Dear Editor:
Sen. Mike Kehoe's Feb. 11 and 25 columns stated that passage of SJR 16, transportation infrastructure, would "directly result in good, high paying boots-on-the-ground jobs, an estimated 270,000 of which will come as a result of this $7.9 billion investment."
Two facts: Missouri unemployment stood at 200,899 at the end of December 2012. And, if the 270,000 jobs created paid $30,000 a year, the annual payroll would equal approximately $8 billion.
I called Sen. Kehoe's office on Feb. 27 to inquire how this job creation figure was arrived at and how could the $7.9 billion last 10 years. I suggested the jobs figure was in error and needed to be corrected as it was misleading.
Sen. Kehoe's column of March 4, now indicates passage of SJR 16 and SB207, the ISRS legislation would together only "provide tens of thousands of good, high paying, boots-on-the-ground jobs" instead of the 270,000 originally estimated. That's rather vague.
People are hurting for those "good high paying, boots-on-the-ground jobs."
Our legislators need to have accurate figures, not pie in the sky estimates, so meaningful legislation is enacted with the expected and correct results.