Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

Congress needs to be more proactive in creating jobs and improving our infrastructure - from roads and bridges to telecommunications. Job creation should be a key consideration in all pieces of legislation. This district, in particular, needs more diverse job opportunities, to help inoculate against the wild swings we've had in tourism and construction based industries. It's critical that we bring more Federal dollars into our area to spur on bio-tech, clean energy, and other technology based businesses. This will be a key focus of my campaign and work in Congress.

Even with the recent increase, a person earning minimum wage in Florida, working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks of the year still makes well less than $20,000. This country needs to ensure that all workers are earning a living wage - and not teeter just one illness or accident away from disaster. A higher wage means more parents can be there for their kids instead of taking second or third jobs, and more total people can be employed. In places where the minimum wage is highest- Santa Fe, for example - a higher wage has had no negative effect on employment.

Daniel Webster and the Republican house leadership are simply making wrong decisions regarding our economy. While the Federal Reserve works to reduce unemployment to below 6.5%, the Republican controlled House of Representatives has demanded contractionary fiscal policy that holds back the U.S. economy and slows the rate of job growth. With a fixation on the national debt, the conservative ideology of austerity has only made the deficit problem worse. It has made life harder for Americans, weakened the national economy and increased the debt burden. Congress should fund investments that have long-term value and that will put people to work. We need to repair neglected infrastructure, build needed future infrastructure, like state-of-the-art rail systems that are common in other advanced countries, prepare workers for today's world market and build a renewable energy system that frees us from expensive fossil fuel. These are all needed investments that will spur job growth, economic health and the increased tax revenue needed to restore Federal Government budget balance.

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