Jobs Report Shows Urgent Need for Bold Action by Dennis J. Kucinich

Dandelion Salad

Image by seiuhealthcare775nw via Flickr

by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich
Washington, Sept. 2, 2011

Congressman Dennis Kucinich D-OH today released the following statement in response to the latest report by the Department of Labor that the U.S. economy added no jobs in the month of August.

“The grim numbers reported by the Labor Department are a warning that budget cuts and talk of austerity will not revive our economy and bring down unemployment,” said Kucinich.  “On the eve of Labor Day, we must recognize the lasting hardship that American families continue to endure as a consequence of the lack of available jobs.”

Kucinich highlighted a report just released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) which focuses on the harm caused by the nation’s sustained high unemployment rate, still at 9.1%. The weak labor market in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression is causing long-term economic damage to the wages, benefits, income, and wealth of workers.

The EPI study shows that currently there are approximately 11.1 million fewer jobs than are needed, and 6.8 million fewer jobs than when the recession started. To bring down the unemployment rate and stay even with adult population growth, the American economy should be creating 400,000 jobs per month. But as the EPI report notes, over the last six months, the economy has only added an average of 144,000 jobs each month, and last month, most private sector jobs added were government subsidized.

“The future for millions of Americans can be different if we use the tools at our disposal to change the economic course of our country. So far, we have not done that. The President appointed a new chairman to lead his Council on Economic Advisors, who I am sure has good intentions and fine credentials. But this does little to address the fact that for three out of four jobless workers, there are no jobs available,” Kucinich stated.

“Many claim that if we lower taxes on corporations, they will hire. But there is no evidence to support this claim. And in fact, even after three years of sustained unemployment, corporations and the executives who run them are doing better than ever.  They are paying taxes as a share of Gross Domestic Product that are the lowest rates in a generation,” stated Kucinich.

“Meanwhile, as wages paid to workers are the lowest they have been since the 1950s, Congress plans to take up legislation to weaken the National Labor Relations Act. These actions will not help job growth,” he continued.

“American families who are struggling to get out of the trillions in debt left behind from housing collapse need real solutions, not pretty talk in soothing tones.  We must let go of the notion that cutting Social Security or food stamp assistance for the poorest Americans will do anything to help our economy— it will not.  Americans are ready for a second ‘New Deal’ where the government spends money into circulation for the purposes of rebuilding America’s infrastructure, which will spur the creation of millions of jobs,” Kucinich concluded.

Congressman Kucinich is readying legislation to create millions of jobs using the engineering and technical expertise of NASA to develop concepts and to design and engineer wind and solar micro-technologies for license and/or auction to the private sector for manufacture, distribution and maintenance. He is promoting a second jobs program based on a new WPA which he is now sharing with colleagues. He is working with Congressman Mike Michaud (D-ME) to challenge free trade agreements.

see

We have no bargaining power with Obama by Ralph Nader

Chris Hedges: The Myth of Human Progress

Dark Horizon for Verizon by Ralph Nader

Whistle While You Work with Michael Parenti and Greg Boozel (2007; must-see)

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

http://vodpod.com/dandelionsalad/tag/economy

http://vodpod.com/dandelionsalad/tag/labor%20day

Related articles

• Dennis Kucinich at Hempfest 2011 (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
• Dennis Kucinich: When I was hungry, you gave me food, not a tax break (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)