President Obama demanded an end to posturing by members of Congress as he addressed the nation this morning in a ceremony at the White House where he introduced the members of the newly-formed Economic Advisory Board.
Video of this morning's ceremony
Last month, 600,000 Americans lost their jobs. That is the single worst month of job loss in 35 years. The Department of Labor also adjusted their job loss numbers for 2008 upward and now report that we have lost 3.6 million jobs since this recession began.
How does that rhetoric sound next to the image of an entry-level programmer finding an OJT position in Columbus, OH? There is definitely a visa to go along with the job. There's no need to be a US citizen for this career! Let's hope the new administration is less talk, more action.
End employer visa programs now.
Obama decried as "inexcusable and irresponsible" the delay of his economic recovery legislation in Congress with an estimated 3.6 million Americans losing their jobs since the recession began in December 2007. About half of them have lost jobs in only the past three months.
from an AP news story
During the ceremony this morning, Obama cited results from all economists that indicated decisive action is needed immediately to avert any further catastrophe.
Senator Kennedy, Chairman of the Labor Committee, supported action on the crisis highlighted by this morning's jobs report.
Today’s job numbers confirm that the economy remains in free-fall, with disastrous consequences for America’s workers. We need strong measures to put people back to work and support for those who can’t find a job. That means immediately passing the pending bill, to create jobs as soon as possible and end this endless nightmare for workers and their families.
Kennedy's statement begins with an explanation of the severity of the current employment debacle:
WASHINGTON, DC- Senator Edward M. Kennedy issued the following statement on today’s job report, which shows a loss of 598,000 jobs in January, the 13th consecutive month of job losses. The national unemployment rate rose to 7.6%—the highest in 17 years—and the number of unemployed Americans rose to 11.6 million.