Why Washington Isn't Doing Squat About Jobs and Wages

So, once again, since this topic is about Jobs and Wages, perhaps you could answer my question about the laser like focus on "jobs, jobs, jobs" that the Republicans promised last November?

Who listens to campaign promises? (Hint: look at voting records). I suspect you voted for Obama Mr. Dog. I did answer, and said passing any of those (repeal) items would go nowhere in the Senate.

Another possible reason for lack of house bills is that they spent some time this spring passing the budget bill for the FY that started last Sept. and should have been passed last summer by who?

Ya'll actually think a politician is going to do what he says.

Science Chic wrote: Will politicians ever stop worrying about posturing, and bowing to special interests, to start working to make this country healthy again for its citizens?

http://truthout.org/why-washington-isnt ... 1307250719
Why Washington Isn't Doing Squat About Jobs and Wages
Sunday 5 June 2011
by: Robert Reich

The silence is deafening. While the rest of the nation is heading back toward a double dip, Washington continues to obsess about future budget deficits. Why?

Republicans don’t want to do anything about jobs and wages. They’re so intent on unseating Obama they’d like the economy to remain in the dumps through Election Day. They also see the lousy economy as an opportunity to sell Americans their big lie that government spending is the culprit — and jobs will return if spending is cut and government shrinks.

Democrats, meanwhile, don’t want to admit the recovery has stalled. They worry such talk will further undermine consumer confidence or spook the bond market. They don’t want to head into the election year sounding downbeat. And they don’t think they have the votes for anything that will have much effect before Election Day anyway.

But there’s a third reason for Washington’s inaction. It’s not being talked about — which is itself evidence of the problem.

The unemployed are politically invisible. They don’t make major campaign donations. They don’t lobby Congress. There’s no National Association of Unemployed People. You couldn’t find a collection of people with less political clout.

The unemployed may be politically invisible but fortunately they can STILL vote. And since they can't get any work in this economy and may not any time soon, they will likely have plenty of time to go to the polls (if they can afford the gas). This should get very interesting.

But who will they vote for? I don't see any serious candidates discussing strategies that will bring jobs home.

lionshead2010 wrote:

Science Chic wrote: Will politicians ever stop worrying about posturing, and bowing to special interests, to start working to make this country healthy again for its citizens?

http://truthout.org/why-washington-isnt ... 1307250719
Why Washington Isn't Doing Squat About Jobs and Wages
Sunday 5 June 2011
by: Robert Reich

The silence is deafening. While the rest of the nation is heading back toward a double dip, Washington continues to obsess about future budget deficits. Why?

Republicans don’t want to do anything about jobs and wages. They’re so intent on unseating Obama they’d like the economy to remain in the dumps through Election Day. They also see the lousy economy as an opportunity to sell Americans their big lie that government spending is the culprit — and jobs will return if spending is cut and government shrinks.

Democrats, meanwhile, don’t want to admit the recovery has stalled. They worry such talk will further undermine consumer confidence or spook the bond market. They don’t want to head into the election year sounding downbeat. And they don’t think they have the votes for anything that will have much effect before Election Day anyway.

But there’s a third reason for Washington’s inaction. It’s not being talked about — which is itself evidence of the problem.

The unemployed are politically invisible. They don’t make major campaign donations. They don’t lobby Congress. There’s no National Association of Unemployed People. You couldn’t find a collection of people with less political clout.

The unemployed may be politically invisible but fortunately they can STILL vote. And since they can't get any work in this economy and may not any time soon, they will likely have plenty of time to go to the polls (if they can afford the gas). This should get very interesting.

+1 about the unemployed. No President since FDR has been elected with an unemployment rate over 7% and I don't think Barack will be able to improve current number by more than 1 percent.

On making the tough political decisions? It just isn't going to happen in the current climate where both parties demagogue any deviation from the current road to ruin.
It will take some tough leaders in Congress, the Senate, and the Presidency to mix up a batch of strong medicine to give to the American public. I don't see anyone like that in power right now. Maybe 2012 will change this.

What medicine will that be?

That tough medicine that is coming is that the federal government promised more than it could ever hope to deliver and that it will have to drastically scale back the promises it has made regarding providing for the individual welfare of each and every citizen in each and every state. The people who are going to be the recipients of this strong medicine are the people who swallowed the promises. The young people who are the ones looking at bearing the burden of our largess are going to be the ones spooning out the medicine. They are, rightly in my opinion, going to be telling us that we had no right to expect that they would pay for the loans we took out and that we are going to have to pay them back ourselves.

Who promised? The federal government? I think not. A greedy public has voted itself more than it can afford. The right has to acknowledge that the wealthy are as guilty of this as the poor. The left has to acknowledge that we can't protect every citizen from every risk.

PrintSmith wrote: That tough medicine that is coming is that the federal government promised more than it could ever hope to deliver and that it will have to drastically scale back the promises it has made regarding providing for the individual welfare of each and every citizen in each and every state. The people who are going to be the recipients of this strong medicine are the people who swallowed the promises. The young people who are the ones looking at bearing the burden of our largess are going to be the ones spooning out the medicine. They are, rightly in my opinion, going to be telling us that we had no right to expect that they would pay for the loans we took out and that we are going to have to pay them back ourselves.

Of course the feds will have to scale back promises they made to ordinary Americans, it seems that the Republicans will not allow their precious corporations or the wealthy Americans to share in any "medicine". They are the untouchables....no matter how much pain may be inflicted on the middle class, and our children, and our grand children.....the wealthy and the corporations will sail along with the promise from the right that they are a special class, no medicine for them.