As you probably know by now, Maryland created more than twice as many new jobs as neighboring Virginia from January to November 2011 (26,700 vs. 10,900.)
98.5% of Maryland’s new jobs were created in the private sector. Only 30% of Virginia’s new jobs resulted from private sector job growth.
So what truth are we to draw from this?
Republicans, conservative think tanks, anti-labor activists and proponents of radical anti-tax dogma have long claimed that Maryland relies too heavily on federal spending, while DC’s southern neighbor Virginia is described as a bastion of private enterprise (at least when there’s a Republican in Richmond.)
All of this predictable economic fiction is flatly contradicted by the economic reality of last year’s job creation.
Maryland created twice as many new jobs in 2011, 98.5% of them in the private sector. And while Virginia created far fewer jobs, more than two-thirds of them depended on government spending.
Virginia is a big place, and it has a larger workforce to match. Which means that job for job, Virginia must not only create as many jobs as Maryland, but significantly more if it hopes to keep pace with the rate of economic growth in Maryland and push our region forward.
Before we can do that, we must acknowledge the economic facts of a changing economy. While we’ve come to accept that Maryland’s GOP sees greener pastures in neighboring states, lately this economic fiction has taken root beyond the shadows of right-wing blogs, and has been heard from the lips of politicians, pundits and newspaper columnists.
It’s surprisingly easy to detect economic fiction when you hear it. The economic facts are simply too accessible and clear to ignore. Perhaps that’s why Bob McDonnell is hoping to flee the Commonwealth to join forces with another great perpetrator of economic fiction – Mitt Romney.
This week, Congress has the chance to do something about it and pass a bill that will put thousands of construction workers back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, airports and transit systems in MD. It’s a bill that includes the kinds of ideas both parties have voted for in the past. It’s paid for, and its ideas are supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people. It’s time for Congress to act.
Watch this video from Governor O’Malley where he talks about the need topass President Obama’s plan to create jobs with investments that rebuild America’s roads, bridges and railways. The act would help us immediately advance critical infrastructure projects in Maryland while at the same time supporting at least 8,100 jobs
Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis issued the following statement today after the State Senate and House of Delegates passed, and the Governor signed the Congressional Districting Plan.
The map that passed today by an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly and signed by the Governor reflects the largely Democratic population growth over the last decade, creates more competitive districts across the State and is the result of Governor O’Malley’s open, fair and transparent process that took into account the opinions of community leaders, elected officials, and citizens. Democrats are prepared to run aggressive, grassroots campaigns in every district to ensure Maryland continues to be represented by strong, principled Democratic leaders in Congress. I am confident that our message of promoting job creation, fighting for the middle class and investing in the future, coupled with the out-of-touch policies of Maryland Republicans, will result in the election of more Democrats in 2012.
