U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett, Republican candidate for Governor, today released the following statement regarding the unemployment figures for South Carolina released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

“Today’s unemployment figures reaffirm what we have known all along; the Democrats’ $789 billion government stimulus bill isn’t creating jobs. That’s why I opposed the stimulus plan from its outset, and that’s why I voted against it.  The Democrats stimulus plan was flawed not just because it included items that had nothing to do with job creation, like Green Golf carts and turtle bridges, but because the private sector – not government – is the engine of growth in a free market economy.

“You can sum up my campaign for Governor in one word: Jobs.  To get South Carolina working again, we have to create a climate for commerce in our state that rewards entrepreneurs, empowers employers and allows businesses to flourish.  We have to establish South Carolina as the leading southern state for free enterprise.  We have to reform our tax, fiscal, and regulatory structures.  We have to invest in infrastructure.  We have to re-establish the Port of Charleston as the central gateway between the east coast and the world.  And we have to replace government as the single largest employer in our state.”