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At Jobs Center Where Corbett Insulted Unemployed in March, Onorato Blasts GOP Nominee as Out-of-Touch

7/20/10

At Jobs Center Where Corbett Insulted Unemployed in March, Onorato Blasts GOP Nominee as Out-of-Touch
With unemployment stuck at 9.2%, Onorato meets with job-seekers while Corbett declares ‘the jobs are there’

LANCASTER: A day after the latest official jobs figures showed that 591,000 Pennsylvanians are unemployed and looking for work, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato today met with job-seekers at the Lancaster CareerLink where Tom Corbett said in March that most unemployed Pennsylvanians would rather collect benefits than look for work.

           “A Harrisburg insider like Tom Corbett who doesn’t even recognize the problems families are facing will never be able to offer the solutions that Pennsylvania needs,” Onorato said. “I am the only candidate with the experience and the vision to get Pennsylvania back on track.”

           On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”

            In Lancaster County, over 21,000 Pennsylvanians are currently unemployed, according to May’s official job statistics.

            Corbett’s comment echoed a similar remark in March at the CareerLink Onorato visited today, when Corbett “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]

            While Corbett has been busy blaming the victims, Onorato has successfully worked as Allegheny County Executive to encourage businesses to create jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

            Allegheny County’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than both the state’s and the nation’s. There are more people working in Allegheny County than in any other county in Pennsylvania, and under Onorato’s leadership the region has received accolades for its job growth, quality of life and ability to attract college graduates and families.

           “Tom Corbett thinks Pennsylvanians would rather be unemployed than earning money for their families, and he simply doesn’t understand the economy,” Onorato said. “As Allegheny County Executive, I’ve turned around a struggling economy and promoted private sector investment to help encourage job growth.”

Corbett Campaign Caught in Lies

Corbett Campaign Caught in Lies
As Corbett claims are proven false, candymaker rebuke leaves Corbett in sticky situation

PITTSBURGH: Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett’s campaign continued to try to sidestep the candidate’s repeated belief that “the jobs are there” but unemployed Pennsylvanians would rather “sit there” and collect benefits than go back to work, even as the campaign’s false statements were unmasked by the media yesterday.

On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”

            Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board said that, “Tom Corbett should see all the jobless people not sitting at home.” Today, the Scranton Times-Tribune declared that “Corbett, AG, lacks evidence,” and the Harrisburg Patriot-News stated: “Politicians shouldn’t point finger at the unemployed – they are missing real issues.”

Facing relentless criticism from the more than half-million Pennsylvanians who are looking for work, Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley yesterday tried to walk back the comments, saying “his boss believes ‘the vast majority of people on unemployment are looking for work and want to find a well-paying job.’” [Allentown Morning Call, July 15, 2010]

But the facts show Corbett doesn’t believe that.

As multiple media outlets have reported, Corbett’s Friday comments were simply a repeat of remarks disparaging the unemployed that he made in March. “According to a transcript published by Capitolwire.com, Corbett, speaking at a job-training center in Lancaster on March 18, said he thought the people seeking training were in the minority,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

And Harley’s desperate cover-up lie wasn’t even the worst event of the day for the Corbett campaign. Hours later, the anonymous companies Corbett was relying on as the source of his beliefs about the unemployed starting giving him up.

Corbett had initially “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]

            Yesterday, Capitolwire reported that the “Candymaker says Corbett misstated their employment issues.” A senior official with the Warrell Corporation explained that the company regularly takes on foreign students during the summer, but not for skilled full-time positions as Corbett claimed.

“During their summer vacation period, they come over here and work and travel. We’re very fond of working with them,” the company executive said.

            Unfortunately for the Corbett campaign, facts don’t seem to matter.

Tuesday on Philadelphia’s CBS3-TV, Corbett said he was “was repeating a story that I’d heard from about five, six, seven different people across the state of Pennsylvania.”

            But yesterday, campaign spokesman Harley was faced with yet another false statement to backtrack on. Harley told the Philadelphia Daily News: “It’s anecdotal information. He didn’t say it was a fact. He said: This is what I’m hearing.”

7/14/10

Onorato Slams Corbett for Repeated Insult to Out-of-Work Pennsylvanians
Comment that “the jobs are there” but the unemployed would rather just “sit there” repeats March statement

PHILADELPHIA: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato today joined Philadelphia workers and job-seekers in denouncing Tom Corbett’s repeated comment that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than go back to work.
“Tom Corbett has said since March that he thinks Pennsylvanians would rather be unemployed than earning money for their families,” Onorato said. “A Harrisburg insider like Tom Corbett who doesn’t even recognize the problems families are facing will never be able to offer the solutions that Pennsylvania need.”

            On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”
The comment echoed a similar remark in March, when following a visit to a job referral center in Lancaster, Corbett “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]

            The fall-out from Corbett’s insult to the 591,000 unemployed Pennsylvanians continued on Wednesday, as the Philadelphia Inquirer published an editorial titled “Unemployed, not lazy,” stating that: “Tom Corbett should see all the jobless people not sitting at home.”
            And the Allentown Morning Call reported that Corbett’s view of the unemployed puts him “in good company” among right-wing politicians and conservative economists.
Even as the Corbett campaign worked to deflect attention from the fact that the candidate has consistently blamed the unemployed, they have continued to struggle to identify the “source” of Corbett’s observation.

           On Friday, Corbett “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]

           Later, his spokesman told another reporter that, “Corbett was simply relating a story told by the owner of a plumbing business. He did not name the business.” [Allentown Morning Call, July 9, 2010]
On Monday, the number of sources grew. Speaking in Lancaster, Corbett told Capitolwire: “That’s what had been reported to me. I’ve had three or four people tell me, people have turned down work.”

           And on Philadelphia’s CBS3 TV news show yesterday, Corbett said he was “was repeating a story that I’d heard from about five, six, seven different people across the state of Pennsylvania.”

7/14/10

AFSCME Endorses Dan Onorato For Governor
Union rejects GOP’s Corbett after twice endorsing his earlier bids for statewide office

PITTSBURGH: Today, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 13 endorsed Dan Onorato for Governor and Scott Conklin for Lieutenant Governor. The endorsement adds to the growing support the Onorato-Conklin ticket has received from organizations representing working Pennsylvanians.

            “I am pleased to receive the endorsement of AFSCME Council 13,” said Onorato. “This endorsement is more evidence that Pennsylvanians want a Governor who has experience making the tough decisions necessary to balance the budget and run a government in the best interest of the taxpayers.”

            Since 1971, AFSCME has fought to enhance overall working conditions for both public and private non-profit employees. Nationally, AFSCME represents more than 1.6 million workers, including 65,000 in Pennsylvania.

            AFSCME previously endorsed Corbett in his 2004 and 2008 bids for Attorney General.

“Dan Onorato is the only candidate for Governor who will get Pennsylvania back on track and who is committed to working with the men and women who perform the essential services that Pennsylvanians rely on each and every day,” said AFSCME Council 13 Executive Director David R. Fillman. “AFSCME is proud to endorse Dan Onorato because our families and fellow residents need real leadership and experience to move Pennsylvania forward.”

            As Allegheny County Executive, Onorato built a record of working in partnership with county employees to reform government and make the county’s operations more efficient for taxpayers.

            Onorato has served as Allegheny County Executive since 2004, prior to which he was the county’s elected fiscal watchdog. Under Onorato’s leadership, his region’s recent accolades include:

It’s No “Gaffe”… Corbett Said it Before

7/14/10

It’s No “Gaffe”… Corbett Said it Before
Corbett campaign’s desperate attempt to explain comment that the jobless are lazy contradicts the facts

PITTSBURGH: The Corbett campaign’s ongoing effort to downplay GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett’s statement that “the jobs are there” but Pennsylvanians would rather just “sit there” on unemployment is at sharp odds with the candidate’s actual record.

            Facing new questions about whether Corbett’s comments indicate that “Tom Corbett is simply not ready for prime time,” as the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported, and with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noting that “the Republican’s post-primary road has hit several bumps,” Corbett took to the airwaves yesterday to offer the typical insider politician’s non-apology apology.

            “I regret that in that one statement, I may not have been clear or complete as I possibly could,” Corbett told CBS3 in Philadelphia.

   But in fact, Corbett said exactly what he meant – and he’s said it before.

            Following a visit to a job referral center in Lancaster in March, Corbett “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]
            Even as the Corbett campaign worked to deflect attention from the fact that the candidate has consistently blamed the unemployed, they continued to struggle to identify the “source” of Corbett’s observation. So instead of identifying a single business owner, yesterday Corbett said that he’s heard it from as many as “seven” anonymous Pennsylvanians.

            On Friday, Corbett “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]

            Later, his spokesman told another reporter that, “Corbett was simply relating a story told by the owner of a plumbing business. He did not name the business.” [Allentown Morning Call, July 9, 2010]

            On Monday, the number of sources grew. Speaking in Lancaster, Corbett told Capitolwire: “That’s what had been reported to me. I’ve had three or four people tell me, people have turned down work.”

           And on Philadelphia’s CBS3 yesterday, Corbett said he was “was repeating a story that I’d heard from about five, six, seven different people across the state of Pennsylvania.”

7/13/10

Onorato Visits Job Training Program, Blasts Corbett for Calling Unemployed Pennsylvanians Lazy
Corbett says “the jobs are there” but unemployed would rather just “sit there”

PITTSBURGH: As unemployed Pennsylvanians called on Republican Tom Corbett to apologize for saying the jobless would rather collect benefits than go back to work, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato today highlighted a program he launched as Allegheny County Executive to help Pennsylvanians who are searching for jobs.

            On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”

            As the Philadelphia Daily News paraphrased in an editorial titled “Bad job on jobs,” Corbett “exhorted those unlucky enough to be jobless: ‘Get off your duff and go to work.’” [July 13, 2010]

           “Tom Corbett doesn’t even recognize that there’s a problem, so of course he can’t be part of the solution,” Onorato said during a visit to the Community College of Allegheny County’s Career Transition Center for Dislocated Workers. “I know that Pennsylvanians are not just sitting there, and the great programs here in Allegheny County are an example of how we can help people get back to work – and of how eager they are to participate.”

            Onorato launched the Career Transition Center’s tuition waiver program in January 2009 to assist displaced workers so they can qualify for good-paying jobs in high-demand fields. The successful program includes training for careers like information technology, welding and the health care field.

            “One of the reasons that Allegheny County is doing so much better than the state and the nation is because we help workers adjust to the changing economy,” Onorato said. “We’re helping people get back on their feet while Tom Corbett is insulting the hard-working men and women of Pennsylvania who are looking for jobs in these tough economic times.”
While Corbett has been busy blaming the victims, Onorato has successfully worked as Allegheny County Executive to encourage businesses to create jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

            Allegheny County’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than both the state’s and the nation’s. There are more people working in Allegheny County than in any other county in Pennsylvania, and under Onorato’s leadership the region has received accolades for its job growth, quality of life and ability to attract college graduates and families.

“Tom Corbett thinks Pennsylvanians would rather be unemployed than earning money for their families, and he simply doesn’t understand the economy,” Onorato said. “As Allegheny County Executive, I’ve turned around a struggling economy and promoted private sector investment to help encourage job growth. Tom Corbett has no experience and no clue.”

7/13/10

Why is Tom Corbett Not Telling the Truth?
Corbett campaign full of contradictions as unemployed workers object to insult from GOP candidate

PITTSBURGH: Responding to relentless criticism of his comments on Friday that “the jobs are there” but Pennsylvanians would rather just “sit there” on unemployment than go back to work, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett’s campaign yesterday tried a different approach: lying to change the subject.

On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”

            As the Philadelphia Daily News paraphrased in an editorial titled “Bad job on jobs,” Corbett “exhorted those unlucky enough to be jobless: ‘Get off your duff and go to work.’” [July 13, 2010]
            Yesterday, as jobless Pennsylvanians continued to call Corbett to task for saying they are lazy and would rather collect benefits than go back to work, the Corbett campaign tried their best to walk back their candidate’s heartless comment.
            The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that campaign spokesman Kevin Harley “said that Mr. Corbett ‘knows that the vast majority of people who are unemployed are diligently looking for work. He has visited with unemployed workers at agencies such as Careerlink in Lancaster, which retrains and matches up employers with employees….’” [July 13, 2010]

            But that is not what Tom Corbett said on Friday. And it’s not what he meant.
            We know that because Tom Corbett’s game of blame-the-victim has actually been strikingly consistent throughout this campaign – ever since the very visit to the Lancaster CareerLink that Harley cited.

Following that visit in March, Corbett “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]

            While Harley is now trying to claim that Corbett believes the “vast majority” of unemployed Pennsylvanians are “diligently looking for work,” his own boss’s words tell another story. Corbett suggested that “80 or 90 percent” of jobless Pennsylvanians are too lazy to look for a job.

            Tom Corbett’s message is clear: Pennsylvanians themselves are to blame for being laid off or unable to find work.

            “Tom Corbett doesn’t even recognize that there’s a problem, so of course he can’t be part of the solution,” Onorato said. “Our economy is struggling, families in Pennsylvania are hurting, and a Harrisburg insider like Tom Corbett is so out of touch that he’s actually blaming the victims of the recession.”

            “This is a fundamental difference between me and my opponent,” Onorato added. “He just doesn’t get it – but Pennsylvanians do.”

            Corbett has still not publicly identified the source of his accusation that Pennsylvanians who have lost their jobs would rather stay at home than go back to work.

            On Friday, Corbett “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]

            Later, his spokesman told another reporter that, “Corbett was simply relating a story told by the owner of a plumbing business. He did not name the business.” [Allentown Morning Call, July 9, 2010]

            And, “in Lancaster on Monday, Corbett told Capitolwire ‘that’s what had been reported to me.’” [Allentown Morning Call, July 13, 2010]

Tom Corbett: The Fundamentals of Our Economy Are Strong
“The jobs are there” but the unemployed would rather just “sit there,” according to Corbett

HARRISBURG: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato today blasted Republican Tom Corbett for claiming that the only thing preventing unemployed workers from finding a job is their own laziness.

            Taking a page from John McCain’s 2008 playbook, when the presidential candidate infamously declared that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong,” Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio on Friday that:
            “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment. They’re literally telling – I’ll come back to work when the unemployment runs out. That’s becoming a problem. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there and… I’ve literally had construction companies tell me, I can’t get people to come back to work, until… they say, ‘I’ll come back to work when unemployment runs out.’”
            Corbett made his comment in Lancaster County, where 21,700 unemployed people are currently looking for a job. Across the state, 591,000 Pennsylvanians are out of work and trying to find employment. The average person on unemployment receives $310 per week in benefits to put food on the table and keep a roof over their family’s heads.
“This is a fundamental difference between me and my opponent, and I don’t know what world Tom Corbett is living in,” Onorato said. “Our economy is struggling, families in Pennsylvania are hurting, and Harrisburg insiders like Tom Corbett aren’t doing anything to help them. Tom Corbett doesn’t even recognize there’s a problem, so it’s no surprise that he has no real plan to improve our economy or actually create the jobs that in his mind already exist.”

            On Friday, Corbett “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]

            Later, his spokesman told another reporter that, “Corbett was simply relating a story told by the owner of a plumbing business. He did not name the business.” [Allentown Morning Call, July 9, 2010]

            Does Tom Corbett believe that Pennsylvania workers are lazy because an anonymous plumber or a candy company owner told him so?

           Or do Friday’s comments simply reflect Tom Corbett’s long-held belief that Pennsylvanians themselves are what’s wrong with our economy? After all, Corbett’s view that lazy unemployed workers would rather collect benefits than find work is nothing new.

           In March, Corbett visited a career center and “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]

           While Corbett has been busy blaming the victims, Onorato has successfully worked as Allegheny County Executive to encourage businesses to create jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Allegheny County’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than both the state’s and the nation’s.

           “Tom Corbett thinks Pennsylvanians would rather be unemployed than earning money for their families, and he simply doesn’t understand the economy,” Onorato said. “As Allegheny County Executive, I’ve turned around a struggling economy and promoted private sector investment to help encourage job growth. Tom Corbett has no experience and no clue.”

7/9/10

Onorato Tours Green Job Training Facility, Touts Jobs Plan in Philly
Visit Comes After Republican Tom Corbett Opposes Projects That Will Train Workers, Boost Alternative Energy

PHILADELPHIA: In a visit to the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) today, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato spoke about his plan to bring new Green jobs to Pennsylvania after touring the organization’s North Philadelphia training facility.

            “Preparing our workforce is essential to jump-starting our economy, and the energy efficiency and weatherization industry is here to stay,” Onorato said. “ECA is creating jobs, helping people save on energy bills and building a stronger community all at the same time.”

            Onorato’s visit to the job training site comes just after Republican nominee Tom Corbett announced his opposition to two projects that will create energy-related jobs in other parts of Pennsylvania:

·      $2.5 million towards a plant in Allentown that would convert waste to energy – saving taxpayers money and creating 100 construction jobs and 15-20 permanent jobs; and
·      $8 million towards the Pittsburgh Green Innovators project in Pittsburgh that would create 200 jobs, train about 2,000 people each year for Green jobs, and launch 4-5 new businesses annually through a small business incubator.

            “The Energy Economy holds enormous potential for Pennsylvania,” Onorato said. “It simply makes no sense to block projects that will make us a leader in alternative energy while putting our residents back to work.”

            The John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center, which opened in March, is located in a renovated Civil War uniform factory in the West Kensington section of North Philadelphia.

            Since 1984, ECA has worked to implement energy efficiency and conservation measures in Philadelphia homes and buildings. ECA provides green jobs training, energy conservation workshops, low-income energy programs, and solar power installation.

           In November, ECA was awarded $13.9 million from the federal Recovery Act, funding that Corbett opposes. ECA has already created 42 new permanent jobs at its own facility with the funds, and it has trained hundreds of workers for new weatherization jobs elsewhere.

            As Allegheny County Executive, Onorato has worked to attract manufacturing companies like the solar mirror maker Flabeg to set up shop in Allegheny County. He also partnered with the community college to establish a Green Jobs Institute to train workers in high-demand energy jobs. Under Onorato’s leadership, Allegheny County has a lower unemployment rate than both the state and the nation.

            Onorato’s energy plan calls for making Pennsylvania the national leader in creating Green-collar jobs and new Green businesses while keeping Pennsylvanians in their homes and jobs by lowering their energy bills.

            Residential and commercial buildings use about 70% of all energy produced in the United States, and Onorato has called for the state to create a weatherization workforce – Pennsylvania’s Green Jobs Corps – to lead the way in conserving energy.

“As homes and businesses implement conservation measures to lower their own electric costs, there is enormous job creation potential for the professionals who will ‘weatherize’ these buildings,” Onorato said. “Pennsylvania needs to take advantage of every opportunity to create economic growth, and I am the only candidate with the experience and vision to lead the way.”

7/9/10

Corbett Ducks Debates, So Onorato Campaign Asks First Question: “Why Request a Bigger Office Budget?”
Why Won’t Corbett Debate? Can He Explain Requesting More Tax Money for His Office, but Cuts for Everyone Else?

PITTSBURGH: More than two weeks after Dan Onorato challenged him to a series of debates, Tom Corbett is silent. Because of the lack of response from the Republican nominee, today Onorato’s campaign issued the first question to Tom Corbett:

Why did you ask for a double-digit increase in your own taxpayer-funded budget while running for Governor promoting across-the-board spending cuts?

            Corbett has called for limiting spending growth [Commonwealth Foundation questionnaire] and across-the-board spending cuts. [Harrisburg Patriot-News, June 11, 2010] He also says in a campaign policy paper that he will cut state administrative spending in all agencies by 10 percent if elected Governor. [Capitolwire, March 22, 2010]

Yet, earlier this year, Corbett requested an additional $10.2 million for his own office budget, a 12% spending hike – even as the state was facing a massive budget crisis.

Corbett then mounted a vigorous defense of his spending plan. Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, “Corbett told lawmakers, while he's been frugal and made cutbacks in his office, he could not guarantee [the] continued success of programs… without adding more staff.” [Philly.com, February 18, 2010]

In testimony to the House Appropriations Committee, Corbett was even more adamant in his defense of his own budget: “If – if you flat budget us, zero percent increase – we will lose 21 positions across the agency…. If you go to cutting us by one percent, it would be 31. Two percent it would be 40. Three percent it would be 50. Four percent it would be 59. Five percent it would be 69 positions. We would be a shell.” [House Appropriations Committee transcript, February 2, 2010]

            But even the Legislature wasn’t buying what Corbett was selling. In the final budget, the Attorney General’s appropriations received an overall 4.1% cut.

“Tom Corbett is avoiding the tough questions that voters deserve to hear their candidates address head-on,” Onorato Communications Director Brian Herman said. “In public Tom Corbett says the state should spend less, but he has requested more tax money to fund his own office every year since becoming Attorney General.

“How does Tom Corbett explain the inconsistency? If Tom Corbett won’t debate Dan Onorato, we’re going to ask the questions ourselves.”

            Onorato first challenged Tom Corbett in a June 22 letter requesting the Republican nominee agree to a series of 14 debates across the Commonwealth. With no response from Corbett’s campaign, Onorato then sent letters to leading, non-profit groups asking them organize and moderate the debates. Corbett has dodged requests that he participate.

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Dan Onorato Discusses His Plan to Grow Pennsylvania's Economy in Wilkes-Barre

February 5, 2010

Dan Onorato Discusses His Plan to Grow Pennsylvania's Economy in Wilkes-Barre
Onorato Endorsed by Luzerne Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and Wilkes-Barre Mayor Leighton at Event

WILKES-BARRE: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato today discussed his plan to grow Pennsylvania's economy and help create family sustaining jobs at an 11:00 AM press conference at the Teamsters Local 401 in Wilkes-Barre. At the event, Onorato was endorsed by Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton and was introduced by Jim Murphy, a Local 401 Business Agent. Yesterday, Onorato was endorsed by the statewide Teamsters at an event in Philadelphia.

"The single most important job for the next Governor is to spur Pennsylvania to lead the nation in job creation, from supporting our historic manufacturing sector to the newest pioneers in the emerging 'green' economy," said Onorato today. "As Governor, my chief focus will be on creating well-paying sustainable jobs that improve the economic security of all of the Commonwealth's residents, just as it was for me as Allegheny County Executive."

At today's event, Onorato was also endorsed for Governor by Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton. Yesterday, Onorato was endorsed by the statewide Teamsters Union, the first statewide union to make an endorsement in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

"I am endorsing Dan Onorato for Governor because he is the only candidate for Governor who knows what it takes to help lead and manage a large economy - because he has done it," said Commissioner Petrilla. "I look forward to working with him in the primary and general elections and next year as Governor as we move to put people back to work across Pennsylvania."

As Allegheny County Executive, Onorato has focused on job creation and after six years of his leadership today. Today, Allegheny County has more jobs than any other county in Pennsylvania and the county's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state and 25% lower than the nation's.

The "Onorato Plan for Economic Development" Onorato discussed today has five (5) central tenets:

Establish a climate where businesses can succeed;
Launch a "Grow Your Own" success strategy to help firms start, expand and prosper;
Encourage entrepreneurship and innovation;
Boost export opportunities for Pennsylvania companies and attract foreign companies to the state; and
Ensure that Pennsylvania's workforce is prepared for and able to access high-skill, well-paying jobs.

"Pennsylvania is at a critical juncture in its history and if we are going to reform government, create good new jobs and improve education for every child, we need to make real change now," said Mayor Leighton. "Dan Onorato is the best experienced candidate and the only one who has detailed proposals to put Pennsylvania back to work."

While honoring Pennsylvania's manufacturing past, Onorato will work to build on Pennsylvania's competitive advantage in key segments of the Knowledge Economy, including through its unrivaled "eds and meds" - higher education institutions and medical institutions - and through its burgeoning science- and technology-related fields.

"We know that the fastest growing industries are linked to education and medicine," continued Onorato, who last month released a policy paper detailing his plan to work with higher education institutions to create jobs and prepare workers. "Pennsylvania has some of the finest institutions of higher learning and medical facilities in the country. We need to continue to focus on fostering the development of these next generation jobs."

Onorato also recognizes that perhaps no sector holds greater opportunity for the Commonwealth than energy, with intense competition for alternative and renewable energy and energy conservation strategies combined with Pennsylvania's vast holdings across the broad range of energy resources - including the enormous economic potential of the Marcellus shale natural gas reserves that lie just under the Commonwealth's surface. "As County Executive, I focused on supporting the development of 'green jobs' and as Governor, I will do the same," said Onorato.

Today's endorsements come just four days after Onorato released strong fundraising numbers for 2009 and a week after Onorato picked up significant political support in the Lehigh Valley with the backing of Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Councilmen Julio Guridy and Ray O'Connell and Easton Mayor Salvatore J. Panto, Jr., Councilwoman Elinor Warner, Councilman Ken Brown, Treasurer David Fleck and Controller Tony Bassil. Earlier in January, Onorato was endorsed by a dozen southwestern Pennsylvania County Commissioners. Onorato has also won major endorsements from southeastern Pennsylvania leaders like Congressman Patrick Murphy, State Senators Daylin Leach and Andy Dinniman and State Representative Mike Gerber.

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dan_onorato: Excited to announce President Bill Clinton will join me for a rally in Philadelphia this Monday. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/a2cmSn

dan_onorato: Honored to accept the endorsement of the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. As Governor, I'll work to ensure our environment is protected.

dan_onorato: This article does a great job explaining why we need a severance tax on Marcellus shale drilling: http://bit.ly/9mLBnR

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