Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are seeing over the last 12 months a slow recovery in our job market. In the last 6 months, we have seen that accelerate but not sufficiently to reduce unemployment to anything comparable to a full employment economy. This year, so far, however, we have generated 600,000 jobs in the private sector. That is in sharp contrast to January of 2009 when President Obama took office and when we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. But despite this improvement in the job market, we have a long way to go. It is particularly troubling to be, once again, anticipating the vote tomorrow on the extension of unemployment benefits. These benefits lapsed weeks ago. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are without access to unemployment funds--the insurance funds they paid each week out of their daily wages for the time they hoped would never come but has come--that they could rely upon for some support as they look for work. In Rhode Island, the unemployment rate is 12 percent--absolutely horrendous. We are seeing more and more of this unemployment being long term, not a temporary situation. Nearly half--45.5 percent--of those unemployed have been out of work for more than 6 months, and in those 6 months, the excess savings one might have, the ability to cut a few corners to make it week by week, are less and less effective in simply keeping the lights on and keeping the family together. Then when you take away the unemployment compensation, people are, frankly, becoming desperate.…”