Steve Cohen: “I have been home for a while during the break and during these 3 weeks listening to constituents; and I understand there…”

“I have been home for a while during the break and during these 3 weeks listening to constituents; and I understand there are a lot of constituents that are upset because the economy hasn't come back completely. But the economy is getting better, and a great indicator of that is the Dow Jones average which has gone up in the 10,800 range now. It has gone up tremendously this month. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, called the stimulus bill, has been maligned. But it has been responsible for at least 3 million jobs: firemen, policemen and teachers being kept on public payrolls and keeping taxes down and public employees hired. The middle class has been threatened and threatened greatly. And as I sit in committee meetings and think about the future and what would happen if this House turned over to the other side, I realize the middle class would be greatly hurt. It is the middle class that is hurting. It is the middle that is concerned. The middle class is most of the tea party, but the tea party is being led by some of the richest people in the country who are more concerned about the estate tax and getting 100 percent of their money sent to the next generation tax free, contributing greatly to the deficit, and to seeing that the upper 2 percent get their tax cuts given during the Bush years, which means a $700 billion addition to the deficit. They talk deficit, and they also talk about taxes and spending. Well, you can't have it both ways.”