As Senate Votes On Multi-Trillion Dollar Bill, Arkansas Unemployment Continues To Rise

Friday, 20 November 2009 13:45

As U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) prepares to cast the potentially critical 60th vote on the Democrats’ $2.5 trillion government-takeover of health care tomorrow night, it’s worth keeping in mind three important and related numbers:

7.6 percent: That is the October 2009 unemployment rate in the state of Arkansas, according to preliminary numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics today. Since Lincoln voted for the trillion dollar stimulus package more than nine months ago, the unemployment rate in her state has steadily risen, from 6.4 in February to 7.1 percent in September to its current number, which is the highest it has been since January 1992.

$1.42 trillion: The federal budget deficit for 2009 alone totals $1.42 trillion - a number higher than the total national debt for the first 200 years of the United States. During the month of October 2009, the deficit increased by $176.4 billion, setting another all-time record.

$100 million a day: While Senate Democrats brag that their health care bill "reduces the deficit by $130 billion over the next decade," they leave out the fact that interest payments on their so-called stimulus bill total $347 billion over the next decade - an average of $100 million a day.

"Unfortunately for Arkansans, the federal deficit has soared to record highs and the state’s unemployment has steadily risen ever since Blanche Lincoln voted for the so-called ‘stimulus’ package in February 2009," said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson Marchand.

"As her constituents struggle through this economic downturn, Lincoln is now preparing to cast one of the most important votes of her Senate career tomorrow evening," Wilkerson Marchand continued. "Lincoln should remain mindful of these key statistics as she decides whether to cast the 60th vote to move Harry Reid’s $2.5 trillion government-run health care bill forward. Her constituents will certainly remember when they cast their votes next November."

Background Information

Arkansas’ Unemployment Rate Was 6.4% In February 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)

Arkansas’ Unemployment Rate Was 7.1% In September 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)

Arkansas’ Unemployment Rate Rose To 7.6% In October 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)