Posted on 08/31/2013 5:59:59 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Obama calls for ‘bold steps’ to help workers By Ben Geman - 08/31/13 06:00 AM ET
President Obama on Saturday called for “bold steps” to help U.S. workers, remarks that arrive two days before Labor Day and ahead of the fall’s fiscal policy battles with Republicans.
“The truth is, it’s not going to be easy to reverse the forces that have conspired – for decades – against working Americans,” Obama said.
“But if we take a few bold steps – and if Washington is able to come together with common purpose and common resolve – we’ll get there. Our economy will keep getting stronger and more Americans will be able to join the ranks of the middle class,” he said.
His pre-Labor Day remarks steer clear of criticizing or even mentioning Republicans (or Democrats for that matter), but seek to cast Obama as a champion of workers.
They also politically position Obama on pocket-book issues as lawmakers prepare to return to Washington in a week after their summer break, and as Republicans continue their assault on his healthcare law.
Obama – who has been pushing proposals aimed to checking college tuition costs and revamping the home mortgage system – noted that he’s been traveling the nation “laying out my ideas for how we can build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class.”
“A good job that pays a good wage. A good education. A home of your own. Healthcare when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. And more chances for folks to earn their way into the middle class as long as they’re willing to work for it,” he said.
Obama, in recent speeches, has focused heavily on the economy and touted proposals around infrastructure spending and other steps.
Obama said that on Labor Day the nation will come together to honor “the working men and women of America who, across the generations, built this country up and helped make us who we are today.”
“We’ll pay tribute to the values working Americans embody – hard work; responsibility; sacrifice; looking out for one another. And we’ll recommit ourselves to their cause; to securing for them a better bargain so that everyone who works hard in America has a chance to get ahead,” Obama said.
The speech also shows Obama touting the ongoing recovery while acknowledging that many workers still face major struggles.
“[O]ver the past four and a half years, we’ve fought our way back from the worst recession of our lifetimes. And thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve begun to lay a foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. But as any working family will tell you, we’re not where we need to be,” he said.
“For over a decade, working Americans have seen their wages and incomes stagnate, even as corporate profits soar and the pay of a fortunate few explodes. For even longer than that, inequality has steadily risen; the journey of upward mobility has become harder,” he said.
“Reversing that trend needs to be Washington’s highest priority. It’s certainly mine,” Obama said.
Hold on to your wallet!!
Blame our last 40 years of free traitors ruling Congress and Presidential free traitors like 0bunghole.
Blame free trade. In Washington DC it is very very rare to find someone who had not bought into the myth of free trade. Many who live there have profited from it as lobbyists etc selling out America and US workers.
Automation and computerization is also eliminating many decent jobs here and has been for a few decades. Capital is in the drivers seat and labor is week because it is in surplus. Open borders and amnesties make the labor surplus worse
well, if that is what it takes to spread the wealth, then why try to deal with Congress?
nobama, as boringly usual, long on triteness, way short on solid, doable ideas.
This man has absolutely no idea of what a middle class family goes through on a daily basis. None.
But, then, that may be because he truly doesn’t give a sh!t about anyone but himself.
“A good job that pays a good wage. A good education. A home of your own. Healthcare when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. And more chances for folks to earn their way into the middle class as long as they’re willing to work for it,” he said.
That right there represents virtually hundreds of trillions in new federal spending. Where will that come from? I’m tapped out
I read this and was looking for the John Semmens tag.
“bold steps”
Chairman O always sounds like he’s reading from a chicom propaganda banner.
Yeah, a Five Year Plan. That’s the ticket. Two more years of this hack. Damn.
When I hear any Democrat start talking about “bold steps”, I tend to want to protect my wallet.
Let me guess. Obama’s proposals involve:
1. New government spending.
2. New government programs.
3. New government regulations.
4. New taxes and/or additional deficit spending.
Have I missed anything?
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