Statement from Kerri Toloczko, Sr VP of Policy for the Institute for Liberty:

Listening to President Obama's plan to create jobs in the middle of his jobloss recovery by expanding government is like driving by the scene of a car wreck - you don't want to look but can't avert your eyes from the carnage. 

A painful display of his Administration's lack of understanding of the basics of economic growth and its disregard for American entrepreneurship, it ignores sustainable private sector job growth in the sector most critical to our national security - manufacturing.

Since October of 2000, American workers have lost nearly six million industrial-based jobs.  More than 4.1 million jobs have been lost since President Obama took office.  And there is real human tragedy attached to our unemployment rate of 10% - up from 6.5% in pre-election October 2008.

The decimation of all 16 critical military manufacturing sectors from machine tooling to semiconductors is stifling innovation and has significantly eroded our military's ability to replace and replenish needed materials.  The Defense Department must now look to overseas sources - even China - to supply our warfighters with bullets, missile propellant and sonar buoys for our submarines.

 In replacing our aging fleet of Air Force aerial refueling tankers, Obama's fellow Democrats are even considering awarding the contract for at least 40,000 jobs to a French company over an American one.

The Administration should give American companies, entrepreneurs and families their money back and then get out of the way.

Capital must stay in America, free of shackles on growth.  Cutting taxes and lowering regulatory burdens will keep Americans employed, businesses growing and prevent more movement of critical jobs overseas. 

Unfortunately, rhetoric in Obama's first State of the Union address gives liberty and prosperity very little reason for hope - at least in the short term.