Nixon vs. China

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Jay Nixon says Congressman Kenny Hulshof's vote on free trade with China in 2000 has cost Missouri 45,000 jobs, including 400 in Rolla. But Springfield businessman Tim Rosenbury, who says he'll vote for Nixon, argues that international trade has bolstered his architectural and engineering firm and thinks candidates should acknowledge that the loss of manufacturing jobs is painful, but inevitable.
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"Permanent Normal Trade Relations status made it easier to move jobs to China," reads a Nixon release. "Workers at Briggs & Stratton in Rolla, received trade adjustment assistance after the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2006, determined that the 'decline in employment,' was due to 'a shift in production of vertical and horizontal Intek engines and quantum engines to China.'"
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HULSHOF CAMP RESPONDS:
"Kenny believes American workers can compete with anyone, so long as the playing field is level. That's what free trade agreements are designed to accomplish. Kenny agrees with Sen. Claire McCaskill that America will benefit from strong and fair trade relations with China. Kenny is focused on attracting new jobs and has a detailed plan to do so. Once again, Jay Nixon is short on details," said Hulshof spokesperson Scott Baker. "As to driving jobs out of Missouri, if you ask anyone who is in the business of creating a job-friendly climate, they will tell you that potential employers look at things like tort reform and workers comp laws when they are looking at a state in which to set up shop. Jay Nixon is wrong on both of those issues, which means he is pathetically positioned when it comes to job creation," Baker added. "It is also worth noting that Jay Nixon favored NAFTA, which was one of the largest free trade deals in the history of our nation. That's the definition of hypocrisy," he said.
ON NAFTA, NIXON ACKNOWLEDGED his feelings have changed. "We were hoping it would work and it didn't. I mean, it hasn't added jobs here in Missouri the way a lot of people thought it had the opportunity to do."
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ALSO TUESDAY. . .
In Springfield, Hulshof announced a plan to increase government accountability through the Missouri Accountability Portal. Hulshof said his plan would make it easier to track state budget bills through the legislative process so taxpayers can monitor proposed spending. He would make this portal available to city and county governments. "The taxpayers of our state deserve to know where their money goes," Hulshof said.