Dalton, GA - Michael Mule', adviser to Dalton Mayor David Pennington, issued the following response to Nathan Deal's press release this morning touting Georgia's business environment ranking:   

"While international papers are writing about Nathan Deal's ethics problems, Nathan is trying to source an obscure magazine to claim an 'accomplishment' that does not exist. Magazines and sources that Georgians actually read are offering the truth. 

Forbes Magazine, in their 2013 Best States for Business, ranks Georgia 10 times below the level that Nathan claims. And, the Tax Foundation, a nationally respected organization, ranks Georgia 34th out of 50 in their annual State Business Tax Climate Index. 

Georgia has lost 14 percent of its jobs paying more than $50,000 a year and added 15 percent to its Medicaid rolls during the recovery. The wrong numbers are going up, and the right numbers are going down."