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Republicans blame governor for 9.7 jobless rate

With New Jersey's unemployment rate standing at 9.7 percent, the highest in 33 years, Jon Corzine's office Tuesday lined up supporters who are business, workforce and economic experts to praise his efforts at bolstering New Jersey economy as he seeks re-election.

But with the economy an issue in the gubernatorial campaign, Republicans took advantage of the head-shaking jobless rate to criticize the governor.

Prof. Carl Van Horn, chairman of the state Economic Development Authority and director of the Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, said, "As the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia affirmed, there are clear signs that New Jersey is beginning to pull out of the worst national economic crisis in 60 years, with sector job growth trending upward, along with home sales and construction jobs.

The number of private sector jobs in August grew by 800, according to the state Labor Department.

Bill Mullen, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, said, "Governor Corzine has always been there for the working men and women of New Jersey, and his early recognition that we needed to make investing in major building projects a priority has helped put thousands of people to work when they needed it most and when our state needed these jobs the most."

The number of construction industry jobs increased by 100 last month.

Bob Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, said "The investments the Corzine administration is making in infrastructure make good economic sense – especially during a downturn. Projects that bolster transit, roads, bridges, parks, and water systems not only create jobs but also leave a lasting legacy of improvements that can be realized for generations.

"Vital infrastructure projects like the Mass Transit Tunnel are an excellent example of government spending at the right time. Without healthy infrastructure systems, the dense concentration of businesses and variety of neighborhoods that give the region its unique competitive advantage in the global economy could not be supported."

Republicans do not see the New Jersey's economy in such a positive light. Gubernatorial challenger Chris Christie threw the first verbal punch.

"Today's unemployment numbers prove Governor Corzine has failed our state in exactly the area we were told to trust him the most. His unsustainably high taxes, increased debt and irresponsible spending have driven jobs out of New Jersey forcing record numbers of people out of work. His Wall Street borrow-and-spend budget gimmicks have failed. It is time for him to go."

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris) said the latest jobless figures "dispel the notion that Corzine and Democrats in the Legislature have turned the state's economy around as more people are out of work and suffering from Corzine's failed policies.

"The people of New Jersey continue to feel the impact of Governor Corzine's misguided economic approach that raises taxes on everyone and everything," DeCroce said. "When the governor says ‘facts are stubborn,' he is right. Going from a 9.3 percent rate in July to 9.7 percent in August says things are not improving. In fact, they are getting worse because of the governor's unwillingness to reduce spending and lower taxes. It is a recipe for disaster and now New Jersey has the same unemployment rate as the national average."

Sen. Steven Oroho (R-Sussex) a member of the upper house's Budget and Appropriations Committee, said administration's numbers do not accurately reflect the condition of the New Jersey economy in July.

"The plain fact of the matter is that the release issued by the Labor Department contains a critical omission," Oroho said. "Following last month's statements on job growth, that most economists thought were overly optimistic, the revised numbers demonstrate that less than half the private sector job growth numbers the governor claimed last month actually occurred."

"In their revised estimate the administration failed to acknowledge that fewer public sector jobs were lost than they originally claimed. It is critically important, especially during these difficult economic times, that Governor Corzine admits this significant adjustment. Clumsy attempts to ‘spin' data should not be tolerated."

Oroho said Corzine continues to publicly claim that 13,000 private sector jobs were gained in July. He said the latest figures show that the figure is inaccurate and that the actual private sector gain was less than half what the governor claimed.

– TOM HESTER, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM