Obama says each job loss is a personal crisis
Hazel Trice Edney/NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 12/14/08 Section: Politics
WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As Christmas nears and families watch their purses to be sure they are spending wisely, President-Elect Barack Obama has called on Americans to view the economic crisis from a human standpoint, rather than just another political issue.
''The 533,000 jobs lost last month, the worst job loss in 34 years, is more than a dramatic reflection of the growing economic crisis we face. Each of those lost jobs represents a personal crisis for a family somewhere in America," Obama said in a statement released last week. "Our economy has already lost nearly 2 million jobs during this recession, which is why we need an economic recovery plan that will save or create at least 2.5 million more jobs over two years while we act decisively to maintain the flows of credit on which so many American families and American businesses depend."
Obama was responding to new job loss reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also reveal gross racial disparities.
They showed African-American unemployment at 11.2 percent, remaining fairly consistent for the past three months; yet still nearly twice the White unemployment rate of 6.1 percent. The 6.1 percent White unemployment rate remained below the national average, which is at 6.7 percent. The Hispanic rate, at 8.6 percent, hovered just above the national average and 2.6 percent lower than African-American's.
Obama has promised Black leaders that he would not forget that African-American communities are hit hardest.
"This community, our community, the African-American community, during these challenging times, suffers more than most in this country," he said in an election-eve phone conference. "Double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, stagnant wages, our kids are more likely to drop out, more likely to be in jail, more likely to die. We're going to have to do better. And if we continue the momentum we've seen across this country over the last several weeks, we can do better."
''The 533,000 jobs lost last month, the worst job loss in 34 years, is more than a dramatic reflection of the growing economic crisis we face. Each of those lost jobs represents a personal crisis for a family somewhere in America," Obama said in a statement released last week. "Our economy has already lost nearly 2 million jobs during this recession, which is why we need an economic recovery plan that will save or create at least 2.5 million more jobs over two years while we act decisively to maintain the flows of credit on which so many American families and American businesses depend."
Obama was responding to new job loss reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also reveal gross racial disparities.
They showed African-American unemployment at 11.2 percent, remaining fairly consistent for the past three months; yet still nearly twice the White unemployment rate of 6.1 percent. The 6.1 percent White unemployment rate remained below the national average, which is at 6.7 percent. The Hispanic rate, at 8.6 percent, hovered just above the national average and 2.6 percent lower than African-American's.
Obama has promised Black leaders that he would not forget that African-American communities are hit hardest.
"This community, our community, the African-American community, during these challenging times, suffers more than most in this country," he said in an election-eve phone conference. "Double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, stagnant wages, our kids are more likely to drop out, more likely to be in jail, more likely to die. We're going to have to do better. And if we continue the momentum we've seen across this country over the last several weeks, we can do better."
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