would be to have a Democratic House and Senate, so the Democrats could see if they could turn things around.
Or a different reality not yet accomplished, both sides working together rather than the political gamesmanship that at times gets in the way/delays action.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:50 pmI pretty sure that was Lisa’s point. The Ohio house is not working in a partisan manner. These elected officials are not voting in the best interest of their constituents, they are voting in the best interest of the political party they represent. These partisan games are crippling our economy and the ability to create jobs. Our educational system is suffering. Our police and fire services are suffering. We are facing a record budget deficit of nearly $7,000,000,000 and instead of sitting down together to cut costs, representatives like Ms. Sears is offering record tax cuts on personal income that will create even greater deficits for the future. Creating tax incentives to encourage new business’ to move to Ohio or for existing business’ to expand is a great idea. Cutting the tax base is a lot different the granting tax incentives to small business to create jobs. Maybe its just me, but if I am struggling to pay my bills I am not going to go to my boss and ask for a pay cut. And at the same time I’m not going to run out and buy something that will increase my debt. Its just basic common sense.
citizensforjeffjones@yahoo.com
March 9th, 2010 at 3:09 pmThe reality is whichever side holds the majority can either decide to work with the minority or not and whoever is in the minority complains about the majority. It’s also evident that the minority has little chance of having their bills get through. So, when you have a scenario that should create compromise, one party holding a majority in one, and one party holding the majority in the other, it can either mean rising above political games or not.
Edna Brown as an example, has been in the Ohio House since 2001, she has yet to have a bill pass that she was the primary sponsor of and none of her prior bills were passed when there was a Republican majority in the House. The same can be said for other Democrats in the House, bills that were submitted every general assembly are now passing the House with it’s Democrat majority but stalling in the Senate, where there is a Republican majority. The same situation exists in the Senate, but there the Republicans are the majority.
We need people elected in the general assembly that can break through the barriers of party. I personally don’t advocate for either part of the general assembly to be of the same party. What I do advocate for is less partisanship.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:33 pmCV, Especially in this day and age of facing the budget situation Ohio has, any idea to decrease revenues and not pay for it is a crackpot idea. In addition, tax credits for small businesses to hire people? If employment is a concern for her, why doesn’t she just hire more people for her own business right now? You know why she won’t? Because businesses only hire people when they need them. A small business that does not have the growth to support the costs of hiring a new person isn’t just going to hire them because of a small tax credit. The bigger problems facing business coming here are unions and, unfortunately, a workforce that isn’t educated enough for service sector jobs. By the way, Ohio taxes are still where the Republicans left them and federal taxes are still where Bush left them. If tax rates are the driver for hiring, why isn’t it working? The answer is lower tax rates allows corps and business owners to keep more money – which is fine. But as I stated before, they aren’t going to put the money back into their business unless they have to. This is proven by the disconnect between corporate profits and the success of the stock market (up 42% since Obama took over) and the unemployment figures.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:13 amLatest Kasich vs Strickland poll has Kasich leading by 11. Kasich 49 Strickland 38. Still plenty of time, but man, OUCH!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:48 pm