· May 6, 2011

Kasich’s ‘jobs’ budget to cost more jobs than NAFTA

A recent article in the Plain Dealer provided a long-overdue accounting of just how many jobs were lost in Ohio as a result of NAFTA.

The North America Free Trade Agreement has cost the United States 683,000 jobs in less than two decades, and Ohio is one of the biggest losers, according to a report released Tuesday. Ohio lost 34,900 jobs — 0.6 percent of its total state employment — through NAFTA, concludes the report by the Economic Policy Institute, a research and policy group in Washington, D.C.. That placed Ohio fourth among all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in terms of percentage of total jobs lost to NAFTA. Michigan led in percentage of jobs lost, followed by Indiana. California was first in total number of jobs lost, followed by Texas.

In other words, according to Innovation Ohio estimates, John Kasich’s “jobs budget” could cost the state more jobs in the 3 1/2 months he’s been Governor than NAFTA did in nearly twenty years! Fasten your seatbelts, Ohio. We’re moving at the speed of business.