Pacific Views

Democratic Radio Address

Did you miss the Democratic Radio Address this weekend? It was delivered by Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17) on the subject of lost manufacturing jobs and planned EU trade sanctions. He was a signatory on a letter requesting that President Bush preserve domestic military manufacture, instead of allowing that business to follow everything else overseas.

Congressman Ryan was also an early endorser of Howard Dean, so it would seem that rumors of a fall from grace for any Democrat who supported Dean were somewhat exaggerated.

Transcript as released by congressional Democrats follows:

"Good morning. I'm Congressman Tim Ryan from Ohio.

"In the communities I represent, hardworking Americans are experiencing a growing anxiety. It's the same anxiety being felt in more and more communities throughout America.

"Paychecks are being replaced by pink slips. Dedication and hard work are being replaced by unemployment and lengthy job searches. Increasingly, hope is being replaced by fear. American workers know well what President Bush is refusing to admit -- that our nation faces a growing crisis of confidence.

"Average citizens are finding it increasingly difficult to believe that their government is still on their side. All they ask is that they have the opportunity to participate in the American Dream. But whether it is affordable health care, a chance to go to college, or job security, they see Republicans putting profits before people, campaign contributions before communities.

"All across this country, we are hemorrhaging good-paying manufacturing jobs at a record pace -- a total of 2.8 million in this sector over the past three years. And that trend shows no sign of abating. WCI Steel and Youngstown Steel Door, two major employers in Ohio, are just a couple of the most recent companies to face bankruptcy. And this sad development is not just limited to manufacturing. White-collar jobs are now being shipped overseas as well.

"The Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers recently said: "Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade...and that is a good thing." Well, the constituents in my district whose jobs were just outsourced do not agree. They and the more than one million other workers nationwide who lost their jobs to overseas labor during the past three years find this statement outrageous.

"In difficult times, the American people turn to the President for leadership. But instead, we get salesmanship.

"While American workers are demanding solutions, the President and his economic team have been trying to create illusions. They have even raised the possibility of redefining manufacturing to include fast food workers who make hamburgers, in an attempt to show a decrease in the manufacturing job loss numbers.

"This Monday, what's left of American industry will be hit even harder when the European Union begins to apply sanctions on U.S. manufacturers. In addition to striking at the backbone of America's manufacturing base, these sanctions could devastate our proud agriculture industry as well. Dairy farmers in Pennsylvania, citrus growers in Florida, cotton farmers in Texas, cattle ranchers in Wyoming and many others in American agriculture will all be affected.

"All across this nation, farmers and manufacturers will face hundreds of millions of dollars in new tariffs that will make their products harder to sell in world markets. We did not have to get to this point.

"Democrats have been working in a bipartisan way for more than a year to fix this problem and avoid these sanctions.

"We have a plan that would lower taxes for American manufacturers, keep good paying jobs in the United States and still prevent American manufacturers from facing sanctions. This bill doesn't increase the deficit. It doesn't give tax breaks to those who don't need them. It simply provides American manufacturers with the incentives they need to keep good paying jobs here at home.

"But this bipartisan bill, which has more than 150 Democratic and Republican cosponsors, is locked up in a back room because the Republicans who control Congress remain focused on special interests rather than public interests.

"America's workers are second to none. They are our families, our friends and our neighbors. They are the backbone of our nation. They are not replaceable. And they deserve better.

"I'm Congressman Tim Ryan from Ohio. Thank you for listening."