Onorato: Corbett Has "No Chance" To Fix Unemployment
Onorato, who trails Corbett in campaign cash and name recognition, calls that bunk. He has capitalized on Corbett's comments to highlight the "philosophical differences" between the candidates. "If you don't understand why there is unemployment, you have no chance to be able to fix it as governor," Onorato told a City Hall room packed with union leaders and members. "That's one of the problems with Tom Corbett in this race right now."
Onorato: Corbett Has "No Chance" To Fix Unemployment
Chris Brennan
Democrat Dan Onorato (left) and Republican Tom Corbett
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, the Democratic nominee for governor in the Nov. 2 general election, just stopped by City Hall on his week-long tour to tout controversial comments about unemployment compensation made by state Attorney General Tom Corbett, the Republican nominee. Corbett has been snared in controversy for suggesting Friday, Monday and yesterday that he hears from employers around the state who claim laid-off workers won't return to jobs because they prefer receiving unemployment checks from the state.
Onorato, who trails Corbett in campaign cash and name recognition, calls that bunk. He has capitalized on Corbett's comments to highlight the "philosophical differences" between the candidates. "If you don't understand why there is unemployment, you have no chance to be able to fix it as governor," Onorato told a room packed with union leaders and members. "That's one of the problems with Tom Corbett in this race right now."
Pat Eiding, president of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, said working families are "damn mad" about Corbett's comments. "How dare he do that? This is the guy who wants to represent you in the state house," Eiding said. "Here's my suggestion: Let's put him on the unemployment rolls for six months and see if he wants to get back to work."
Pat Gillespie, head of the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, accused Corbett of parroting national GOP talking points about unemployment. "It tells you the guy doesn't have enough sense to know that isn't true in Pennsylvania," Gillespie said, contrasting the candidates like this: "One is a guy who cares, a guy who gives a s*** about us, and the other guy is not."
Onorato, who spoke earlier this week in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg on the unemployment issue, visits Scranton tomorrow. The state Department of Labor & Industry says the average weekly unemployment check is $310 ($16,120 per year) and the top check is $564 ($29,328 per year.) The rolling four-week average as of Saturday had 390,500 people in the state receiving unemployment checks. The unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in May. The June rate is due to be released tomorrow.
Comments (38)
Typical talking points of the union thugs, one gives the s... the other parroting GOP comments. Com'on Gillespie admit it, the democrats did nothing for the building trades. All that stimulus money given to PA went to balancing the budget and paying off the state unions. What happened to all those shovel ready projects that were touted? Gillespie, you are just like all union heads, you'd sell out your members if it meant keeping your job.— junethe4th- "The state Department of Labor & Industry says the average weekly unemployment check is $310 ($16,120 per year) and the top check is $564 ($29,328 per year.)" Wow, with that kind of money surely people are avoiding work so they can lounge and enjoy the finer things in life. Republicans are out of touch with reality. As usual, the folks that have what they need have little empathy for people that are facing more difficult times. Of course, it's always "their" fault. They should have worked harder. They should just pull themselves up and just go out and get a job...just like that. Blah Blah Blah.— RightWingHypocrite
- Junethe4th, So Corbett is right, that there are all of these unfilled jobs due to people choosing to remain unemployed? Did you see the 9.1 percent unemployment rate? Where are all of these unfilled jobs? Why isn't he calling the Democrats out by releasing the names and locations of the companies that can't get workers? (You realize that Corbett is full of S*%T when you think about it).
Comment removed.- Brennan, what would Onorato do? What is his solution? To continue to fund unemployment on the backs of our children and their children? I see job openings at Wawa. How can that be?— p.e.poole
- If Corbett is anything like Chris Christie, poor and middle class pennsylvanians should watch out. Stay far away from Corbett. He'll demonize the working class and protect the wealthy at all costs. Christie is a disaster and it sounds like Corbett is of the same ilk. Run PA run.— slanted and enchanted
- A real reporter wouldn't just report on the back and forth of two candidates. Why not investigate whether Corbett's claim is true. My hunch is that you'd find it to be truer than not.— p.e.poole
- new blood - vote new blood
- ps. unemployment reamins high because american corporations are refusing to hire workers with the huge cash reserves and record profits they've earned during the past year. greed trumps getting the USA back on track. Corbett represents the greed.— slanted and enchanted
- And Onorato's plan is......????— FletcherT
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- Mad, the Dems are trying to fix the mess the GOP made -- something that won't happen overnight. In fact, the GOP is wishing for a double-dip recession so it can exploit it for politican gain... and hope voters won't remember it was the GOP that put the economy in the toilet to begin with. How cynical!— Speakingtruth
- "I see job openings at Wawa." Yup, all you need to do is work about 160 hours a week to make ends meet...you idiot! Its ok to bankrupt a generation with war spending, but not ok to help out tax payers, who only spend all of the UC money anyway. Just tell me where the WMD's are, and i might think your not a complete and total idiot...— tdoc
- Obama Remorse, whatever Onorato proposes is better than claiming that the unemployed would rather stay that way than accept a good job. Where is your criticism of this lying politician who will apparently say anything to get elected? Remember what happened to Specter? You can't fool all of the people all of the time...
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- I hope Rendell endorses Onorato. After all, under Rendell's great democratic leadership he has only managed to add 8 billion to the PA budget in 8 years. Maybe Onorato can continue the democratic way and spend the state into a fiscal hole the size of other blue states like Illinois, California, and NJ.— heygents
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- If someone made 50K a year and had two kids in daycare and they lost their job but their husband or wife did not, why the hell would they go back to work? Daycare for two kids easily costs 20K a year. So you get 25K a year, don't have to work and can take care of your kids and save 20K a year. Why would you even think about taking a job that would only pay you 40K a year???? You would lose out. Corbett and employers know what they are talking about but did not present it in the right manner. The situation I presented above, really does happen. I know people who are doing it.— Grill
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- "To continue to fund unemployment on the backs of our children and their children?" Yeah, kind of like funding a fraud $733.4+ Billion dollar war in Iraq on the backs of our children and none of that money is even going to American people except for special interest organizations connected to the people that started the war.— RightWingHypocrite
- "And the national debt per person, every man, woman, child, inmate, everyone, is $47,000.00. We can't afford to pay $16,000 a year for another year in unemployment. People are going to have to take those jobs outside of their comfort zone." Oh and spending $733.4+ Billion for a fraud war is ok but spending money on Americans isn't? As usual, conservatives with completely fouled up priorities.— RightWingHypocrite
- Hey Slanted you been whacked upside the head too much. A Chris Christie is exactly what we need. My property taxes are skyrocketing and this year is only the start because of the public UNIONS and their outrageous pension and health benefits. We the taxpayers can no longer afford it and Onorato meeting with the likes of SEIU and AFL-CIO will only make the problem worse as he will grow government unions at the taxpayers expense. And further proof that you lack a proper education the reason businesses aren't hiring is twofold: the demand isn't there because the economy sucks AND because of all the uncertainty the Democrats have caused with health care and financial bills along with an energy tax they want to rush through Congress businesses don't know what a new employee will cost them. PLUS they are anticipating higher taxes so they are realizing all their profits this year instead of deferring them and since they will have to pay higher taxes that's less money to go towards salaries of new employees. But why would I expect one of the few people who still thinks Obama is doing a good job to understand economics.— ResponsibleAmerican
- I think people are missing his point, Obama must create jobs!!!!!!!!! He is killing the jobs. Lets call it welfare than. Pay people for how long to sit at home????? At some point you have to take the 8 bucks an hour. That is the only way to reset the economy. Unions keep waiting, there is no construction. Like the steel mill people, change fields. Sorry. How will jobs be created, the states and cities are broke, lets keep building empty buildings so the unions can work. Taxes need to be lowered, which will give business and people more money to spend which will create jobs. It’s over fellows.
- slanted and enchanted, profits are up only because of less work force. The company can survive on the current work force. If they did not let people go they would all start going into default. No one would invest in a loser company.
- Getinline, what is Onorato proposing? He is not saying anything, just criticizing. Did you comprehend what I wrote? I was ragging on Gillespie. Yeah, maybe I shall agree with Corbett on the unemployed, so what.— junethe4th
- Democrats only know how to do one thing.... raise taxes on the hard working americans and give it to the public unions and welfare recipients.— heygents
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Ornorato is a joke. There's actually nothing wrong with unemployment. Now the fact that there are so many unemployed is a whole other situation and not too much a Governor can do to change that. That is a private sector issue. The only thing a politician can do is to make their state more biz friendly so more businesses start up or relocate to their state.
p.e.poole, This is a Column and its content is Opinion written by a Columnist. Reporters report - and investigate - News. And by the way your "hunch" aside, Corbett has already "clarified" - if not retracted - his statement. The new spin he's put on it basically says your "hunch" is wrong, wrong, wrong.- Paul Krugman, NY Times July 4, 2010: "One main reason there aren’t enough jobs right now is weak consumer demand. Helping the unemployed, by putting money in the pockets of people who badly need it, helps support consumer spending. That’s why the Congressional Budget Office rates aid to the unemployed as a highly cost-effective form of economic stimulus. And unlike, say, large infrastructure projects, aid to the unemployed creates jobs quickly — while allowing that aid to lapse, which is what is happening right now, is a recipe for even weaker job growth, not in the distant future but over the next few months."
- CleanupPhilly, I don't follow your argument exactly. But as someone who has worked for IBC I know something about the way they operate. As I see it IBC and all the other Health Insurance companies will have less money coming in - again I don't completely know what you're saying - because the current Administration has addressed the problem of Corporate Welfare that was created by the Cheney/Bush people: the Health Insurance companies were paid by the government to administrate Medicare programs called Medicare Advantage Plans. The same applied to Medicare Part D - the sham prescription drug programs that were enacted by Republican Legislators conducted in a session - literally - in the middle of the night and behind closed doors. The insurance companies have been getting paid vast sums of money based on individual memberships whether or not the subscribers filed claims or not. Cleaning this farce up is one of the many immediate benefits of the Health Care Reform enacted by the current Congress.
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- Why do people assume that unemployment is going to change? Its not. We have too many unskilled workers and not enough jobs. Republican/Democrat, it doesn't matter, neither can get private industry to hire more people. I mean, sure, lets cut taxes on small businesses. If they're profitable, and the business sustainable, why do you think they'll want to grow?— Teufel
- CleanupPhilly, what do you mean we don't have the money. The GOP has no problem finding it to pad big Business profits and illegal foreign wars. It just can't find it for real hurting mainstream Americans. You greedy GOP SOB's make me sick.— cheyneygoestojail
- I'm unemployed. I will have an interview for a temporary job tomorrow. I know my buddy Tom is wishing me luck! But...why are the stimulus jobs paying top dollar union wages? Stimulus jobs are another form of unemployment dollars making their way into the economy. My unemployment which will run out shortly, pays $10.00 per hour, equal to a cut in earnings of $12.00 per hour with no benefits. Now the wages being paid on stimulus jobs is 3-5 times the amount of my unemployment. Let's be honest they are both government handouts, one with the union, one without! If we paid reasonable wages on stimulus jobs, you would be able to employ two to three times the number of workers! And possibly a way out of this mess.— notsofast
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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns. E-mail tips to brennac@phillynews.com
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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