On the recordMarch 15, 2012
let me return to the pending business before the Senate--the JOBS Act. At the same time, when millions of Americans are looking for work, we have an opportunity to do something in a bipartisan way that will actually help job creators and entrepreneurs. Despite all the hype about economic improvements, we are still experiencing the slowest and weakest recovery since the Great Depression. More than 45 million Americans are on food stamps. Unemployment has been higher than 8 percent for 3 years. There are 700,000 fewer jobs today than when President Obama took office. I repeat: 700,000 fewer jobs today. On top of that, of course, gas prices are skyrocketing. As I noted on Monday, I believe the President is painting a too rosy picture of the economy when he is out campaigning. He stated there have been 24 consecutive months of private sector job growth. But I would like to note how the numbers tell a different story. Economists generally agree that for employment to just hold even, about 150,000 jobs need to be created each month in order to employ the new people, the new entrants, into the job market or the workforce, and these include people such as those who have recently graduated, those who have concluded military service or other family obligations. Again, about 150,000 each month need to be created just to stay even. The logical question to ask is, How many of the last 24 months saw a job growth above 150,000? The answer is, only 10 of those 24 months.…





