A Letter to Congress — We Need More Jobs

Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by ecthompson md

Dear Congressional Democrats/Independents:

I’m not sure what it is that you’re focused on but America needs jobs. We need a lot of jobs. The number of people who are unemployed or underemployed is astronomical. Big business has rolled up big profits yet they’re not hiring. Medium-size businesses have also made money but like large corporations, they’re skittish about the future and are not hiring. Tax breaks are not to make corporations all of a sudden have a rosy outlook for the future and begin hiring. We need more.

For some time I’ve been talking about green jobs. I’ve been talking about major investment in solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and any other sustainable energy. Yet, our investments have been modest.

We need major investments in our infrastructure. We need to rebuild roads, bridges and schools. Maybe investing in a light rail system is exactly the infrastructure project that we need. California, Texas, Florida and the Northeastern corridor desperately need efficient ways to transport large groups of people around their states. This would be a public works project that would put millions of people back to work. I am positive, that each state, already has plans for such a project. Investing in infrastructure be something that cannot be shipped off overseas. It would put Americans to work. This is exactly what we need.

I understand that the American taxpayer is tired of writing checks to everyone but themselves. I also understand that millions are frustrated. In my opinion, the source of the frustration is that most of the American people have not seen benefits to their efforts. After forking out over $750 billion, the stimulus package has reduced the unemployment rate from an astronomical 11.5% to the current 9.5% (new unemployment numbers should be coming out tomorrow). The stimulus package has saved or created over 3 million jobs. This is great but it’s yesterday’s news. We have to do more. You have to do more.

Finally, there seems to be a fixation on Capitol Hill in retaining both houses of Congress in the hands of the Democrats/Independents. Americans are in a Janet Jackson mood, “What If You Done for Me Lately?” If your answer is we almost reformed Wall Street, we bailed out the big banks, we’ve almost pulled out of Iraq and we sort of fix the economy, that’s not good to cut it with the American people. If you want to save your jobs, you’ll put America back to work. The unemployment rate has to be below 7%, in my opinion. Good luck.

Tags: Congress, Economy // 22 Comments »

  • Joe White

    When a family is in debt and out of work, the last thing they need is more debt.

    The same is true of our country. The last thing we need is more government spending and debt to 'create jobs'.

    We need private sector jobs spurred by private sector demand , not public works jobs financed by more unsustainable debt.

    Let people keep more of their own money and they will spend it on what they want, creating demand.

  • margaret

    I don't see the gridlock in congress breaking to do anything for jobs. They won't even pass a bill that gives loans to small businesses. Obama has been trying for 4 months. The republicans want proof it will work. Now how can you prove that every business that gets a loan will be successful? If they would charge the Big Banks interest for keeping the money invested in the federal system then maybe the banks would loan. But they have no reason to when they make more money leaving it invested in the federal system.

    Everybody keeps screaming We Need Jobs and in the same breath Don't Spend or Invest any money to create them. You can't have it both ways. Then when they do pass a jobs bill then the Republicans yell it wasn't enough.

    It is a great talking point to say we need jobs and Obama doesn't get it. But what are the Republican options when they refuse to pass out of committee the bills that have a chance. They won't pass anything and that is their plan and we all pay for it.

    I don't understand what the big thing is about government jobs being the enemy. Joe is always harping on that issue. When I worked for the state of Louisiana I made less than market pay for my job.I processed paperwork in a state hospital.

    I know most government jobs are not fancy jobs like some people will protray. Most of them are paper pusher clerks and data entry. They pay taxes just like everyone else. They spend their money just like everyone else. They also provide services that you need in your life. Someone has to do the processing for people to function. So when you attack government think about the people who are paying for their own paychecks and providing a service that benefits everyone.

    I know you are going to attack this comment. But if left to the private sector then when people get sick from eating chicken eggs, peanut butter, spinach and ground beef. Then don't scream at the government for not doing enough after all you want the private sector to take over all these concerns. Louisiana citizens should have been able to keep the oil off the shore instead everyone was screaming Where is the Government?

    When a bridge collapses don't be yelling where is the government regulations? Some one has to pay for that and the private sector should be prepared to offer their services to the needed parties.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    The same thing isn't true for the country. this is a common mistake that folks make. The household budget ain't the same as the federal budget. A household can't sell treasury bonds. A household can't control its money supply by taking money out of circulation or printing more money.

    If your theory of everybody keeping their own money then we would be in high cotton now. Taxes are at historical lows. Yet, there must be more to it then that or there would be jobs.

    Thanks for your comments but tax cuts aren't the answer.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    We have to figure out how to get conservative dems to buy into the program. that's the key.

    thanks for your comment.

  • Joe White

    Dr Thompson wrote:

    “If your theory of everybody keeping their own money then we would be in high cotton now. Taxes are at historical lows. “

    No, they aren't.

    Federal revenues (the amount of taxes the governement takes in from all sources not just 'income tax') as compared with GDP are at record highs for the post WW2 period.

    Why is it important to count ALL federal revenue, not just 'income taxes'? Because a tax on business is passed on to individuals in the form of higher prices. A fee charged for a government service is only a tax by a different name. ALL federal revenues are taxes. Hello?

  • Joe White

    Conservative Dems who 'bought into' Obama's policies so far have been realizing that they were sold a bill of goods. And they aint in a buying mood at present. Sorry.

  • Joe White

    Margaret wrote:

    “I don't understand what the big thing is about government jobs being the enemy. Joe is always harping on that issue.”

    Headlines like this might not worry you:

    from http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-10-federal-pay-salaries_N.htm

    For feds, more get 6-figure salaries

    By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
    The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data.

    Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession's first 18 months — and that's before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.

    Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector………..”

    But they worry the rest of us.

  • Joe White

    oh

    my

    word

    So you think simply printing more money is a viable answer?

    A household budget IS like a government budget. 'Selling bonds' is just a fancy way of saying 'borrow money'. Sooner or later your credit runs out and you gotta pay it back or default.

  • margaret

    Department of Defense……. Okay so lets cut the budget of the Defense Department.and out of the Department of Homeland Security. The National Security Agency is the biggest department money hog. Which has NO control. I was wondering why Dr. T didn't do a piece on that when the Washington Post did the article busting them wide open. It is the biggest run away agency. Which was created by the Bush and been kept going without any accountabilty because the Republicans scream about any cuts Obama wants to do to the budget and programs.

    The same thing is happening now by the economy. When they take polls of 1000 people and state that is how ALL the people in the country think. It does nothing but create depression and also about the weekly unemployment reports. But that is what they want.

  • margaret

    You also need to make job comparisons. What are the jobs they are doing for that kind of money and what does the private sector pay? Also they have caps on government jobs. I am not talking just federal I am talking local and state government jobs as well. What is interesting to me is no matter what job it is with the government people expect them to get paid minimum wage. Regardless of what they are paid to do. They are also expected to pay cuts and take time off work to pay for the budget shortfalls. Like it was their fault. To me that is the worst part. You will have people in the government office that gets paid not much more for cleaning a building and they are expected to take pay cuts and unpaid time off. Look at what Arnold in California did he put the state workers on pay hold. How are those people suppose to pay their bills. I have been there and had my pay withheld. I only made 1 over minimum wage. It wasn't my fault the government couldn't pay their bills. But don't put it on the backs of the workers it is up to the persons making the budget.

  • Joe White

    Well, its not the fault of an employee in a private firm if sales fall short and the company suffers financially. But he may take a pay cut or a cut in hours or be laid off. That's life.

    Where do you get the idea that govt employees should never be affected by the economy?

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    for the American middle class, taxes are an all-time low. I'm not talking about federal revenue. I'm talking about taxes to the American class. You're always talking about cutting taxes and giving back to the people. The people are taking home more revenue than ever… as far as low taxes. Their wages remain stagnant.

    http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3151

  • Joe White

    Yes, I know. Liberals think that governments can borrow and spend forever with no consequence.

    Try googling 'Greece debt'

  • Joe White

    Taxes to the middle class don't come in just one box labeled 'Your Personal Income Tax'.

    When you buy a product at the store, or hire a service provider like a doctor or a plumber, their high tax rate is built into the price of the service or the product.

    That's the way economics works, my friend.

    You don't want to hear it, but it's true. You can't handle the truth.

    You can't compartmentalize these things and pretend they don't affect the middle class.

    The entire country is overtaxed, and Congress is really good at hiding the extent of the taxation from those, like you, who don't want to see it.

    Yes, stagnant wages are a huge problem too. For once we agree. (And combined with high taxation, it's killing us.)

    Stagnant wages are caused by a lot of things, but just a few things would make all the difference in the world:

    –buy American products. The American people have yet to learn that lesson, and if there's a foreign car sitting in your driveway you can count yourself as being partly responsible for lost jobs and low wages. Reduce or stop buying foreign clothing, electronics, etc. Americans should stop supporting employers in foreign markets that operate slave shops. There's not a government fix for this really. It has to come from the people.

    –get rid of the illegal immigrants. When labor is scarcer, the price (wages) will go up. Employers who hire illegal immigrants need to spend some time locked up. Fines and penalties probably wont do the deal. Losing a business license and/or spending time in the slam will. There will be no need to deport most of them if they cant work. They will go home. The few that don't leave voluntarily can be arrested and deported.

    –revoke citizenship for anchor babies. Citizenship stolen is not true citizenship, and illegal immigrants cannot confer (the rights of citizens) what they do not possess.

  • margaret

    the private firm does not work for society. I am just curious do you know any government workers? If you do then do you spit in their face and blame them for the troubles of society. You would be like my mom when I didn't get paid. “Good serves you right”

    But they are doing the same jobs as the public sector and paying the same taxes as everybody else. And not getting paid any more.

  • Joe White

    I'm not your mom. Take up your beef with her.

    Independent studies have shown the disparity in wages between federal workers and private sector workers. I didn't make it up.

    I understand that state workers in Louisiana might not have it as good because of the ongoing economic chaos in the wake of Katrina. But you are the exception.

    Overall, government entities spend way more than necessary on salaries and facilities and unnecessary projects. We have nice artistic sculptures adorning our new bridges and decorative sound buffers along the interstate highways and faux brick footpaths and intersections, but the potholes don't get fixed in a timely fashion.

    Cities lay off policemen but they make sure there is money to clean and run the fountains.

    Some of the most extravagant new buildings in our community over the years have been the government buildings with lots of expensive marble and costly adornment. It's nice, don't get me wrong, IF you have lots of extra money to burn.

    But we don't.

  • margaret

    Do you know if they post where the biggest unemployment filings are? I would think the people unemployed because of the oil spill would account for alot of people. Which in turn would effect the total number. But it is a regional number that the people are waiting for the money from BP…

  • http://functionalculture.blogspot.com Constructive_Feedback

    Dr Thompson:

    More than 25 years ago when I was in high school I heard the “carrot dangled in front of the Black community” as to what a Democratic majority in Philadelphia would mean to our interests in economics and academics.

    Now that every relevant seat in the city has been conquered……..people like you who reside in Philly can be seen walking past the local “Permanent Friends” who are in power and now writing letters to federal operatives – as you rinse and repeat.

    Dr Thompson – I have noticed over the years that PROGRESSIVISM IS NOT ORGANIC. When it is “the last man standing” in a particular zone it fails to garner the expected productivity from “the least of these”. Instead it merely expands outward, looking for the next highest “adversary” to focus the people upon. This outward expansion IS the UNIFYING force for the Progressive-Fundamentalist Movement.

    Dr Thompson – how do we circle back to the land that the progressive now controls and seek to hold those who are in charge accountable for failing to engender the necessary COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT among the community that they now control?

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    I can't just throw out anything on this one. Let me think about this. Hopefully, I'll have a thoughtful reply this afternoon.

    Thanks,

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    constructive feedback –

    I've been thinking about your comment for while now. You have drilled down to the heart of the progressive movement. We have multiple problems. We have problems of focus. Look at the fabulous blog FireDogLake. They have been pushing a petition to legalize marajuana. Seriously. Just for a second, think about all the problems that we have in our country, how is this anywhere on the top 10 of our priority list?

    How do we turn the enthusiasm that we saw in the 2008 election into slow steady progress?how we keep focused on the things that are matter? How do we agree on the things that matter? Some of us insist that fixing the environment should be our number one priority. I'm not sure that's true. I understand that the environment is important. How do we focus on rebuilding unions and the economy?

    Finally, people need leadership. Without leadership we end up with “Brownian motion.” We need leadership on all levels. We need leadership from the major blogs, local leaders, state leaders and national leadership. Any organic movement, in my opinion, is focused on one thing. We need something that's going to be broader and more comprehensive.

    Thank you for your constructive comments.

  • Joe White

    Legalizing drugs is a key strategy to keep liberals from becoming conservatives.

    If those stoners ever start to think clearly for themselves that's a huge loss of Democratic support.

    FireDogLake understands how important it is to protect the Democratic base.

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