Rangel: Let's Fight a War Against Joblessness Instead

[kpete]

Rangel: Let's Fight a War Against Joblessness Instead
Sep 6, 2013 Issues: Economy, Foreign Policy

New York, N.Y. – Congressman Charles B. Rangel issued the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that the economy added 169,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 7.3 percent in August, the lowest since December 2008. With businesses adding 152,000 jobs, this marks the 42nd consecutive month of private sector job growth.

"Today's jobs report indicates the resiliency and progress being made by American businesses and American workers. Yet if we are going to continue our economic recovery, we must not allow ourselves to become embroiled in a costly and intractable war in Syria. Now is the time to turn our focus away from involvement in overseas conflict and concentrate on continuing to improve the lives of American workers.

The cost of each Tomahawk missile used in a potential conflict with Syria, ranging from $607,000 to $1.4 million or more, could better be used right here at home. Right now, that money could be going towards helping the 50 million Americans living in food-insecure households and addressing the income inequality crisis we face today. If we are serious about continuing our economic progress, we must confront these problems head on, and not divert time and money into another war that will ultimately prove too costly to American taxpayers and damaging to our own national security.

I believe that we in Congress should come together to wage war not in Syria, but here in America, against poverty, joblessness, homelessness, income-inequality, and hunger when we find seven million U.S. households struggling to feed themselves . That is in our true best interest, and a war I would gladly support."

http://rangel.house.gov/press-release/rangel-lets-fight-war-against-joblessness-instead

[gopiscrap]

1. I agree

[abelenkpe]

2. K&R

[phantom power]

3. sorry Charlie, $$$ is for banksters and endless war

[Enthusiast]

18. Good one! nt

[msongs]

4. endless job security for the MIC welfare crowd -does that count as a war against joblessness? nt

[HardTimes99]

5. A Global War on Greed. Better marketing and, since it's now September, we

can safely introduce a new product.

(alluding to Andrew Card's taunt about selling Operation Shocking and Awful to the Ignorant and Gullible)

[CakeGrrl]

6. Tell it to the GOP, Rangel. They're blocking all the progress. -nt

[jsr]

7. The rich must get richer.

[bhikkhu]

8. Congress could still pass the American Jobs Act

in theory. And it would still have the effect predicted by the CBO - 2 million jobs or so, at very little cost.

Perhaps if the administration and congress have built up a head of steam over Syria, which is likely lead no where, they could redirect their energies?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

11. Whether Congress passes the American Jobs Act or not, Obama is still planning to sign the TPP

to send even more American manufacturing jobs to foreign countries.

[bhikkhu]

13. That's not its purpose, of course

but the devil is in the details. Its easy to argue that trade agreements can benefit both parties, and that that is the intent of most trade agreements, but unintended consequences may be the rule there (if the history of that sort of thing is a good measure).

And I do share the concern that some of the parties involved in the drafting (corporate interests) really don't care about any party to the trade agreement as much as they care about their own bottom line. It all comes down to the text of the agreement, and whether all the consequences can be clearly worked out before congress has the opportunity to ratify, or not.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

14. "Maximizing shareholder profit" is the purpose, which means shipping jobs to foreign countries.

This is countrary to our country's best interest. It is economic treason.

[bhikkhu]

16. Jobs aren't always better done in other countries

and wages in most countries have been on the rise. The resurgence of American production has been based on technology and automation, which doesn't create numerous jobs, but does produce products that compete well with the rest of the world in many areas. We can compete much better than we could 20 years ago, and much has changed.

But still, as said, "the devil is in the details". A trade agreement, badly formed, could easily have unintended consequences and shift the balance of our recovery elsewhere.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

17. The logic of the Chicago School of Economics has proven to be a failure.

Keynes was right. Friedman was wrong.

[Enthusiast]

20. No shit....nt

[valerief]

9. Bwahaha! Hell will freeze over first. nt

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. If Obama wanted to reduce joblessness, he would have kept his NAFTA-related campaign promise,

would not have signed several let's-send-even-more-jobs-to-foreign-countries "free-trade" agreements, and would not now be preparing to sign the secretly negotiated TPP (aka NAFTA on steroids).

[Enthusiast]

21. Zactly.........nt

[Coyotl]

12. The big spike in oil prices is going to crash the global economy in short order. Brace yourselves.

The current price is well above the price during Bush's 2008 Economic Collapse. The impact should hit shortly. Expect the jobless numbers to start climbing again. And this time we have Obama to blame.

Crude Oil at 28-Month High on Heightened Syria Tensions = Saudi's Profits Enormous
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023616321

[randome]

15. It's all in the framing.

This would be an ethical war to wage.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[bigwillq]

19. K and R (nt)