Oct 11, 2011
Kentucky Can’t Afford Andy Barr
Kentucky’s economy is struggling to recover from the recession, and Congress is considering a bill that would support 12,000 jobs in the state and help rebuild Kentucky’s failing infrastructure. But Andy Barr would prefer to dither and hope things get better instead of taking immediate action to boost the economy.
In an recent interview Barr said rebuilding Kentucky’s infrastructure and creating construction jobs was just “more government interference in the marketplace.” How long should middle class families have to wait until Andy Barr gets behind a bill that would actually create jobs and grow the economy now?
“Kentuckians’ number one priority is creating jobs, but if it was up to Andy Barr, Congress would sit on its hands,” said Adam Hodge of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Andy Barr’s approach already wrecked Kentucky’s economy once. We can’t afford to double down on Andy Barr’s failed policies and adopt an extreme agenda that would cut even more jobs in Kentucky and end Medicare.”
Background:
Barr Supported A Budget Plan That Would Cost Kentucky Over 7,774 Jobs. According to Politico, Congressional candidate Andy Barr “said he would have voted for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget.” According to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Ryan-Barr Budget would reduce highway infrastructure funding by nearly 35% and cost 7,774 jobs in Kentucky. [Politico, 6/9/11; Committee on Environment and Public Works State-by-State Impact of Ryan Budget, 7/6/11]
The American Jobs Act Would Support At Least 12,000 Jobs in Kentucky and Provide $1,330 in Tax Relief to Families. The American Jobs Acts cuts “the payroll tax by around $1,330 for a family making $43,000 per year” and reduces “payroll taxes to 3.1 percent for employers on the first $5 million in wages, affecting 70,000 Kentucky firms.” Additionally, the plan invests in infrastructure to support more than 5,900 local jobs, helps to avert layoffs of 6,100 educators and first responders, and invests in modernizing Kentucky schools, which will support more than 5,100 jobs. [CNBC, 10/26/11]
34 Percent of Bridges in Kentucky are Structurally Deficient. “There are new questions about the Kennedy and many other bridges still in use in Kentucky. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 34 percent of the bridges in Kentucky are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete […] The Kennedy is one of more than 100 bridges, overpasses and ramps dotting Kentucky's highway system listed by the government as structurally deficient. Across Kentucky, the picture is even grimmer, as aging bridges are reaching the end of their lifespan. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1,362 bridges in Kentucky are structurally deficient, and 3,064 are functionally obsolete, which means they can't handle the traffic loads.” [WLKY, 9/15/11]
FY2012 House Republican Plan Proposes to Eliminate Nearly 5,000 Transportation Jobs. Jeff Davis, the editor of Transportation Weekly noted that the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee’s bill “will result in a 34 percent cut in the federal-aid highways obligation limitation, from 2011′s $41.107 billion to an even $27 billion […] these numbers are consistent with the House-passed Ryan budget plan [...]” According to the House Appropriations Committee, Kentucky is expected to lose $226 million and 7,883 jobs. [House Appropriations Committee, 9/8/11; Transportation Issues Daily, 9/8/11]
Kentucky’s Unemployment Rate was 9.5%. In August 2011, Kentucky’s unemployment rate was 9.5%. [Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 10/6/11]
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