DANVILLE, Va. - Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan rallied supporters at a campaign stop just over the state line in Danville, Va., Wednesday. Ryan continued to hammer away at President Barack Obama's handling of the economy.

"We've had more government dependency and more people slipping behind,” said Ryan. “Under a Mitt Romney economy we will put pro-growth policies in place to grow the economy, to create jobs, to create upward mobility to move people out of poverty back into the middle class. That's what pro-growth policies are all about doing."

People at the rally agreed the economy was issue number one.

"Almost four years into Obama's term and we are worse,” said Danville resident Sandra Warren. “We are not better off than we were four years ago."

Ryan called small businesses the "engine of opportunity" in the U.S. economy but said regulations imposed during the Obama administration had had a "chilling effect" on job creation.

"Making it impossible for businesses to expand because they have no idea what these new costs are going to be," he said.

Ryan said President Obama was promising to raise the tax rate on small businesses to above 40 percent. He said that was the wrong direction for economic expansion.

"What Mitt Romney and I are proposing is tax reform,” he said. “Plug loopholes. Lower everybody's tax rates like tax rates on these successful businesses by 20 percent so they can compete, so they can take risks. So they can buy more machines and hire more people and get this economy growing again."

Ryan urged supporters to get out the vote in November. The party faithful left the rally inspired.

"I leave here motivated to go out and help Romney-Ryan get to the White House in January," said Josh Puccio.