[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              THE ECONOMY

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, my colleague from Texas noted we need a 
united country. I want to briefly respond to my colleague from New 
Jersey who talked about the economy before I talk about the situation 
in Iraq.
  We had great news: 308,000 new jobs were created in March. Yet my 
colleagues from across the aisle say, Great news, but; they talk about 
all the celebration, but; and all the spinning, but. But there is no 
spinning about 308,000 jobs. The spinning is in the light of good news 
at a time which we should celebrate.
  Americans are worried and concerned about their economic future and 
job growth and opportunity. We have good news. Why can't we simply be 
united? Why do we have to take the ``Chicken Little'' approach and say 
``the sky is falling, the sky is falling''? We have 308,000 new jobs, 
but; Pell grants have risen, but; 308,000 jobs, but. We have challenges 
in Social Security; 308,000 jobs, but.
  The reality is not only 308,000 jobs in March, but the Labor 
Department went back and recalculated the job growth in January and 
February. What we have is 500,000 jobs over the last 3 months.
  Why can't we come together for a moment and try not to create 
darkness out of light? Why do we have to dim the hopes of the people of 
this country? Confidence makes a difference. Our economy runs on 
confidence. We should have confidence based on the facts, and based on 
all the evidence that has been there for many months about 
manufacturing growth, investment, and about consumer spending, and now 
about job growth. Why do we have to spin and twist and turn and create 
dark clouds for political purposes? I hope we can do better.

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