MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript
Interview
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Tell us about it.
REP. GARY PETERS (D), MICHIGAN: Well, you"re right, Ed. And your comments are absolutely right with the unemployment. We"ve got to get this economy turned around, and we know the real engine of growth.
Here in Michigan, as well as around the country, are our small businesses. Two out of every three jobs is created in small businesses. They need help.
And we were able to pass legislation this week that will get loans, the ability for these small businesses to have access to loans, because as you know, these big Wall Street banks are not lending on Main Street, they"re not providing money to those small businesses that are the engine of growth. And so we passed legislation to provide our local lenders with the tools that they need to get the money in the hands of those Main Street businesses, those folks that are starting to now see things starting to stabilize, want to add an employee or two, but they can"t get a loan from the bank because the big Wall Street banks are not lending on Main Street.
That"s why we need to help our local lenders.
SCHULTZ: All right. Let"s talk about the stimulus package, because a lot of Americans out there think that it"s not working, it"s not helping. The president was just in Ohio today marking the startup of the umpteenth project that"s out there.
But here"s where Americans are right now with the polling. NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll: 38 percent is where they are, is helping, will help. And will not help at 42 percent.
What do you make of this number?
PETERS: Well, I think people just are continuing to be frustrated with the fact that the economy has been so slow to recover. And it"s taking some time. And I understand the pain. We"re certainly feeling it here in Michigan.
But I think it"s very important to remind people where we were just last January. When I first came into office as a new member of Congress, that first month this country was hemorrhaging, over 700,000 jobs a month were being lost.
SCHULTZ: No doubt.
PETERS: It was an incredibly frightening situation. We were looking over the cliff into the abyss, and there was no bottom.
I mean, things have slowly been starting to turn around. We"re still in a very fragile situation. People are still very uncertain. We"re still hurting, certainly here in Michigan, but we"re starting to see some turn.
SCHULTZ: It"s capital. It is access to capital.
Congressman, you did the right thing. Keep up the fight. That"s a great bill. Let"s hope it doesn"t get stalled in the Senate like everything else.
PETERS: We"re going to be pushing hard, Ed. Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Thank you, Congressman Peters. Absolutely.
My commitment to the unemployed is unwavering. Now, last night was my final stop in my American Workers Tour. I held a town hall meeting in Broomfield, Colorado, just outside Denver.
And once again, I had a lump in my throat, as our team did, as we heard story after story. There are hard-working Americans out there through no fault of their own who have been gutted by this economy that are desperately looking for work. A lot of their old jobs are being shipped overseas.
Take a listen to a lady who stood up and said this to the crowd--
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I worked for IBM for 28 years. I was laid off last year.
My job was to count all--to add up all the savings of all the jobs that were being shipped overseas. I (INAUDIBLE) for 10 years, counting all the savings that IBM and all the other corporations added up to ship these jobs overseas.
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SCHULTZ: You know, I want to just share one quick story with you, because we run into folks all over the country who have got a passion for being an entrepreneur, a passion for starting up their own because they"ve been outsourced, they"re trying to do something else, people in their 40s and 50s that are trying to start over.
We came across a gentleman last night named Steve Larson, S&H Products in Denver. This is what he"s making.
This is a brass nozzle for your hose at your home. He got tired of going to some of the stores in this country and buying stuff from China that was breaking. And brass is big in Colorado.
So he had started this company where he makes stuff for gardening.
This is a brass nozzle, made in America.
And you know what we have to have, folks? We have to have, I think, a passion for economic patriotism in this country.
Do we believe in making it in America? Do we believe in buying American?
I would love to see every elected official in Washington start talking about "Buy American." It"s jobs.
And this guy, Mr. Larson, I"m sure he could use a little loan so he can make more stuff with American materials and hire American people. There are thousands upon thousands of Americans out there who need access to capital to make their dream happen.
This is what the politicians ought to be doing. There is no right and left. There is right and wrong on this.
Coming up, "Psycho Talker" Michele Bachmann, well, she"s had no shame in sticking up for BP. But now she"s swears she"s not shilling for them.
That"s a slippery slope that just slid her right into the "Zone," next.
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