By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congressman Mike Rogers (R) said in an email to constituents on Saturday, February 15 that he and House Republicans are concerned about the economy, but President Barack H. Obama (D) and Senate Democrats continued to block House jobs bills.
Representative Rogers said, “All of us across East Alabama are wondering recently if our economy is showing signs of life or not. On the heels of December’s disappointing jobs report, January’s jobs report proved to be equally disappointing. Only 113,000 jobs were added across the country which continues our concerns over the direction our economy is headed.”
Congressman Rogers continued, “House Republicans remain focusedon passing bills that could help add jobs to our struggling economy. Disappointingly, Senate Democrats and the president continue to oppose important House-passed jobs legislation.”
Congresswoman Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery recently expressed similar concerns in recent Facebook comments. Rep. Roby wrote, “Another jobs report, another cycle of bad news. We need economic policies that get Washington out of the way and get people back to work – like the over 30 House-passed jobs bills that await action in the Senate.”
Rep. Rogers wrote, “On top of the jobs reports, you may have seen more disturbing news about Obamacare’s impact on jobs. A recent non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report found that by 2017, Obamacare would push two million employees out of the workforce and 2.5 million employees out of the workforce over the next decade.”
The conservative Alabama Congressman said, “These forecasted unemployment numbers coupled with our current economic climate don’t give most folks across East Alabama or our nation a lot of faith in our economy’s future. We already knew the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was a very flawed law, but now also knowing it could displace more people from good paying jobs just brings more uncertainty.”
Rep. Rogers concluded, “I still believe Obamacare should be repealed and replaced with common-sense solutions that help expand our nation’s health care coverage. Congress is debating alternatives now, and I am monitoring those proposals. Until a better idea emerges, I will continue to fight against Obamacare and the devastating impact it is having on families and jobs.”
In another blow to President Obama’s agenda, the CBO released a report on Tuesday showing that President Obama’s controversial proposed hike in the minimum wage would cost America another 500,000 jobs in this already weak economy. The President’s controversial immigration reform has stalled in the House over concerns that substantially increasing levels of legal immigration will only worsen conditions for American workers and the shrinking middle class.
More and more Americans are dropping out of the workforce relying on the generosity of the government, private charities, and/or their families and friends for their existence. According to recently released numbers, America’s rate of people earning a paycheck has dropped to an all-time low at 43.8%, meaning less than half of our eligible workers earn a living. Alabama’s rate of payroll to population is 40.6%, below the national average. All of this while the federal government is borrowing an average of a $trillion a year to prop up this economy.
