Tom Harkin: “I certainly agree that the economy is in dire straits and we are in desperate need of taking action. That is true. Since…”

“I certainly agree that the economy is in dire straits and we are in desperate need of taking action. That is true. Since President Bush took office, the United States has lost 2.6 million jobs, more than 36,000 of those in my State of Iowa. Unemployment rates, including long-term unemployment rates, continue to rise. That is a fact. The economy is in a shambles. Unemployment continues to go up. This is not just some academic process. It is causing real hardship for millions of Americans and families who are without a job and without health care coverage. Senator Specter and I had a hearing in our appropriations subcommittee talking about the lack of access and affordability of health care. You can read the story of the man who testified, Mr. Kurilko. He was referred to in the Wall Street Journal. He is 57 years old, worked 37 years on a job. He now has a heart problem, diabetes. He is out of a job. He and his wife now face the prospect of losing their life savings because his health care costs, just for insurance, are over $2,000 a month. This is a man who worked in a blue-collar job, a steel mill, all of his life. That is what is happening in America today.”