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Manufacturing jobs replaced with mcdonalds Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=anQaQCN4Hpaw&refer=usLabor Department statistics show that 155,000 of Ohio jobs lost during Bush's presidency were in manufacturing. The state's unemployment rate is 6 percent, four-tenths of a point above the national average.
``These were good jobs we lost -- you could support a family on them, buy a home,'' said Denny White, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. ``The jobs we're creating are at McDonalds, Arby's. Try supporting your family on that.''
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=anQaQCN4Hpaw&refer=us
Bush Defends Tax Cuts; Kerry Says Middle Class Hurt (Update2)
March 10 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said Democratic rival John Kerry's plans to repeal some tax cuts and revisit trade accords would hinder job creation, sharpening his criticism as Kerry said Bush's policies hurt working families.
Some politicians want ``to increase taxes, to build a wall around our economy, and to isolate American workers,'' Bush said today in a speech to Cleveland. ``That old policy of tax-and-spend is the enemy of job creation.''
Kerry, campaigning in Chicago, said Bush ``is running on the same-old Republican tactics of fear.'' About 40 percent of the president's tax cuts go to the top 1 percent of taxpayers while ``middle-class working people have seen their share of the tax burden go up, not down,'' Kerry said in a speech delivered by satellite to AFL-CIO labor federation leaders in Washington.
Concern about the economy, the top issue for voters in national and state surveys, may help Massachusetts Senator Kerry, 60, win states that voted for Bush, 57, in the last election. Ohio has lost 265,000 jobs since Bush took office in 2001. Bush beat Democrat Al Gore by 165,019 votes out of 4.7 million cast in Ohio in the 2000 presidential race, and today's trip is his 15th to the state since taking office.
Kerry has said he would repeal the portion of the $1.7 trillion tax cuts for those who earn more than $200,000 and use that money to expand access to health care and college. Bush wants Congress to make his tax cuts permanent.
`Bush Tax'
``If you add up the true costs of this president's economic policies, you get a Bush Tax of higher property taxes, higher fees, higher health care costs -- at the same time middle class incomes are going down,'' Kerry said in his AFL-CIO speech.
``This Bush Tax can take $3,500 or more from the pockets of America's middle class, and they can't afford that price,'' Kerry said.
Kerry said he'd preserve the child tax credit and tax reductions for married couples, and would introduce tax credits to help pay for health care and college tuition. He'd also seek a fund to help states defray property taxes for working families.
Kerry, who voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement, has said he'd revisit accords such as Nafta to make sure U.S. jobs are competitive. He would insist that foreign workers be paid more and foreign countries abide by environmental standards similar to those U.S. companies face.
``There are some who would have it both ways,'' Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling with the president. ``Some are trying to put up barriers to free trade.''
Generating Jobs
Trade agreements have created jobs for Americans, with foreign corporations employing about 6.4 million in the U.S., McClellan said citing Labor Department figures.
Kerry also favors incentives such as tax credits for companies that keep jobs in the U.S.
Labor Department statistics show that 155,000 of Ohio jobs lost during Bush's presidency were in manufacturing. The state's unemployment rate is 6 percent, four-tenths of a point above the national average.
``These were good jobs we lost -- you could support a family on them, buy a home,'' said Denny White, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. ``The jobs we're creating are at McDonalds, Arby's. Try supporting your family on that.''
Ohio has ``great entrepreneurs'' and more than 900 foreign companies, such as Honda Motor Co., employ workers in the state, Bush said. Honda employs 16,000 workers in Ohio, about 10 percent of its foreign workforce, Bush said. The state's exports have tripled since Nafta was enacted a decade ago, and now amount to more than $2 billion, he said.
`Enemy Hurt Us'
Bush's job approval ratings have fallen nationwide as the U.S. economy has failed to make up the loss of 2.3 millions jobs since 2001. Bush said 1 million of those jobs were lost in the three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist talks.
``The enemy hurt us,'' Bush said. ``But we're plenty tough.''
A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll March 5-7 gave Kerry a 52 percent 44 percent edge over Bush eight months before the November election. Bush's job approval rating was 50 percent, tied for the lowest in his presidency, in a Washington Post/ABC News poll published yesterday.
The Post survey showed Bush with an approval rating of 39 percent in his handling of the economy; 59 percent favored taking the nation in a different direction. Kerry outpolled Bush on handling of domestic issues; Bush was the favorite only on handling of the war on terrorism.
Ohio is one of 11 states where the 2000 vote margin between Republican Bush and Democrat Gore was less than 5 percent. The president made Ohio the first stop the day after delivering his Jan. 20 State of the Union address; Kerry visited the state three times in the past two weeks.
`People Want Results'
``Jobs are the only issue here, period,'' White said. ``People want results, and they haven't got them. They're paying attention.''
``America will remain the best place to do business in the world,'' Bush said. The U.S. will stay ``on this path of growth and prosperity,'' he said. Higher worker productivity ``is a good thing'' because it brings higher wages, yet also ``presents us with a challenge'' as companies don't add workers when they expand, he said.
Last Updated: March 10, 2004 13:00 EST
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