Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

Revitalizing our economy and creating jobs

North Carolina families are facing tough economic times and are anxious about the future. There is no silver bullet that will undo years of misguided leadership. Still, we must pursue immediate efforts to restart our economy, as well as lay a foundation for long-term success.

The U.S. Senate must put job creation at the top of its priorities. Families with good jobs are healthier, wealthier, and more secure. We must focus on the following four paths to long-term economic growth and stability:

* Invest in American Competitiveness Through Education. The most important thing we can do to create a foundation for long-term economic stability is to invest in our children through their schools. To create a seamless system of advanced education and prepare our people for the challenges of tomorrow, we must then connect those students to the job market through our community colleges and universities. (more details)

* Nurture Clean Energy Jobs and the Industries of Tomorrow. We have to use our state's advantages in higher education, research, and finance to take the lead in creating new energy and technology jobs for an increasingly global economy.

* Provide relief for middle class families and new homebuyers. In the short term, we must stabilize the housing market by rewarding work and homeownership through incentivizing new home sales and giving a tax cut to working families.

*Restore Sanity to our Federal Budget. Historic deficits and mounting national debt pose a threat to the recovery of our economy. Too much borrowing crowds out private investment, can set off higher interest rates and cause fragile growth to falter. To drive the budget back towards balance, Congress must restrain spending, eliminate inefficiencies and loopholes in the tax code, enforce "pay-as-you-go" budgeting and, most importantly, reignite jobs growth in the economy.

* Hold Wall Street accountable. We must demand accountability from our financial institutions and put in place proper, responsible regulations to prevent a repeat of the housing and financial meltdowns that brought America's economy to the brink of collapse.

North Carolina should take the lead for our nation by revitalizing our economy. All of the policies we pursue in the Senate must be measured by a simple yard-stick: will they deliver North Carolina families better jobs and provide for an economic turnaround in our state?

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