Tag: jobless

American Jobs Act Would Modernize Schools and Repair Roads & Bridges

September 28, 2011 at 9:27 amCategory:Uncategorized

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 The American Jobs Act (the Act) put forth by President Obama calls for increased infrastructure spending in an attempt to lift economic growth across the U.S.  With North Carolina facing an unemployment rate of 10.4 percent, far above the national average, there is a vital need for bold, effective job creation efforts to kick-start the state’s flagging recovery. 

Even as the jobs crisis continues, there is an urgent need to improve our nation’s public infrastructure. The Act would invest $30 billion for modernization and renovation of public schools and community colleges and $50 billion to repair the nation’s crumbling roads, bridges, airports, and railways. The Act would be funded as a part of the President’s long-term deficit reduction plan.  Read More…

How do you think this will work out?

September 2, 2011 at 2:11 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Three Years of School Job CutsIf you’re like me, you’re still waiting for the anti-government crowd to tell you how things are going to get better in the U.S. in lights of facts like the ones reported here.

Progress in “ban the box” effort

August 8, 2011 at 11:48 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Cumberland County is taking steps to join Durham County and a growing list of governmental bodies around the country that have “banned the box.” 

The “ban the box” campaign is, of course, a movement to convince employers of all kinds to alter their hiring practices so that questions about an applicant’s criminal record are not asked right up front on the initial job application. The concept is simple and sound: Read More…

Governor moves to restore jobless benefits

June 3, 2011 at 12:02 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Gov. Bev Perdue signed an Executive Order Friday to restore federal unemployment benefits for thousands of North Carolinians.

Here’s the statement released by her press office:

“For weeks, I have been trying to work with the Republican legislative leaders to get them to do the right thing: send me a clean bill to extend the unemployment benefits for 47,000 North Carolinians who have lost their jobs. But instead of acting responsibly on this matter, the Republican legislature has repeatedly refused to send me such a bill. Instead, they have persistently attempted to use our unemployed workers as hostages by tying the extension of their benefits to my acceptance of budget bills that would inflict severe and unnecessary cuts to our schools and other essential programs. Read More…

Senator pleads with GOP to “Do the right thing” with jobless benefits (video)

June 1, 2011 at 1:22 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Senator Malcolm Graham appealed to his colleagues again on Wednesday to pass a clean bill extending federal jobless benefits to 46,000 long-term unemployed North Carolinians.

The Mecklenburg County Democrat told the Senate the federal benefits extension had no place in the state budget bill.

Senator Tom Apodaca responded that the quickest way for Democrats to “do the right thing” would be to pass the Republican’s budget. Read More…