Republicans have done a masterful job of limiting the debate in Washington, DC to reducing the deficit, although the issue that matters most to the American People is JOBS. Republicans do not want to focus on jobs, because their plan is more tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires and corporate criminals, justified by the same old trickle down fallacy that has cost so many jobs by stripping wealth from the poor and middle classes. Democrats in both the House and the Senate are taking action. I’m proud to say that, in the Senate, Oregon’s own Jeff Merkley is taking the lead, something first term Senators virtually never do.
One day after Republicans in the House and Senate announced their picks for the Joint Select Committee (JSC), Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and 22 of his Democratic colleagues sent a simple message to Republican lawmakers: Put jobs first. In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the senators argued that spurring job growth in the short term is a vital element of reducing the deficits and should therefore be central to the new committee.
“For families across the country, the biggest economic problem is high unemployment,” wrote the senators. “As you know, the lack of jobs and anemic growth rate of the economy are not only enormous problems in their own right, causing great pain for millions of Americans, they are a major component of our deficit. Indeed, the loss of revenue resulting from the recession accounts for nearly $4 trillion of the projected deficits over the next 10 years.”
“It is therefore appropriate and important that the JSC explicitly embrace job creation as a part of its mission,” they continued. “Targeted investments in economic growth and job creation can complement and even enhance long-term deficit reduction efforts and should be a priority that the JSC embraces.
“Let us be very clear: our fiscal challenge is directly linked to the jobs crisis and we cannot solve the former without tackling the latter.”
Over the past decade, revenues have declined by 18% while domestic discretionary spending remained static on a per-capita basis. Much of this revenue was lost due to the financial crisis and the recession and high unemployment that followed…
Inserted from <Senator Jeff Merkley>
Click through for the full text of the letter.
Republicans don’t want you to know that per capita discretionary spending, in real terms was higher during the booming economy Clinton left in 2000. Now there are more people in need, and less money coming in, because Bush and the Republicans trashed the economy. In short, discretionary spending compared to need is already much lower. Only more people working and paying taxes can significantly decrease the deficit.
On House Side, the Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus are also focusing on jobs. Rachel Maddow reviewed this news with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama needs to get behind these jobs initiatives and tell the American people about them. When Republicans block them, and the will, he needs to tell the American people that too.
4 Responses to “Jeff Merkley Leads in the Call for Jobs”
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Hats off to Merkley! He should be giving tutoring to all Republicans, teabaggers, and Obama!
Amen, Pope Jack!
If people have jobs, the economy will grow – this is a no brainer. But with so many people out of work and not being able to afford anything but the necessities, if that, they won’t spend and the circle continues. My ex-company had wayyy too many chiefs, but few indians. And those exec’s suck up a lot of money. They have just gone through their second round of layoffs because their revenue predictions are too high (as always) and they missed their #s 2 quarter in a row and they paid for it. So, do they lay off the assholes who made up the numbers -NO WAY. They lay off the indians who make the product and the stupid sales people who know nothing about the product so they can’t sell it. Not only that, but they (the sales people) change the order AS IT’S GOING DOWN THE MANUFACTURING LINE, so we have the parts for the game they originally ordered, but no parts from the new game – I mean talk about assholes. So the parts people are working 16 hour days to get the new parts in and games are lined up against the walls waiting for the parts to come in. The manufacturing staff is working 18 hour days just to get the games out at the end of the quarter. That was the worst run company I’ve ever seen and as and auditor I’ve seen plenty of fucked up companies, but not like this. BTW, the company made slot machines and what city is hit hardest by the recession – Las Vegas. Also no bonuses for anyone this year, but did the CEO give up his private jet – I’ll let you answer that question. 😡
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