By Congressman Charles B. Rangel
The November jobs report issued last week offers encouraging signs that the Recovery Act is indeed working and that the economy has started to grow. Over the last three months, job losses have come down to the lowest level in two years. But the report is also a sobering reminder of the need to continue to advance policies that stimulate job creation and support the needs of American families and businesses that are struggling.
Nearly 16 million Americans are jobless, up 558,000 from last month. Unemployment is more than just a number − it's a measure of suffering. It's that many more children living in poverty. It's that many more families subsisting off of food stamps, which now feed 1 in every 8 Americans and nearly 1 in every 4 children.
An economic recovery plan focused on salvaging Wall Street, credit-frozen banks, and slumping American automakers – while all right and good – is not a meaningful recovery if it does not help struggling families. That's why the Obama Administration, in addition to all of its great work in turning this economy around, hosted a jobs summit last week aimed at putting Americans back to work, and I am looking forward to working with the President to do just that. President Obama's Recovery Act has already resulted in as many as 1.6 million Americans gaining jobs.
But unemployment remains at crisis levels. In New York City, the jobless rate for people 16 and over has increased over the past year by 73.7 percent. Half of the city's residents who are near poverty report experiencing three or more hardships at once, including falling behind on rent, not filling a prescription, or being unable to purchase enough food. The President's efforts to stave off depression and economic collapse have helped, but millions of Americans are saying, "Tell that to my landlord." Rebounding economic statistics mean little when so many Americans are still struggling economically.
Over the course of the next few weeks, creating jobs will be my first and foremost priority.
African American and Latino families are among those that suffer the most from a recession because they are disproportionately impacted by a weak economy and do not have the safety net enjoyed by others. The unemployment rate for all African-Americans is about 50 percent higher than the nation as a whole, and more than 1 in 4 low-income Latinos in New York reported losing their jobs in the past year. We must offer fresh and bold solutions to cultivate an economy that works for us all. Not just the wealthy. Not just the politically connected. But all of us.
Not only is America hurting; so are our kids. New York City has 200,000 disconnected youth on its streets, kids ages 16 to 24 not in school and without employment. New York houses more kids in state prisons than it does on college campuses. Nowadays, it isn't just high school dropouts who are out of work. Americans from all economic groups are falling prey to a shrinking workforce, whether it's the hospital worker laid off after toiling at the same job for decades, or the college graduate having a tough time finding a job. In fact, Black college graduates are having a tougher time finding employment than their White counterparts, both those with and without a degree. We are all vulnerable, and we all deserve a helping hand in pulling through these difficult times.
There can be no excess of good ideas to combat this crisis sweeping our nation. One thing we can do, and do immediately, is extend unemployment insurance. It is urgent that we provide out-of-work Americans with instant relief. Additionally, the White House has committed itself to expanding green job opportunities through the Recovery through Retrofit program. These are good green jobs that can't be outsourced.
We must enact aggressive measures aimed at employing our young people at this critical time. The Administration is launching its "Educate to Innovate" campaign to improve participation and performance in the sciences through partnerships with foundations, nonprofits, and science and engineering societies. National service programs must be well funded, and we must develop an ambitious strategy to urge our youth to participate in them.
In the House, I am working with my Democratic colleagues on a jobs package that would include additional funding for infrastructure projects, like highway construction and renovation, bonds for building schools, and the expansion of the successful Build America Bonds program, already funding several infrastructure projects across the country. These projects are designed to put Americans immediately to work, all while making America safer and stronger.
In an effort to boost small business creation and tackle credit-freeze, we are anticipating expanding small business loans, providing fixes for community banks, and extending small business and bonus depreciation provisions from the stimulus package. Even the creation of green empowerment zones − those areas where at least 50 percent of the population has an unemployment rate higher than the state average − would provide tax incentives to businesses that hire individuals who live and work in those areas that are most suffering.
We are in the midst of a national emergency, but as a unified people, looking after each other, we will get through this stronger and far more prosperous.
This Op-Ed was originally published in the Amsterdam News on Thursday, December 10, 2009.
■
Return to Opinion Editorials
