DR. BENTLEY: UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS DISAPPOINTING AND MISLEADING

 TUSCALOOSA - "Today's news that unemployment nationally has fallen to 9.7% is both disappointing and misleading," said Dr. Robert J. Bentley earlier today.  "It is disappointing for every unemployed Alabamian because almost a year ago President Obama promised the American people that if Congress passed his stimulus package unemployment would remain below 8%.  Congress passed the stimulus, and as the President's Budget Director now predicts unemployment will remain over 8% two years from now[1].  It is misleading because the consensus among economic analysts is that the unemployment rate declined only because hundreds of thousands of Americans stopped looking for work, and are no longer counted in these numbers[2]." 

"Alabama's unemployment rate is 11%, not including those who have given up looking for a job during this economic crisis.  We learned this week that U.S. Pipe in Birmingham is laying-off 260 people at the end of March, and that is just one example of Alabamians continuing to lose jobs.  However, there are steps we can take here in Alabama to help revive our state's economy. One step is to partner vocational and technical schools with local businesses in order to prepare current and future students for the jobs that will be available in their areas." 

"The Dothan Technology Center (DTC) is an excellent example of this.  On Monday DTC students shadowed workers at a number of local businesses and facilities to show students the variety of local job choices available.  According to one of the individuals involved with arranging the job shadowing, many of the jobs in fields covered by Dothan Technology Center programs will be in high demand over the next decade.  Partnering schools like DTC with local businesses is one aspect of my agenda for 'Putting Alabamians Back to Work,' and schools like the Dothan Technology Center can be a model for adopting this type of workforce training across Alabama." 

"Another thing we can do in Montgomery to put Alabamians back to work is to pass my Reemployment Act of 2010 which provides businesses incentives to hire Alabamians collecting unemployment or whose unemployment benefits have expired.  The Reemployment act provides businesses an income tax deduction of fifty percent (50%) of the gross wages paid to each individual hired from these categories that remains on the payroll for twelve consecutive months." 

"Providing incentives for businesses to expand and hire more workers is at the center of my agenda for 'Putting Alabamians Back to Work.'  Based on past experience with the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, I anticipate the Reemployment Act will create over 5000 jobs for Alabamians." 

About Dr. Bentley

Dr. Bentley is a founding partner of Alabama Dermatology Associates, the largest dermatology practice in the Southeast.  He was also selected by his peers as one of the "Best Doctors in America." 

In 2002, he was elected to the Alabama State House of Representatives from Tuscaloosa County with over 60 percent of the vote. 

In 2008, Dr. Bentley served as one of two representatives from Alabama on the Republican National Committee's Platform Committee and was elected as a Presidential Delegate for Governor Mike Huckabee, who won the Alabama Republican Presidential Primary election. 

On December 7, 2009 he officially released his plan for "Putting Alabamians Back to Work." 

[1] Bozzo, Albert "What, No Jobs Yet? It's the Recovery Everyone Loves to Hate," CNBC.com, posted February 5, 2010, 8:45 AM

[2] Varney, Stuart, "America's Newsroom with Bill Hemmer & Martha MacCallum," Fox News, reported February 5, 2010