Many American jobs have gone overseas through outsourcing to China, India and other countries. The New York Times and recent CBS News polls show that most Americans think jobs are the number one priority for the new Congress. At a recently televised 3 hour segment by Tavis Smiley on America’s Next Chapter, the top concern facing our country, according to the online discussion, is Jobs, Jobs and Jobs. It’s that simple. Many online persons spoke about jobs being the number one priority for people in this country but yet expressed concern that our politicians are not focused on jobs. Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post recently asked how do we create jobs when we manufacture nothing except lies. Arianna Huffington spoke of her daughter’s college friends who face an uncertain future due to the lack of jobs for college graduates. And I know of recent college graduates, law school graduates and post graduates who have degrees and six figure college debts to prove it, but cannot find jobs. The issue of jobs among everyday Americans transcends progressives, centrists, and Right Wing conservatives.
Despite the sad reality facing our nation’s job market, there still is no sense of urgency on the part of our lawmakers to fix it. Our elected officials have not acted with the same sense of emergency as with the bank and automobile bail outs. They only appear concerned about keeping their own jobs. The Washington Post recently discovered that a huge surge of corporate special interest money is now going to our recently elected Republicans and committee leaders, to protect corporate interests. With the House Republicans in charge, who is protecting the American people’s number one request and need for jobs?
As citizens, we must generate a real sense of urgency to our elected officials. We must move them from talk to action. Social media has led the way on other fronts. Social media was used to raise millions during President Obama’s campaign. In 2011 and beyond, we need to use it to advocate for America’s job needs. An ongoing social media advocacy campaign is needed to get the urgency of the jobs issue across to our politicians. As Americans, social justice advocates, civil rights advocates and everyday citizens, we must stay on the backs of Congress until jobs come back to America. We cannot give up nor give in to those corporate interests who do not have our number one job interests at heart. The American people want and need jobs. Write your representative in Congress today and ask: When are the jobs coming to America? No, better yet, demand that jobs come back to America.
Washington, DC based Debbie Hines is a trial lawyer, legal and political commentator. She also writes for the Huffington Post. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from George Washington University Law School. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a native of Baltimore, MD.