GOP Candidate Points to High Jobless Marks

Press Release

On this Labor Day, Morgan Griffith, the Republican candidate for the Ninth Congressional District, remains critical of the federal effort to revive our economy. He says just look at the jobless rate here in southwest Virginia.

"It's not working. People here are hurting," says Griffith.

The nation's jobless rate, according to the Labor Department, rose from 9.5 percent to 9.6 percent in August. The economy lost a total of 54,000 jobs last month. According to the Virginia Employment Commission, those numbers in southwest Virginia are even more staggering.

"Unemployment is a problem here--a very big problem. Four of our localities are in double-digits and six are higher than the national average," says Griffith.

The biggest change in unemployment occurred in the Bristol area at 9.9 percent up 1.2 percentage points.

"The Obama-Pelosi actions have not helped our economy. People continue to lose their jobs and are unable find new ones," says Griffith, "and the so-called stimulus money has not helped people find jobs in the Ninth District."

"The Ninth Congressional District has seen less than a 1% growth in the past decade in comparison to other Congressional Districts around the state that have seen as much as a 10% growth."

Griffith says our current Congressman, Rick Boucher, keeps bragging about bringing 5,000 jobs to southwest Virginia via his Showcasing program over a span of 23 years. "If you do the math, that means we have gained a mere 271 jobs each year of that program. During that same time, we've lost most of our furniture and textile jobs, and numerous other manufacturing facilities have closed."

The candidate concluded that things are not improving along the path we're currently on. "We have to change direction."

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