The Hill News

The election that polarized our country is behind us and a new Congress is back in Washington to address the many challenges facing our nation. While the number of Democrats and Republicans in each chamber has changed, one thing has not: more than 14 million Americans need jobs.

People like Robert Baker, a Milwaukee construction worker who specializes in elevators. He is one of the millions of long-term unemployed workers in America. Despite his specialized skill set, he hasn't been able to find work for more than a year. Robert, a proud man in his sixties, has been collecting unemployment benefits to survive, but would much rather have a permanent job.

Robert’s situation isn’t unique. With an estimated one job for every four unemployed workers, there’s little sign of any relief for our families and communities. Every minute, two more families lose their homes to foreclosure. Every 20 seconds, another American files for bankruptcy. Yesterday, near! ly one in four kids in our country went to bed hungry. One in six Americans looked for work and, in just the first week of 2011, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time rose to 445,000.

America can do better.

Read more...