As jobs woes rise, candidates trumpet economic policies
Updated with comments from DNC, RNC
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John McCain and Barack Obama agree on one thing -- the latest negative jobs report calls for action.
On the eve of the country's Independence Day, the Labor Department unleashed statistics showing that employers cut payrolls by 62,000 in June, marking the sixth straight month of nationwide job losses.
McCain advocated tax relief, lower costs, and innovation to point the economy in the right direction:
"To get our economy back on track, we must enact a jobs-first economic plan that supports job creation, provide immediate tax relief for families, enact a plan to help those facing foreclosure, lower health care costs, invest in innovation, move toward strategic energy independence and open more foreign markets to our goods.
"The American people cannot afford an economic agenda that will take our country in the wrong direction and cost jobs. At a time when our small businesses need support from Washington, we cannot raise taxes, increase regulation and isolate ourselves from foreign markets. These are the same old siren songs that have failed the American people time and time again."
Obama called for immediate action, urging the government to help struggling families with heating and housing costs:
"I'm calling on Congress and the President to enact real, immediate relief with energy rebates for working families this summer, a fund to help families avoid foreclosure, extended benefits for the long-term jobless, and assistance to states that have been hard-hit by the economic downturn."
The presumptive Democratic nominee also took the opportunity to blast McCain, linking his Republican rival to the economic crisis:
"The American people are paying the price for the failed economic policies of the past eight years, and we can't afford four more years of more of the same. That is the essential issue of this campaign because Senator McCain has fully embraced the Bush economic agenda. I believe it has to change."
UPDATE: The Democratic National Committee took it a step farther, attacking McCain for being out of the country when the jobs report came out:
"In an out of touch moment for the ages - on the same day the Labor Department announced the sixth consecutive month of job losses - and while McCain is in MEXICO where scores of American jobs have fled under NAFTA - the McCain campaign is promoting its "Jobs First" plan. Maybe the "first" thing McCain should do to reverse the job losses Americans are suffering under Bush economic policies is to reject those policies instead of vowing to double down on them (and maybe for his own sake he should stop going to places like Michigan and telling folks their jobs aren't coming back while going to Mexico and promoting Jobs First - just a thought).
McCain wraps up his three-day visit to Latin America in Mexico City this morning, where he plans to meet with President Felipe Calderon to discuss immigration and trade.
UPDATE: The Republican National Committee, in turn, hit back at Obama, contends his March Senate vote on the 2009 budget would increase taxes for some Americans making as little as $32,000 per year.
"We need more jobs, not more taxes," said RNC spokesperson Alex Conant. "Americans cannot afford an agenda that raises taxes and costs jobs."
The last eight years have seen (62K X 8 ) over 1/2 million H1B relocated to the US for the sole purpose of replacing US local jobs. There are currently 50,000 H1B's in Massachusetts that have have taken jobs away from college educated high tech US wokers.
Actually, JR...if the US education system produced enough "home-grown" workers then companies wouldn't need to recruit workers from overseas.
The next step in our broken education system is to watch those companies that are recruiting foreign workers to actually move to foreign countries.
Then what will be your complaint? They're not taking our jobs...we can't get them because we don't qualify.
My last two positions in High Tech Engineering (here in Massachusetts) span the last two years. Both were focused on moving the conpanies' Manugacturing Operations overseas. (China and Mexico)
Both candidates need to look at the details of what is encouraging, even rewarding, companies for these actions. In one of the situations, the move did not take place fast enough for the company to qualify for Federal dollars. So, they made it "look like" the move was going fast enough by laying off direct labor employees and hiring "Temporary Help" that did not appear on the books in the same way as the Direct Labor had.
I would like to provide a personal experience concerning John Mc Cain's and his selfless dedication.
I was stationed on the U.S.S. Forrestal and during our deployment off the coast of Vietnam,a fire on the flight deck occured.The fire was caused by the bombs cross decked to us by a departing carier group which were old and unstable.
John was attached to the airgroup that was departing and voluntered to be detached to our airgroup extending his tour as a A6A Intruder fighter pilot.
About 85 navy personnel were killed during the fire
and 50 more died of wounds sustained fighting the fire.
I remember seeing John Mc Cain whith blood stains all over his flight suit, being lifted off in a litter and brought up to the area designated for the wounded and dead .I also remember him assisting in the efforts to assist those more seriously injured.
Later that afternoon John was transfered to another carrier assigned to our battle group.That same day he was launched in a A6A-Intruder to provide close air to ground support for our troops in Vietnam.He was shot down and captured by the Viet Cong.
I don't know if the wounds he sustained that day limited his prowesness, but I can testify that John Mc Cain is one hell of a attack fighter pilot and American, despite the garbage that Air force former general spouted about John.
Barach's comment that the air force generals coments were not artfull dosen't make it for anyone who knows John Mc Cain.
The quickest way to get a big tax cut is to have your job eliminated. If that's what you want most, then you should vote for Republicans.
John McCain says Democrats are singing a siren's song. That's rich. Republicans have been singing the one verse "tax cut" theme song for decades, and there's no proof that tax cuts have benefited anyone but greedy CEO's and other filthy rich Americans who clip bond coupons and cash (now tax free) dividend checks for a living.
John Mc Cain and Barach H. Oboma are staying away from the number one issue: When are we going to start drilling for oil in all of the choice locations in our own country? Is there any reason not to, or are our politicians just plain stupid? Their excuses that it would take years to get started
is getting a bit old. It seems to me that if John Mc Cain or Barach Oboma can't or won't get off their backsides and change their negative opinions of our country being self reliant for its oil needs then perhaps neither of these politicians is suited to run our government.
What are the real reasons for a big percentage our countries economy being siphoned off to middle eastern oil concerns or are we just plain stupid to keep listening to their insipid arguments that all is hopeless and that we are responsible for this. In fact we are for electing politicians with no gumption or reasoning powers to determine what is best for our great country. All of their talk is meant to get them into office so that their party can get more jobs for their own elk. They don't give a damn about our great country which is founded on free enterprise-not political hacks that put their ambitions ahead of our country needs.
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