Donald M. Payne: “In this new millennium, we will face many hurdles and we are going to hear the first the State of the Union address…”

“In this new millennium, we will face many hurdles and we are going to hear the first the State of the Union address tonight. But today I would like to rise this afternoon to discuss the true state of the Union as it is, not as we would like it to be. We have our true land and then there is wonderland. And it is great in wonderland because all things are nice and we have the road that leads to all good things. However, the true state of the Nation is more grim. It is time to face reality. There are too many people in our Nation who are still struggling. They are not enjoying the benefits that have been awarded to the more privileged among us. While the White House tries to put the best face on the economy, the fact is that we have lost about 2.5 million jobs in the last 2 years. Long-term unemployment is at a 20-year high. While the wealthiest Americans enjoy the benefits of tax cuts, which was tilted their way, millions of Americans continue to live paycheck to paycheck, although the unemployment rate has dropped .1 percent.”