Bloomberg Cites Immigration Reform As Key To Economic Recovery

By Adrianna McGinley

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed an overhaul of the immigration system as a bipartisan key to economic recovery and job creation.

During a speech Wednesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in D.C., Bloomberg proposed reform focused on opening pathways for international students, entrepreneurs and temporary workers, citing that a mere 15 percent of visas are given for economic reasons, a number that he says drastically lessens the U.S. ability to compete globally.

“Allocating only 15 percent of visas based on economics is just terrible public policy, and it really is holding our economy back. In today’s global marketplace we cannot afford to keep turning away those with skills that our country needs to grow and to succeed. It is sabotaging our economy, I’ve called it national suicide, and I think it really is.”

He said the U.S. can no longer rely on its position as the world’s super power of innovation, as other countries emerge as strong competitors.

“America no longer is the inevitable crossroads for enterprise and innovation. Countries from Asia to South America now beckon with opportunity, so the United States simply has to compete like never before for talent.”

Bloomberg cited programs in China offering incentives including tax breaks, affordable loans, and start up capital for those who study overseas to return to China once they graduate. He said not providing a path for these students to remain and work in the U.S. is “about the dumbest thing we can do” since two-thirds of those earning Ph.D.s in computer science or engineering in the U.S. are foreign students.

“We are saying to those who dream of becoming Americans, who dream of coming here to work and start businesses, we don’t need you, we don’t need your sweat or your skills, we don’t need your ideas or your innovations, but nothing, nothing could be further from the truth,” Bloomberg said. “We desperately need immigrants who want to come here to work, who have the skills our companies need to succeed. The American dream cannot survive if we keep telling the dreamers to go elsewhere.”

Bloomberg urged the public to contact their representatives to push for immigration reform.

Lawmakers Split On Meaning Of New Job Numbers

By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service

Two House members disagreed Friday over what the July job numbers really mean.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the committee’s ranking Republican, each offered their own take on the report during a hearing this morning that featured testimony from a senior Labor Department official.

“Along with the failure of the massive, failed Democrat stimulus to put people back to work, except in federal government jobs, families and business fear the…job killing, anti-growth policies coming out of Washington,” said Brady.

“The signal of this Democratic Congress is clear: we”ll spend whatever taxpayer money it takes to save a government job, the rest of you American workers can take a hike,” he added.

Maloney, on the other hand, called the new figures encouraging, citing job increases in the private sector since President Obama took office. Maloney said the nation is experiencing economic recovery, even if the amount of growth was not as pronounced last month as it was earlier this year.

“The policies of this Democratic Congress quickly put into place this last year are working,” Maloney said.

“Without the actions taken by the administration, Congress, and the Federal Reserve, this recession would have been another great depression,” she added.

Education Initiatives Will Spur Manufacturing, Says Expert

By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service

Training the American manufacturing workforce to use new technologies will not only increase worker productivity, but will also increase wages and create growth, said expert William Strauss on Thursday.

Strauss, a senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, told members of a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs subcommittee that education is the key to manufacturing growth.

“Education needs to be a primary focus for our workforce. Certainly in manufacturing, I hear from contacts that they find it a challenge to find qualified workers who have the skills to operate in a computerized sector,” said Strauss. “Whatever we can do with regard to job force training, with regard to apprenticeship programs, those certainly are key.”

According to Strauss, computerization will greatly increase productivity nationwide, especially in fields like aviation manufacturing, in which America leads the way. Countries such as Germany, France, Japan and China are traning its workers to adapt to the digital age, he said, and have gained an edge in the production and use of high speed rail as a result.

Strauss also emphasized that educational initiatives could lead to increases in wages for American workers. College degrees, associate degrees, and even technical training can lead to advancement in wages as productivity continues to increase.

Senate Breaks Filibuster On State Aid For Teachers

By Rob Sanna-Talk Radio News

The Senate voted 62-38 Wednesday ending debate on state and local government aid in order to prevent teachers, police, and figherfighters from being laid off.

“I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with governors. They’ve cut, they’ve slashed, this is an emergency,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “We’ve never had an economy like this since the great depression, and in some respects, it’s worse than the great depression.”

According to Reid, the bill is fully paid for by other budget cuts and touted that this legislation would cut the national debt by $1.3 billion.

The bill is currently awaiting a vote and when asked if the House would reconvene early to vote, Reid said that he thinks it will be “very difficult for the house to be away from Washington for 5 weeks while we have this legislation waiting for their stamp of approval.”

USDA Annouces $1.2 Billion Plan To Bring Broadband To Rural Areas

By Rob Sanna-Talk Radio News Service

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced 126 new Recovery Act projects aimed at providing broadband internet and media jobs in rural areas across the United States. The USDA plans to spend $1.2 billion of stimulus funds and they anticipate the projects to spur private investments of over $117 million in these rural areas.

“This investment in broadband is already putting Americans back to work,” Vilsack said in a phone conference with reporters, “We anticipate the investments we’ve announced to date will create somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 immediate and direct jobs.”

Added Vilsack, “The jobs that are being created today involve broadband service providers hiring works to lay down fiber, before and during construction works will be needed for engineering and design, and during construction and after completion there will be workers managing these installations repair lines and interacting with customers.”

In addition to bringing jobs to rural areas, the USDA also predicts the investments will boost small business’ ability to compete in the global market and expand education opportunities for children and college students.