*Let's Get Shonda and Bob Back to Work*

 /By Paul Sherry*

 

 Several days ago I attended a forum on "The Jobs Crisis-Moving
 to Action: A dialogue Between Workers and Policymakers" at the
 Washington DC office of the AFL-CIO.  Two unemployed workers
 from Ohio, Shonda Sheen and Bob Stein, participated in that
 dialogue and told us their stories.

 Shonda Sheen was laid off in December, 2009, and is about to
 run out of unemployment benefits. Further, recent state budget
 cuts may cause her to lose the services of the health care nurse
 who helps care for her mother who has dementia.  She desperately
 wants to work so she can care for herself and her family. Yet,
 at the last job she applied for, she was told 450 others had
 applied for the same position.

 She said: "All I want is a decent job. I want to work. I love
 to work. I'm scared. I don't know what's going to happen to my
 mother.  I have a home to pay off."

 Bob Stein is a 60 year old, former salesman who has been out of
 work since May, 2010.

 He said to us, "I was set to lose unemployment as of the second
 or third week of December, and (politicians) were fighting back
 and forth and it was predicated on the Bush tax cuts. I was
 caught right in the middle of that. The thing that was so
 upsetting is when you heard about the number of people about to
 lose their unemployment check. I thought, "OK, I understand that
 you're adamant about this Bush tax cut thing, but you're holding
 us all hostage. You're playing politics with people's lives.
 People use their unemployment. This will stimulate and help the
 economy.""

 Shonda and Bob, in their struggle to survive, are not only
 reminding us of the plight of so many of our unemployed and
 underemployed; they are also pointing us toward the way out of
 the crisis we face. They are speaking truth to power and it is
 time the powers that be start to listen, lest the dire situation
 so many face worsens and our nation's economy continues its
 downward spiral: "All I want is a decent job." "People use their
 unemployment. This will stimulate and help the economy."

 It is time, long past time, to shift the primary focus of our
 attention from deficit reduction to job creation. This is not to
 say that deficits are not a problem.  Deficits do need to be
 reduced over the long term but not at this moment and not on the
 backs of those most at risk. At this moment, with so many people
 out of work already, we dare not exacerbate the situation by
 enacting policies that will destroy more jobs rather than
 shaping policies to create new ones.  To do so is both morally
 questionable and economically wrong.

 Shonda Sheen, Bob Stein and millions more like them need good
 jobs so that they can support themselves and their families.
 They need good jobs so that the taxes they pay with the money
 they earn can help restore the economy of this nation. If we
 want to reduce the deficit, if we want to address the budget
 crisis, one sure way is to create good jobs. Private jobs and,
 when needed, public jobs.

 There is a concrete way for you to help create a job for Shonda
 Sheen and Bob Stein. You can urge your congregation or other
 faith-based body to join Faith Advocates for Jobs, a campaign
 composed of over 40 faith-based national and regional
 organizations committed to support the unemployed and the
 underemployed and their families and to advocate for policies
 that will put people back to work and transform our nation's
 economy. Faith Advocates for Jobs believes that by putting our
 faith into action we can enlist 1000 congregations - Christian,
 Jewish, Muslim and others - in this so sorely needed effort.
 Please join with us.

 You can receive full information about Faith Advocates for Jobs
 and how to join with us on our newly created website:
 www.faithadvocatesforjobs.wordpress.com
 .  I also will
 be happy to respond to any questions you might have about FAJ.
 My email address is: PSherry@iwj.org.

 The most significant way to resolve the budget crisis, the best
 way to relieve the severe suffering of millions of our nation's
 people, is by putting people back to work.  So, together, let's
 do it.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------

 Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is a lay Catholic
 organization that promotes public policies and effective
 programs that enhance the inherent dignity of all, especially
 the poor and most vulnerable. Our work is inspired by Gospel
 values and the rich history of Catholic social teaching as they
 inform pressing moral issues of our time. We accomplish these
 goals through public policy analysis and advocacy, strategic
 media outreach, and engaging citizens in the service of the
 common good.

 http://www.catholicsinalliance.org


BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... True Christianity-If anyone anywhere is hungry, it's your fault.
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