MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - A congressional hearing was held in Murfreesboro to discuss solving Tennessee's unemployment crisis.
The event was held Monday on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, but some who attended the meeting said it wasn't so much a congressional hearing as a chance to bash the president.
The event was billed as a congressional hearing, but the all Republican panel there were few questions to each other from like-minded leaders and plenty of opportunities to bash the President.
"During the last three years the Obama administration has produced an avalanche of regulations that have thrown a big wet blanket over the American economy and made it tougher to create private sector jobs," said Senator Lamar Alexander:
Politicians discussed regulations surrounding health care reform, and the environment. The Haslam administration believes as a result of cutting this government red tape and it's lead directly to job growth.
"In January of 2011 when Governor Haslam came into office, Tennessee was at a 9.5 unemployment rate, while the national average was 9 percent. Today, we stand at 7.9 percent," said Commissioner of Economic & Community Development Bill Hagerty.
Democrat Eric Stewart, running for Congress was skeptical of the Republican message, and believes regulations are only part of the problem.
"They don't talk about regulations. What's keeping businesses from hiring employees is that the family out walking on the street doesn't have the disposable income to go into the store and purchase the product," said Stewart.
At a campaign stop Stewart points to new business owner Corey Williams as a perfect example. Williams started Pa Bunk's Natural Market and Cafe just a few months ago. It's not regulations he's worried about, just cautious spenders in a jittery economy.
"I would say it's gradually gotten better, but I still see people all the time that don't have jobs," said Corey Williams.
With the unemployment crisis and the economy still number one on the minds of many voters expect to hear this debate between Democrats and Republicans, all the way to November's Election Day.
