Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Ohio Democrats Blast Bush Economic Policies
WASHINGTON -- On the heels of the Timken Corp.'s announcement that it will close three plants in Canton, Ohio, and displace 1,300 workers, Ohio's Democratic delegation in Congress today took turns railing against President Bush's economic polices. The Congressmen held a press conference on Capitol Hill where they expressed outrage over what they described as the president's legacy of making promises that deliver few jobs for Ohio workers, but plenty to big business and allies of the administration."The Bush record is to ship jobs overseas, to provide tax cuts to large corporations, help those corporations reap big profits, and then lay off American workers," said Rep. Sherrod Brown of Lorain. "Despite record profits for the Timken Corp. and President Bush's promise of one million new jobs in 2004, 1,300 additional families are added to the unemployment rolls in Ohio. I find it ironic that a year ago the president chose Timken as the location to showcase his economic policy."In April 2003, President Bush visited the Timken Co. in Canton to give an economic policy speech before hundreds of Timken line workers, administrators, and the company's chief executive officer, Tim Timken. In the last three years, 222,600 Ohioans have lost their jobs; 155,000 of them in the manufacturing industry, the Democrats noted. The Timken closing represents 27% of Stark County employment, they added. In his appearance in Canton, Bush hailed Timken's 10% increase in worker productivity. In April the corporation reported first-quarter results of a 63% increase in earnings per share and record quarterly sales of $1.1 billion. While announcing its plans to close three plants in Ohio that employ third- and fourth-generation workers, Timken is building a fourth plant in China, the congressmen said."Timken stands as a model for everything that is wrong with President Bush's incompetent handling of the U.S. economy," said U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon). "Instead of a company using its tax breaks to invest in expanding production and hiring workers after reporting record sales, Timken is taking 1,300 jobs from the very community that helped make it prosperous. No wonder Mr. Bush chose Timken as the site to highlight his so-called 'Plan for Economic Growth.'"Two months after the president's visit, Tim Timken co-hosted a fund-raiser in Akron, where $600,000 was collected for the 2004 Bush campaign, the Democrats said. "I hope this serves as a wake-up call to the president. Ohioans need real economic policies that will help our hurting economy and sliding manufacturing base," stated Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland. "What Ohioans do not need is to be used as a political prop for the president's re-election campaign. Timken, and companies like it throughout the country that are gutting our nation's manufacturing base by outsourcing jobs overseas, will be the real economic legacy of this administration.""Despite his claims, President Bush continues to give the American people false promises," stated Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, also of Cleveland. "The shutdown of the Timken factory is a devastating blow to the people of Ohio. Those 1,300 people who lost their jobs will join over 200,000 other unemployed Ohioans who have to watch as their jobs are outsourced to other countries and the White House continues to push for more tax cuts for the wealthy. The American people deserve better."Added Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, "The pattern is clear. President Bush -- or a member of his cabinet -- shows up to take pictures at your factory, or veterans' hospital, or school. Then the factory closes, the hospital loses its federal grant, and school funding is slashed. The president either has the 'reverse Midas Touch' or he's exploiting popular programs that he knows he doesn't support. Either way, the nation loses.""