Democratic Leader Harry Ott Rejects Sec. Taylor’s Claim

Invites Taylor and Gov. Sanford to his district to meet unemployed constituents.

On Tuesday morning Democratic House Minority Leader Harry Ott released a statement repudiating Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor's comments alleging the high unemployment numbers in South Carolina were caused by job seekers not able to pass a drug test.

"I reject the ridiculous claim that Secretary Taylor made in regards to our staggering unemployment figures. He and the Governor are so out of touch with the people of South Carolina that they are willing to accuse our citizens of baseless claims of drug use. Therefore, I would like to formally invite Secretary Taylor and Governor Sanford to my district to meet the men and women who are struggling to find any job at all. The Sanford administration's inability to create and protect jobs in South Carolina is the reason for our economic crisis. Democrats in the House are committed to job creation, job protection, and passing legislation that will provide stability for our citizens in the current economic recession.

According to the State Employment Security Commission, over 200,000 South Carolinians are currently out of work, a figure that makes up almost 10% of the state's population. Leader Ott added, "Perhaps the Governor's advisors should stop scheduling his next out-of-state speech and begin working on creating jobs for the people of South Carolina."

Rep. Harry Ott currently represents district 93 which includes St. Matthews.