Job creation is at the forefront of every political campaign going into the Fall, with members of each party attacking their opponent’s rhetoric.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco herded members back to Washington last week from their August recess to pass a $26 billion jobs bill that will send $2.5 billion to California for public education. Approximately $1.2 billion of those funds are expected to go straight into the hands of educators, while how the remaining $1.3 billion can be spent in accordance with the state’s needs and priorities.
For residents of California, economic relief would do much to release the fiscal pressures created by the 2008 recession. This month the Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis stated the personal incomes of Californians have fallen for the first time since the end of World War II.
Statewide income in 2009 totaled $1.56 trillion. This amount is down 2.5 percent from $1.6 trillion in 2008. California’s income loss stands higher than the nationwide rate, which is 1.8 percent.
In spite of the economic strains felt by the state’s labor force, Republican Congressmen are out in force promoting their vision of fiscal responsibility.
House Republican Tom McClintock of Elk Grove, in a speech on the floor of House of Representatives, claimed the package would cost American families $330 per year, and allow State’s unable to balance their budgets a “free pass” on having to maintain fiscal responsibility.
“Bailing out bad management doesn’t improve it,” said Congressman McClintock.
Republicans continue to characterize these efforts by the Democratic dominated Congress as merely band-aid measures that have increased Federal spending by 18 percent. Democrats continue to emphasis the social and moral imperative that their spending policies support.
Democrats at the Federal level maintain a supermajority of votes in the House and a majority of votes in the Senate. In spite of this advantage, the Pelosi-Reid Congress has encountered stiff resistance from among their own ranks in pushing forward their agenda.
Democrats and Republicans who have voted for spending increases face the potential wrath of voters this Fall. The agitation of the Tea Party Movement and the bunkering actions of the conservative Blue Dog Democratic coalition are an indication that politicians of all flavors seek to focus on blue ribbon issues such as education and jobs creation.
State Governors, such as California’s very own Arnold Schwarzenegger, have lobbied hard for a Federal bailout to ease pressure on State budgets. Federal legislation such as the recent jobs bill are a signal that the Federal Government might become more receptive to the fiscal needs of the States.
