Attorney General Nixon Outlines Plans to Invest in Missouri Workforce, Create Jobs
subscribeNixon's Economic Priorities Stand in Stark Contrast to Congressman Hulshof's Votes Making It Easier to Outsource Missouri Jobs
Springfield, Mo. – In speeches today to the Missouri Municipal League and Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Attorney General Jay Nixon contrasted his plans to jumpstart Missouri's faltering economy with Congressman Kenny Hulshof's Washington record of helping companies ship Missouri jobs overseas.
In his remarks, Attorney General Nixon highlighted the devastating impact outsourcing and unfair trade deals have not only on the employees whose jobs are sent overseas, but also on the entire community:
"When Missouri jobs get shipped overseas, it hurts Missouri families. It hurts Missouri's small businesses. It hurts Missouri's communities. Quite simply: It hurts everyone. Outsourcing Missouri jobs certainly generates economic growth in Beijing, or New Delhi or Jakarta. But it sure doesn't help Missouri's economy. Because when Briggs & Stratton shut its doors in Rolla and moved its plant to China, we didn't just lose jobs. We lost valuable members of our communities. We lost our Little League coaches and den mothers. ...
"Cities across our state have lost jobs because of these deals with China, where for cheap labor, you get cheap products. We lost jobs Neosho. In Thayer. In Warrenton. In St. Louis. In Kirksville. In St. Joseph and Ste. Genevieve. All across the state because of these trade deals with China. That's unacceptable. The economic policies of Washington, D.C., have failed. Why would we want to bring those same economic priorities from Washington back here to Missouri?"
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Missouri has lost more jobs in the past year than all eight of its bordering states combined. Since July 2007, Missouri has lost 14,700 jobs while its bordering states have gained a combined 44,300 jobs. Meanwhile, in July, Missouri's unemployment rate hit 6.4 percent – the highest mark in at least a decade. More Missourians are now out of work (192,892) than at any point in time since 1984. From 2001 to 2007, Missouri lost 45,400 jobs because of trade with China. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic Policy Institute, "The China trade toll," http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/219/china_jobs_2007_table_5-1.pdf <http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/219/china_jobs_2007_table_5-1.pdf>]
The Nixon for Governor campaign's latest television advertisements, which are available on the YouTube Web site, underscore these economic facts:
"Border States": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po2-gzyDMus
"Jobs": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN6Dfo9pBDU
Jay Nixon: Investing in "Human Capital"
Attorney General Nixon today outlined his plans to invest in Missouri's people – in the state's "human capital" – to attract good-paying jobs and investment. Nixon said he believes the state must prioritize education and workforce development to bring new employers to Missouri. The Attorney General said Missouri must be a state that embraces, not fears, science and technology to attract the jobs of the future as well.
In his remarks, Attorney General Nixon said the state should use tax credits and economic incentives to encourage employers to create jobs here in Missouri – and revoke credits and incentives from employers who ship jobs overseas. As Attorney General, Jay Nixon has enforced laws to make companies pay when they break their promises and outsource jobs. In 1999, he sued IKON Office Solutions for violating the terms of a $500,000 state block grant, which was awarded to Jefferson City to complete infrastructure developments at the site of a proposed IKON remanufacturing and distribution center. When IKON announced that it was not going to complete the project and would consolidate the operations to Tijuana, Mexico, instead, Nixon sued, and IKON paid $500,000 to the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
As part of his plan, Attorney General Nixon has outlined a program, called the Missouri Promise, to create a pathway to a four-year degree for every middle-class student in the state. Building on the state's existing A+ Schools Program, the Missouri Promise would allow students who earn a two-year degree from a community college or technical school under the A+ Program, maintain a "B" average, complete community service hours and avoid disciplinary problems to finish their four-year degree at a public college or university – tuition free. [More details on the Missouri Promise are available here: http://www.jaynixon.com/news/press_releases?id=0101]
In addition, Attorney General Nixon called for a comprehensive approach to Missouri's energy problems, focusing on alternative sources, such as solar, wind, nuclear and biofuels, as well as expanded oil exploration and drilling.
Congressman Kenny Hulshof: Making it Easier to Send Missouri Jobs Overseas
Attorney General Nixon's plan to invest in Missouri's workforce stands in stark contrast to Congressman Kenny Hulshof's Washington record of helping to make it easier for big companies to ship good-paying jobs overseas. As the votes below show, Congressman Hulshof has spent his career in Washington making it easier for companies to ship Missouri jobs to foreign countries. And now, back here in Missouri, Congressman Hulshof continues to claim that the state's "economy generally is doing well." [Jefferson City News Tribune, 8/24/08]
Congressman Hulshof's voting record in Washington clearly shows where he has sided with big companies that received economic benefits by moving jobs overseas:
Congressman Hulshof Voted To Give Tax Breaks To Companies Moving Jobs Out Of The Country Rather Than To Provide Health Care To Children In Need. On March 9, 2005, Congressman Hulshof voted against the Allen amendment to H.Con.Res. 95, which would have "[created] a reserve fund for revenues to be derived from ending the deferral by companies of income taxes paid on profits earned overseas. That would bring in $4.5 billion in fiscal 2006 and $32.7 billion over five years. The funds would pay for health insurance coverage for the uninsured and to increase coverage under Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program." [CQ Congressional Committee Coverage of the House Budget Committee, 03/09/05]
Congressman Hulshof Put Tax Breaks That Help Companies Move Jobs Overseas Ahead Of Veterans' Benefits. On March 9, 2005, Congressman Hulshof voted against the Edwards amendment to H.Con.Res. 95, which would have "[increased] discretionary funding for Function 700 (veterans benefits and services) by $1.6 billion in budget authority in fiscal 2006 and strike the reconciliation instruction that direct the Veterans' Affairs Committee to find $798 million in savings over five years. The cost would be paid for by ending the deferral by companies of income taxes paid on profits earned overseas. That would result in $32.7 billion in additional revenues over five years. The amount in excess of the funds required to increase Function 700 spending would be devoted to deficit reduction." [CQ Congressional Committee Coverage of the House Budget Committee, 03/09/05]
Kenny Hulshof's Votes Allowed Companies to Defer Paying Taxes on Overseas Profits. "Profits earned in the United States are subject to the 35% corporate tax. But multinational corporations can defer paying U.S. taxes on their overseas profits until they return them to the USA – transfers that often don't happen for years. General Electric, for example, has $62 billion in ‘undistributed earnings' parked offshore, according to recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Drug giant Pfizer boasts $60 billion. ExxonMobil has $56 billion." "American multinationals can defer U.S. taxes indefinitely as long as profits are held in a foreign subsidiary." This "encourages multinationals to invest outside the United States rather than within it." [CQ Congressional Committee Coverage of the House Budget Committee, 03/09/05; USA Today, 03/21/08;James Kvaal, Title, 1 HARV. L. POL'Y REV. (Online) (Sept. 18, 2006),http://www.hlpronline.com/2006/07/kvaal_01.html]
Kenny Hulshof Voted To "Normalize China's Trade Relationship With The United States;" Making it Easier for Briggs & Stratton to Ship Jobs from Rolla, Mo., to China. Kenny Hulshof, on May 24, 2000, voted to pass H.R. 4444, which was a bill "to normalize China's trade relationship with the United States." This was a vote to set "the stage for the integration of the world's most populous nation into the global trading system." According to the Economic Policy Institute, "Unbalanced U.S. trade with China since 2001 has had a devastating effect on U.S. workers. Between 2001 and 2007, 2.3 million jobs were lost or displaced, including 366,000 in 2007 alone."
Permanent Normal Trade Relations status made it easier to move jobs to China. Workers at Briggs & Stratton in Rolla, Mo., received trade adjustment assistance (TAA) after the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2006, determined that the "decline in employment" at the Rolla Briggs & Stratton plant was due to "a shift in production of vertical and horizontal Intek engines and quantum engines to China." [House of Representatives Vote 228, 2000, and The Associated Press, 05/25/00; The Washington Post, 05/25/00; USA Today, 05/25/00; Economic Policy Institute, 7/30/08, http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20080730 U.S. Department of Labor TAA Decision 59976]