On the recordSeptember 20, 2012
Mr. President, if you look at any objective measure, whether it is unemployment numbers, gas prices, middle-class income, college tuition, manufacturing production, home values, and the list goes on and on, we are clearly not headed in the right direction. So what is the cause of this? The primary cause is lack of leadership coming from the administration and from the leadership in the Senate. The administration's policies have led to the worst recovery since World War II. Over 23 million people are unemployed or underemployed. One of the main reasons they cannot find work is the economic uncertainty Washington has created, stopping the hiring process. Our businesses are frozen. As a former small business owner, I understand firsthand how economic uncertainty hampers business growth. If you do not know what your taxes are going to be, if you do not know what your energy costs are going to be, if you do not know what your health costs are going to be, the last thing in the world you are going to do is hire a bunch of people. Thank you, Mr. President. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Missouri.
