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Before His Jobs Plan Proposal, President Obama Delivers His Labor Message: Restore the Middle Class

President Obama delivered his Labor Day speech Monday in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was a fitting place for the President to make his Labor Day speech. Detroit has a proud labor history and a proud history in the area of automobiles. It once was the city that drove the world. It also was the city that suffered the most when the world caught up with us in automotive innovation, but its recent history is a great example of how government has the power to revive and revitalize an economy. The federal government-better stated as the American people-made a massive investment in General Motors and Chrysler, and rescued them from extinction. Both companies are back on their corporate feet, have repaid the taxpayers money, and have put thousands of Michigan citizens back to work. Detroit workers had sacrificed so much before and it was now time for the American people to collectively step up. And we did.

President Obama made a point to thank the union movement on Monday, noting how proud he was of them and their congressional delegation who are “working every single day with your state and local elected officials to create jobs and economic growth and prosperity.” He noted, “If you want to know who helped lay the cornerstones of an American middle class, you just have to look for the union label.” I could not agree more. You can watch the entirety of his remarks below or here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KflsCo4iaL4

President Obama's Labor Day Message:
We've Got to Fully Restore the Middle Class in America

On Thursday evening, President Obama will present his plan for jobs creation. He has hinted to some of the subject matter he will address. The President has already said there are numerous roads and bridges that need rebuilding in the U.S., and over 1 million unemployed construction workers are available to build them. He said that with widespread suffering, "the time for Washington games is over" and lawmakers must move quickly to create jobs. Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize winning economist, shared his thoughts recently in a New York Times column on what President Obama needs to do. You can read that here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/opinion/the-fatal-distraction.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

One fact that we need to be mindful of when we look at the issue of jobs and job creation is what has actually occurred over the past 30 months. The following chart will indicate that in the beginning months of 2009, the U.S. was losing almost 800,000 jobs per month. When the stimulus package was finally passed in February of 2009 and began to take effect, the job loss flipped to job creation. Basically, the American people came together and prevented the Great Recession from becoming a modern day version of the Great Depression. That picture is reflected in these numbers, and in the commitment of the American people.

Download PDF | Source: www.recovery.gov

Download PDF | Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics

As we prepare for the President’s jobs presentation to Congress and the American people on Thursday evening, let's all make sure that we put away the petty politics that divide us and work hard to find the economic solutions that provide family sustaining jobs, and brings the country together.

Offices of State Senator Vincent Hughes

www.senatorhughes.com