Report from today's conference call with Rep. Aaron Schock and business owner Mike Nobis

President Obama's speech in Quincy, Illinois takes place tonight--it should be no surprise that there will not be a question-and-answer session. After all, Illinois' unemployment rate is 11.5 percent--the highest in 27 years. Originally the event was to be a town hall meeting, but now it's just a rally. Rallying for what? Only the Chosen One knows

Meanwhile, this afternoon Rep. Aaron Shock (R-IL), whose district covers most of Adams County, where Quincy is, joined by business owner Mike Nobis, held a press conference call. As for the pep rally, Schock called it "a disservice to my constituents."

Schock, a House freshman from Peoria, received national attention during the first month of his term when Obama, while giving a speech at an East Peoria Caterpillar plant, urged Schock to vote for his $862 billion stimulus bill. Schock voted "no. " During that speech, Obama claimed that "Cat" would soon rehire some recently laid-off workers. Cat's CEO immediately refuted the president's claim, and last fall Caterpillar stated that these workers would probably never get their old jobs back. And even more Cat employees have been laid off since then.

Caterpillar is the Peoria area's largest employer. Last month the construction equipment manufacturer revealed that ObamaCare would cost the firm more than $100 million just this year.

No one can reasonably argue that Schock failed to vote in the interest of his central Illinois constituents.

As for Obama's East Peoria speech, Schock told us during the call, "The rhetoric did not meet the reality."

Schock travels back to his sprawling district each weekend. What are his constituents asking him? "Where are the jobs?"

"All the while last year," Schock explained, "the president focused on pieces of legislation that were counterproductive to economic recovery." One was Cap and trade--Illinois is a coal-producing state, many of the power plants in Schock's district utilize coal. And of course the other was ObamaCare. Both create anxiety and uncertainty for businesses.

This uncertainty makes employers more reluctant to hire even part-time workers.

ObamaCare's "initial lie," Schock told us, "is that if you like your health care coverage, you can keep it." Businesses across the nation are examining their health care expenses, and may decide to stop offering it, pay a federal tax, and tell their employees to sign up for the government plan.

Mike Nobis, the owner of JK Creative Printers, a business with a 103-year history in the Gem City, then took his turn. He expressed displeasure that that president traveled to his home state to listen to small business owners like Nobis. "We are the ones who really do know the common sense to actually running our businesses and making our economies work." Nobis offered. Regarding what's coming out of Washington, "We are faced with looking at bill after bill, law after law that coming down from DC to us--and from our state--and things just don't make sense."

But business owners, who face the stress of making payroll after payroll--are the ones who know how to make money. And making money is what creates economic growth, which of course creates new jobs.

If there is an economic recovery occurring--it's at best a fragile one. "Here in Illinois, especially in Adams County and Quincy, " Nobis mused, "we don't see much of that at all."

The business owner wants the president to listen to people like him, and I think that's an excellent idea.

The duo took a question--how novel--which came from Anne Leary of Backyard Conservative.

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