As Senate Votes On Multi-Trillion Dollar Bill, Connecticut’s Unemployment Continues To Rise

Friday, 20 November 2009 13:50

As U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) prepares to cast his vote in favor of the Democrats’ $2.5 trillion government-takeover of health care tomorrow night, it’s worth keeping in mind three important and related numbers:

8.8 percent: That is the October 2009 unemployment rate in the state of Connecticut, according to preliminary numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics today. Since Dodd voted for the trillion dollar stimulus package more than nine months ago, the unemployment rate in his state has steadily risen, from 7.4 in February to 8.4 percent in September and now 8.8 percent in October 2009.

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

"As his constituents struggle through this economic downturn, Dodd has been working with Harry Reid and the Obama Administration to craft a massive $2.5 trillion government-run health care bill behind closed doors," Wilkerson Marchand continued. "Obviously Dodd hasn’t learned his lesson from the stimulus debacle or the AIG bonus fiasco, but Connecticut voters won’t forget Dodd’s role in our nation’s economic downturn when they cast their ballots next November."

Background Information

Connecticut’s Unemployment Rate Was 7.4% In February 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)

Connecticut’s Unemployment Rate Was 8.4% In September 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)

Connecticut’s Unemployment Rate Rose To 8.8% In October 2009. (U.S. Department Of Labor’s Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 11/20/09)