President Obama's Weekly Address 10/17/15: Working for Meaningful Criminal Justice Reform

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President highlighted the problems in our criminal justice system. Our country faces a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities. There are 2.2 million people behind bars in America today, compared to 500,000 just 30 years ago. This topic isn’t new – the President has talked about the unfairness of much of the criminal justice system since his time in the Senate. And while we’ve taken steps to address this issue, members of both parties agree that we can do more. Over the next few weeks, the President will travel the country and meet with Americans who are working to fix the criminal justice system, from law enforcement officials working to lower the crime and incarceration rates, to former prisoners who are earning their second chance. And he promised to continue to work with Congress to pass meaningful criminal justice reform that makes the system cost-effective, fairer, and smarter, while enhancing the ability of law enforcement to keep our communities safe.

President Obama's Weekly Address 5/16/15: Creating Opportunity for All

In this week’s address, the President highlighted the importance of expanding opportunity for all Americans -- a principle that has guided his work throughout the past six years. This past week, the President attended a summit at Georgetown University where he discussed issues like poverty and inequality, and what we can do to ensure everyone gets a fair shot. We’ve seen real results in this area, but there is still more that can be done. And lack of opportunity is not the only barrier to success. That’s why, on Monday, the President will travel to Camden, New Jersey to visit with local law enforcement, meet with young people, and hear directly about efforts to build trust between the police and the community in a city that has faced one of the highest crime rates in America.

NJPP: What Recovery? Poverty in NJ Continues to Rise

As the rest of the country marches out of the Great Recession, New Jersey is almost alone in watching its condition worsen. While some gains have been made over the past several years, the "Jersey Comeback" announced years ago has stalled out, stunting the opportunities for the vast majority of working New Jerseyans.

That's the key finding in NJPP's new Issue Brief on the 2013 American Community Survey data released last week by the US Census Bureau.

The data clearly show that New Jersey still suffers from rising levels of deep poverty, increasing income inequality and a struggling economy even as these metrics are improving for most of the nation.

New Jersey saw the largest increase in poverty and child poverty in the nation in 2013, with the number of New Jerseyans living in poverty increasing by 63,606 and the number of New Jersey children living in poverty increasing by 21,707.

The Garden State was also one of only three states (along with New Mexico and Washington) to experience a rise in both the total number of residents in poverty and the poverty rate. Meanwhile, median household income is down, the middle class continues to shrink and income inequality continues to rise.

So what should New Jersey policymakers do?

To begin to turn the tide, New Jersey needs to start experiencing a robust and broadly shared economic recovery. The way to build a strong recovery is not simple, but it is clear that the strategies employed by New Jersey policymakers in the post-recession era - cutting taxes for businesses and the state's wealthiest residents while attempting to grow jobs with $4.6 billion in tax-incentive awards - are not working.

But lawmakers would also be well-advised to follow the creed of "first, do no harm" and do what they can to ensure the situation does not continue to worsen even more for those at the bottom. That includes policy solutions like restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit to its pre-2010 level, extending earned sick leave to all New Jersey workers and reversing the decision to end the "Heat and Eat" program, which has resulted in the loss of nutritional benefits to thousands of struggling New Jerseyans.

For a full list of recommendations, and to read the full Issue Brief, click here.

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 3/29/14: Raise The Minimum Wage - It’s The Right Thing To Do For Hardworking Americans

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, Vice President Biden discusses the importance of raising the federal minimum wage. It’s good for workers, it’s good for business, and it would help close the gender pay gap, as women make up more than half of the workers who stand to benefit from a raise. And as the Vice President highlights, Congress should boost the federal minimum wage because it is what a majority of the American people want.

To Be Old Was To Be Destitute

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Earlier this week, I joined the AARP and several thousand area residents for a wide-ranging conversation about Social Security, Medicare, and other issues of concern to seniors in New Jersey.  A video of our conversation is available online.

One topic of conversation was Social Security.  As I noted in the call, Social Security has improved American society.  Back in 1935, to be old was, on average, to be destitute.  Social Security changed that.  It is one of the most important governmental programs in the history of the country, and it has worked and it still works.  Without Social Security, 44 percent of elderly Americans would live in poverty; with Social Security, only 9 percent do.

One thing I advocate, and this would be good for fairness as well as for individual Americans, is to remove the cap on wages subject to the Social Security taxes.  Right now, if you pay Social Security taxes, as almost every wage-earner does, you pay taxes on only about the first $117,000 in income.  For this reason, millionaires pay a smaller percentage of their income in Social Security taxes than ordinary folks.

No middle-income or low-wage worker should pay a higher rate on Social Security taxes than millionaires.  If we got rid of that cap, then no one would raise a question about Social Security’s long-term finances for many decades to come.

A New Nation, Conceived in Liberty

One hundred and fifty years ago, Abraham Lincoln stood at Gettysburg and proclaimed, from the bloodiest battlefield of our nation’s bloodiest war, that “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

These words were Lincoln’s first, but now they belong to all of us – and I encourage you to make them your words as well.  The Learn the Address project, associated with patriotic filmmaker Ken Burns, encourages ordinary citizens to record the Gettysburg Address and share the results on YouTube.

Lincoln captured in the fewest possible words the essence of what America is about.  I have just posted my own recording of the speech, and I hope you’ll join me in honoring this moment in American history.

Working for You

Recently, a Monroe woman contacted me because the IRS had refused to issue her $1,400 tax refund.  The refund had been held up due to procedural delays, and despite the constituent’s repeated efforts, the IRS would not resolve her case.  After I contacted the IRS to cut through red tape, the woman quickly received her refund.

Have you encountered a similar problem with the IRS, a passport center, the VA, Social Security, Medicare, or any other federal agency? If so, please call me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT or by sending an e-mail. I’ll do all I can to address your problem.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/15/14: Calling on Congress to Raise the Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC— This week, President Obama took action to lift more workers’ wages by requiring that federal contractors pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour. In this week’s address, he highlights that executive action and calls on Congress to pass a bill to raise the federal minimum wage for all workers.

When Women Succeed, America Succeeds

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:


After decades of pioneering work by women in New Jersey and around the country, outright sexism has become uncommon in American workplaces.  But more subtle, and equally pernicious, obstacles to women’s economic success remain.  Women earn on average 77 cents for every dollar a man makes for the exact same work, a pay gap that starts the first year out of college and continues for the rest of a woman’s life.  Two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers are women.  Nearly half of full-time employees have no protections for paid family and medical leave.
These issues affect women most acutely, but they are not just “women’s issues.”  After all, our economy cannot succeed if half of the population is left behind.

So how can New Jersey and our country do better?  Last week I convened a forum at the State House in Trenton to consider that question.  I was joined by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, a longtime champion for women’s economic rights; Randi Weingarten, the outspoken president of the American Federation of Teachers; Analilia Mejia of the NJ Working Families Alliance; Hetty Rosenstein of the Communications Workers of America; Karen White of the Rutgers Center for Women and Work; Laurel Brennan, the Secretary-Treasurer of the NJ AFL-CIO; Ann Vardeman of New Jersey Citizen Action; and other New Jersey men and women with firsthand stories of a working world that still seems out of step with their realities.

New Jersey has made great strides on these issues, but as we spoke, it became clear that any further progress will start with three steps.  First, America must guarantee sick leave to all workers.  Second, we must ensure that employees can take time away from work to care for their families.  And finally, we should increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.   Not only will these changes lift millions of women (and men) out of poverty, but they will strengthen the fabric of our economy by ensuring that workers can take care of themselves and their families.

We can do better – for women, for their families, and for our economy.

95,000
In just two weeks, New Jersey will lose access to $7.6 million in federal funding for health care outreach.  According to a new report from New Jersey Policy Perspectives, the money could help 95,000 New Jerseyans gain health insurance.  But the Christie Administration has, for ideological reasons, refused to claim the funds, despite my repeated efforts to convince the governor to act.

The money is there for the asking.  Before the clock ticks further, New Jersey should use these funds available to us to extend health care to as many of our citizens as possible.

Working for You
Recently, a West Windsor woman contacted my office because her name had been misprinted on her passport.  She had twice attempted to get the misspelling corrected, but each time she received a new passport with the same misprint – and she needed a valid passport for a fast-approaching international trip.  On her behalf, I contacted the National Passport Center, which quickly reprinted the document with the correct spelling of her last name.

Have you encountered a similar problem with a passport center, the VA, Social Security, Medicare, or any other federal agency? If so, please call me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT or by sending an e-mail. I’ll do all I can to address your problem.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Pallone to Call for Boost in Support of Hunger and Nutrition Programs in Federal Budget at Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen, New Brunswick

Congressman, Advocates and Local Elected Officials to Decry Crippling Cuts to Critical Food Assistance Program

New Brunswick, NJ – On Monday, December 2nd, 2013 at 10:30 a.m., Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) will visit Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, New Jersey, decrying cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) on the heels of House Republicans’ latest effort to disable the program. In September, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill to cut roughly $39 billion from the SNAP program over the next decade.

Pallone will be joined by New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, Lisanne Finston, Executive Director, Elijah’s Promise and Adele LaTourette, Director, New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition.

According to the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, 394,240 children in New Jersey were living in food insecure households in 2011. More than 15% of Americans, including 22% of all American children, live in poverty. SNAP provides a basic nutrition benefit to many low-income Americans, including senior citizens and children, and has largely eliminated severe hunger and malnutrition in the United States. The Republican effort to further cut SNAP would mean more Americans, including children, will go hungry and malnourished, and an influx of pressure would be put on our community soup kitchens. The $39 billion in SNAP cuts would come on top of $5 billion in across-the-board SNAP benefit cuts that already went into effect on November 1st due to an expiring provision included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that provided a modest boost in SNAP benefits.

Elijah’s Promise is a community soup kitchen, culinary arts school, catering business, and pay-as-you-can café that connects low-income individuals and families with social and health services. Elijah’s Promise serves 100,000 meals per year and trains previously unskilled workers for careers in the food service industry.

How 'bout them Cowboys?

From: Josh Levitt
buonoforgovernor.com

Governor Christie was in Dallas last night to cheer on his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, against the hometown New York Giants and schmooze national conservatives in advance of his 2016 presidential bid. While the Governor's Dallas Cowboys won last night's game, New Jersey workers and families have lost big time over the past three and a half years. In Chris Christie's New Jersey, 400,000 residents are out of work, property taxes have risen by 20 percent and middle class families are struggling to make ends meet. Moreover, a recent report found that 25 percent of New Jersey families are poor, unable to afford the basic necessities. New Jersey needs a Governor who will put the Garden State first and tackle the big issues facing the state. 

Poverty in N.J. reaches 52-year high, new report shows
By Brent Johnson//The Star-Ledger
Poverty in New Jersey continued to grow even as the national recession lifted, reaching a 52-year high in 2011, according to a report released today. The annual survey by Legal Services of New Jersey found 24.7 percent of the state's population — 2.1 million residents — was considered poor in 2011. That's a jump of more than 80,000 people — nearly 1 percent higher than the previous year and 3.8 percent more than pre-recession levels. "This is not just a one-year or five-year or 10-year variation," said Melville D. Miller Jr., the president of LSNJ, which gives free legal help to low-income residents in civil cases. "This is the worst that it's been since the 1960 Census." And it may get worse: The report warned Census figures for 2012 to be released this month may be higher. Those numbers are expected to show some of the impact from Hurricane Sandy, which took a bite out of the state's economy and destroyed a large amount of affordable housing.
… State Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), the Democratic nominee battling Christie in this year's gubernatorial race, said the poverty numbers are an example of how the governor's policies haven't worked. "This report is a damning commentary on his failed conservative economic philosophy that protects millionaires from paying their fair share at the expense of everyone else," she said. "He does not care about the consequences of these decisions for working-class families in New Jersey."

Report: 25 percent of N.J. families are poor
By Dave Sheingold//The Record
Poverty levels in New Jersey are bad and getting worse, as a quarter of the state's households now struggle to afford housing, food, medical care and other necessities, according to a new report by a leading poverty research group. The study, released today by the Legal Services of New Jersey Poverty Research Institute, says that in one of the nation's wealthiest states, 2.1 million people live in households that have a hard time meeting their basic needs. That number grew by about 359,000 during and after the Great Recession and now comprises 24.7 percent of New Jersey residents. Hardest hit is Passaic County, where 37 percent of the residents are poor, followed by Cumberland, Essex and Hudson counties, while Bergen County's rate stands at 18 percent. Even in Morris, Hunterdon and Somerset and other wealthy counties in northern New Jersey, 10 to 14 percent of the residents are poor, according to the report, which is based largely on 2011 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Poverty in New Jersey Hits 52-Year High Under Christie
By Greg Richter//Newsmax
New Jersey's poverty level hit a 52-year-high in 2011 despite the economic recovery on the national level. In a report released Sunday, Legal Services of New Jersey said 24.7 percent of New Jersey residents — at total of 2.1 million— was termed poor in 2011, The Star-Ledger reports. The number is almost 1 percent higher than in 2010 and 3.8 percent above levels from before the Great Recession began. "This is not just a one-year or five-year or 10-year variation," Melville D. Miller Jr., the president of LSNJ, told the Star-Ledger. "This is the worst that it's been since the 1960 Census."
Report: 25 percent in NJ living in poverty
AP
A new report claims one-quarter of New Jerseyans are living in poverty. The study released Sunday by the Legal Services of New Jersey Poverty Research Institute concludes that more than two million people in New Jersey are struggling to meet their basic needs. Their numbers have increased since the beginning of the economic recession by more than 300,000. The poorest county is Passaic, followed by Cumberland, Essex and Hudson, according to the report. Nationally, the poverty line is defined as about $23,000 for a family of four. But the New Jersey study puts the threshold at double that number because it says New Jersey's cost of living is significantly higher than the national average. The report also finds that children and Hispanics have suffered the most from increasing poverty.
Poverty levels rising each year in N.J., Cumberland County second highest
Press of Atlantic City
Despite the recession being over, New Jersey residents continue to live in poverty, according to a report released this month by the Legal Services of New Jersey. "Poverty rates in New Jersey have risen steadily since the beginning of the recession, reaching record highs in 2011," the report said. This is evident in the unemployment rates and food stamp enrollments. The 2011 poverty rate, 10.4 percent, is close to the rates seen about 50 years ago in 1959- the rate then was 11.3 percent, the report said. In Atlantic County, the percent of the population living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) in 2011 was 32.4 percent, the report said. The highest level since 2006 was in 2010 at 33.4 percent. Cumberland County was the second poorest county in the state and reported 37 percent of residents below the FPL in 2011, which was also the highest rate reported from 2006-2011 in the county, according to the report. Cape May County reached 25.9 percent in 2011, but the highest reported was in 2009 at 28.5 percent. Ocean County saw the highest rate of poverty in 2011 at 27.4 percent. 

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/31/13: Commemorating Labor Day

WASHINGTON, DC—In his weekly address, President Obama spoke about Labor Day and reflected on the contributions of the working men and women in our country. The President said that by recommitting ourselves to the values of working Americans and coming together with common purpose, we can ensure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.

As A Matter Of Fact...State pleads poverty to reduce tax credits for working families, but has enough to provide tax credits for corporations

April 18th, 2011

For working families struggling to make ends meet, the state Earned Income Tax Credit is a necessity, and the Christie Administration’s 25 percent reduction in the credit this year for about a half million New Jersey families is a devastating increase in the taxes they owe.

Today, on tax day, it’s important to note that a parent with two children working full time at the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (about $15,000 a year) will owe $300 more in taxes – or more than a week’s wages.

These are the same families who are also being targeted for other cuts in services that are essential to their independence. Last year about 48,000 uninsured parents who received the state EITC were denied health coverage through NJFamilyCare. That number is expected to rise to 92,000 parents this year.

It is getting to the point in New Jersey where, for many marginal families, it simply doesn’t pay to work. Aside from stripping those working families of their independence, it creates an even greater cost to the state.

The governor’s favorite rock star, Bruce Springsteen, recently cited a Legal Services of New Jersey report in a letter to the Asbury Park Press, writing, “the cuts are eating away at the lower edges of the middle class, not just those already classified as in poverty, and are likely to continue to get worse over the next few years.” The census data backs up his assertion. From 2005 to 2009 lower income groups increased, the middle class shrank and the number of wealthier people increased in New Jersey. Economics plays a role in this, but so does state policy.

This cutback in tax credits for working families comes even as the Christie administration and the Legislature are expanding tax credits for corporations in New Jersey.

For example, last month the state awarded Campbell Soup a $41 million tax credit to renovate its corporate headquarters, move 49 jobs from Cherry Hill to Camden and hire 50 new employees at the Camden site over the next 10 years. The credit includes $6.3 million for new furniture. Campbell qualifies for the subsidy, officially called the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit, which is aimed at redeveloping urban centers, because its offices are within a mile of the Walter Rand Transportation Center.

The total cost to the state to fund that tax credit to Campbell Soup is nearly as much as the $45 million in savings gained by reducing the state EITC.

So who needs this help the most, one of the largest corporation in America or working New Jerseyans who can barely make ends meet to support their children? It’s unfortunate example of why the state needs a more balanced approach — one that doesn’t focus only on cuts in services, but also balances the demand for shared sacrifice fairly between working families and giant corporations.

Interested in learning more about the Earned Income Tax Credit? Check out this piece by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

A Hand Up: How State Earned Income Tax Credits Help Working Families Escape Poverty in 2011

NJPP Monday Minute 6/28/10: WHY THE BUDGET FALLS SHORT FOR VULNERABLE FAMILIES

There has been much fanfare regarding the restoration of a few programs that serve vulnerable people in the FY 2011 budget. But make no mistake; the budget expected to pass the Legislature today requires the greatest sacrifice from vulnerable working families hit hardest by the recession.

Let's put the restorations in perspective. They amount to about $68 million, not including PAAD which was restored in an earlier separate agreement, in a budget which would spend just over $28 billion. As the governor's chief of staff pointed out, these restorations amount to only about two-tenths of a percent (.02%) of the total state budget. He thought that was a good thing.

The Anti-Poverty Network indentified 26 programs (see list below) that were cut in the Christie budget that primarily affect the most vulnerable: low and moderate income families; the elderly; and people with disabilities. The list is conservative in that it does not include program cuts to items such as transportation and education, which serve mostly middle class and higher income groups as well as large numbers of low income people. The budget restorations only fund seven of those programs, leaving $262 million in program cuts to the most vulnerable.

The largest restoration was in General Assistance, which provides temporary financial assistance to unemployed adults without children. The Christie budget would have eliminated the entire $140 a month stipend, which is often the only source of income they have. The Legislature and the governor are to be commended for at least partially restoring this vital safety net program.

However, the administration did not restore cuts to the two largest programs that help vulnerable families remain independent. State and federal funding for New Jersey FamilyCare, which provides affordable health insurance for children and certain low income parents or guardians, was reduced by about $100 million. Enrollment has already been closed for parents with incomes between 133 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($24,352 to $36,620 for a parent with two children). This cut will be continued in FY 2011 resulting in 39,000 uninsured parents being denied health insurance at the same time many employers are dropping health coverage. Also, about 11,700 legal immigrant parents who have been in this country less than five years and currently receive health insurance through FamilyCare will lose their coverage altogether.

The state Earned Income Tax Credit was cut by $45 million, which will in effect increase taxes for 485,000 lower income households. At the same time, the governor refused to continue higher tax rates on those in the uppermost brackets, households with more than $400,000 in annual income. About 77 percent of the households that received the state EITC are working families with children. A parent earning the minimum wage in a full time job ($15,000) with two children will see his or her taxes increase by $300 as a result of this action. Taxes for wealthy households, on the other hand, will be cut by thousands of dollars.

It is also disturbing that the governor has opposed legislation which would restore the funds for the state EITC, if federal funds become available specifically for this purpose. Congress appears likely to act on legislation that would make $120 million in emergency contingency funds available to New Jersey without costing the state a dime. But the administration has rejected a budget resolution from Sen. Shirley Turner which would require that if such funds become available in FY 2011 they would be used to restore the state EITC cutback.

While the budget treats each of these programs separately, the cutbacks will have a cumulative impact on vulnerable families. Virtually all of the families that will lose or be denied health coverage in FamilyCare will also have the state EITC reduced. Many of these same families will also be denied vital supports like family planning, school breakfast, legal services, and affordable housing. None of the cuts in these programs have been restored in this budget. The combined effect on some families will be devastating and have long term consequences for them and the state's economy.

Attempts are being made to restore some of these funds to vulnerable families in separate legislation. Senator Loretta Weinberg has introduced a bill to restore funding for family planning and Senator Joseph Vitale and Assemblyman Lou Greenwald have bills to restore funding for FamilyCare. If these bills pass the legislature, however, the governor is likely to veto these bills, as he did when the legislature passed a millionaires' tax increase a month ago.

What some see as fiscal conservatism might be seen by others as plain mean-spiritedness.

It would appear that the deal on the FY 2011 budget is final but the fight to protect and support struggling working families in this high cost state must continue.

The Bush Years

NBC News compiles a devastating list of statistics to show what the United States looked like when George W. Bush entered office in January 2001 and what it looks like today as he's leaving. The numbers are striking, here are a few:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Now: 6.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Now: 9,015 (close of Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009)

FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 7.6 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent numbers available)

AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 45.7 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent available)

U.S. BUDGET (deficit)
Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
Now: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office)

Where Do We Go from Here?

Sen. Bernie Sanders  from Vermont has an interesting essay posted on the Hill's Congress blog today. It outlines some of the failures of the past eight years and what will be waiting for Barack Obama when he takes office on January 20th. 

Sanders also lists a few initiatives that he will be working on in the Senate come the new year, it's good stuff:

The next few months will be a pivotal period in the history of the United States and for much of the world. The Bush Administration, perhaps the most reactionary and incompetent that our country has ever seen, is leaving office after eight disastrous years. President Barack Obama and an increased Democratic majority take power amidst the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The decisions that are made early on will send an important signal as to whether Obama’s campaign of “hope” and “change” will be seriously pursued and realized, or whether the power of the Big Money interests will persist — regardless of which president is in office or which party has the majority. Will a new president and a new and more Democratic Congress finally respond to the needs of the middle class and working families of our country, or will Wall Street, insurance and drug companies, the military-industrial-complex, the oil and coal companies, big media, and the other powerful special interests continue to hold sway?

Here are just a few of the issues that President Obama, the Congress and all Americans must confront:

The middle class is continuing its steep decline with unemployment soaring, and millions of people in danger of losing their homes, savings, and health insurance. The dream of a college education is fading away for many working families as college costs go up while incomes go down. This year, as a result of the economic downturn, the bailout of Wall Street, ongoing tax breaks for the very rich and the war in Iraq, our nation will have a record-breaking deficit and a huge $10.4 trillion national debt. The United States continues to have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country, and the most unequal distribution of wealth and income.

As a result of Wall Street greed, recklessness, and dishonesty, our entire financial system is in danger of collapsing. The taxpayers of this country have seen trillions of their dollars placed at risk in the largest bailout in world history.

Our incredibly inefficient health care system is disintegrating. Despite spending far more per capita than any other country, 47 million Americans have no health insurance. Even more are underinsured. And we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.

Finish reading Berinie Sanders's blog posting >>>Here