Is John Spratt Looking at the Same Economy?

Press Release

"As Democrats, we've taken actions to get the economy back on its feet." -- John Spratt, Sept. 2, 2010

State Senator Mick Mulvaney, Republican candidate for Congress (SC-5), today released the following statement regarding reports that the national unemployment rate has increased to 9.6% and family health care costs are increasing by 14%:

"As more hardworking Americans lose their jobs, and families are realizing that Obamacare actually increased health care costs, my opponent is running around congratulating himself on a job well done. The truth of the matter is the borrow-to-spend and regulate-to-stimulate policies championed by Mr. Spratt are the exact wrong direction for this country to be taking. Yet our Congressman keeps following Speaker Pelosi and President Obama down that path -- dragging us along with him.

"In South Carolina, small businesses drive economic growth, not the government, but Obamacare and a slew of upcoming tax hikes are going to make it harder for our district's small businesses to stay afloat. This comes at an especially bad time when you consider that the national unemployment rate is getting worse.

"Mr. Spratt continues to make the ridiculous claim that his actions have gotten the economy back on its feet. I can only wonder what economy he's looking at, because it certainly isn't the economy of the 5th Congressional District."

Also notable is that the "underemployment" rate rose to 16.7 percent nationally and is at least 19 percent in South Carolina. The "underemployment rate" is a combination of unemployed workers who are actively looking for a job, part-time workers who are looking for full-time employment, and part-time workers who want a full-time job, but are not actively looking.

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