The buzz in the Spokane unemployment office today was the State of the Union address. With massive unemployment nationwide and rampant unemployment in Eastern Washington/ Northern Idaho region, the unemployed of this region were really looking forward to the President explaining a plan for returning Americans to work. We were disappointed. Talking to several unemployed people during the address, we could not believe that the unemployed were completely snubbed. The result was the following Unemployed American’s response to The State of the Union.
Mr. President, legislators, and fellow Americans, the State of the Union is not sound. While those that live in the rarefied air of our Nation’s Capital and Wall Street may be experiencing a euphoric state, the other America continues to be trapped in the midst of the Greatest Recession. Your address failed to mention the millions of unemployed Americans, the millions of unemployed who are exhausting or have exhausted their benefits and yet still remain jobless. Do these millions of people not matter? This number grows weekly by over 45,000 people and we didn’t warrant a whisper. You have forgotten about us. It’s hard to see the future if you can’t survive today.
Poverty, Unemployment, Foreclosures are at record highs. Approximately 50 million Americans are without health care, energy costs and gas costs are continuing to rise, the wealthiest 1% of Americans controls the vast majority of America’s wealth, we are waging wars in two countries with questionable results, our trade deficit continues to rise. College tuition rises while aid is reduced, education reform is lacking, while class size increases. Our debt is crushing the life out of the American economy. Despair and long suffering are common place.
Mr. President, the American Spirit has suffered during this recession, but still remains strong; You have revealed your plan, now do you and Congress have the political fortitude to carry it out? You stated that your vision is that the American dream should be made available to everyone who wants to work for it. We had it...Then lost it due to failed economic policies of the Federal Government. We want it back...But we need jobs right now. Your plan will take years to implement. We need help immediately. Please share with us how both you and Congress will address the immediate needs of the unemployed, while the economy gathers steam. Over 2.5 million unemployed people have no benefits. Over 45,000 American are losing their benefits weekly. This number is expected to grow substantially over the remainder of this year and 2012. This is the third week of January. Over 130,000 American citizens have lost their benefits this month and yet we don’t merit a worthy discussion within the respective chambers. We don’t have time to wait for your jobs program to work. Unemployment rates this high for this long are unprecedented, and require unprecedented support from government. The economy is not working for us, and we have no time left to wait for change.
Your failure to act immediately to restore benefits to the unemployed will impact your 2012 campaign as well as the Representatives and Senators up for reelection. IF you and the legislators can find common ground quickly, 15.000.000 American voters will reward you with their vote in 2012. Failure of your actions will not only end in defeat for you, but all incumbent legislative positions will be in jeopardy. The “Throw the Bums Out” tour will be in full swing during 2012 if you, in conjunction with the House and Senate fail to move this country forward.
Let us make our position clear. We want jobs, we need them now and we want an immediate unemployment extension for all eligible Americans until the federal unemployment rate (U-3) is below 7%. We want you to convene an Unemployment Summit, meeting with us to explain your plan for returning the unemployed to work, in particular the long term unemployed. We want to know how you intend to move this country into employment overdrive since job creation has been insufficient to employ even new entrants into the job market. Mr. President the Unemployed Workers of America WILL support you but you must show support for us. We realize that in today’s fiscally conservative political environment, support for unemployment benefit extension will be difficult. We ask that you use your “Bully Pulpit” to press this issue immediately. Members of Congress, we say to you, “Restore unemployment benefits to all eligible Americans immediately, or in the next election cycle, you will face an ouster, the likes that have never been seen before. Over half a million Americans will lose everything this year, yet there is no sense of urgency from our elected officials. WE NEED HELP AND WE NEED IT NOW!!!
America’s greatness lies within her people. We sense that we have turned a corner, and that America’s economic engine is again beginning to rev. However, years remain before job creation reaches a point where gainful employment can be had by all. Unemployment benefits must continue for all who need them. The very survival of over 15 million Americans depends on you doing the right thing, right now. Place the American people above all other national/international priorities, and see how we respond. The American Spirit battered around during the Greatest Recession will be invigorated and the greatness of America will be released.
We believe that the partnership between government and the American people can be restored, that a sense of trust can be fostered, and that the greatness of America can be released. For this to happen, government must do the right thing, and then trust the American people.
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Comments
Gordon,
I believe the only times I have heard the president mention jobs, it was always about Green jobs or mostly road work and bridge building.
And then he will say something like this will help put Americans back to work. But do you ever notice who does the road work and most other construction work in this country now?
I do not ever see a white, black or Asian doing any of this work.
Mostly looks like what could be coming right over the border doing the work that they claim the Americans won't do.
So that does not seem like the solution to putting Americans back to work.
The only way Americans are going to get back to work is if the government will stop outsourcing jobs. And stop driving businesses out of town by over burdening them with taxes and over regulation.
And most importantly use the E-Verify system when hiring.
And stop hiring illegal aliens to do the jobs Americans would like the opportunity to do.
That is the only way Americans will be put back to work.
In Texas all road construction jobs and home building jobs go to Mexicans, legal or illegal. There are road construction jobs done under recovery.gov jobs. I wrote to ICE about the possibility of illegal workers working on recovery.gov projects. They are still there. Haven't seen black (maybe one), white (they are supervisors) or Asian workers on the job. I would love to wear an ICE blazer and watch them scatter! Jobs for citizens.
I guess everbody saw the OBAMA let down... I for one am very DISAPPOINED.... OBAMA IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH CONNECTING
WITH THE HUMAN RACE !!! HE DOESN"T GET IT !!! HE IS ONE
HOPELESS PRESIDENT !!! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS FOR THE 99ERS IT WILL COME FROM THE REPUBLICANS!!!!!!
OBAMA HAS HAD HIS CHANCE, HE DOES NOT CARE !!!!
HE CAN"T EVEN SAY 99ERS !!! BYE, BYE OBAMA "2012"
How does someone who doesn't know what to do, do anything! There isn't anyone who can come up with an idea. I have an idea Mr. Obama, work sharing is the answer. Nothing else will work. How about starting a war? It worked in the past (Sarcastic comment).
Terrific response -!
Denver Unemployment Examiner
Great response......I couldnt agree more with that now lets ask the media the ability to give our response publically.
So sick & tired of us 99er BEING SWEPTED UNDER THE RUG! Haven't we suffered enough already? Many of us lost our posessions, homes, cars, etc. Through no fault of our own. Again president Obama, ignored the pleads of the 99ers who desperatelyu want to work, or at least extend the jobless benefits Eventually, the streets will be overcrowded because that is where 6.5 million of us will be forced to live!.
sick & tired is what I meant to say.
sick & tired is what I meant to say
No one cares about us anymore. The rich have gotten richer. Now its time for us poor to die. Cheaper to starve people to death. Ask the Nazi's during world war II. "If we work them hard and feed them little, they will die and we will be able to wage our war longer."
I completely agree with the article above. While Obama's speech/plan is inspirational for the longterm - what are the 20-25% actually unemployed supposed to do until then? Why isn't Obama/Congress forcing corporations to hire Americans - why aren't they banning outsourcing? Obama/Congress need to force the boom-profiting corporations to hire Americans by stopping tax breaks for importing workers and exporting jobs - we need tax incentives for hiring Americans and opening Mfg plants in America. And yes until then, extend unemployment benefits for all unemployed through 2011 - 99ers and all! There are not jobs - and the unemployment numbers are increasing - look at bls.gov site "alternative" calculations where they count the discouraged, underemployed, etc and unemployment is 20%+ - we are in the 2nd Great Depression but Obama, Congress and their Elite Multi-National CEO's don't want to talk about it. We need unemployment benefits not tax breaks for wealthy multinationals.
Michelle Bachmann is a BALLOON HEAD, courtesy Chris Mathews
Did someone here a pin drop!
The problem may be that they know it is useless to invest in the US economy the way things stand now with the 'Free Trade' agreements this county has made. There is no way this country (or many others) compete with about 1$ a day wages (a recent CNN pronouncement). They are also not running the clean factory US standards require. Those given sway in out political arena also see that shifting the economic burden from the extreme rich to the middle class for health care burden they generate by demanding greater economic pressures has a ripe potential of passing. The biggest trouble is that is thwarts competition and research which is what allows our health care systems to be of the quality they are now.
The only way I can see to address the trade balance mess is with what I'll call a 'Charitable Tariff'. The idea is to insure a reasonable measure of ~propriety~ the the foreign trade realm our country must compete against. The idea is to have a tariff on products made in conditions below our standard and to try and return the funds to address the disparity in a way that does not generate corruption by things like excessive disposable income in an environment that is near heavy drug trafficking influences or through corrupt oversight of its application.
I suspect charity groups would jump at the change to compete to find ways to put it in their system that would help them have something nearer to our standard of living without wasting it; where it involves low wages. Where it concerns polluting factories, then the funds could help cover upgrading costs that evidenced functionality. Where there was not endeavor to do so though, the funds might well find there way into efforts to deal with the impacts whether the operator was a local entity to the source or not.
This would insure that there would be a fair chance for countries with standards they deems necessary to be able to survive competing against those that don't have them. It would further add the potential that those standards could be projected abroad into trading pardners that otherwise find able to generate products of reasonable functional quality. The part of the deal that we are closest to and can actually
make reasonable clear decisions about whether buying it is worth while or not.
With a reasonable economy the American people are one of the most down to earth, intelligently engaging, and generous people around. We need to help make that more possible the world over.
Money is the only thing that counts in America. I look at this country and I see it doing the same stupid things the former Soviet Union did before it collapsed: spending most of its GDP on wars and war goods while its infrastructure crumbles to the ground and its people go homeless and hungry. And just as the Soviet Union collapsed, so will America because we cannot sustain this economic policy of giving everything to the rich and big business and having the rich and big business give NOTHING in return. I'm at the point where I think the only way this country will survive is if it first crashes and burns economically - that is the only thing that will break the stranglehold of the rich and big business on our government; then We The People can build it up to what it is supposed to be: a democratic republic - NOT a REPUBLICAN DICTATORSHIP! And remember this: this country NEVER had a middle-class until it crashed and burned during the first Great Depression (we are not in the Second Great Depression; I refuse to soft-soap it by calling it a recession). America is on its way to the bottom of the sewer. We will shortly be a new Third World country.
The way this country has treated its poor, its workers, its unemployed, especially the 99ers and the long-term unemployed, is shameful. That is why I do not fly the flag; I do not salute the flag; I do not stand and sing the national anthem; I do not in any way pledge allegiance to this corrupt farce of a country; the raped should never revere the rapist.
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