Washington Democrat Leadership Blocking Real Jobs

By William Warren

Yesterday, H.R. 3630 passed the House with a vote of 234 (53%) to 193 (45%) with 6% not voting. However, 10 Democrats stood with Republicans while 14 Republicans voted no for varied reasons. The content of the bill addressed numerous items but the principle contention has been over the Republicans supporting access to jobs.

The bill included $202.4 billion to cover extending the two-percent payroll tax cut for one year, preventing a tax increase on every working American. The bill would reform the unemployment insurance program by lifting the ban on drug testing, decreasing the number of weeks of eligibility from 99 to 59 and require certain recipients enroll in a GED program if they have not finished high school. It also would provide a two-year fix to the Medicare reimbursement rate for physicians to ensure seniors continue to have access to quality health

And, the bill also required speeding up the approval of a Canadian pipeline by creating the Canadian Keystone XL pipeline that would stretch to Texas. This pipeline doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime and unlike the stimulus bill, which relied on vague promises of jobs “saved or created,” the pipeline would create 20,000 direct job and 100,000 indirect jobs.

In return for all the benefits in H.R. 3630, the the majority of the House also supported access to free market jobs to be created by the Keystone XL pipeline. These jobs have been stalled and blocked by the Obama administration. Even the union supports the need for these jobs which  will be paid for by private industry and not the American taxpayers.  The Keystone XL pipeline  will create real "shovel ready" jobs verses the phoney "shovel ready" government subsidized jobs promoted by the present administration.

One Democrats who voted with Republicans was Mike Ross of Arkansas. Ross voted with his 3 Republican constituents to support the bill, because they understood that the liberals in the Obama administration are blocking the Keystone XL Pipeline which will cost the Arkansas’ economy over $338 million and will put more than 5,400 Arkansans out of work. As another example. all three of Iowa's Democrats voted with their 2 Republican constituents for the bill. Iowa understands that the Keystone XL pipeline will create real jobs for Iowans.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) responded today, "Yesterday, House Democrats stood with Nancy Pelosi and voted to reject the creation of up to 130,000 new jobs, checking off their list to:
• Support a tax increase on middle-class families
• Allow illegal immigrants to get child tax credits
• Allow welfare fund withdrawals from strip clubs, casinos and liquor stores
• Increase their six figure salary

"That's right. House Democrats voted to increase taxes on millions of Americans while giving themselves a pay raise. Even more shocking, Democrats not only voted to raise your taxes but also complained behind closed doors that taxpayers are not paying them enough money."

We learned on June 16, 2011 that House Minority Leader "Nancy Pelosi's net worth had skyrocketed 62% last year to a jaw-dropping $35.2 million." While others were suffering, "Pelosi's drastic growth from an initial $21.7 million in 2009" was attributed "to recent stock gains and smart investments." Are the words "Smart Investment" code for legalized Congressional insider trading? Her husband's wealth was not included in the above figure. However, in other disclosures, "Her husband reported raking in $1 million to $5 million last year from a sale of Apple stocks." In addition to Mrs. Pelosi's stated net worth, there is the couples' "commercial property in San Francisco and a home in St. Helena, CA., each valued between $5 million and $25 million. She also has a stake in some valuable residential real estate in Sacramento."

While it is true that others in Congress have made significant gains in their net worth, it is Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid (a piddly net worth of $3.4 million) who have joined with President Obama to block real American jobs. The messages from this "unicorn trio" are out of step in  free-market America and out of touch with the real needs of the working class in America  who need access to "real" shovel ready jobs which are not controlled by the government. 
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Snark: As an aside, if the the Occupy Wall Street protestors were true to their stated interests, why are they not set up in tents on the doorsteps of Pelosi's properties in California?

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