President Obama's Weekly Address 9/12/15: A New College Scorecard

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President announced the launch of a new College Scorecard, meant to help students and parents identify which schools provide the biggest bang for your buck. Designed with input from those who will use it most, the Scorecard offers reliable data on factors important to prospective students, such as how much graduates earn, and how much debt they have when they graduate. In an economy where some higher education is still the surest ticket to the middle class, the choices that Americans make when searching for and selecting a college have never been more important. That’s why the President is committed to making sure there exists reliable information that helps students find the college that best fits their needs so that they can succeed.

President Obama's Weekly Address 9/5/15: This Labor Day, Lets Talk About the Budget

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President recognized Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining what needs to be done to continue that growth. Our businesses have created 13.1 million new jobs over the past five and a half years, the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in seven years, and seventeen states across the country have raised the minimum wage. The President stressed that to continue this progress, Congress needs to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt middle-class Americans and pass a responsible budget before the end of September. The President emphasized that Congress should not play games with our economy, and instead pass a budget that invests in our middle-class and helps those who work hard and play by the rules to get ahead.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/17/14: State of the Union Is This Tuesday

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President recounted the stories of letter writers from around the country who will be joining him when he delivers his annual State of the Union Address this Tuesday: Carolyn, who was able to expand her small business through a Small Business Administration loan, and this year raised wages for their hourly employees; Jason, a wounded warrior who served in Afghanistan and is now back home with his wife and first daughter, born in November; and Victor, who affords his student loans with help from the Income Based Repayment Plan, and has health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act. Stories like theirs are proof of the progress our country has made. The President encouraged everyone to tune in Tuesday evening to hear more about America’s comeback, and the steps we can take to ensure all Americans – not just a fortunate few – benefit from our American resurgence.

President Obama's Weekly Address 12/20/14: America’s Resurgence Is Real

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President reflected on the significant progress made by this country in 2014, and in the nearly six years since he took office. This past year has been the strongest for job growth since the 1990s, contributing to the nearly 11 million jobs added by our businesses over a 57-month streak. America is leading the rest of the world, in containing the spread of Ebola, degrading and ultimately destroying ISIL, and addressing the threat posed by climate change. And earlier this week, the President announced the most significant changes to our policy towards Cuba in over 50 years. America’s resurgence is real, and the President expressed his commitment to working with Congress in the coming year to make sure Americans feel the benefits.

President Obama's Weekly Address 10/4/14: We Do Better When the Middle Class Does Better

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted that six years after the Great Recession, thanks to the hard work of the American people and the President’s policies, our economy has come back further and faster than any other nation on Earth. With 10.3 million private sector jobs added over 55 straight months, America’s businesses have extended the longest streak of private-sector job gains on record. But even with this progress, too many Americans have yet to feel the benefits. The President reiterated the vision he set out earlier this week for steps that can lay a new foundation for stronger growth, rising wages, and expanded economic opportunity for middle class families.

The Middle Class Jumpstart

The following is a newsletter from Congressman Frank Pallone:

As your Member of Congress, my focus has always been and will always be ensuring that every American, regardless of their race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or socio-economic status, has a fair shot at making it in this country.

Frank Pallone

Unfortunately, Republicans continue to ignore legislation in Congress that would safeguard this essential element of the American Dream. Instead, they have chosen to double-down on political stunts and partisan gridlock. Meanwhile, the American middle class remains on the losing end.

Democrats in Congress, however, have proposed a legislative initiative – called “the Middle Class Jumpstart” – that addresses the challenges facing the middle class with a three-prong strategy:

• Providing tax incentives for creating good-paying jobs here at home, as well as authorizing the repair and modernization of America’s roads, rails, bridges and broadband technology

• Guaranteeing both women and men get equal pay for equal work, as well as strengthening the “Violence Against Women Act” and expanding access to comprehensive health care and family planning

• Making college more affordable and allow students to refinance their college loans to new, lower rates, as well as increasing access to effective early childhood learning

I remain committed to passing these bills and revitalizing our middle class to ensure our nation remains prosperous and rich with opportunity for all Americans.

Frank Pallone
Member of Congress

President Obama's Weekly Address 9/6/14: Time to Give the Middle Class a Chance

WASHINGTON, DC —In this week’s address, the Vice President discusses our continued economic recovery, with 10 million private sector jobs created over the past 54 months. Yet even with this good news, too many Americans are still not seeing the effects of our recovery. As the Vice President explains, there’s more that can be done to continue to bolster our economy and ensure that middle class families benefit from the growth they helped create, including closing tax loopholes, expanding education opportunities, and raising the minimum wage.

Democrats For Public Education Op-Ed: It's All About the Children

Time and again, we hear this refrain from everyone who ever talks about education, from every angle. It's been the purported basis of speeches, documentaries and now lawsuits. But how can it be all about the children when you have some - under the guise of "education reform" - undermining America's public schools?

As kids across the country go back to school, it's time to get back to the basic values that bind us together. As one of the chairs of a new organization called Democrats for Public Education, I'm part of a group focused on just that - supporting public education. We believe in instilling critical thinking skills needed for 21st-century jobs and the new economy. We support superior standards and finding ways to make classrooms challenging and rewarding for both teachers and students. And we're committed to a level playing field for all with well-resourced schools responsive to the needs of our communities.

As a proud graduate of Louisiana's public schools, I know the importance of a good public education. I know just how tough it is to make something of yourself when you start off with little or nothing. Right now, a galling 22 percent of children in America - the richest country in history - live in poverty, and nearly half come from low-income families struggling to meet basic needs. The only way we can break cycles of poverty, while revitalizing and growing our middle-class, is to support our public schools. Frankly, it's the way we can provide a springboard for the working poor and preserve our American values.

Education is not a business. Students aren't robots, and they shouldn't be treated like assembly line workers at the test prep factory. Attempts to move our classrooms toward an unregulated, survival-of-the-fittest, business-first mentality ignores the purpose of education. Indeed, the very premise of "market-driven education reform" rests on a lie. It's an outright fallacy that our public school system is in crisis and that the only solution is to let the market pick winners and losers. Our kids are not losers! We must measure success not by how children score on a narrow standardized test, but by how they deal with the varied tests of life.

Tests don't inspire learning. Teachers and parents do. We should be championing educators as heroes. They're the ones dedicating their lives to shaping young minds. They're the ones in the classroom day in and day out. So when education professionals with decades of first-hand experience give constructive criticism, we should listen with open ears and an open mind. Simply put, they're the ones who know best.

Here's what dedicated parents and seasoned educators all across the country see: stalled reform efforts, poor implementation of programs and nervous students spending 30 percent of their school year on test preparation. By speaking out about this troubling pattern, teachers are exemplifying what it truly means to be answerable to and responsible for the well-being of children.

Teachers aren't afraid of real accountability. But the accountability of a teacher - or the achievement of a student - cannot and should never be boiled down to a few test scores per year. Further, it's doubly unfair to judge teachers on student performance, when the performance itself is being judged by an imperfect, dubious standard. According to a PDK/Gallup poll, three in four Americans believe the previous decade's obsession with standardized testing either had no effect or even hurt our schools. It's no surprise that nearly 60 percent say they don't support using test scores to evaluate teachers.

No one benefits when "education experts" - many with only a couple years in the classroom and some with none at all - tell teachers that their expertise doesn't matter and they don't have the best interests of children at heart. When you peel back the onion, it's clear these well-orchestrated attacks are coming from nothing more than a few well-funded, vocal groups intent on cherry-picking statistics and warping facts.

Public schools aren't just a cornerstone of our society, they're also critical democratic institutions. And every child deserves a chance. The assault on public education is an attack on the principles of democracy and the foundation of our country. The "I-Me-Mine" philosophy that drives Wall Street, the corporatists and would-be oligarchs and their political minions doesn't belong in the classroom.

Enough is enough. It's time we collectively push back against efforts to undermine America's education system, our teachers and the kids themselves. That's why, as classrooms start filling up again here at the end of summer, I'm proud to be part of an effort to help Democrats for Public Education get off the ground. It's time to lift up public education and remind everyone that this truly is about our children. The way to do that is by working together in every community to ensure our public schools endure - and thrive - for generations to come.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/30/14: This Labor Day, Let’s Talk About the Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC —In this week’s address, the President wished Americans a Happy Labor Day weekend, highlighted the important economic progress we’ve made, and reaffirmed his commitment to accelerate our progress and ensure that our growing economy fuels a strong middle class. To do this, the President reiterated that Congress should do right by hardworking Americans across the country and raise the minimum wage and he praised the 13 states and Washington, DC as well as employers large and small who have heeded his call and taken action to provide their citizens and employees a fair wage. The President underscored that America built the world’s greatest middle class by making sure that everyone who’s willing to work hard and play by the rules can get ahead – an economic patriotism worth remembering this Labor Day, and every day.

President Obama's Weekly Address 7/12/14: Expanding Opportunity – It’s Time for Congressional Republicans to Do Their Part

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President recapped his visits with folks who have written him letters about their own American stories -- their successes and struggles. While Congressional Republicans are blocking meaningful measures that would strengthen the middle class, the President continues looking for ways to grow the economy and expand opportunity for more hardworking Americans. The President again urged Congress to join him, as they were elected to do, in working on behalf of everyday Americans – including those the President spent time with this week – by investing in our infrastructure to support American jobs, and ensuring that the Highway Trust Fund does not expire.

President Obama's Weekly Address 5/3/14: The President's Year of Action

WASHINGTON, DC – In this week’s address, the President provided an update on the work his Administration has done to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity for hardworking Americans in this Year of Action. While Republicans in Congress are setting records in obstruction, the President is making progress for the American people and has taken more than 20 executive actions since January.

The President vowed to continue taking action on his own wherever possible, but underscored that much more progress could be made if Republicans in Congress were less interested in stacking the deck in favor of those at the top, and more interested in expanding opportunity for all.

President Obama's Weekly Address 4/5/14: The President’s Budget Ensures Opportunity for All Hard-Working Americans

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the important differences between the budget he’s put forward – built on opportunity for all – and the budget House Republicans are advocating for, which stacks the deck against the middle class. While the President is focused on building lasting economic security and ensuring that hard-working Americans have the opportunity to get ahead, Republicans are advancing the same old top-down approach of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and slashing important investments in education, infrastructure, and research and development.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/8/14: Expanding Opportunity for the American People

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said he will do everything he can to make a difference for the middle class and those working to get into the middle class, so that we can expand opportunity for all and build an economy that works for the American people.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/18/14 : Making 2014 a Year of Action to Expand Opportunities for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama said 2014 will be a year of action, and called on both parties to help make this a breakthrough year for the United States by bringing back more good jobs and expanding opportunities for the middle class.

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/4/14 : Time to Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said Congress should act to extend emergency unemployment insurance for more than one million Americans who have lost this vital economic lifeline while looking for a job. Letting emergency unemployment insurance expire not only harms American families, but it is also a drag on the overall economy. The President urges both parties to pass the bipartisan three-month extension under consideration in the Senate so that we can once again focus on expanding opportunities for the middle class and creating jobs for all hardworking Americans.

Asbury Park Press Endorses GOP Incumbents in LD 13 But Suggests Democrat Friedman As "Excellent Alternative"

 Allison Friedman

For the past 10 days or so the Asbury Park Press has been issuing their endorsements of various candidates for this year's November 5th election and as usual, much of their reasoning has often been convoluted and contradictory.

Such is the case in the 13th Legislative District where the APP suggested that voters have an "excellent alternative" in Democrat Allison Friedman while trying very hard to justify their choice to endorse the GOP incumbents Joe Kyrillos, Amy Handlin and Declan O'Scanlon, all of whom at one time or another, have supported extreme right-wing and Tea Party agendas that have run against the middle class, minorities, women and blue collared workers.

The APP had this to say about Friedman in a somewhat back-handed endorsement of her candidacy. After all, she has some ideas, not just complaints:

"...For those unhappy with either of the two Assembly incumbents, Friedman provides an excellent alternative. She might well be the strongest Democratic challenger in any of the six Shore-area legislative races.

Friedman has clearly articulated ideas and suggestions that would benefit both the poor and middle class in New Jersey, including the need for bail reform to limit the cost to Monmouth County of incarcerating people accused of low-level crimes who cannot afford to post bail..."

President Obama's Weekly Address 11/2/13: Passing a Budget that Reflects our Priorities

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that in order to keep growing the economy and creating good jobs, Washington must end its cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds. It’s time for both parties to work together to pass a budget that reflects our priorities – making smart cuts in things we don’t need and closing wasteful tax loopholes, while investing in areas that create opportunities for the middle class and our future generations.

There's No Debating The Obvious

by Josh Levitt
Buono for Governor



At tonight's debate, Governor Christie will attempt to do the impossible: defend his failed economic record. No matter how Governor Christie tries to duck and dodge away from his record, he cannot hide from the facts. It's clear that Governor Christie's ineffective trickle-down economic policies have decimated New Jersey's economy, leaving the middle class and working poor without quality opportunities and struggling to make ends meet.

The economic figures paint the sorry picture of New Jersey's economy under Chris Christie. Over the past four years, New Jersey has one of the worst rates of job creation of any state in the country. With 400,000 residents out of work, New Jersey's unemployment rate currently sits more than a point above the national average and is one of the highest in the region. In the past two months alone, New Jersey lost a staggering 12,000 jobs.

Instead of building an economy that works for all New Jerseyans, this Governor has prioritized millionaires and big corporations over workers and families. Governor Christie has staunchly protected millionaires from paying their fair share, all while raising taxes on low-income New Jerseyans by slashing the Earned Income Tax Credit and vetoing an increase of the minimum wage. It's no surprise that the poverty rate in New Jersey recently reached a 52-year high.

To top it off, New Jerseyans have been crushed by skyrocketing property tax rates during Christie's time in office. On average, property tax rates have increased by 20 percent over the past four years as Governor Christie has cut essential relief programs and diverted revenue away from municipalities.

With a record like that, there is no debating the obvious: Governor Christie's economic policies have failed New Jersey.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/10/13: A Better Bargain for Responsible, Middle Class Homeowners

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that the housing market is starting to heal, and now it’s time to build on that progress by creating a better bargain for responsible, middle class homeowners. The President announced steps he will take to strengthen the housing market, and now Congress must act to help make homeownership a source of pride and middle class security for generations to come.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/3/13: Securing a Better Bargain for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people that his plan for creating a better bargain for the middle class builds on the progress we’ve made, fighting our way back from the worst economic recession of our lifetimes. The President underscored the need for Congress to end the logjam in Washington and act on his plan that strengthens the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America: a good job, a home that is your own, affordable health care, and a secure retirement.