Barnitz: Don't Buy Talk of Surplus, New Jobs

"I’m getting tired of hearing politicians brag about all of the new quality jobs created. The facts say otherwise."

Sen. Frank Barnitz said the next time you hear a Missouri politician talk about a "budget surplus" or "all the new quality jobs," don't believe them.

In his weekly column to constituents, Barnitz said that the reason Missouri pols claim a budget surplus is because millions of dollars has been withheld from programs.

"The fact is there was no budget surplus. There was money withheld from programs. We have used much of that to fill the need of funding the shortfalls or neglectful budgeting by departments. Now we’re being asked to find $200 million in budget cuts this year," Sen. Barnitz said.

Barnitz also points to numbers provided by the Bureau of Labor that show a troubling economic picture in Missouri. From January 2007 to January 2008, Missouri's unemployment rate rose to 5.5%, compared to the national unemployment rate of 4.8%.

Barnitz also notes The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds Missouri has lost 16,700 manufacturing jobs since January of 2005.

"Frankly, I’m getting tired of hearing politicians brag about all of the new quality jobs created. The facts say otherwise," Barnitz said.