The Huffington Post - Shared Responsibility for Job Creation

Op-Ed

By Representative Charles Rangel

Hundreds of people braved the November morning chill to wait in line as early as 6 a.m. before the doors for the Rangel Career Fair at the City College of New York on November 14, 2011, where I invited nearly 90 companies and organizations who had jobs available for my constituents. Over 2,000 job seekers attended the fair throughout the day, which showed America's desperate demand for gainful employment and the need to address the prevalent economic inequality we face as a nation.

Shortly after Labor Day, President Barack Obama had called upon Members of Congress to help him put America back to work by passing his jobs plan. It has been more than two months since, yet my Republican colleagues in Congress are refusing to bring the American Jobs Act for a vote. In the meantime, the American people are suffering: 14 million are unemployed; 9.2 million more are underemployed; and 5 percent are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

The situation is worse in our own community as 13% remain jobless, which is far higher than the 9% national unemployment rate. That is why I answered the president's call to put hope back right here in our Manhattan Congressional District and decided to take action that can help alleviate the pain of those who are unemployed.

In my continuous effort to get our community back to work, I organized the Rangel Career Fair which was also an opportunity for me to witness firsthand the urgent need to pump hope back into the hearts of those who are struggling during these hard times. People are losing confidence in their ability to carry out their everyday lives: to make their monthly student loan payment, afford their medicine, buy their kids warm winter clothes, pay the gas bill, and live without the fear of eviction.

The economic disparity in our nation is worsening as 1% of the richest Americans now own 42% of our country's wealth. This is morally wrong. The question is how we can come together as a nation to address this issue and find an equitable solution. It is not just in our Congressional District where people are lining up for hours for a chance at a job and restoring their dignity, but across America.

During such harsh times we in Congress and all Americans have a moral obligation to help those in despair and right the many wrongs in our country right now. The political games must end and we need to work together, Republicans and Democrats alike, for the sake of the American people to pass President Obama's jobs plan that will put millions of people back to work.

However, if Congress is going to remain at a gridlock, all Americans must come together to help change the economic climate in this country before all hope is lost. We can no longer leave it up to just the politicians as we have now seen the failure of the budget 'super committee' to produce any deal to save our country from massive cuts. Now thousands will lose their jobs because of the weak political will that led to the creation of the 'super committee' in the first place.

As much as it didn't make sense that 12 people in the 'super committee' would do the job of the entire United States Congress, we can't have a small number of Americans advocate for the very important decisions being made during these critical hours. Just like all great change in American history, it will take far more than just the elected officials or select groups to make a difference. Everyone should speak up and make their voices heard. They should demand jobs now so that their Representatives can work together in trying to find a real solution to the current jobs crisis.

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