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Show Me the Economic Data - The Missourian: Mo Grapeshot

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Gov. Jay Nixon

Dave Spence

Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:00 pm | Updated: 9:28 am, Thu Jul 19, 2012.

Show Me the Economic Data STAFF The Missourian

Gov. Jay Nixon’s campaign took exception to statements made by Republican rival Dave Spence on the state of Missouri’s economy in a recent article in The Missourian. Spence claimed Missouri leaders are following a broken business model. Zac Wright, a member of the Missouri Democratic Party, said Spence was distorting reality when he made the following comment:

“We are near last in every measurable category from 50th in job creation to 49th in higher education funding. We’ve got unaccredited schools, we are losing jobs left and right in this state and we’ve had zero percent job growth for the past three years. Even Illinois, with a $25 billion deficit, or whatever crazy number it is, is growing at 1.3 percent.

Wright acknowledged that while there is still much work to be done, Gov. Nixon’s bipartisan effort is clearly paying off, the Show-Me state is turning the corner. He supplied the following data to back up his assertion:

• CNN: “Move over Detroit. The big guns of manufacturing have turned sweet on Missouri.”

• Ford and General Motors are expanding in Kansas City and Wentzville – investing over a billion dollars and putting more than 3,000 Missourians to work building the cars of the future right here in the Show-Me State.

• In three years, Missouri jumped from 49th to 6th in the nation in small business in startup activity, according to the Kauffman Foundation. [Kauffman Foundation Index of Entrepreneurial Activity]

• After adding 21,000 jobs last year, Missouri has added another 24,700 jobs so far 2012, more than any of our neighboring states. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

• The unemployment rate has dropped to 7.3% – a 41 month low. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

• Missouri’s unemployment rate has been below the national average for the last 33 months straight – compared to just 4 out of all 48 months of the prior administration. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

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Posted in Mo grapeshot on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:00 pm. Updated: 9:28 am.