Bush Jobs Prescription Tough to Swallow
By William M. George, President PA AFL-CIO
Last week, a reporter called the Bush-Cheney headquarters to ask what the President plans to do for American workers unhappy with the fact that the few new jobs being created in this country pay less than the jobs we have lost and are less likely to provide healthcare benefits.
While waiting for a response to the question, a Bush campaign spokesperson was overheard saying: “Why don't they get new jobs if they are unhappy - or go on Prozac?”
This insensitive and appalling comment offered a rare peek behind the curtain at the Bush campaign headquarters and demonstrated how out of touch the President and his advisors are with the impact this economy has on working Americans. Bush’s campaign workers might find job loss funny, but working families know the President's job record is no laughing matter.
What the Bush team fails to understand is that it’s not quite as simple as finding a new job. Just ask the nearly 700 Pennsylvania Techneglas workers of Pittston, Pennsylvania who, just this Tuesday, had their jobs outsourced to Japan. They are the latest casualties of the Bush economy, which has claimed more than 158,000 Pennsylvania manufacturing jobs to date. In just the last month, the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania increased from 5.1 to 5.6 percent.
And the Bush plan? Well, until recently they didn’t appear to have one. But, now we know that their plan for workers concerned with losing their jobs and their livelihood is to recommend Prozac.
Unfortunately, getting a prescription for Prozac is also more difficult under the Bush administration. That’s because those lucky enough to find work in the Bush economy most likely don't have adequate health insurance.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, a majority of the new jobs generated by the Bush/Cheney administration are 25 percent less likely to offer health benefits, adding to the millions of Americans who don’t have health insurance under Bush. In his more than three years in office, Bush has not put forward a plan to help the 44 million Americans without health insurance, including, 1.3 million uninsured Pennsylvanians. Also he has failed to adequately address the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs.
In contrast John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan that will create 433,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania by eliminating corporate tax incentives that encourage companies to ship American jobs overseas and will give small businesses the help they need to grow. At the same time, they will give working families tax relief that will make college affordable, helping our young people prepare for the jobs of the future.
In addition, their plan will reduce health care costs that are preventing businesses from growing, while guaranteeing that American families have quality health insurance. By checking runaway health care premiums, John Kerry and John Edwards will help make American business more competitive.
There’s no question that George Bushs’ jobs record is depressing. But suggesting that the answer can be found in a prescription anti-depressant is a tough pill to swallow.
Record deficits and job loss might not be a big deal for the few that benefited from Bush’s tax cut, but many Pennsylvanians are feeling the squeeze. And that is a problem that no pill – not even Prozac – can fix.
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