2015 State of the Union address: on Jobs
Arvin Vohra:
Eliminate minimum wage so entry level jobs available to all
The Libertarian Party suggests not just stopping Obama's proposed new programs, but rolling back old ones that most Americans don't consider might be hurting more than helping. [Such as]: Don't raise the minimum wage to help people really
better themselves and get ahead; eliminate it so entry level jobs are available to all, not just those already valuable enough to be worth the enhanced minimum wage.
Source: Reason Mag.: Libertarian response to 2015 State of the Union
Jan 20, 2015
Barack Obama:
Best employment growth since 1999; the crisis is past
Tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are
graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before; we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years.America, for all that we've endured; for
all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
At this moment--with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry,
and booming energy production--we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.
Source: 2015 State of the Union address
Jan 20, 2015
Barack Obama:
Help families with more paid leave & higher minimum wage
Today, we're the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home.
So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do.
Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It's 2015. It's time.
And to everyone in this
Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.
Source: 2015 State of the Union address
Jan 20, 2015
Barack Obama:
FactCheck: Yes, unemployment down; but many stopped looking
Obama said, "Our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis."FactCheck: That's true, but it's also not the whole story.
First, the good news: the unemployment rate currently sits at 5.6%. That's the lowest level since June 2008. Unemployment peaked at 10% in October 2009, and has been gradually falling since.
But it's not all good news.
The unemployment rate tallies the percent of people who are both out of a job and actively looking to get one. So there are two ways to leave the legion of unemployed: One can get a job, or one can quit looking all together.
In June 2008, the labor force participation rate was 66.1%. In December 2014, that rate sat at 62.7%. And if the same percentage of Americans were competing for jobs today as were in 2008, the unemployment rate would be much higher.
Source: National Journal FactCheck on 2015 State of the Union
Jan 20, 2015
Curt Clawson:
Undocumented immigrants cause 10 million unemployed
President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night barely touched on immigration. The official Tea Party response attacked the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US and focused on the president's latest move in the absence of
Congressional action: "Passions still fly on immigration," Obama said. "But surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student, and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is taken from her child, and that it's possible
to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants."During the official Tea Party Express State of the Union response, Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL) blamed undocumented immigrants for the plight of 10 million
unemployed Americans and emphasized legal immigration. "Success for our nation also means embracing diversity--including legal immigrants--and the millions waiting in line legally to begin their own American Dream," Clawson said.
Source: ThinkProgress on Tea Party 2015 State of the Union response
Jan 20, 2015
Libertarian Party:
Eliminate the minimum wage in every state
Mr. President, your attempts to raise the minimum wage will destroy one of the most important forms of education in this country. Many young people develop responsibility and marketable skills in entry-level, minimum-wage jobs.
Those skills make workers more attractive to future employers. The Republican answer, to leave the issue to the states, is a cop-out.
All minimum wages kill jobs and hurt the poor. Libertarian candidates have pledged to sponsor legislation to eliminate the minimum wage in every state.
That makes it easier for young people to gain experience, for the poorest workers to gain a foothold in the job market, and for small businesses to grow.
Source: 2015 State of the Union Libertarian Party response
Jan 20, 2015
Libertarian Party:
Eliminate minimum wage so entry level jobs available to all
The Libertarian Party suggests not just stopping Obama's proposed new programs, but rolling back old ones that most Americans don't consider might be hurting more than helping. [Such as]: Don't raise the minimum wage to help people really
better themselves and get ahead; eliminate it so entry level jobs are available to all, not just those already valuable enough to be worth the enhanced minimum wage.
Source: Reason Mag.: Libertarian response to 2015 State of the Union
Jan 20, 2015
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019