[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11391-11392]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  AMERICANS DESIRE CHANGE OF DIRECTION

  (Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, that old question remains relevant: Are you 
better off today than you were 4 years ago?
  Under this Republican Congress and the Bush administration, there is 
no doubt that people in Silicone Valley are not better off. At home, 
one in three households has had a layoff since Bush took office. In 
January, 2001, the unemployment rate in San Jose was 1.6 percent. In 
April of this year, it was 6.2 percent.
  Across the country, the average length of unemployment is the highest 
in 20 years. The overall job picture is the worst in nearly 40 years.
  The truth is, House Republicans do not have a real plan. Instead, 
they are launching a public relations offensive ironically titled Hire 
Our Workers, HOW.
  Yes, Americans want to know ``how'' Republicans can explain the loss 
of 2.2

[[Page 11392]]

million American jobs. ``How'' can Republicans think today's sham job 
training bill will help the 443,000 Californians who were laid off just 
last month?
  Democrats have a proven track record of creating 22 million jobs in 
the nineties. Now Americans want a change in direction, not more votes 
on the same tired, gimmick proposals.

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