Kay Hagan: “we are here debating the government's fiscal deficit. It is an important topic, one worthy of serious debate. Of course…”

“we are here debating the government's fiscal deficit. It is an important topic, one worthy of serious debate. Of course, I wish I could characterize the mindless partisanship of the last several months as serious debate, but I fear this do-nothing debate is distracting us from another deficit that is front and center in the hearts and minds of the American people; that is, the jobs deficit. Just yesterday, the Department of Commerce reported that the economic recovery has been far slower than previously thought. Our economy grew at a rate of less than 1 percent in the first half of 2011. That is not news to the hard-working families of North Carolina where unemployment statewide is almost 10 percent and nearly one-half million people are looking for work. They have been struggling since the housing boom went bust 4 years ago. Those people with jobs haven't seen the size of their paycheck increase, but their monthly bills have certainly been increased, along with the cost of gasoline. Just getting to your job in the morning, if you are fortunate to still have one, is more expensive. Yet we spend all our time in Washington bickering, posturing, and name- calling. Our constituents must be watching from home scratching their heads and wondering why Washington is debating whether we should avoid a default that would make this economy even worse. Let me tell my colleagues what is happening in North Carolina.…”