It has been nearly three years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the gulf coast region, leaving behind a wake of suffering and human misery unmatched in recent American history. Sadly, the victims of this crisis are still suffering and residents of the Gulf Coast region are still waiting for the government to do the right thing by investing in the region, cleaning up and rebuilding New Orleans and surrounding communities. The scale of this crisis is unimaginable for a modern, developed nation with the industrial strength and collective will we have to remedy the situation. As a country, it is time for us to come together and call for justice for the victims of Katrina and Rita with a comprehensive, public works program designed to address the real needs of people who are still suffering from this natural disaster.

In New Orleans and surrounding regions, people continue to suffer from unhealthy living conditions. Many areas lack basic social services and there always remains the looming threat of Mother Nature once again taking more. We have the means to address this crisis. Recently Congress introduced the Gulf Coast Works Act, which is designed to restore the region. The Gulf Coast Works Act will ensure that real progress is made toward restoring the environment, rebuilding infrastructure, and revitalizing the workforce of the area. The Act will provide 100,000 job opportunities for residents to rebuild their communities and it will create incentives for local and national business to participate in the redevelopment of the Gulf Coast region.

If this bill is introduced into the Senate I will work to support this companion legislation as a candidate and work to ensure that all victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have the opportunity to rebuild their lives and make New Orleans the city it truly deserves to be. Real solutions to the problems of jobs, infrastructure development and environmental restoration are possible with the collective participation of our entire society. Unfortunately, at a time when the people of New Orleans really needed our support our President was too busy waging war halfway around the world. Instead of dealing with the real crisis at home, the Bush administration and FEMA largely neglected the disaster which had struck the gulf region, betraying a fundamental trust that the people have in government that it will be there at times of national crisis.

Thankfully, some people still believe that when disaster strikes, we the people will respond. In addition to the numerous private efforts which have accomplished many good works since 2005, the federal government has finally woken up to the reality of the situation and is finally going to do something right. The Gulf Coast Works Act will create a federal authority with the ability to implement and coordinate the necessary federal response in the event of a future natural disaster in the region. It will put people to work rebuilding vital infrastructure and restoring the environment and it will spur sustainable development in the community, giving people a sense of dignity and justice.

By working to rebuild the roads, levees, police stations, schools, firehouses and public utilities in the gulf region we are rebuilding America. By cleaning up the marshes, wetlands and restoring the natural ecology of the region we are protecting the planet. By serving as a national model for disaster recovery and infrastructure development we are protecting the future.

for more information on the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act please visit:
Link...

Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Tennessee ranks fifth in the nation for having the greatest income difference between the richest and the poorest residents, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan, nonprofit research organization.

[..]

Tennessee’s poorly skilled work force contributes greatly to the disparity here, said Dr. Matt Murray, professor of economics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. For decades, the state has relied on manufacturing, textile and apparel industries to provide many of its jobs, but they’ve been low-skill jobs that people can get without much education, he said.

The article notes that many of those jobs have moved out of the country, leaving low-paying jobs with stagnant wages.

According to the study, the top 20% of earners make more than seven times as much as the bottom 20% of earners nationwide. In Tennessee, the ratio is eight to one.

Nationwide, wages at the low end have decreased 2.5% while wages at the top end have increased by 9.1% since the late 1990s. In Tennessee, earnings for the bottom 20% have grown 6.5% in the last two decades, compared to 31.9% for the top 20%.

To mitigate the effects of economic forces outside the control of state policy, the study recommends raising and indexing the minimum wage, improving the unemployment insurance program, making state tax systems more progressive, and strengthening the social safety net.

John Edwards has done a pretty good job identifying the problems facing the middle class. But what does he propose to do about them? The mainstream media is all over that question, hot damn!

Oh, right. They're saving their precious typing power for haircuts or Hillary sobbing like a toddler (they wish!) or Obama's middle name (or maybe his ears). Yup, they know substance when they see it. Maureen Dowd, now there's substance. Something's gotta make her voice that squeaky.

Or Chris Matthews, there's a guy who's insightful. In sight, full ... of Grey Goose, anyway.

Hey, if all the Heathers want to do is act like they're still trying to crash the cool clique in high school, I can give some sass back to 'em.

Tennessee Commercial Warehouse, Inc. (TCW) has "permanently laid off" (fired) 33 truck drivers at their Kingsport terminal, citing a lack of work.

Coincidentally (or not?) the workers had approached the Teamsters Local 549 in Blountville about organizing. According to Local 549 president Scott Armstrong, "Nearly 80 percent of the drivers had signed authorization cards, so the company permanently laid off the entire unit rather than bargain for fair pay and benefits."

From the Tennessee Department of Labor:

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for November was 4.9 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from October. In 2006 the November unemployment rate was 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate for November 2007 was 4.7 percent, the same as October.

Over-the-year increases led with gains of 7,100 jobs in educational and health services. Construction employment increased by 7,000; and leisure and hospitality jobs were up 6,300. Manufacturing jobs were down from a year ago with employment decreasing by 8,900; clothing and accessories stores lost 1,600 jobs; and professional and business services employment declined by 1,600 as well.

The declines in manufacturing, professional, and business services employment are disappointing. The construction gains are a little surprising.