Ed Towns urges focus on plight of American workers during Labor Day
It's a slow news Labor Day weekend, but here's a press release from Congressman Ed Towns for you to read should you desire:
During Labor Day at this critical time in our nation’s future, I think all Americans need to take some time and reflect on the value American workers bring to our society. After the latest report that no jobs were created during the month of August, we know that the number of American workers facing tough times continues to grow. We need to unite as a country and do whatever is necessary to get more Americans working—not as Democrats or Republicans—but as Americans who choose to be Democrats and Americans who choose to be Republicans. Let us concede that despite our political affiliations and ideological views that the vast majority of Americans love our country and their fellow Americans. Let us not put our focus on the disgruntled few, but the millions of Americans who are proud to be American and grateful to have the opportunity to live in this wonderful country. Yes, there are significant differences among us in the way we believe our government should function or what the size our government should be. I would like to believe it is because we all feel better when all Americans have sufficient food to eat, shelter over our heads, and access to quality education and healthcare. We can negotiate about how we accomplish these ends. Yes there are those in our society who exploit the system whether they be the occasional welfare cheat or those who use illegal or unethical means to accumulate wealth. If we squeeze the social safety net too tight to prevent lazy people or exploitative people from committing fraud, we eventually squeeze out those who truly need help—people who have worked all their lives and now, because of circumstances beyond their control, find themselves out of work, out of money, and more and more, out of hope. The growing number of people getting food stamps is not an indication that more Americans are succumbing to dependency, but that more Americans are facing tough choices. The challenge we face this Labor Day is finding a way to get more Americans working. Maybe the answer is not so much creating jobs, but creating opportunity. Provide Americans with the resources they need and we will find a way to make a living. Significant loans to small businesses would once again unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that has made this nation great. We also need to take a serious look at how income and wealth is distributed in this country and how excessive inequality directly affects demand in our consumer-driven economy. We need to do this not to punish job creators but to convince the wealthiest Americans about their need to reinvest in the United States of America. Workers built America. Yes, there were the visionaries and the financiers, but it was the skill and productivity of American workers that set us apart from the rest of the world. We produced better brick masons, engineers, teachers, and innovators than all other countries. We have too much going for us for us not to continue being the greatest nation in the world. Yes we still need the great men and women to create the future but having a strong force of American workers is no less important.