Carolyn Maloney: “There is scientific data that, as schools are overcrowded, the quality of the teaching goes down. That's very troubling…”

“There is scientific data that, as schools are overcrowded, the quality of the teaching goes down. That's very troubling when you talk about the hemorrhaging of so many jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 14 million people out of work, and there are 3 million jobs that are out there now. So, if we could miraculously fill those 3 million jobs overnight, there would still be 11 million Americans out of work and looking for jobs. For every job opening, there are five people, at least, standing in line for that job. What I find particularly troubling is that many of these people are young people who have invested in their education and who are burdened with huge student loans, but they can't find employment. They are facing a terrible situation. Studies show that, if you can't find employment in the early years of your career, it affects your earnings and your self-confidence and your productivity for the rest of your life. For no fault of theirs, they are confronting, really, the worst employment situation in my lifetime and, really, in decades. So we need to work together. If there were one area in which the Republicans and Democrats should work together, it's in creating jobs and moving our economy forward. Regretfully, some people don't want to do anything until the 2012 election, but the people who are out of work can't afford to wait until 2012. It is really incumbent on us to act now to help them.”