Dick Durbin: “tonight President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address to outline his plan to make life better for…”

“tonight President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address to outline his plan to make life better for middle-income families and those struggling in our strengthening economy. I have heard from both sides--Democrats and Republicans--the lament that even though many hard-working families are doing their best and businesses are more profitable because our workers are more productive, a lot of families don't see it in their paychecks. They struggle from paycheck to paycheck to pay for the basics in life. So we have to ask ourselves: What will we do about this? Will we do anything? I worry that the comments just made by the majority leader suggest that he is relying on faith alone--faith in our free market system; faith in the belief that if we have an expanding economy, which we do, and if we have profitability in corporations, which we do, that it will translate into a better standard of living for working families. Well, it may be an article of faith, but it is one that can be challenged because that is exactly what has been happening in America for years. The economy has been growing, and we have seen an increase in jobs for 58 straight months. At the same time, we have noted that working families across America don't see any change in their lives. They don't see any income change. Then we look at the reality. The reality shows that the gap between the rich and poor in America just grows larger and larger.…”