South Dakota Focus: Republicans Cost South Dakota 5000-10,000 Jobs

George Bush presided over one of the largest net job losses in American history. And his fellow Republicans seem to continue to push to keep unemployment high as they favor tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas and as they refuse to back job creating programs like green jobs programs. And it seems their policies hit red states just as hard as blue states. This comes from the Madville Times in South Dakota:

The stimulus package is creating jobs, even against fundamental shifts in the nature of our economy. To tackle those fundamental shifts, we need to revamp our economy. That revamping includes revolutionizing the energy economy. Commiting America to a policy of clean, renewable energy would create loads of jobs, including 5000 to 10,000 right here in South Dakota.

But the oil industry's best friend, the Republican Party, has kicked, screamed, and mythologized to keep us from passing any sensible energy legislation this year. Thanks to Republican obstructionism (not to mention some Blue Dog collaboration), America is giving up 1.9 million new-energy jobs to foreign companies. Plus, the defenders of the energy status quo are also keeping an extra $208 million a day from being invested in the U.S. economy, as folks who want to build new-energy businesses say, "Heck, the U.S. won't get serious, but China and Europe will. Let's invest elsewhere!"

In kitchen-table terms, the denialism of Republicans like Senator John Thune and Congress-wannabe Kristi Noem means your household will miss out on as much as $1175 a year in income.

You can read the full report from the nice folks at the Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance, American Businesses for Clean Energy, and We Can Lead. These are all business groups—business groups—telling the Republicans to get with the program on energy security.

In light of this is it ANY surprise to learn that some of the largest donors to the Republican Party are foreign oil companies like BP, Shell Oil and Saudi businesses? Republicans do more to support the oil industry in Saudi Arabia than they do home-grown energy businesses right here in the United States of America. And the bottom line is that it COSTS AMERICANS JOBS.