Look at the facts

Date: 11/8/2011

I just read your Opinion on Mitt Romney, “Show me the proof.” I found your last comment interesting, “can’t abide with the claims that he knows how to create jobs when in government.”

Wanting your readers to have the facts here are the numbers; in January 2007 when Romney left office there were 158,294 unemployed in the Commonwealth, a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, as of September 2011, there are 255,128 unemployed, a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

Using the current Administrations definition of “saved or created jobs” it looks like under Romney’s leadership he was able to “save or create” 96,834 jobs in the Commonwealth (Numbers provided by the BLS). Since you mentioned his involvement in the creation of Staples, he was an initial investor; the company currently has over 90,000 employees. These two alone account for over 186,000 jobs Romney gets credit for. Staples is just one company he invested in, there are many more.

Research also shows that Romney was smart enough not to invest any of the Commonwealth’s money in solar panel manufacturers who then moved to China.

You should also give him some credit for saving a bankrupt 2002 Winter Olympics and making the USA a proud host country.

You also mentioned the amount of time or lack of that Romney spent in this part of the Commonwealth; if you look at this governor’s schedule you will see he is here mostly on Fridays and Mondays, while traveling to and from his weekend home in the Berkshires. If his weekend home were on the Cape would we ever see him?

Anyone want to go back to the Romney economy?

Michael Sacenti

East Longmeadow

Editor’s note: Romney benefitted from a better economic climate. Patrick has had to deal with the worst recession since the Great Depression. That’s a huge difference. I asked how many jobs did Romney create through his direct efforts. What companies were positively affected through his personal intervention and policies?

He said he personally would create jobs here. That was his statement, his promise.

I’m confused how you justified Romney’s lack of time he spend here, much less the state as a whole. Is Patrick to be criticized for owning a home in the Berkshires and making appearances here? That’s a negative thing — how?


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