Dems should steal a page out of the Conservative Playbook and expose who the Real Job Killers of San Diego are.

By Eva Posner

Taking inspiration from Andy Cohen calling B.S. on the right wing and downtown big wigs for their “JOB KILLER” rhetoric, I have decided to propose an experiment:

Since this crap works so well, why don’t we co-opt it for ourselves? It’s not like nuance wins arguments.

Below are my ideas for talking points. I have included a few facts and some links here and there. But feel free not to use them. Just shout “JOB KILLER!” at the next person who disagrees with anything you say. We all know that’s how it really works.

• Opposed to the linkage fee? JOB KILLER! Someone has to build the 121,000 households that San Diego needs to house workers and retirees from 2008 to 2030. (Estimates according to SANDAG.) There is expected to be a deficit of almost 8,000 units by the City. As a SD Housing Commission study states, “A commercial linkage fee program would provide additional resources to improve affordable unit production for new worker households.” The key world there is “production” as in build. As in construction. As in construction jobs.

• Opposed to the Barrio Logan plan? JOB KILLER! A study done by the City of San Diego says that the plan will create up to 4,600 new jobs. Bobby Godiñez, President of Shipyard Workers Union Local 1998 agrees. And if anyone is fighting for job security, it’s unions.

• Oppose a minimum wage increase? JOB KILLER! The Economic Policy Institute says that an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would grow the US economy by $22 billion, resulting in about 850,000 new jobs across all fifty states. As an added bonus, it could also push more than 5 million working poor out of poverty. (You know–if you care about that kind of stuff.)

Also, according to theBureau of Labor StatisticsDecember Jobs Report 5.4% of those with jobs work more than one job to make ends meet. What if even half of those people made enough money in one job to not need a second (or third) one? That would free up over 4 million jobs for some of the 10.4 million unemployed. Granted, many of those will be part time jobs. But part time is better than no time.

• Opposed to Obamacare? JOB KILLER! A study done by UC Berkley, citing the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, provisions of the Affordable Care Act including the Medi-Cal Expansion are expected to create approximately 100,000 new jobs per year in California. In “red” states that have refused the Medicare expansion, at least five hospitals have been closed and 5,000 employees have been laid off. So not only are they missing out on possible new jobs, but they are actively killing jobs.

• Oppose immigration reform? JOB KILLER! In an analysis of the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform legislation done by the Social Security Actuary at the request of Senator Marco Rubio, the Office of the Chief Actuary found that the reforms proposed would create 3.22 million jobs by 2024 and add 1.63 percent to the GDP.

• Opposed to green energy? JOB KILLER! In the third quarter of 2013 alone, there were almost 2,500 “green jobs” created in California and nearly 15,000 nationwide.

• Opposed to infrastructure spending? JOB KILLER! Moody’s Analytics, in a 2010 report entitled “How the Great Recession Was Brought to an End,” said that every dollar spent on infrastructure in the stimulus added $1.57 to the GDP. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the effect was even greater, saying that every infrastructure dollar added $2.20 to the economy.The GOP line is that giving tax breaks to “job creators” (aka rich people) will allow them to put more money in the economy which will create more jobs. However, the CBO reports that high income tax cuts only adds 60 cents to the GDP per dollar spent—meaning this approach has less than 40 percent the economic effect as investing in infrastructure.

• Oppose marriage equality? JOB KILLER! The Williams Institute at UCLA Law School estimates that same sex weddings could add 2,600 jobs to California’s economy by 2015.

• Oppose marijuana legalization? JOB KILLER! The Raw Story reports that Colorado issued 340 retail marijuana licenses after the voters in that state legalized recreational marijuana. That number is 334 for Washington, according to NBC.  That doesn’t take into account the other industries that will be propped up by weed: security guards and equipment, paraphernalia, grow tools, lawyers, lab techs, insurance agents, even government jobs and grocery stores. Many calculate that this is the nation’s fastest growing industry.

I could keep going. But honestly, I’m tired of numbers and math. There’s a reason I’m a writer.

Feel free to try this out and comment below on the outcome. Perhaps it’s not too late to turn the rhetoric around. But even if it is, admit it, the cynic in you had a little fun.

JOB KILLER!

Follow Eva on Twitter at @evaposner.

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Eva Posner

"Eva Posner is a local political consultant and advocate for gender equity and women in politics.

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