200 Days, 200 Claims

MARYLAND GOP CHAIR: 200 DAYS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FAILED ECONOMIC EXPERIMENT

Annapolis, MD – Republican Party Chairman James Pelura issued the following statement today about the Republican National Committee report detailing the impact of President Obama’s failed economic stimulus experiment and the detrimental impact that this experiment is having on our state.

“When President Obama and Congressional Democrats pushed to pass the stimulus bill, they promised it would be a targeted, timely and transparent effort to create jobs immediately. But as we approach the 200th day since the stimulus passed, here in Maryland, jobs continue to be lost, stimulus spending is slow, and, as even Vice President Biden has acknowledged, ‘some of this money is going to be wasted.’

“Instead of providing jobs for the people of Maryland, thousands are being left unemployed and billions of dollars have been added to our deficit. In the end, the stimulus is yet another one of Obama’s failed experiments that Americans cannot afford.”

To view the full report, visit: 200 Days, 200 Claims

The following claims made by Maryland Democrats are debunked below:

JOB CREATION

CLAIM #104: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) Said Stimulus Would Immediately Create Jobs In Maryland. ―The bill passed by the Senate is timely. It will create jobs immediately in Maryland and across the country, helping our states and local communities by providing funding for ready-to-go projects, such as fixing crumbling roads and bridges. This bill is targeted. It puts money back in the pockets of Americans who are most likely to spend it, injecting needed capital into our economy. It helps people stay in their homes, keep their jobs, and take care of their families. It also invests in modernizing our rail and mass transit systems and allocates new funds for education, alternative energy, and health care technology, all of which will help create and save quality jobs in the short-term, but also will save us billions of dollars in the future through lower energy usage, lower health care costs and a better trained workforce.

(Sen. Ben Cardin, ―Cardin Praises Senate Passage Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Press Release, 2/10/09)

REALITY: Since Stimulus Was Signed In February, Maryland Has Lost Over 26,000 Jobs. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/24/09)

CLAIM #105: Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Said Stimulus About “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.” ―We have inherited a terrible mess. But the Senate has taken a major step forward to turn the country around by passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. By standing with President Obama, we stand up for America to create jobs for people who have lost them and to help those who have jobs, keep them. This is about jobs, jobs, jobs

(Sen. Barbara Mikulski, ―Senator Mikulski Statement on Senate Passage of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Press Release, 2/10/09)

REALITY: Much Of Stimulus Spending Has Nothing To Do With Creating Jobs. ―For a start, too much of the money went to transfer payments such as Medicaid, jobless benefits and the like that do nothing for jobs and growth. The spending that creates new jobs is new spending, particularly on infrastructure. It amounts to less than 10% of the stimulus package today

(Mortimer Zuckerman, Op-Ed, ―The Economy is Even Worse Than You Think The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/09)