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Dear Friend,
We have just come through an historic election! As we enter the next Congress with a new President, we have an enormous amount of work to do to put our country back on track. I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve Maryland’s Third Congressional District and I encourage you to provide your perspective and advice as we seek to meet the tremendous challenges facing this nation.
At the outset, reversing the effect of the financial crisis on small businesses and working families must be our primary focus. The American spirit has been summoned by adversity time and time again to beat back doubts and fears with discipline, innovation and a can-do attitude. We can address this severe economic crisis and restore the American Dream for those who work hard and play by the rules. We can create good, stable jobs and opportunities for families to get ahead.
To do so, however, we must shore up our failing health care system and provide access to high quality care for every American. We must grow our investment in green technology and renew our focus on global climate change and we must end our crippling addiction to foreign oil. We also need to create meaningful access to job training programs and higher education.
This is not to say that government can or will solve all of our problems; to accomplish these goals will surely require integrity, diligence, sacrifice and leadership not just in the government sector, but in our private sector as well.
Our working families and small businesses drive Maryland’s economy. In the near term, Congress must pass a targeted economic stimulus package to ease the burden placed on the Americans hit the hardest by our economic downturn and spur long-term growth. In the coming days and months, Congress will consider a wide range of additional policies designed to achieve these ends. Any additional stimulus efforts must:
- Invest in our Critical Infrastructure. By investing in our roads, highways, railways, public buildings and ports, we will be left with a tangible benefit from this emergency spending—one that will create jobs, improve public safety and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
- Encourage Business Investment, Innovation and Green Job Creation. By offering financial support and tax incentives for American businesses to invest in research and development, equipment and infrastructure, we can tie our short-term economic recovery to the future competitiveness of our business sector in the global economy. Increased spending by businesses in the short-term will stimulate our stalling economy and long-term investments in energy efficient technology and green jobs will keep our economy competitive in a shifting global marketplace.
Any proposal that we enact should not just provide a short-term stimulus, but also the foundation for long-term growth. It is my sincere hope that under new leadership we will be able to accomplish these goals. It will take cooperation and consensus—bipartisan consensus in Washington, and cooperation at the state and local levels and in communities across the country.
Please feel free to forward this message to friends, family members, or colleagues who may be interested in subscribing to the Sarbanes Standard.
I look forward to seeing you in the District.
John P. Sarbanes
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