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“IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN OUR ECONOMY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4932-H4933 on July 10, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN OUR ECONOMY
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McHenry). Without objection, the gentleman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a few excerpts from yesterday's Washington Times editorial entitled ``New Job Numbers.''
Now the Washington Times, everybody knows, is not exactly a progressive or liberal paper, very conservative.
And I quote: ``For the third consecutive month, the Labor Department reported disappointing numbers for job growth. June payroll employment increased by only 121,000 jobs, well below the median projection of 200,000 jobs. And that is on top of May's payrolls increased by only 92,000 jobs, which follows a disappointing 112,000 in April. Altogether, job growth during the second quarter was a disappointing 325,000 jobs, the lowest quarterly increase since 2003.
``The net increase in payroll employment since August has averaged 160,000 jobs. This is to contrast throughout the Clinton administration where employment increased on average 237,000 jobs per month.
``On average, 25,000 private sector jobs have been created each month since January 2001. That is 25,000. During the Clinton administration, private sector employment increased on average 217,000 jobs per month.
``And then, on top of that, average real weekly earnings of the 80 percent of the private sector workers who are employed in production or nonsupervisory capacity, approximately 91 million Americans, have increased by less than 1 quarter of 1 percent since January 2001. Average real weekly earnings for these same workers have actually declined by 1 percent since August in 2003.''
American people, according to the Washington Times, neither have the jobs nor have they got an increase in their salaries. And that is all the while where energy prices are up, 75 percent, under President Bush, health care costs, the premiums for families are up 78 percent, college costs are up on average 45 percent, and incomes and wages are down. That is what it takes to make and maintain a middle-class life, all the basics, filling up your gas, health care, college education, all skyrocketing.
For the first time since World War II, American savings rates are in negative territory, and this, according to the Bush administration, is the best of times. I would hate to think what the worst of times look like.
And the Washington Times noted how under the President, Americans aren't getting the jobs at the incomes that they are expecting, and the costs for them are going up.
Now, I don't want to look back; but having been part of the Clinton administration, I don't want to have to just be a booster, I would like to remind people we had a surplus 3 years in a row. We eliminated deficit. We started paying down the Nation's debt.
What has happened under this administration? In fact, the debt has increased by nearly $3 trillion in 4 years, the largest increase in the Nation's debt in the shortest period of time in all of American history.
Second, under President Clinton, we created the Hope Scholarship. Lifetime Learning Tax Credit gave middle-class families a tax cut so they could send their kids to college.
What has the Republican Congress with this President done? They have actually had the largest cut in college assistance in American history:
$13 billion.
President Clinton thought of actually negotiating a climate change, which would have given us our first energy conservation plan. This administration walked away from it; signed an energy bill. In June of 2005, gas was $2.05. Today it is over $3. Tomorrow will be the anniversary where energy in America, a gallon of gas, has doubled since President Bush has been in the White House. Doubled.
And what has happened to American family wages? Declined by 1 percent. Cost of energy, doubled.
During President Clinton's time, we actually expanded health care for all children whose parents worked full-time. Ten million children got health insurance. What has this Congress and this Republican President done? They cut 6 million kids from health care coverage. I cannot think of a worse thing to do, and this is the son of a pediatrician talking. I cannot think of a worse thing to do but to cut children from health care, from the ability to visit a doctor or a nurse.
Health care under President Clinton went up for coverage. Health care under President Bush, premiums are up and uninsureds are up. Energy costs are up, incomes are down. College costs are up, college coverage is down under the Republicans.
In addition to that, there were many attempts, and we added 20 years to savings on Social Security. And this administrations actually for the first time we are at a negative savings rate.
So it is time for a new direction for a Congress and a President who will take this country in a new place.
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