Math patrol

In a video posted on House Speaker Gaye Symington's (D-Jericho) Facebook group today, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate asks supporters for their financial support, saying "I am asking each of you to make a contribution of a hundred dollars to carry us through the next hundred days. That is just one dollar a day."

So far so good.

Earlier in the video, Symington criticizes her opponent's record as governor by saying that "job growth in the state is the slowest in New England."

That's in reference to numbers from the Federal Reserve of Boston, which show Vermont with the 5th slowest job growth rate out of six states. It's certainly nothing to brag about, but Rhode Island is even worse off, with a negative growth rate. The economy is arguably in bad shape, so there was no need to exaggerate the claim.

It's probably safe to assume she wasn't simply ignoring the existence of the Ocean State, so we'll give Symington an "A" for her division skills, and suggest a refresher course on negative numbers.