let me salute my colleague from West Virginia. It is a sad task that we have to come to the floor to recognize those who have passed. He pays tribute to a young man whose life was cut too short but who was determined to serve our country, and I thank him for bringing that man's life to our attention in the Senate and to those who follow this across the Nation. I am sure the Senate joins him in expressing our sympathy to the family on the tragic loss of their son. I thank Senator Manchin for coming to the floor. Many people have asked about the state of the recession in our Nation and what it will take to turn this economy around. There is a lot of speculation, and I don't profess to be an expert, but I think there are two things that are hurting us and that we will have to deal with to bring ourselves out of the current state we are in. One of them is the price of real estate. I don't think we have quite reached the point where we know where the bottom is in the real estate values in many parts of America. That has been a real problem, because for many homeowners and buyers it means they are underwater--the value of their home has gone down below the value of their mortgage. Some of them have given up, others have to give up when they lose their jobs. This real estate market and its volatility, the foreclosures that have followed, still haunt us years after the subprime mortgage fiasco that led us into the recession.…
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More from Dick Durbin
Today’s news is devastating for the 2,500 skilled union workers impacted by the closure of the Tyson plant in Joslin, especially at a time when American families are struggling with the rising cost of living.
It is families who will suffer, especially the sickest Americans, like those with mental health and substance use disorders, cancer, and diabetes, who most urgently need the health care Medicaid provides.
That’s why we’ve had an ongoing battle here in Washington for years against the for-profit college and university industry.
Students need to be careful. You can’t go wrong starting with City Colleges and community colleges in your community… I beg my young students in Illinois to start there, and counselors to do their job and discourage kids from getting…





