| |  | | | | MORE JOBS, LOWER TAXES AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Creating jobs. Strengthening the middle class. Protecting the unemployed. These are the three things I keep in the forefront of my mind each day I get up and go to work for you.
It has been a very busy week in Washington. We continue to fight for progress and must not go home for the holidays until and unless we are sure we have done our job. We must make sure middle class families will not face higher taxes. We must make sure those desperately searching for work will not find themselves without support in the New Year. It is time to level the field for those who continue to play by the rules, yet continue to see less of their paycheck. The clock is ticking. We must extend and expand the payroll tax cuts. This would put $1,500 into the pockets of 160 million middle class families. At least 400,000 jobs will be lost if the payroll tax cut is blocked.
More than 6 million Americans who lost their jobs through no fault of their own will lose benefits next year unless we act now. This is no time for political maneuvering. No time for posturing. Real people with real struggles are depending on Congress to act responsibly and with civility to do what good government is supposed to do – serve the people.
NEW FARM REGULATIONS
In recent visits, I have heard many concerns about the recent Child Labor Rules proposed by the Department of Labor, and I share many of these concerns. You can find more information about the proposed regulations here: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs40.pdf
NEW TOOL FOR VETERANS
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced new online tools for Veteran job-seekers this week. The effort is meant to help Veterans get secure, on-demand access to download official data about their military training and experience. The hope is this will help them find jobs and continue their careers. Their service data can be uploaded to job search and networking sites to help identify job opportunities. For more information go to www.myhealth.va.gov.
QUIET VOICES -- LOUD MESSAGE
With an economy leaving hard-working men and women searching for jobs, a playing field that isn't fair and a Congress that can rarely get along – it would be easy to miss the quiet voices in our midst. But we must remember it is often the quietest amongst us who have the most important things to say.
I got the opportunity this week to be a part of a moving hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee. Yes, an incredibly complicated name. But what a simple and straightforward message the brave and brilliant young men and women had for us. The topic of the hearing was the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011.
Their words left a hole in my heart. Homeless children. Children who don't fit into a traditional definition of homelessness but young people, who nevertheless, grew up without knowing where they would stay from one night to the next.
As a father and grandfather the thought of a child going to bed scared and in a strange place creates a special kind of pain that every parent understands. As lawmakers study the issue of homelessness, what is being done and what may need to change, I wanted to share with you parts of some of their stories. I will let their words speak for themselves.
Destiny Raynor is a Freshman in High School in Florida.
"My parents used to have a thrift shop and a beauty store. We lost our housing when the economy got really bad and we had to close all of our stores. We had to move all of the stuff from the store into the house. Both of my parents did not have a job and they just kept looking for several months. During that time it was very rough. That summer, the power and water got shut off, and we did not have running water or electricity for 5-6 months. We had to eat at the gas station at the corner because they had a microwave. We went to friends' homes to shower, but they did not know what was going on. We spent most of the time during the summer at my friend's house. During the summer, it was very hot. Especially at night, when the candles added more heat. The toilet smelled really bad because we could not flush because the water was shut off. We had to bring buckets to a local church to fill with water to fill the toilet bowl."
12 year old Brooklyn Pastor is from New York.
"When we lived with other people, they were not always nice to us. We couldn't ask them for anything. They were mostly mad that we were there and did not want anyone else to know, especially their landlord. They would never let us say we were there. My mom could never tell anyone where we lived, or for how long. It was like being invisible."
Rumi Khan is 11 years old and lives in Pennsylvania.
"Me and my mom are homeless. We got that way because my dad was abusing me and my mom. When he started drinking alcohol it got worse. He would yell and put both of us down. He hit me and called me stupid and retarded. He tried to choke my mom. We went to court to get help but they didn't help us. We left our home in June last year and went to stay in a hotel for a couple nights. My mom didn't have enough money to stay longer. She tried to find a shelter for us to stay in but they didn't have any room."
There are stories like those of these three children in every state in our great country. There are stories like these in our great State of Missouri. Perhaps even in our own backyards. We are undoubtedly the greatest country on the planet, yet, children are homeless, hurting and hungry. Real people with real stories. Quiet little voices crying out for help.
And their numbers are growing.
We can do better.
Many of these kids talked about their hunger as they bounced from one unstable living situation to the next. We ask a lot of our children these days. And we should. But how can a child focus on paying attention, learning and homework when they don't know when they will get to eat again? When hunger pains are wracking their bodies and the uncertainty of the next meal is haunting their brains?
In Missouri's Fifth District, hunger is at an all-time high, in rural communities, in urban communities and in suburban communities. Statistics show 21.8% of the population is considered food insecure. That's more than 141,000 people who don't know where their next meal is coming from. Those are the numbers, but who are the people? More than a quarter of them are children.
As public-private cooperative efforts continue to fight this problem, there is much to consider. There are many issues and many options that must be faced head on by people who are committed to working together, listening to each other and sharing ideas and values.
As we immerse ourselves in this glorious time of year, let us not forget to be thankful. Thankful for what we have received and for what we have the power to do. We can do better by our children.
As I was reminded this week we can start by listening to quiet voices. Voices that have so much to say. Voices that deserve better.
(If you would like to read the full testimony of these brave young people, click here)
CIVILITY CORNER
Spending the night with our amazing Grandma Annie Mae was quite a treat for my sisters and for me. I thought she was both the sweetest and the toughest person in the world. Sweet because she gave us kids just about anything we wanted, including soft drinks (which she sold from her back porch). Tough because she was our dad's mom, so she could tell Daddy what to do or not do—and it worked.
One evening at sunset, as I recall, my older sister and I were spending the night with our grandmother. I was, as usual, in the front yard playing with one of the neighborhood boys when something happened that impacted me forever. Although I cannot remember the details of why the boy and I got into such a heated dispute, I clearly recall, however, shouting out, "You're stupid!" Within a nanosecond, my grandmother was out the door and beckoning me in a foreboding voice to come to her. She had never spanked me, but I was sure that I was in trouble. She bent over to bring her face close to mine and said, "Don't you ever call anyone out of their name, and never call anyone stupid." She moved even closer and said, "God heard you." I can still feel the chill that ran through my body.
Guess what? Decades have passed and yet, not even my wife has heard me swear or call people names—because God hears it. While it doesn't offend me to hear others swear, I do get nervous when someone engages in name-calling. These days, it happens a lot—on radio, television, and of course, around the U.S. Capitol. For those who, from time to time, slip into name-calling, I have bad news for you: "God heard that," or so says my amazing Grandma Annie Mae.
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Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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