[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E101-E102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING ALEX LESSER, SAM DIXON, AND JOSH FIXLER
______
HON. JAMES P. MORAN
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I have the good fortune of representing many
bright and promising young people. When they speak selflessly about the
need to help those less fortunate and recognize that the federal
government has a responsibility to address this need, it renews my hope
for a better future.
Yesterday was one such occasion. A young man, Alex Lesser,
accompanied by Josh Fixler, Assistant Educator and Youth Director of
the Temple B'Nai Shalom Congregation, came to my office on behalf of
the Religious Action Center and the Union for Reform Judaism. Alex
presented my office with a paper he and his friend, Sam Dixon, wrote
jointly on the topic of economic justice and the importance of
extending unemployment benefits. Alex's and Sam's eloquent words of
reason deserve to be heard by my colleagues. I ask that they be
submitted in today's Congressional Record.
Economic Justice
Hello, I am Alex Lesser, and I am Sam Dixon, here on behalf
of the Religious Action Center and the Union for Reform
Judaism. We come from Temple B'nai Shalom in Fairfax Station,
and we are here to talk to you about unemployment insurance.
The economy is still recovering from the economic downturn of
2008. Since the recession started, a total of approximately
8.8 million jobs have been lost. Despite the fact that 2.7
million jobs have been recovered, 6.1 million workers have
not gotten jobs back. The economy is still not in a good
situation. The group that is struggling the most is the
unemployed. And this group is not small: the national rate is
still at 8.5%. Many of these people are food insecure. Being
food insecure means a family or individual does not have the
physical, economic, and social access to safe and nutritious
food and drink. This is an important problem that YOU can
help fix.
As a country that is currently in an economic crisis, it is
not only our duty-but our responsibility to ensure that all
citizens, regardless of economic status, are not at an unfair
disadvantage to one another. However, this does not always
seem to be the case in this nation. We have unfortunately
seen a significant increase in poverty and unemployment over
the past few years, with 3.2 million impoverished Americans
in 2009, and 3.3 million in 2010. With unemployment
insurance, not only will these unemployed individuals be
supported and sustained, but our country as a whole will also
benefit. A recent estimate from the Congressional Budget
Office concluded that for every $1.00 that the government
invests in unemployment benefits, approximately $1.90 will be
added to the U.S. Economy. It seems to me that not only is
this an important step in combating poverty for Americans,
but also a necessary step to get the nation's economy back on
track.
We are here today because Judaism teaches us that this is a
vitally important issue. God commands us in the book of
Deuteronomy that ``if there is a needy person among you . . .
do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your kin.
Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is
sufficient'' (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). It teaches us that
providing for the needy is not just a matter of charity, but
an obligation. Judaism also teaches that the highest form of
tzedakah, the Jewish value of charity, is to help a person
achieve self-sufficiency. Unemployment insurance is that
exact type of support that the homeless need to help them get
back on their feet. I think that we can all agree that
poverty is one of the worst fates imaginable. It is one of
the most terrible sufferings. The Union for Reform Judaism
has consistently fought against attempts to weaken the social
safety net. This is clearly a moral choice as well as a
political one.
This past Friday night, we attended a presentation from the
National Coalition for the Homeless, which struck a very
resonant chord in our hearts, all because of one man's story.
Steve, a native Washingtonian and former homeless man, told
us about how he was involved with drugs from a very early
age. As a result of this drug abuse, he lost several high-
paying jobs and his home. Steve mentioned that when he was at
his lowest point, someone offered to help him in his path to
sobriety, and he finally got his life together. After getting
back on his feet, he is now in danger of going back on the
streets due to a debilitating and degenerative disorder. His
story reminded us that this is an extremely important issue
because he was a prime example of a good person whose bad
decisions impacted the rest of his life, making it hard for
him to avoid homelessness. This reminds us that even when it
seems as though someone has hit rock-bottom, the right help
can put them back on the path to success. Part of the reason
that this resonates with me is that we want to make sure that
if our friends and family, as well as those who we will never
meet, will not fall too far if they fall through the cracks.
Clearly, this is an important and timely issue that must be
addressed. Extending unemployment benefits and insurance will
not only help struggling Americans survive this economic
downturn, but will also help the economy grow. We urge
Representative Moran to support legislation that would extend
unemployment insurance for a year.
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