Russ Carnahan votes for a massive stimulus package, promising along with the Obama administration that unemployment will peak at 8% in the third quarter of 2009. That’s what he sold us. 800 billion dollars – borrowed from all over the world – for a 3rd quarter unemployment peak of 8%. The promise was that this would be followed by a decline in unemployment. Russ Carnahan’s congress promised that jobs would come back to the economy faster under their plan that began with 800 billion in new debt heaped upon an already deeply indebted nation in a recession. He voted for this bill despite an outcry from the very taxpayers who would be paying the costs for generations to come.
While this brilliant plan was working its magic on our economy, Russ Carnahan continued his tireless efforts to improve your lot in life. He voted for Cap and Trade, a behemoth bill that will raise the energy costs on Missouri’s families by as much as $2,000 per year. He did this against the advice of his constituents, particularly small business owners like David MacArthur who warned that it would kill his business.
Not to slack off on his campaign to help us return to a stable economy, Russ Carnahan voted for a 2000 page health care bill riddled with new taxes and new bureaucracies. He did this despite sweeping objections from his constituents, expressed during his occasional town hall meetings.
All these actions, and plenty more, were taken ostensibly to improve the economy. Shovel-ready jobs! Infrastructure! Cut health care costs! He had a plan. He followed it. He knew better than us. A bundled package of government action wrapped up and delivered to get America working again.
What Russ Carnahan actually delivered, was 10% unemployment, well into the 4th quarter. Were it not for the .2% decline from September, we would have no indication that jobs were returning at all. Millions of Americans and thousands of Missourians are out of work, their families are deeper into public debt – $40,000 per family member . Those with estates can look forward to taxes unless they reorder their financial house thanks to Russ Carnahan’s vote to halt the expiration of the estate tax.
Now, after all that hard work not being a “high maintenance” nuisance to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, Russ Carnahan is having a jobs summit, a tacit admission that the plan he voted for has failed to deliver on its promise.
All sarcasm aside, the invitees are a solid list of Missouri businesses, but I would be interested to know if any of them are the kind of small businesses that are the engine of job growth. Larger businesses have an easier time dealing with regulations, so their interests differ greatly than those of small business. Further, while I think almost anyone could giver better advice than whatever Carnahan has been following up until now, why should we believe that he will listen? He has no track record of heeding his constituents. He has a nearly perfect record of listening to Nancy Pelosi. What can we expect?
Russ’ problem isn’t a lack of advice, nor a lack of good advice. Russ’ service to Missouri is service to Big Government and the politically connected. Every problem has one answer “let government control it.” The only advice he needs for jobs is to get government out of the way, advice he has been ignoring his whole career.
