Hours before President Barack Obama spoke in Columbus, Ohio about the benefits his stimulus bill has provided to the job-crippled state, Ohio State Auditor and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor (R) told reporters that the bill has "failed."
The controversial American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the stimulus bill, aimed to enhance job creation and spur spending through an investment of $862 billion dollars into the U.S. economy.
While a growing number of economists are coming out in support of the stimulus and its effects, a large amount of funding went into sources which can't be easily quantified - a point Taylor was quick to address on Friday.
"The only jobs created by the stimulus package and government spending are government jobs."
Taylor clarified her statement, explaining that, "half of the $3.3 billion dollars Ohio has received so far has gone to run Medicaid, not invest in job creation."
At 10.7%, Taylor's state has the tenth highest unemployment rate in the nation, a figure that can be partially attributed to the struggling auto market, as well as the relocating of a number of local steel jobs to countries oversees.
Overall, the gubernatorial candidate was critical, yet constructive in her judgment of the stimulus bill.
"When the federal stimulus bill was enacted in February 2009, our unemployment rate was 9.4%; today it's 10.7%. I would guess that if you asked the 641,000 Ohioans who are out of work, 'has the stimulus worked?' I think they would agree that it has not."
"What we really need to do is allow our small businesses to invest here in Ohio and create jobs and create an economic environment where they can do that," Taylor added. "The only long term solution is creating a pro-growth business climate by reducing government spending."
Stimulus Has Been A Bust, Says Ohio Republican
Talk Radio News Service
Hours before President Barack Obama spoke in Columbus, Ohio about the benefits his stimulus bill has provided to the job-crippled state, Ohio State Auditor and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor (R) told reporters that the bill has "failed."
The controversial American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the stimulus bill, aimed to enhance job creation and spur spending through an investment of $862 billion dollars into the U.S. economy.
While a growing number of economists are coming out in support of the stimulus and its effects, a large amount of funding went into sources which can't be easily quantified - a point Taylor was quick to address on Friday.
"The only jobs created by the stimulus package and government spending are government jobs."
Taylor clarified her statement, explaining that, "half of the $3.3 billion dollars Ohio has received so far has gone to run Medicaid, not invest in job creation."
At 10.7%, Taylor's state has the tenth highest unemployment rate in the nation, a figure that can be partially attributed to the struggling auto market, as well as the relocating of a number of local steel jobs to countries oversees.
Overall, the gubernatorial candidate was critical, yet constructive in her judgment of the stimulus bill.
"When the federal stimulus bill was enacted in February 2009, our unemployment rate was 9.4%; today it's 10.7%. I would guess that if you asked the 641,000 Ohioans who are out of work, 'has the stimulus worked?' I think they would agree that it has not."
"What we really need to do is allow our small businesses to invest here in Ohio and create jobs and create an economic environment where they can do that," Taylor added. "The only long term solution is creating a pro-growth business climate by reducing government spending."