Thomas Daschle: “The economic conditions in this country continue to worsen. We now have 2 million jobs that have been lost over the last…”

“The economic conditions in this country continue to worsen. We now have 2 million jobs that have been lost over the last 20 months. The number of the private sector unemployed has gone up by over 2 million people. We have seen the number of long-term unemployed go from about 650,000 now to 1.5 million people--those who are unemployed for more than 6 months. We have seen a $4.5 trillion loss in market capitalization. We have seen the number of foreclosures go up at a rate higher than anything in recent years. Over and over, every single indicator points to the fact that this economy continues to worsen. Yet we have an administration that, for whatever reason, chooses to ignore it entirely. The point we make this morning and have made now for some time is that at the very least we ought to be sensitive to those who are the victims of this tragic set of economic circumstances.”