One of the primary reasons for my monthly series of posts featuring unemployment data reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is to challenge the notion that TIFs somehow magically create jobs. As I state in the title of this post, TIFs do not create jobs; TIFs create profits. The month of August in St. Louis City illustrates this fact clearly, as the issuance of TIFs under Francis Slay did nothing to counteract our City’s crisis of unemployment. Needless to say, 18,000 unemployed residents month after month is unacceptable.
Unemployed in St. Louis City, January 2001 - August 2009, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Francis Slay, in contrast to his 2009 campaign’s lie that he created “6% more jobs since 2006,” is in fact responsible for the destruction of our City’s labor force through his unconscionable and incoherent actions (or lack thereof) on the subject of necessary improvements to our public education system.
Labor Force in St. Louis City, 1990-Present, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The unemployment rate for St. Louis City under Francis Slay is at a record high this month as well, so I have great difficulty understanding how those of us not on a payroll allied with Slay could possibly afford to support his and Lewis Reed’s public policies.
Unemployment Rate for St. Louis City, August 2009, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Francis Slay is not my mayor, because he does not know how to create jobs.
Tags: francis slay, mayor slay, TIF abuse, TIFs, Unemployment, Unemployment Crisis
October 2, 2009 at 12:12 am |
[...] pension obligations rather than on any precipitous drop in tax revenues associated with our staggeringly high levels of unemployment. Here are two of my favorite Tweets on the subject, first from Alderman Shane Cohn: @shanecohn [...]
February 10, 2010 at 2:33 pm |
[...] help the city to “attract more good jobs for our citizens.” They were wrong. There are far fewer jobs in St. Louis City today than in 2000, and I should not need to remind you that our monthly unemployment figures are [...]