[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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