From the office of Sen. Barbara Mikulski:
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) issued the following statement today in advance of President Obama’s address to a Joint Session of Congress on the need to continue creating jobs for the middle class:
“President Obama’s approach is a good first step. I strongly support a plan for an infrastructure bank, which will create construction jobs and fix our roads, bridges, and water and sewer projects. I’m for a payroll tax holiday that will put money back into the pockets of families and help small businesses who hire people in local communities.
“But it can’t be the only step. Congress must act with the urgency of now to create jobs and put people back to work. People are hurting now.
“There are must-do bills pending before Congress that are jobs bills. The highway transportation bill is a jobs bill. Maryland has $10 billion worth of projects in its transportation plan that would create 130,000 jobs in the state. The FAA bill is a jobs bill that keeps air safety employees and construction workers at airports on the job. Appropriations bills are jobs bill. When we fund the FDA and NIH, we support the biotech industry in Maryland.
“Congress needs to do its job and pass these bills to create and save jobs. Marylanders want a bipartisan agenda that is specific, immediate, realizable, and helps people keep the jobs they have while creating opportunities for new ones.
“Taken together with the bills currently before Congress, the President’s plan will create jobs today and jobs tomorrow.”
Senator Mikulski has been leading a statewide jobs tour, which has taken her from the Eastern Shore to Western Maryland and the Baltimore-Washington Corridor where she has heard firsthand the desire for a new tone in Washington in order to create jobs and put people back to work.
This month, Congress will have the opportunity to create or save nearly one million jobs by passing the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization and the Surface Transportation Bill.
let the bashing begin.
No bashing . . . some are just tired of both parties wasting tax dollars. Many of us work very hard for what we make and a large chunk of it is sent to government. Granted, we need government for basic services and how else can it be paid – taxes. But there is so much waste at all levels of government and politicians think nothing of it.
The other problem is, many do not pay taxes and a large number of people in this country receive tax dollars for doing nothing. Moreover, the latest [loophole] are illegals in this country receiving a tax ID number so they can file taxes and then receive a refund check from the government (earned tax credit). Millions (or billions) are sent out of the country.
I would not call it bashing . . . I call it being angry and being Taxed Enough Already.
If the first spendulus did not work, why would another one work? Oh, election year have to keep the unions happy. When will Mr. Milkuski retire? No budget submitted for over two years but we have to do this with urgency. I think we the people are starting to open our eyes. The President has no idea what he is doing?
And let the flood gates of waste spending begin. MD Legislature is already starting to think of bs programs to throw money at. Maybe Martin O’Malley can say he has a balanced budget again on the back of a Jobs Bill plan dumping money in. You see the budget is balanced…everyone back to the sandbox for funtime.
Of course she supports it! Obama says, “jump,” and Babs says, “How High?” SSDD! Got no use for Democrats or Republicans at this point!
After 20 years Babs has finally seen the light. She now supports putting money “back” into the pockets of the people who earned it. If she hadn’t supported every scheme to raise taxes for the last 20 + years we’d all be alot better off. Well some people might not be better off. Illegals, welfare queens, move to opportunity folks, Acorn workers, Medicare & Medicade cheats, HUD employees, etc. might not be too happy.
A payroll tax holiday is an election gimmick. It’s junk. The only good thing about it is the idea of putting money back into the hands of people who will actually help drive the economy.
This illusion that Obama or the Tea Pary is going to save anyone is ridiculous.
Noble, If they put more money in my hands I assure you I won’t spend it. I will save every dime. And I am not alone in that.
These guys scare me to death. I have no debt and I will never again have one dollar of debt. Not a dollar. And I will always have one eye on the door in case I need to escape from Absurdistan. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Tea Party, don’t take your eyes off any of them.
You and me both Alex. And lot more Americans than is usual because of how difficult things are these days.
However, the average person, meaning at least half of us, are going to get some money in our pockets and Pass GO and spend it.
And like magic, the American economy sputters to life.
Is Mikulski still a Senator? Sheesh, I kind of lost track of her. She is so, what word can I use, irrelevant? Is it possible to be both dangerous and irrelevant at the same time? Maybe not. Babs never saw a spending package she didn’t immediately adore. And she has never seen a tax increase that doesn’t make per positivley salivate with the thoughts of all of the new income the government will have to spend. She is a shopaholic that uses our money to feed her addiction.
She’s a place holder for Owe’Malley to take that seat when he’s done screwing up the state from the Governor’s office.
Anybody else notice him in the background behind Michell Obama up in the gallery?
He’s SO cool. I thought his face would crack in half from so much smiling.
YOU HAVE PROBABLY HAVE NEVER HAD TO CONTACT HER FOR HELP. LET ME TELL YOU SHE IS ONE OF THE FEW IN WASHINGTON WHO RESPOND AND HELP. I AGREE THIS COUNTRY HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS. MOST OF OUR FAMILIES CAME HERE AS IMMIGRANTS AND WERE PROUD TO WORK AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE AND IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DO THIS THEN GO BACK TO YOU’RE COUNTRY BECAUSE THIS NOT THE PACE FOR YOU. I AM TIRED OF WORKING TWO JOBS TO SUPPORT YOU. AND I BELIEVE IF YOU WANT A JOB THERE IS ONE OUT THERE IT MIGHT BE THE JOB YOU WANT BUT THERE IS A JOB AND IF STOP THE HANDOUT THESE PEOPLE WILL FIND WORK. RECENTLY I NEEDED WORK DONE AND GUESS WHAT I COULD NOT GET ONE DAMN PERSON TO DO IT. DIANNE
I do know from many years of personal accounts that her office is very good about trying to help regular people with regular problems.
Whether or not you agree with her politics.
Ms. Mikulski,
Why does Congress need to act now? What is the urgency you reference? I see no reason at all to rush in to this. President Obama, and the Congress as well, and that would include you Senator, took a nice long vacation while all of these issues were going on. There was no urgency then, and people were hurting just as much then as they are now that all of you fine folks in Washington have returned.
Silly Alex. It’s urgent because there’s an election coming.
Darn, Noble. I forgot. Well that changes everything. You are right. Now suddenly everything is important. And most of all fundraising. Don’t forget fundraising. And the lobbyists will be working overtime. Good thing everybody got a nice, long vacation. Now they are back and all rested up for the long and arduous road ahead to the next election.
If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. I don’t know how these folks get any real work done. First they have to raise money, then they have to campaign, then they celebrate their victory, then the take a vacation, then they start raising money, then the start campaigning all over again. Maybe some time out for a nice high profile local appearance – a natural disaster is always good – or a committee investigation with lots of media present. Lunch with this lobbyist, dinner with that one. A nice speech before an association with a juicy honorarium. Maybe even a power breakfast. Work work, work. Maybe a junket or two to some critical international location like Switzerland or Paris. Better take the spouse along. It’s for the good of the country, you know.
Better get those Harford County voter rolls fixed. Who knew?
Don’t do anything until Obama comes up with how he is going to pay for his new stimulus plan.
Legal American,
It’s not “how” he is going to pay for it but “who” is going to pay for it.
And the answer, my friend, is you. You are going to pay for it. And your children. And your grandchildren.
The real questions about the job bill is IF it is to be passed, where will the funds come from to pay for it? The govt. needs to address the areas that it will, to quote a friend, un-wind the gov’t to show what funds can be cut, ie. in the Transportation or EPA depts., is it important to fund hot air balloons or to allow oil exploration in our homelands?
The funds for MD ought to be used to address the rennovations of schools, not new construction, and not new teachers. Not because we don’t want new teachers, but how will the raises for the teachers or the salaries for the new teachers, be paid for next year?
I suggest that we do not spend new money, until we cut it from another program, or un-ravel the mess of the stimulus bill, the wasted spending in all aspects of the govt., Fed, state and local.