Washington: With the US presidential campaign heating up, President Barack Obama`s re-election team targeted his Republican rival Mitt Romney, alleging that he outsourced jobs to India when he was Governor of Massachusetts.
The Democratic party yesterday utilised the services of Patricia A Haddad, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, on this issue.
"As a candidate for governor, and he promised to reduce debt, streamline government. And what did he do? We had the highest debt of any people per capita in the country! So that`s what he left for our children, the highest debt they will ever see in their lives," Patricia A Haddad said.
"Romney vetoed legislation that would have barred the outsourcing of Massachusetts state jobs. But rather, instead of hiring Massachusetts people, he put a call centre in India. India is where your jobs went! India is where you had to call if you were unemployed!" Haddad said.
He said during Romney`s tenure, jobs grew six times faster in the private sector and the commonwealth`s debt grew by 16.4 percent.
"Part of the reason why was that he started paying government employees on the credit card," he said.
"America can`t afford their debt put on a personal credit card, otherwise you`re going to suffer the consequences that we had to suffer when we had a debt -- structural deficit bigger than anyone else," he said.
"If you want Romney economics, you`re going to get the same guy who never wanted to engage the legislature. He never wanted to look for new jobs. He was always only looking for his next job," he said.
"Romney economics didn`t work then and it`s not going to work now," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Tim Murray, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Massachusetts made similar allegations.
"He cut workforce training and a key programme to assist manufacturing businesses. He privatised state functions and sat by as a state call centre was outsourced to India. He borrowed to pay operating expenses and left the tab for the next governor," Murray said.
PTI
