Tim Walberg: “Despite talk of political gridlock in D.C., Republicans and Democrats can agree on at least one thing--the economy is in…”

“Despite talk of political gridlock in D.C., Republicans and Democrats can agree on at least one thing--the economy is in rough shape. For the past 41 months, the unemployment rate has not gone below 8 percent, causing worry, uncertainty, and frustration for many families living in Michigan and across the U.S. But unfortunately, things can still get worse. It's time for President Obama and the Senate to stop pushing their failed agendas and start applying commonsense policies that work. My Republican colleagues and I in the House have been listening to the American people and remain committed to policies that spur job creation, reduce costs, and restore power back to the people. Last month's employment report showed that millions of Americans still are without a job and the unemployment rate is stuck at 8.2 percent. Meanwhile, the anemic job growth is even worse in my district where some areas show an unemployment rate of over 9 percent. Nationwide, the rate of ``real unemployment,'' which includes the unemployed, the underemployed, and those that want to work but have given up looking, now totals 14.9 percent. Making matters worse, the number of weeks it takes a worker to find a job has more than doubled since President Obama took office. Is this hope and change? But it's not just the unemployment numbers which paint a grim picture of our economy. Government spending is out of control.…”