[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN OUR ECONOMY

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McHenry). Without objection, the 
gentleman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a few excerpts from 
yesterday's Washington Times editorial entitled ``New Job Numbers.''
  Now the Washington Times, everybody knows, is not exactly a 
progressive or liberal paper, very conservative.
  And I quote: ``For the third consecutive month, the Labor Department 
reported disappointing numbers for job growth. June payroll employment 
increased by only 121,000 jobs, well below the median projection of 
200,000 jobs. And that is on top of May's payrolls increased by only 
92,000 jobs, which follows a disappointing 112,000 in April. 
Altogether, job growth during the second quarter was a disappointing 
325,000 jobs, the lowest quarterly increase since 2003.
  ``The net increase in payroll employment since August has averaged 
160,000 jobs. This is to contrast throughout the Clinton administration 
where employment increased on average 237,000 jobs per month.
  ``On average, 25,000 private sector jobs have been created each month 
since January 2001. That is 25,000. During the Clinton administration, 
private sector employment increased on average 217,000 jobs per month.
  ``And then, on top of that, average real weekly earnings of the 80 
percent of the private sector workers who are employed in production or 
nonsupervisory capacity, approximately 91 million Americans, have 
increased by less than 1 quarter of 1 percent since January 2001. 
Average real weekly earnings for these same workers have actually 
declined by 1 percent since August in 2003.''
  American people, according to the Washington Times, neither have the 
jobs nor have they got an increase in their salaries. And that is all 
the while where energy prices are up, 75 percent, under President Bush, 
health care costs, the premiums for families are up 78 percent, college 
costs are up on average 45 percent, and incomes and wages are down. 
That is what it takes to make and maintain a middle-class life, all the 
basics, filling up your gas, health care, college education, all 
skyrocketing.
  For the first time since World War II, American savings rates are in 
negative territory, and this, according to the Bush administration, is 
the best of times. I would hate to think what the worst of times look 
like.
  And the Washington Times noted how under the President, Americans 
aren't getting the jobs at the incomes that they are expecting, and the 
costs for them are going up.
  Now, I don't want to look back; but having been part of the Clinton 
administration, I don't want to have to just be a booster, I would like 
to remind people we had a surplus 3 years in a row. We eliminated 
deficit. We started paying down the Nation's debt.
  What has happened under this administration? In fact, the debt has 
increased by nearly $3 trillion in 4 years, the largest increase in the 
Nation's debt in the shortest period of time in all of American 
history.
  Second, under President Clinton, we created the Hope Scholarship. 
Lifetime Learning Tax Credit gave middle-class families a tax cut so 
they could send their kids to college.
  What has the Republican Congress with this President done? They have 
actually had the largest cut in college assistance in American history: 
$13 billion.
  President Clinton thought of actually negotiating a climate change, 
which would have given us our first energy conservation plan. This 
administration walked away from it; signed an energy bill. In June of 
2005, gas was $2.05. Today it is over $3. Tomorrow will be the 
anniversary where energy in America, a gallon of gas, has doubled since 
President Bush has been in the White House. Doubled.
  And what has happened to American family wages? Declined by 1 
percent. Cost of energy, doubled.
  During President Clinton's time, we actually expanded health care for 
all children whose parents worked full-time. Ten million children got 
health insurance. What has this Congress and this Republican President 
done? They cut 6 million kids from health care coverage. I cannot think 
of a worse thing to do, and this is the son of a pediatrician talking. 
I cannot think of a worse thing to do but to cut children from health 
care, from the ability to visit a doctor or a nurse.
  Health care under President Clinton went up for coverage. Health care 
under President Bush, premiums are up and uninsureds are up. Energy 
costs are up, incomes are down. College costs are up, college coverage 
is down under the Republicans.
  In addition to that, there were many attempts, and we added 20 years 
to savings on Social Security. And this administrations actually for 
the first time we are at a negative savings rate.
  So it is time for a new direction for a Congress and a President who 
will take this country in a new place.

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