PRESS RELEASE

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Ohio Loss Mounts as Jobs Vanish;
Illinois in Recession

Jan. 24, 2008 (EIRNS)—Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland admitted the state's revenue losses will be $733 million to $1.9 billion over the next 18 months, depending on whether there is "slow growth" or a "full blown recession." But reality is: "Federal statistics show" (which are understated) that Ohio lost a net total of 15,300 jobs in 2007, of which 13,800 were manufacturing jobs. Ohio's manufacturing job loss is second-worst in the nation, behind only Michigan. Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of Ohio's Second Harvest Food Banks, told the Columbus Dispatch that her agency's warehouse serving southeastern Ohio is "down to nothing, and donations are plummeting. We are in absolute crisis."

In nearby Illinois, the State Treasurer joined the "we're in recession" chorus. "What we are facing right now is cuts, closures, and lay-offs," said state Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley). Mautino, a member of the bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, said the state's finances are in disarray. State Comptroller Dan Hynes added that Illinois began the current budget year with a $2 billion budget shortfall and is coping by paying Medicaid providers as much as six months late, according to the Argus Leader.