Tag: jobs bill

Categories
democrats Domestic Policies Unemployment

Unemployment Rate Falls To 8.5%

More news for the United States economy, as the national unemployment rate falls to 8.5%. Although the pace of job growth may not be as fast as many would like, any improvement is always a welcome sign that things are headed in a positive direction.

The New York Times: The United States added a robust 200,000 new jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday, in a sign that the long-awaited economic recovery has finally built up a head of steam.

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December, from a revised 8.7 percent in November, the government said. The Labor Department revised the number of new jobs added in November to 100,000, from 120,000.

The employment report built on a flurry of heartening economic news in December, when consumer confidence rose, manufacturing came in strong and small businesses showed signs of life. It was the sixth consecutive month that the economy added at least 100,000 jobs – not enough to restore employment to pre-recession levels, but enough, perhaps, to cheer President Obama as he enters an election year.

The upward trend restored some of the ground lost this spring and summer, when global events like the earthquake in Japan and domestic ones like the debt ceiling debate slowed the American recovery to a crawl and raised fears of a second recession. Then, even signs of modest growth were dismissed as too anemic. Now, they are drawing tentative praise.

Categories
Politics Tax

Republicans Vote Against American Jobs Again – Must Make Obama Fail

Republicans again successfully blocked another portion of President Obama’s jobs bill. The bill that just went down in the Senate had 50 Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against it. It would create or save 400,000 jobs, and put first responders back to work throughout the nation. Republicans stood in unity and voted against Firefighters, Teachers and Police Officers.

And why are these jobs not important to Republicans?

How do you pay for the bill? That’s the question Republicans have hidden behind as their excuse to cut or not support bills that will help Americans. In this case, the jobs bill to put these Americans back to work would cost $30 billion, and Democrats wanted to tax millionaires on income over $1 million to pay for it.

How was this tax going to work?

Democrats were asking Republicans to agree to a tax that equals half of 1 percent. That’s half of 1 percent on income over $1 million, so if a millionaire made $1 million and ten dollars, he or she would be taxed on the $10.00 at .5% or half of 1 percent. Vice President Joe Biden explains it this way;

 “Are you going to put 400,000 school teachers back in classrooms, are you going to put 18,000 cops back on the street and 7,000 firefighters back in the firehouses? Or are you going to save people with average incomes of $1 million a one-half of 1 percent increase in tax on every dollar they make over a million?”

The Vice President then advised Americans to pay close attention to how their representatives vote. “So I say to the American people, watch your senator, watch him or her choose.”

In last night’s vote, Americans saw another example of where Republicans stand when it comes to getting this economy back on track. All Senate Republicans decided not to vote for the jobs of school teachers, cops or firefighters. They all voted to make sure this economy continues down the drain, with the hopes that President Obama gets the blame and loses the election in 2012.

Party before Patriotism. That’s the new definition of today’s Republican party!

Categories
Barack Obama Politics United States

Firefighters – Call And Tell Congress To Pass The Jobs Bill

A new ad running in different states are urging Americans to call congress and tell them to support President Obama’s jobs bill. The group responsible for the ad is The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

The bill has $35 billion in funding to help pay for staffing at fire and police departments across the country as well as at schools — that includes $1 billion in funding to protect firefighters’ jobs. The IAFF estimates that 15,000 firefighter and paramedic jobs have been lost or are threatened due to lack of funds.

Categories
occupy wall street Politics

Best Sign Yet From The Occupy Movement

Best sign yet. As the “Occupy” movement spread across the nation, the bottom 99% are finding some very impressive ways to describe their frustrations. If awards were given out for ‘Best Sign In A Protest Movement’, this one should have no problem winning.

From ‘Occupy Austin’

Categories
Politics weekly address

President Obama Weekly Address – Pass The American Jobs Act Now

President Obama again used his weekly address to continue his push for the American Jobs Act and he asked Republicans to vote for the American people, instead of standing on the sidelines watching the economy go down the drain.

“There are too many people hurting in this country for us to simply do nothing,” he said.” The economy is too fragile for us to let politics get in the way of action.  The people who represent you in Washington have a responsibility to do what’s best for you – not what’s best for their party.”

President Obama also directed some of his address to people like Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader. Earlier in the week, Mr. Cantor said that the House of Representative will not be voting on the American Jobs Act. President Obama called on all in Congress to vote on the bill, or explain to their reasoning for ignoring the wishes of the American people.

So any Senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill needs to explain why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation.  If the Republicans in Congress think they have a better plan for creating jobs right now, they should prove it.

The President also explained that the Jobs Act is fully paid for. It will also have “a significant” effect on the economy.

Independent experts who do this for a living have said that this jobs bill will have a significant effect for our economy and middle-class families all across America.

The video:

Categories
Barack Obama Politics weekly address

President Obama: End The Politics, Pass This Jobs Bill!

In his weekly address, President Obama again called on Republicans to work for regular middle class American people, instead of protecting the super rich. He focused on the jobs bill that Congress received over three weeks ago, and urged Congress to work and pass the bill that he says, “is fully paid for.”

This jobs bill contains the kinds of proposals that Democrats and Republicans have supported in the past.  And now I want it back.  It is time for Congress to get its act together and pass this jobs bill so I can sign it into law.

Mr. Obama also called out the Republicans in congress, saying that they’ve stated being in favor of some aspects of the jobs bill. And he ask them to state what “exactly they’re against.”

 Are they against putting teachers and police officers and firefighters back on the job?  Are they against hiring construction workers to rebuild our roads and bridges and schools?  Are they against giving tax cuts to virtually every worker and small business in America?

He then went on to mention some of the letters he has received from different constituents, asking for passage of the bill. He ended the address by promising to work endlessly on getting the jobs bill to become law. The President also urged the nation to work with him, and call their members of Congress. “If anyone watching feels the same way, don’t be shy about letting your Congressman know,” he said.” It is time for the politics to end.  Let’s pass this jobs bill.”

Categories
Barack Obama Politics teachers weekly address

President Obama – States Will Have More Flexibility In Fixing Education

In his weekly address, President Obama stressed the need for Education as it relates to job creating and maintaining oureconomic edge in the world. The President also spoke of the failures of No Child Left Behind, and detailed his Administration’s efforts to make sure education is a priority for students, and the American people.

While the goals behind No Child Left Behind were admirable, experience has taught us that the law has some serious flaws that are hurting our children instead of helping them. Teachers are being forced to teach to a test, while subjects like history and science are being squeezed out. And in order to avoid having their schools labeled as failures, some states lowered their standards in a race to the bottom.

These problems have been obvious to parents and educators all over this country for years. But for years, Congress has failed to fix them. So now, I will. Our kids only get one shot at a decent education. And they can’t afford to wait any longer.

The President also spoke about the flexibility he’s given to the states, to do what is necessary to improve education in their schools.

And that’s why instead of just pouring money into a system that’s not working, we launched a competition called Race to the Top.  To all fifty states, we said, “If you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement, we’ll show you the money.”

Categories
Politics

Republicans Reject Jobs Bill – No Jobs For You

Back in August when President Obama announced his intentions to present a jobs bill when Congress returned from their vacation, the entire world knew that bill would be rejected by Republicans – dead on arrival. Well sadly, everyone in the world got this one right. Republicans just announced that getting Americans back to work, is not their main priority.

 House Republican leaders say they are rejecting President Barack Obama’s jobs proposals to rebuild schools and blighted neighborhoods, and help keep state and local employees on the job.

In a memo to GOP lawmakers that was also issued publicly and reprinted in The New York Times, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and other Republican leaders also objected to the president’s proposal for a temporary reduction in payroll taxes, in order to boost consumer spending and increase demand.

The GOP leaders say such a temporary reduction means taxes will go up later when the reduction expires in 2013.

“While employees would see an additional temporary benefit from this proposal in 2012,” they wrote, “they would experience a larger effective tax increase 12 months later when the payroll tax reverted back to its full level.”

Oh really?

So Republicans have decided not to put middle class America back to work. Here are their concerns: One of the benefits of the jobs bill will be a payroll tax cut. That tax cut will temporarily reduce taxes from their current rate and is designed to trigger more hires by the private sector. After the temporary payroll tax cut expires, the rate goes back to what they are right now, not more than they are now, but the same rate you’re paying this very second.

This is what the Republicans are calling a tax hike, and this is their reason for rejecting a bill that has the potential to put millions of Americans back to work.

The politics at play here are sickening. The ideas outlined in the President’s jobs plan were previously submitted by these very same Republicans, but now, because of their agenda to make this president fail, these Republicans have decided to finish what Bin Laden started, and that’s to destroy the American economy.

Republicans, Al Qaeda, Taliban… they’re all the same to me.

Categories
Barack Obama Politics Republican United States

Debunk The Lies – Read The American Jobs Act Here

If you only listen to the conservative radio punditry or the Republicans in Congress, you will think that President Obama’s jobs proposal, also known as the American Jobs Act, is the feather that finally breaks the camel’s back.

So, to bring some clarity, we’re including the entire bill, here. See for yourself, and debunk their lies.

American Jobs Act
Categories
Barack Obama Politics

President Obama To Republicans – Put Country First

After detailing his plan to get Americans back to work in a joint session last Thursday, President Obama sent his proposal to Congress to officially begin the process.  The bill will cost $447 billion dollars, and will include infrastructure spending and tax cuts to small businesses and middle class workers.

The President held a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House today, where he was surrounded by middle class workers like Teachers, Police Officers and Construction workers – the type of workers the President said the bill will support. He repeated his call to Congress to “pass the bill now,” saying “this is a bill that will put people back to work all across the country.”

Mr. Obama also addressed the Republicans in Congress, and asked for them to put country ahead of party, saying, “The only thing that’s stopping it is politics. We can’t afford these same political games… Let’s get something done. Let’s put this country back to work.”

Republicans on the other hand are already paving the way to put up a fight against the President’s jobs bill. House Speaker John Boehner hinted at various spending bills enacted in the previous Democratic controlled congress, suggesting the additional spending may be an issue for Republicans. He said;

“The record of the economic proposals enacted during the last Congress necessitates careful examination of the president’s latest plan as well as consideration of alternative measures that may more effectively support private-sector job creation,” Boehner said. “It is my hope that we will be able to work together to put in place the best ideas of both parties and help put Americans back to work.”

President Obama has said the $447 billion jobs bill will be paid for through various ways, including;

  • — A limit on itemized deductions and certain exemptions for individuals who earn over $200,000 and families earning over $250,000. That limitation would raise roughly $400 billion over 10 years.
  • — Treat carried interest — that’s the interest earned by investment fund managers — as ordinary income, rather than taxing it at the capital gains rate. That would raise $18 billion.
  • — Policy changes to a number of oil and gas provisions, revoking their special status, which collectively raise $40 billion.
  • — A change to the corporate jet depreciation rule so that corporate jets are depreciated over seven years, like commercial jets, rather than five years. That raises $3 billion.

If the past is any indication, expect Republicans to fight this jobs bill with everything they have. Keeping Americans unemployed is their main priority – just another case of party over country.

Exit mobile version