Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. released a statement today which is a follow-up to his request for the unemployed and underemployed to send in their resumes for placement in the Congressional Record: Rep. Jackson Jr. receives 15,000 resumes from jobless “We need a Jobs Party”. Rep. Jackson’s office offered a clarification about the number of resumes received to date; they have received 8,000-10,000, but they are hoping to receive 15,000 or more.
JACKSON SUBMITS RESUMES TO DRAMATIZE UNEMPLOYMENT
Peaceful Protest of Unemployment Problem Will Continue until Economic Rights are Guaranteed
Today, Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. issued the following statement:
“Recently, I issued a call for unemployed, underemployed and economically insecure Americans to send me their resumes as a way to protest the shameful condition of unemployment that our country has tolerated for too long. Today, I submitted thousands of resumes for the Congressional Record so that the faces and stories of the unemployed could be put front and center before our government.
“Sixty-seven years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized in his State of the Union Address that the Presidency and Congress were inadequate to solve the unemployment problem that persisted into the 1930s. He called for an economic bill of rights that would provide fundamental economic security to all Americans through the right to a job, the right to health care, the right to a good education, and other rights. He went to the only vehicle that is big enough to solve unemployment: the Constitution.
“I am accepting resumes and the stories behind them from unemployed and economically insecure Americans at resumesforAmerica@mail.house.gov. Sending me a resume will not get anyone a job, nor will the resumes be forwarded to anybody who is hiring. But by inserting these resumes into the record we can make sure that the government is focused on ending unemployment. I will continue this peaceful protest of our jobs problem until Democrats and Republicans alike can come together to eliminate the fear of unemployment from our freedom construct.”
Congressman Jackson’s remarks on the floor of the House are as follows, as prepared for delivery:
“On January 11, 1944, in his 3rd term, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the limitations of the Presidency and Congress in addressing the nation’s most serious problem: unemployment.
“So, he proposed changing the only vehicle capable of eliminating unemployment, the Constitution.
“Roosevelt suggested that adding fundamental economic rights to the Constitution was the only way to truly address our unemployment problem.
“67 years later, to dramatize the shameful jobs condition that our nation and the marketplace tolerates, I have asked the nation’s unemployed, underemployed and economically insecure to send their resumes to me at resumesforAmerica@mail.house.gov.
“Then, I will submit them to the Congressional Record on their behalf as a means of protesting our unaddressed, shameful unemployment problem.
“I am not promising anyone a job, I just believe that the wealthiest nation in the world should do something about the jobs loophole in our freedom construct. Until Democrats and Republicans in Congress or the White House eliminate the fear of unemployment from our freedom and liberty construct, I will continue this peaceful demonstration by accepting resumes at resumesforAmerica@mail.house.gov.
“To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., If America can put a man on the moon, and if today we can contemplate putting men and women on Mars, then we should be able to put a man or a woman on their own two feet right here in America.”
Rep. Jackson’s press secretary said that some of the resumes have been delivered to the Congressional Record. You can visit Rep. Jackson’s Facebook page to hear his House statement while he delivered the resumes using a handcart. If you do not have a Facebook account, you can see a replay of his resume delivery House statement at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=599429701.
Resumes will be delivered to the Congressional Record on a continual basis. A link to the resumes will be available once the resumes have been accepted into the Congressional Record. Send your resumes to resumesforAmerica@mail.house.gov.
The job situation in America is still difficult at best. Part time jobs are being created instead of better paying full-time jobs. Many longer-term unemployed are facing hiring discrimination due to poor credit scores, age, and simply for being unemployment. More and more 99ers – unemployment benefit exhaustees – are going to be part of the unemployment landscape as 2011 unfolds. Where will those millions of jobs come from without some sort of government intervention?
During times of economic and social turmoil, the great leaders mentioned by Rep. Jackson Jr., FDR and MLK, were able to offer people hope and eventually deliver results to those most in need. Today’s leaders, by contrast, seem more prone to ignoring the most needy in favor of coddling the wealthy and connected. Our current crop of leaders passed a $900 billion tax bill that contained zero dollars for Tier 5 benefits that would help millions of 99ers, and zero dollars for job creation and job training that would help 26.5 million unemployed and underemployed. Both FDR and MLK would certainly be amazed that government could do so much for so few while at the same time doing so little for so many.
Tags: 99ers, congress, economy, extended benefits, jobs, legislation, long term unemployed, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., unemployment, unemployment benefits
Thanks, Mike.