As Middle Class Suffers, Democrats More Concerned With Looking Busy

December 16, 2011

Record Numbers of Americans Are in Poverty But Democrats are Playing Politics and Blocking Bipartisan Job-Creation Efforts

New census figures out this week show half of Americans classified as poor or low-income, a sad reflection of the effects of a weak economy and another stunning rebuke of the Democrats’ failed policies.
Instead of working constructively with Republicans on a bipartisan package to create jobs, Democrats are playing political games—sabotaging legislation that would give millions of Americans tax relief and create thousands of new jobs—and continuing a regulatory rampage that is actively destroying jobs.
Apparently Democrats are more concerned with looking busy than actually being busy creating jobs.

BACKGROUND

New census figures out this week show half of Americans classified as poor or low-income, a sad reflection of the effects of a weak economy and another stunning rebuke of the Democrats’ failed policies:

“CENSUS SHOWS 1 IN 2 PEOPLE ARE POOR OR LOW-INCOME,” A NEW RECORD HIGH: “Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans – nearly 1 in 2 – have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.” (Hope Yen, “Census Shows 1 in 2 People are Poor or Low-Income,” Associated Press, 12/15/2011)

THE DEMOCRATS’ RECORD OF MIDDLE CLASS MISERY: “The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families. … Many formerly middle-class Americans are dropping below the low-income threshold – roughly $45,000 for a family of four – because of pay cuts, a forced reduction of work hours or a spouse losing a job. Housing and child-care costs are consuming up to half of a family’s income.” (Hope Yen, “Census Shows 1 in 2 People are Poor or Low-Income,”Associated Press, 12/15/2011)

Instead of working constructively with Republicans on a bipartisan package to create jobs, Democrats are playing political games—sabotaging legislation that would give millions of Americans tax relief and create thousands of new jobs—and continuing a regulatory rampage that is actively destroying jobs:

93% OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE AGAINST BIPARTISAN PLAN TO CREATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS, PRESERVE PAYROLL TAX RELIEF: (Roll Call 922, Clerk of the U.S. House, 12/13/2011)

60 WORKERS LAID OFF, LOCAL JOB MARKET ON HOLD DUE TO DEMOCRATS’ POLITICAL GAMES OVER KEYSTONE XL PROJECT: “Layoffs and a brief company shutdown is what employees face at Welspun Tubular Company, which makes steel pipes for the oil industry. Company leaders say miles of pipe are on the property and that has caused five dozen employees to lose their jobs. … But plans are delayed on the federal level. Now leaders say the local job market is affected. ‘We had to make a staffing reduction with some of the temporary employees. Due to the KXL pipeline not being shipped out. We have 500 miles of pipe just sitting in the yard, expected to be shipped out, that some of the employees were working on,’ said President Dave Delie.” (Hubert Tate, “Welspun Announces Company Cutbacks,” Fox 16, 12/12/2011)

KEYSTONE PROJECT PROJECTED TO CREATE MORE THAN 20,000 “SHOVEL-READY” JOBS: (Editorial, “Keystone Cop-Out,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/11/2011)

LONG-TERM JOBS IMPACT: UP TO 130,000 JOBS: “Many of those 20,000 jobs on the construction of the pipeline would have been filled by skilled union members. Eventually, the completed pipeline was expected to result in as many as 130,000 jobs, many of them on the upper Texas Coast, where the heavy oil would be refined into 700,000 barrels of oil daily.” (Editorial, “Keystone Pipeline is the Wrong Call,” The Houston Chronicle, 11/11/2011)

MORE MAJOR REGULATIONS AVERAGED UNDER OBAMA THAN UNDER BUSH OR CLINTON: “According to an analysis of the Federal Register by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, the Cabinet departments and agencies finalized 84 such regulations annually on average in President Obama’s first two years. The annual average under President Bush was 62 and under President Clinton 56.”(Editorial, “Regulation for Dummies,” Wall Street Journal, 12/15/2011)

“EVIDENCE IS OVERWHELMING” THAT “OBAMA REGULATORY SURGE IS ONE REASON THE CURRENT ECONOMIC RECOVERY HAS BEEN SO LACKLUSTER”: “The evidence is overwhelming that the Obama regulatory surge is one reason the current economic recovery has been so lackluster by historical standards. Rather than nurture an economy trying to rebuild confidence after a financial heart attack, the Administration pushed through its now-famous blitz of liberal policies on health care, financial services, energy, housing, education and student loans, telecom, labor relations, transportation and probably some other industries we’ve forgotten. Anyone who thinks this has only minimal impact on business has never been in business.” (Editorial, “Regulation for Dummies,” Wall Street Journal, 12/15/2011)

Apparently Democrats are more concerned with looking busy than actually being busy creating jobs:

OBAMA ISSUING EXECUTIVE ORDERS “TO LOOK LIKE [HE IS] GETTING STUFF DONE”: “President Barack Obama reached into former President Bill Clinton’s playback [sic] and started issuing a series of executive orders and rules in order to show he is getting stuff done.” (Lynn Sweet, “Obama Issuing More Orders to Look Like Getting Stuff Done: #Wecan’twait,” The Chicago Sun-Times, 12/15/2011)

BUT OBAMA AND TOP DEMOCRATS ARE BLOCKING A BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO CREATE JOBS:

OBAMA “VOWED WEDNESDAY TO VETO ANY MEASURE THAT PACKAGES APPROVAL OF KEYSTONE XL OIL PIPELINE TO HIS PAYROLL TAX CUT EXTENSION”:(Richard Wolf, “Obama Warns Republicans on Keystone Project,” USA Today, 12/7/2011)

DEMOCRAT LEADER NANCY PELOSI: “ ‘The president has said he will veto a bill that has the Keystone pipeline in it,’ House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. ‘That doesn’t make a decision as to whether you’re for it or against it, it has no place on this bill. Let’s get serious.’” (Darren Goode, “Dems’ Keystone-Payroll Tax Dilemma,” Politico, 12/8/2011)

SEN. MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID: COMPROMISE PACKAGE IS “WASTING TIME”: “If the House sends us their bill with Keystone in it, they are just wasting valuable time because it will not pass the Senate.” (Russell Berman, “House GOP Releases Payroll Tax Package Under Obama Veto Threat,” The Hill, 12/9/2011)

POLITICO: “WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATIC LEADERS ARE OF ONE MIND IN OPPOSING” COMPROMISE KEYSTONE DEAL: (Darren Goode, “Dems’ Keystone-Payroll Tax Dilemma,” Politico, 12/8/2011)