March 6, 2015 – EzKool

Republican Leaders Will Not Be Going to Selma – No Surprises Here

Why the heck would Republicans be interested in anything to do with Selma? I am disappointed that the Congressional Black Caucus and Rep. John Lewis would expect these Republicans to care about anything to do with the Civil Rights movement.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) this week joined the Congressional Black Caucus in complaining that none of the Republican leadership in Congress would be attending a commemoration of the 1965 march for civil rights in Selma, Alabama.

“I wish we had someone in the [Republican] leadership going,” Lewis told Politico in an article published Thursday. “President Bush is going to be there, but I think it would have been fitting and appropriate for them to make a trip.”

Lewis took part in the historic march alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In his criticism, he was joined by Rep. Marsha Fudge (D-OH) and the caucus chairman, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), who was less gentle in his condemnation.

“It is very disappointing that not a single Republican leader sees the value in participating in this 50th commemoration of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. I had hoped that some of the leadership would attend, but apparently none of them will,” Butterfield told Politico.

“The Republicans always talk about trying to change their brand and be more appealing to minority folks and be in touch with the interests of African-Americans,” he added. “This is very disappointing.”

The article noted that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) co-sponsored the event and encouraged at least 23 other GOPers to join them.

UPDATE: It was just reported that out of the entire GOP Congressional body, 1 token member showed up for the Selma events.

Disgraceful!

February Job Gains – Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.5%

Some (Republicans) will look high and low to find a way to criticize this report, but no matter what they say, this is good news.

U.S. employers extended a healthy streak of hiring in February by adding 295,000 jobs, the 12th straight monthly gain above 200,000.

The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent from 5.7 percent. But the decline in the rate occurred mainly because some people out of work stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

The strong job gains weren’t enough to boost wages by much. The average hourly wage rose just 3 cents in February to $24.78 an hour.

Still, over the past 12 months, 3.3 million more Americans have gotten jobs. More jobs and lower gas prices have led many consumers to step up spending. That’s boosting the economy, offsetting sluggish economies overseas and giving employers the confidence to hire.