Obama pushes Congress to help states hire teachers

(CBS News) In his weekly address, President Obama urged Congress to pass aid for states to hire more public sector workers, including teachers.

"When states struggle, it's up to Congress to step in and help out," the president said, referring to layoffs in some states of public sector workers because of tight state budgets.

The president's weekly address is a continuation of the message he delivered on Friday to pressure Congress to pass his "to-do" list aimed at assisting the struggling economy. But his message was overshadowed when he said during a question and answer session of a news conference that the private sector is "doing fine."

Republicans, including presidential challenger Mitt Romney, pushed back, calling the president "out of touch."

"It's an extraordinary miscalculation and misunderstanding by a President who is out of touch, and we're going to take back this country and get America working again," Romney said in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Mr. Obama then walked back his statement saying, "If you look at what I said this morning, we've actually seen some good momentum in the private sector... record corporate profits...so that has not been the greatest drag on the economy."

Obama hits Republicans for lack of action on jobs
Romney: Is Obama "really that out of touch?"
Obama backtracks on comments that the economy is "fine"

The president, however, continues to press his message, blaming Congress for inaction.

"That's why a critical part of the jobs bill that I sent to Congress back in September was to help states prevent even more layoffs and rehire even more teachers who had lost their jobs," the president said. "But months later, we're still waiting on Congress to act."

"I know this is an election year. But some things are bigger than an election," he said.

In the Republicans' weekly address, Rep. Erik Paulson of Minnesota also talked about the economy in the context of health care. He said Republicans in Congress are working to "removing government barriers to job creation," including repealing parts of the president's health care law.

"The bottom line is this: the president's health care law is driving up health care costs and hurting small businesses, and for the sake of our economy, it must fully be repealed," Paulson said.

[sjc_1]

What the GOP is attacking is a middle class way of life. We all used to have good salaries and pensions, but with all the outsourcing, downsizing and off shoring, there is nothing left in the private "service sector". So now they say, since we have screwed you and you are too poor to pay for it, we will go after the public employees, the last bit of a decent middle class life.

[sjc_1]

A 5% tax on incomes over $1 million brings in more than $400 billion. I think some teachers, fire and police can keep their job if the top 1% pays a bit more. Raise the capital gains tax from 15% to 20% then the tens of thousands of hedge fund managers will have to actually pay a real tax on taking millions of dollars out of their funds.

During Ike, we had a much higher tax rate and there were NO deficits. People realized that you had to pay your share to do business in this country. Corporations paid 40% of the federal budget through taxes, now they pay 7%. It is not asking the worker to pay more, just the people using loopholes to pay less.

[sjc_1]

My point being, if the board rooms had not sold America down the river for more profits, we would all still have a good standard of living then we could support a public sector. Guess who sold us out? Guess which party has the most people in corporate board rooms? You get the idea.

[SilverBirds-RevSlappy]

by legalbutnotjust June 10, 2012 2:41 PM EDT
by SilverBirds-RevSlappy June 10, 2012 7:35 AM EDT

It appears you like having your behind kissed by RepubsR if you pretend to now see that.
More power too you!
RepubsR is an obnoxious person and site bully. If you can't see that
and that's who you like conversing with for hours, it says a lot about you.
Birds of a feather flock together.

--------------

Well, that is your opinion. In truth, there was on one particular thread a point in which slow got under my skin, though I would stop short of calling it "bullying." I think he may have been 'tying one over,' if you know what I mean. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. And there ignorance- which, by the way, I don't see a lot of in slownewsday. He sweems very bright and thoughtful. And there's a sense of fair play amidst his discourse, in general I'll add. I'm not patronizing, just calling it like I see it.

if you are the former user who went by Atheist_AlQuada- and that was your past screen name (I'm not sure), well than I'd have to say that by your very identity on this site, you harbor some sort of sentiment most all others on here probably do not. And if even others like yourself feel the same way, they have a more appropriately American way of showing it. My opinion.

----

by legalbutnotjust June 10, 2012 2:41 PM EDT
by SilverBirds-RevSlappy June 10, 2012 7:35 AM EDT

It appears you like having your behind kissed by RepubsR if you pretend to now see that.
More power too you!
RepubsR is an obnoxious person and site bully. If you can't see that
and that's who you like conversing with for hours, it says a lot about you.
Birds of a feather flock together.

--------------

Well, that is your opinion. In truth, there was on one particular thread a point in which slow got under my skin, though I would stop short of calling it "bullying." I think he may have been 'tying one over,' if you know what I mean. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. And there ignorance- which, by the way, I don't see a lot of in slownewsday. He sweems very bright and thoughtful. And there's a sense of fair play amidst his discourse, in general I'll add. I'm not patronizing, just calling it like I see it.

if you are the former user who went by Atheist_AlQuada- and that was your past screen name (I'm not sure), well than I'd have to say that by your very identity on this site, you harbor some sort of sentiment most all others on here probably do not. And if even others like yourself feel the same way, they have a more appropriately American way of showing it. My opinion.

[SilverBirds-RevSlappy]

Hey legal, the only people who like this nut are few in number or just like him. No body with any common sense can stand this troll who plays games with the other posters he disagress with on here and is just a site irritant who needs to get a personality and some professional help. You may find him bright and thoughtful but it takes more than that to be a a decent human being. The guy has no character and is a miserable human being venting his frustrations and dysfunctional issues on here.
To get to the point the guy is a sick jerk and is a pain in the arse.

Just what does 'More of American way of showing it mean in "your" opinion"
I thought you were an intelligent person but that only is for the political knowledge you possess.
As far as being a judge of character you have no clue and are as bad as as he is in my opinion.

[fiddlestickawshucks]

If nt for GB2, Congress and Obama, we wouldn't have to ask for financal help to support education or anything else for that matter.

Politicians feather their own nests and retire.

Not one politician puts his life on the line every day as do our police officers and firefighters.

When it comes to budget cuts ANYWHERE; budgets for firemen, police officers, teachers etc.; their budgets should be off limits to any and all cuts.

Many cities are whining about how much their pensions cost them.!

TO: All City and state officials,

ASK YOURSELF, WHERE YOU WOULD BE WITHOUT THEM.?????!!!

[credibility2]

Throughout his entire adulthood, the community-activist president has only cared about growing and bloating the public sector. This doesn't lead to growing or strengthening the economy. He'll never get it because his brain isn't capable of grasping it.

[purplestates]

Let's also remember that Ronny Reagan grew the national debt by 189% during his entire Presidency, and by a full 51% in his first three years versus 41% for Obama in his first three years. Obama is doing better than Reagan regarding debt.

Our debt went from $930 billion to $2.7 trillion during St. Reagan's two terms, during which time our hypocritical Republican friends kept reminding us that 'deficits don't matter' ....(until a Black Democratic President is elected).

Nixon-Ford and Bush Sr. also ran up deficits.

Dubya not only ran up huge deficits, he ran the train off the tracks.

This country has not had a serious national Republican fiscal leader in modern times.

When Republicans say they want to balance the budget or manage the national debt, they are lying.

[SilverBirds-RevSlappy]

What the hell does Reagan have to do with what Obama is doing now?
He didn't make Obama the incompetent moron that he is.
Boy are his clueless lemmings grasping at straws these days.
Losers all of them.

[purplestates]

We're broke. That's what the GOP says.

Why is the bloated military budget sacrosanct? Spending has tripled since 1997. Infrastructure projects create 40% more jobs per dollar than spending on the military, health care creates 70% more jobs, and education creates 240% more jobs.

Medicare for all would save hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Almost one-third of every dollar goes to insurance middlemen and administrative waste on the provider end due to a patchwork system.

$150 billion is lost annually on the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% and by taxing capital gains at a lower rate than income.

$100 billion is lost annually to offshore tax shelters.

$58 billion is lost annually on tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

Over $11 billion is lost annually on tax breaks and subsidies for oil, gas, and coal companies.

Billions in subsidies and giveaways for Big Pharma, Big Agra, and other industries.

Bank of America, Exxon, GE, Boeing, Chevron, and Valero Energy paid zero taxes and received refunds in at least one year from 2006 to 2010.

Private equity and hedge fund managers, including Romney, benefit from the carried interest loophole.

These are statistics from an oligarchy, not a democracy.

If we do not take care of our infrastructure needs, provide an excellent education for all children, make health care universal and affordable, break our dependence from oil and invest in a clean energy economy, we will not be competitive on the world stage.

[raymailhot]

The federal government jumped into the state and local business of "education" when the DOE was created in the late 1970s. No improvement would be a good sign that maybe these attempts to direct or bailout the states on their duties fails miserably and we should be heading in a better direction than throwing money at the support of the education unions.

[purplestates]

you're misinform about education, see my comment above.

[SilverBirds-RevSlappy]

Purple the color of ignorance?
'you're misinform about education'?
Looks like you need a real education.
You are as "misinformed some Bozo on here called RepubsR.

[Atheist_al_Qaeda]

Obama wants more government union jobs to help empower him with union campaign dollars, votes and to indoctrinate our kids in progressive socialism and ideology with the biased rewritten history and other left wing topics and politics they support.
A new army of socialist voters of the future.
Parents if you can afford it, send your kids to a private or parochial school or home school them.
You will so glad you did.
I was

[stormerF69]

So Obama wans more teachers, For what? more votes of course,Since we have adopted a department of education we have gone down hill in world standing,and all Obama wants to do is throw money at the problem. The states tax us to death for Teachers,Policemen,and firemen,they get to retire after 20 years with medical and a pension for life. They are not the responsibility of the federal government,they are state and local responsibility.

[retmw1]

How about the politicians who can retire after 1 or 2 terms with premium medical and pension for life, Those teachers, police and firefighters work a lot more hours and harder then any politician. I never hear you on the right complain about their perks.

[sjc_1]

You presume that they will vote a certain way after being hired. What makes you think they won't even if they are not?

[moretruthnow]

President Obama is right. We need to hire more teachers, police officers and plenty more middle class people for jobs that have benefits. Republican governors are pushing privatization meaning no benefits. Just a minimum wage job so that businesses make more profits while employees are just lucky to have a job. They won't provide health insurance or a retirement plan or job security. Republican billionaires ending what Americans need to insure a secure future.

[stormerF69]

WE need better teachers not more,We are taxed to death at the state level for Teachers,Policemen,and firemen.That is if you pay taxes?We need less government to insure our future not more,How are Billionaires ending what is needed just one example that makes any sense?

[retmw1]

Yep more private contractors, have you ever seen your taxes go down when the government privatizes? Less firefighters and police and your homeowners insurance goes up, bet you never thought about that did you stormer.