Research Briefing

As Biden Travels To Pennsylvania And Maryland

He’ll Find Obama’s Agenda Has Done More Harm Than Good In The Region

Biden Will Visit Philadelphia And Baltimore Today. “From Monday's White House guidance: ‘At 12:30 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Congressional candidate Bryan Lentz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... At 5:30 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Governor Martin O'Malley in Baltimore, Maryland.’” (Alexander Burns, Politico’s Morning Score, 7/19/10)

STIMULUS HASN’T HELPED PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND CREATE MUCH NEEDED JOBS

Since Obama-Biden-Pelosi’s $862 Billion Stimulus Passed Pennsylvania Has Lost 64,100 Jobs And Its Unemployment Rate Has Risen From 7.2 Percent To 9.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 7/16/10)

• Since The Stimulus Was Passed, Over 41,000 Manufacturing Jobs Have Been Lost In Pennsylvania.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 7/16/10)

And Maryland Has Lost 16,600 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 6.4 Percent To 7.2 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 7/16/10)

• Maryland Has Gained 9,400 Taxpayer Supported Government Jobs Since The Stimulus Was Passed, But Wasted Taxpayer Dollars. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 7/16/10)

Stimulus Funds Paid For $500 Signs In Maryland To Advertise The Stimulus.  ABC News’ Jonathan Karl: “These signs are much pricier, 500 bucks a piece in Maryland and New Hampshire, $1,700 in Georgia, $2,000 per sign Pennsylvania and New York, and $3,000 per project in New Jersey.” (ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” 7/10/09)

• In Total Pennsylvania Spent $157,000 Of Taxpayer Stimulus Funds To Advertise Stimulus Projects. “ABC News has reached out to a number of states about spending on stimulus signs and learned the state of Illinois has spent $650,000 on about 950 signs and Pennsylvania has spent $157,000 on 70 signs. Other states, like Virginia , Vermont , and Arizona do not sanction any signs.” (Jonathan Karl And Gregory Simmons, "Signs Of The Stimulus," ABC News, 7/14/10)

Stimulus Funds For Ramps In Areas With No Sidewalks Or Pedestrians. “During the next 10 years, Pennsylvania will spend $820 million redoing 117,000 ramps statewide, many in suburban and rural counties where there are no sidewalks and no pedestrians.  In Chester County, this translates to 1,612 curbs. The cost is $3,000 to $7,000 for each new ramp, though some are only a couple years old.  More than a third of Chester County’s federal stimulus transportation package will fund new curbs - $7.1 million - many on streets with no sidewalks that are rarely, if ever, used by pedestrians.  The curbs are being fixed now because other projects the county desperately wants, such as widening six miles of Route 202 near Route 29 at the Great Valley Corporate Center, where 130,000 people are employed, can’t get permits and PennDot approval in the four to six months required by the stimulus guidelines...In Philadelphia, $300 million will be spent to fix 20,000 curbs.” (Karen Heller, “Karen Heller: On Every Corner, A Federal Project At Your Expense,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/21/09)

OBAMACARE FURTHER BURDENS PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND BUSINESSES

Pennsylvania-Based Alcoa To Take $80 Million Hit Due To Obama’s Government-Run Health Care Experiment. “Alcoa said it expects to take an $80 million charge to cover costs associated with new health care legislation, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.” (“Alcoa Sees $80 Million Charge From ObamaCare,” The Street.com, 4/5/10)

Bethesda, MD-Based Lockheed Martin Took $96 Million Hit Due To Government-Run Health Care. “Lockheed Martin Corp. said Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell 18% because of the elimination of a tax deduction due to changes in federal health-care law, and reduced its full-year outlook. For the recent quarter, the Bethesda, Md., military contractor said its net earnings fell to $547 million, or $1.45 a share, from $666 million, or $1.68 a share, in the year-ago period. … The loss of the tax deduction, which lowered company earnings by $96 million, or 25 cents a share, is a one off that hit some 3,500 companies with retiree benefits.” (Christopher Hinton, “Lockheed Martin Bruised By Tax-Deduction Loss,” MarketWatch, 4/21/10)

Maryland’s Secretary Of Health And Mental Hygiene Worries Federal Funding For ObamaCare’s High-Risk Pool Could Be Inadequate. "Maryland opted to run its own high-risk pool. John M. Colmers, the state's secretary of health and mental hygiene, said he did not know if federal funding would be sufficient, but he said the fact that Maryland already has such a pool might mean that the new demand will not be as heavy." (David S. Hilzenrath, "18 States Refuse To Run Insurance Pools For Those With Preexisting Conditions," The Washington Post, 5/4/10)

Owner Of Six Tanning Salons In Pennsylvania Says He Can’t Afford ObamaCare’s Tanning Tax. “Miller is the owner of Sun Your Buns, a group of six Erie-area tanning salons. … Miller, meanwhile, is worried about what it might mean to his business, which employs about 35 people who oversaw about a quarter-million tanning sessions in 2009. Miller said he can't afford to offset the 10 percent tax, but he is hoping to ease some of his customers' pain by giving them extra tanning time for their money.” (Jim Martin, “Erie Tanning Salon Owners Worry About Impact Of Tanning Tax,” GoErie.com, 5/16/10)

• Miller: “I Also Think This Thing Was Just Ramrodded To The Extent That People Didn't Know What They Were Voting For.” (Jim Martin, “Erie Tanning Salon Owners Worry About Impact Of Tanning Tax,” GoErie.com, 5/16/10)

CAP AND TRADE WILL COST FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES IN THE REGION BIG BUCKS

Pennsylvania Could Lose As Many As 97,500 Jobs Due To Cap-And-Trade And Cost Families Up To $1,507 A Year. (Press Release, “Economic Impact On The State From The Waxman-Markey Bill, H.R. 2454 Proposed Legislation To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Pennsylvania,” National Association Of Manufacturers, 2009)

Maryland Could Lose As Many As 41,450 Jobs Due To Cap-And-Trade And Cost Families Up To $1,232 A Year. (Press Release, “Economic Impact On The State From The Waxman-Markey Bill, H.R. 2454 Proposed Legislation To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Maryland,” National Association Of Manufacturers, 2009)

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA): “Any Way You Do It, [Cap And Trade] Hurts Pennsylvania.” (Alex Isenstadt, “Cap And Trade Hits Speed Bumps,” Politico, 4/27/09)

Pennsylvania Relies Heavily On Industries That Will Be Targeted By Cap-And-Trade. "Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) expressed concern that emission-intense industries such as oil refining or coal-production might be hurt. Pennsylvania industry relies heavily on coal-generated power." (Siobhan Hughes and Ian Talley, "Key Democrat Cites Concerns on Climate Bill," The Wall Street Journal, 10/28/09)

• Like The Steel Industry Which Says That Carbon-Pricing Will Cost Consumers. “The American Iron and Steel Institute has added its name to a list of energy-intensive and trade-sensitive industries that have detailed their objections to last-ditch efforts by Senate Democrats to focus climate legislation on power plants. The group echoes other major industrial user of coal-based electricity in arguing that the price tag of a utility-focused carbon-pricing plan would be substantial if the utilities pass costs on to its customers.” (Darren Goode, “Steel Industry Voices Opposition To Utility-Focused Climate Plan,” The Hill, 7/16/10)