Pro: Obama’s policies have U.S. on road to recovery after economic free-fall triggered by Bush
WASHINGTON — EDITOR’S NOTE: The writer is addressing the question, As the nation celebrates Labor Day, are American workers better off?
With the economy still weak and unemployment too high, American workers are of two minds about whether they are better off or not. There is hope for the future and confidence that President Obama is doing all he can, but there is also a consensus that things are not better—yet.
The economic free-fall created by Bush administration policies would have grown worse had President Obama and Congress not taken action and passed a recovery package. Or worse, had the Republicans succeeded in filibustering the recovery package. The 111th Congress has been a two-headed monster, racking up successes such as the Cash for Clunkers program, but dawdling while important worker initiatives such as the Employee Free Choice Act wait for action.
If you ask John Meyerson, a union representative in Philadelphia, he’ll tell you that he has hope for what the Obama administration can do, but that his members haven’t felt it yet. The concessionary collective bargaining that his union has done doesn’t make his members feel better off yet, but he is still campaigning for health-care reform.
Remember, it has been just six months since Obama signed into law his recovery plan and only 14 percent of the billions of dollars available have been spent, yet the effects are already being felt in communities across the country.
Job losses are slowing, down to 1.3 million in the second quarter from 2 million in the first. Low and middle-income workers got a tax cut, indeed 95 percent of all working Americans got a tax cut. Gross Domestic Product—the economic aggregate of all goods and services—shrunk less than expected in June. Signs are that the housing and financial markets are stabilizing.
The plan is working in real ways, too. Candy Johnson in Lewiston, Idaho, has worked for years as a waitress but without adequate medical or dental insurance she’s been unable to care for her teeth, and no one wanted to hire her in their restaurant. Recovery dollars allowed for the opening of a health clinic in nearby Spokane, Wash., and Candy was able to see a dentist.
Not only is the clinic hiring people to work, they are helping those in the community to get healthy so they can work, too. It is a good example of the use of public dollars for health care, where private health care fails even working people.
The last increase in the minimum wage just took place as well, raising the wages of 5 million workers and having a stimulative effect as they buy groceries and health care, and pay for rent, mortgages and tuition.
Enactment of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will help end pay discrimination for millions of American women and their families. And the U.S. Department of Labor is in the process of hiring 250 additional investigators to ensure that workers get their pay from unscrupulous employers.
But the real test is not where we are today—less than a year into a new administration—but where are we going. On this point, make no mistake; American workers are more optimistic and hopeful than last year. If you ask Amy Hoeschen, a college student in Minnesota scheduled to graduate this fall, she’ll tell you it’s better to graduate into an Obama recovery than a Bush recession.
Or Gregory Wilson in Michigan, who just got recalled to his steel manufacturing facility in Jackson. The union made some concessions, but being back to work is better than being among the nearly 4 million who are unemployed in the Great Lakes State.
The challenge is for the Congress and the Obama administration to make change real, in spite of Filibuster-in-Chief Mitch McConnell, Make-Him Fail Rush Limbaugh and their tea-bagging allies. American workers are looking forward with hope, not backward, with resignation. There are no two ways about it.
Michael J. Wilson is national director of Americans for Democratic Action. Readers may write to him at ADA, 1625 K St. NW, Suite 210, Washington, D.C. 20006; Web site: www.adaaction.org.
Sep 8, 2009 at 2:49 a.m.
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sarahb: No i've read alot of your blogs on other subjects and you talk alot but say nothing, you TELLING me to give you details? I do not have to justifie myself to the likes of you.It's on the table, obama told a bunch of lies to get to the white house and now WE are stuck with his tab he's ringing up.
Sep 7, 2009 at 10:39 p.m.
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He's done... lame duck city for this clown. Dispose of the moron majority in congress in 2010. Replace with whose who will not play ball with prez fool to limit any further damage. Wake up people.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUre-Twij...
Sep 7, 2009 at 10:04 p.m.
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sarahb: I don't need ro respond at all "with anything" (Thank you in advance)
Sep 7, 2009 at 7:53 p.m.
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LOL
Sep 7, 2009 at 6:43 p.m.
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darwin: your the one doing all the crying, looking at all your other blogs on other subjects that's all you do is cry, obama can't do is job, why would I be crying? I'm done with you .... your too inmature, grow up.
Sep 7, 2009 at 5:21 p.m.
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I am only unhappy with ignorant Conservative buffoons who think the world revolves around their tiny little minority of whiners and cry babies - poor me, poor me, I'am a victim. Otherwise, I am very happy and have a very well paying secure profession. Nice try though. Another example of your inability to assess someone.
Sep 7, 2009 at 4:04 p.m.
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darwin: all you do is read people's blogs, if you don't like what they say you cut them down, You can't say anything on your own, go away and GROW UP, you sound like a very unhappy person, i'm sure very lonely too.
Sep 7, 2009 at 3:56 p.m.
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I didn't bring Bush into it. I was calling into question your assessment of a president who has only been on the job for six months. He gets four years, I know this fact is difficult for you to comprehend. Evidently, it took you eight years to figure out Bush was an idiot, maybe you still haven't figure out. If this is true, then your ability to assess the current President lacks credibility.
Sep 7, 2009 at 3:37 p.m.
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darwin: did you hear we have another new czar today? just what we need right? didn't we just get rid of one of those clowns? yeah I think we did. Now he's spending even more of our money, what a waste. Your obama is doing just great isn't he, darwin I think i'll call you the missing link .... you have a same smarts.
Sep 7, 2009 at 3:14 p.m.
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darwn: I think it's more like you need to grow up, dang you hurt my feelings so with what you say about me ..... obama can't do his job so you bring bush into it, what happened to looking ahead and not back? You sound like a real winner, just like the Dems .... NOT.
Sep 7, 2009 at 3:02 p.m.
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justaguy, saying someone is cognitively impaired when they can't even understand basic facts isn't cutting them down - it's the truth. When you failed in school was the teacher cutting you down? Standards can be so mean - poor baby.
Sep 7, 2009 at 2:38 p.m.
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It's in the papers and on tv, altho he's going to plan B now. Darwin: you cutting people down and calling them names only make you look like the stupid one here, so please keep going ... your doing a fine job "your a Dem."?
Sep 7, 2009 at 1:52 p.m.
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Evidently, justaguy and andre went to the same school for the cognitively impaired. Obama has been in office barely six months but they have already decided he is the worst. Too bad they didn't provide the same level of assessment on the idiot Bush, maybe Obama wouldn't have to clean up Little Georgy's mess. Liberals cleaning up after Republican buffoons - nothing new.
Sep 7, 2009 at 11:12 a.m.
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sarahb1: so what is your point? obama sucks as POTUS, look at what obama was going to have our kids do and look back at why Bush did what he did the morning of 9/11. Just becuz YOU say something your way doesn't make it so .... yes some people are wierd sarah, might one of them be you?
Sep 6, 2009 at 3:57 p.m.
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As usually dizzygirl makes comparisons that mean nothing. He provides NO facts, just blind accusations about subjects he is so ignorant of that he has to TELL YOU to go look it up because he is too lazy to do it himself. If he had done it already and knew it, he could tell us. But sadly, he can't.
He knows everything, but says nothing.
Sep 6, 2009 at 2:21 p.m.
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fwdjvl: is your name really van johnson? just wondering as it sounds like something he'd say. You really think if bush knew the strike was going to happen when, where he would let it? He was only in office a few months, i'd guess to say the plans for the strike were in the works before he was in office ... stop listening to the van johnsons on the left and you'll be alright.
Sep 6, 2009 at 2:14 p.m.
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Let's see ... the person who wrote this story is a ummmmm .... Democrat? go figure he's going to bash Bush and tell a bunch of lies on how good obama for this country, the white house has turned into a house of mobsters "czars".
Sep 6, 2009 at 12:07 p.m.
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I like how they always say "Bush kept us safe." If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Bush warned about a possible strike and didn't 9/11 happen under Bush's watch?
Sep 6, 2009 at 11:46 a.m.
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Pete,
So true. The conflicts we face now have been nurtured in the past by many of W's staff. In particular "Dick" Cheney.
Sep 6, 2009 at 11:32 a.m.
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Who left the front door open??
Sep 6, 2009 at 10:27 a.m.
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Lets see Pete, W inherited a country at PEACE and with a budget SURPLUS. Eight years later, he hands back a country mired in TWO wars and with the biggest budget DEFICIT in history. Did I get that right?
Sep 6, 2009 at 10:01 a.m.
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Wow angry if you could provide fewer facts and details it would be a miracle. You are forgetting that during the late 70's and early 80's interest rates were nearing 15% - do you think people really want to go back to that - which means your great wages weren't really worth that much. We had prosperity during the late 40's and early 50's because much of the world was still rebuilding after WWII - we had larger market shares - and because a large population of children (baby boomers) were fueling growth. Industries protected by tariffs stagnate, raise prices, produce inferior products and lose their competitive edge. Way to ignore reality.
Sep 6, 2009 at 9:21 a.m.
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agnry_again i think u said it all
Sep 5, 2009 at 11:02 a.m.
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Funny how Democrats like to always blame the Bush administration. In my opinion it goes back farther to NAFTA and other Free trade agreements that lowered tariffs on imported goods and promoted US based manufacturing jobs to move production out of the states into Mexico or other nations where the health and welfare of the workers, and fair wage laws and other things that made Americans life better are non existent. The attitude of why pay these Americans $20.00 and hour with benefits when I can pay Mexicans $20.00 a week to make the same product, ship it back to the states at a cheaper cost, and have the fools we took the jobs away from still buy it has come to be.
Tariffs and taxes on imported items is what kept American industry thriving. That is why we could have Unions, and make good wages and have nice houses and other things and still be competitive, hell on top of the global market. If other countries want us to buy their goods, the cost of the product and manufacturing must remain close to ours buy tariffs to keep the American dream alive.
Let us not find blame, but find the solution!
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