Westmoreland on the September Jobs Report
By Rep. Lynn Westmoreland
October 19, 2012
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Labor released its September jobs report showing the unemployment rate of 7.8 percent. While I am always happy to see unemployment drop, I still don’t believe this is good enough. When President Obama took office, we were promised far more than 114,000 new jobs. Four years later, there are 23 million Americans out of work and the number of people applying for food stamps and disability is rising.
For the past 43 months, we have seen a steady an unemployment rate above 8%. The President promised his stimulus package would create jobs and boost the economy, it has actually cost us even more jobs. These broken promises show that the President is more concerned with how the numbers make him look than he is about real job creation.
While the Administration is busy focusing on getting the job numbers up for political gain, the rest of the country is struggling with uncertainty. The uncertainty over how sequestration will affect our defense contractors, the rising gas prices, and the looming tax hikes. Many Americans have gotten used to it or simply given up.
I believe we can do better. In cutting government spending and decreasing the burdensome regulations, we can grow our small businesses and get people back to work. Hard working Americans don’t need empty promises. They need certainty and answers that can help them make decisions about their future so they can have the peace of mind they deserve.