Nationally, the country has created about 2 million jobs in the last year, while Pennsylvania could not even reach the 5,000 jobs threshold. Moreover, California, Illinois, and New York--three states that the right wing loves to hate--created 12 to 53 times more jobs than Pennsylvania did.
Those of us in Pennsylvania can read the Bureau of Labor Statistics data and weep. From May 2012 to May 2013, California created 252,100 jobs; New York 95,400 jobs; and Illinois 49,100 jobs.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t05.htm.
By comparison, to remind one more time, Pennsylvania came forth with a puny 4, 700 jobs, despite a gas boom. So what has and is going wrong in the Commonwealth?
With Pennsylvania ranking 7th in job creation in 2010, Governor Corbett swept into office in January 2011 and busily went to work slashing budgets for education, refusing to raise taxes to pay for transportation, cutting taxes for favored businesses, and turning down $4 billion from the federal government that would go to our hospitals. For good measure, he refused to implement a real gas drilling tax and proudly reminded all that he had signed the jobs killing Grover Norquist Tax Pledge.
Governor Corbett faithfully follows the budget and tax policies recommended by the Tea Party and austerity economics. The jobs results, however, are ugly and get worse the longer Tom Corbett and his policies govern.
Criticizing Governor Corbett is easy work but not good enough. And so I have a Jobs Plan that would create 382,500 jobs. It's available at www.hangerforgovernor.com.
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