Where I Stand

WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

As I watch Tennessee families work harder and longer every day, I know they aren't earning but a few dollars more than when President Bush took office. In 2000, the median annual income for Tennesseans was $39,920, and it has grown just 2 percent since then.

Why the economic stagnation? A lot of it stems from the fact that good paying high-tech and manufacturing jobs are no longer easy to come by. The promises of NAFTA and other trade deals ring hollow throughout Tennessee. In fact, this state has lost nearly 80,000 jobs as a direct result of uneven trade deals. I believe we must revisit these trade treaties with the focus not just on free trade but also on FAIR trade.

Speaking of fair, I find it appalling how long it took to get an increase in the minimum wage - Senator Alexander voted five times against raising it. It stood at $5.15 for far too long, and even with an increase, it will only go to $7.25 an hour by next year.

On top of that, Senator Alexander has voted at least a dozen times against targeted tax cuts for working-class families. I will work for tax law that favors working-class Tennesseans. Like permanently ending the marriage penalty, extending the special 10 percent tax bracket, making the $1,000 child credit permanent and working to eliminate the estate tax for 99.7 percent of estates.

We also need to start rewarding businesses that create jobs in this country and penalize those that ship work elsewhere. Young Tennesseans ought to be able to find good-paying jobs without having to go to Atlanta or Chicago or Charlotte. Stand with me, and I will work to make it happen.

POINTS FOR TENNESSEANS TO THINK ABOUT

  • Working Tennesseans just can't get ahead. They are working harder but are making only a sorry 1.9 percent more a year under Bush/Alexander.
  • Good-paying manufacturing jobs, which used to be the backbone of many Tennessee communities, declined by almost 19 percent since President Bush took office.
  • We must renegotiate NAFTA to promote not only free trade but FAIR trade that puts better paying manufacturing and high-tech jobs right here.
  • We must make sure the minimum wage increases at a reasonable rate and never again lags behind as it did during the Bush/Alexander years.
  • We can use tax policy to reward companies that keep better paying jobs in this country and penalize the ones that outsource them overseas.
  • Unemployment threatens to unravel our nation's middle class, leaving us as a society of a few haves and too many have-nots.
  • The Bush/Alexander economy is in freefall, yet their response is to block things like an extension in unemployment benefits or agree only to scaled-back assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure.
  • Tennesseans need an economic policy that once again makes middle-class prosperity a reality. Stand with me, and I will deliver on that dream.

I Want to Hear from You!