Latino leaders Wednesday lamented their community’s economic struggles and lack of a voice in national politics, while expressing hope they could make a difference in this year’s election.
“We have to educate folks on how you do politics,” said Jesse Rios, the executive director of the Chicago Metro Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, adding that more Latino residents must “knock on the door of their Congressman; knock on the door of their Senator.” Read more »
Progressive economists slammed President Barack Obama and Gov. Pat
Quinn today for not doing enough about a prolonged recession and
unemployment crisis. Also, Quinn came under attack for not doing enough
to increase the state tax base before issuing landmark proposed cuts to Medicaid and public employee pensions.
“It’s
kind of hard for a voter to know what the difference is between a
Democratic and Republican plan for lowering employment,” contended Josh
Bivens, acting director of research and policy at the Washington, D.C.
Economic Policy Institute. Read more »
On the heels of a convincing primary election win last month over a
field of candidates that consisted of a town mayor and a college
administrator, 17th Congressional District Democratic candidate Cheri
Bustos of East Moline is looking to draw some clear distinctions between
herself and her opponent, Republican incumbent U.S. Rep.
Robert “Bobby” Schilling (R-Colona).
After a few months of relatively rosey job reports, the Labor Department's latest report reveals that the national economy added just 120,000 jobs in March.
The Illinois jobless rate fell from 9.4 percent to 9.1 percent in February, marking the sixth straight month that the state's unemployment rate has declined.
A recent panel discussion on the country’s unemployment insurance
system concluded that the program was too outdated and too underfunded
to handle the needs of those struggling in this current economic
climate.
The discussion,
held last week in Washington D.C., by the policy think tank the Urban
Institute, featured employers, labor attorneys and policy experts who
viewed the way most states around the country pay for and provide
unemployment compensation as being insufficient toward meeting the
demands of the estimated 10 million Americans who have received benefits
over the last four years.
Latino leaders Wednesday lamented their community’s economic struggles and lack of a voice in national politics, while expressing hope they could make a difference in this year’s election.
Progressive economists slammed President Barack Obama and Gov. Pat
Quinn today for not doing enough about a prolonged recession and
unemployment crisis. Also, Quinn came under attack for not doing enough
to increase the state tax base before issuing landmark proposed 
A recent panel discussion on the country’s unemployment insurance
system concluded that the program was too outdated and too underfunded
to handle the needs of those struggling in this current economic
climate.
