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Sarasota News Leader December 13, 2013 OPINION Their analysis focused on the new jobs for which the governor might have some control, principally those arising out of incentive deals with new employers or existing employers seeking to expand significantly. Page 94 poverty level for a family of four is more than $23,000. The state has managed to add about 400,000 jobs since Scott became governor, but many economists regard this as the result of an Scott has aggressively used tax incentives to improving national economy. lure new businesses to the state, according to the Times/Herald study. The newspapers' Florida's economy is dependent on tourism analysis of 342 job creation deals revealed and home construction. As the country's that Scott had committed $266 million in tax economy has improved, more Americans have cuts and related incentives, which should been able to take a vacation in Florida. As the have resulted in more than 45,000 new jobs. national housing market has improved, more Americans have been able to sell their homes But a closer look showed that very few of and retire to Florida. As a result, the housing those jobs actually exist. Only about 4 percent industry in Florida is bouncing back, and state of them have been tourism numbers are filled. The vast majorsetting new records. ity are "promised," The state has managed to add about But the credit for with the possibility 400,000 jobs since Scott became governor, but t h i s b e l o n g s l e s s that it could take up to a decade before they many economists regard this as the result of with Rick Scott than it does with Barack an improving national economy. materialize. Obama. Despite the What is worse, Scott's legislative gridlock zeal in attracting new of a "do-nothing" employers while ignoring struggling Florida Congress, President Obama has managed to businesses has resulted in the loss of more inject enough of a stimulus into the U.S. econthan 49,000 jobs in the same time period, many omy to bring us a long way from the depths of them high-paying manufacturing jobs. of the Great Recession. The economy is not That means that, even were all of Scott's "new" robust, to be sure, but it no longer teeters on jobs to come to fruition, the state would have the brink of oblivion as it did in 2008. lost net jobs as a result of his plan. Those familiar with the author of Scott's jobs The situation becomes even more dire when creation plan should not be surprised at the one looks at the sort of jobs his "incentives" governor's lackluster results. Arduin is an are luring. acolyte for an economic theory so morally One example was a $1 million incentive bankrupt and inequitable that it recently was offered to a company to have at least 500 condemned by Pope Francis. The reasoning employees by 2015. Scott only required the behind the "7-7-7" plan she created for Scott, company to pay those employees an average such as it was, was political bluster and hyperof less than $20,000 per year. The national bole … not sound economic theory.