As part of their "Pledge to America," Republicans want to take my job away.
Allow me to elaborate. I work for a company that weatherizes homes - specifically the homes of low-income people who qualify for assistance funds provided through the A.R.R.A - that's the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. We go in and make their homes more weather-tight and energy efficient... installing insulation, sealing window cracks, adding weatherstripping to doors, etc. It's a very satisfying job; these people will be spending MUCH less money on their heating bills come winter, and I can feed my family.
Why are Republicans opposed to me winning my bread in this fashion? Because they want poor people to freeze to death. No, just kidding! Because they want to cancel all unspent funds from the ARRA. This, to me, sounds brilliant. WHY NOT cancel the recovery and reinvestment... that ole' economy is doing just fine, right?
Anyway, snark aside... it's not just my job at stake here. Lets take a look at some of the things Republicans want to defund:
$3.45 billion for job training
$27.5 billion for highway and bridge construction projects (who needs infrastructure? Or the jobs repairing it?
$750 million for the construction of new public rail transportation systems and other fixed guideway systems.
$200 million for FAA upgrades to air traffic control centers and towers, facilities, and equipment
$1.38 billion for rural drinking water and waste disposal projects
$240 million for new child development centers
$7.2 billion for complete broadband and wireless Internet access
$1 billion for explosive detection systems for airports
$210 million to build and upgrade fire stations
$4.5 billion for the Office of Electricity and Energy Reliability to modernize the nation's electrical grid and smart grid.
$2 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to purchase and repair foreclosed vacant housing
This is a VERY partial list. Granted, some of these funds have already been spent... but many are still in the accounts, waiting to help America RECOVER. Waiting to REINVEST in our future, in our infrastructure, in our public health and well-being and safety and economy.
All politics is local, they say. I say that's bullshit. All politics is personal. Republicans want to take my job. I'm obviously not going to vote for them. But then, I already wasn't going to vote for them. There are, without a doubt, dozens, hundreds, thousands of people in your communities affected by the ARRA. Some of them are obvious - people with low or no income, road-workers, etc. Some, not so obvious. But take a look at the full list. YOU KNOW people who would be affected by defunding these programs. Talk to them. Explain to them how Republicans want to score political points by canceling their investment in America.
The job you save may not be your own, as it is in my case... But I think we can all agree this fight is worth having.