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Democratic National Committee: Michigan
- More Jobs Lost in September
CNN reported on new figures that showed increased job cuts with the tech and auto industries hit the hardest.
The number of job cuts announced in September rose as the economy slowed, according to a report released Wednesday.
Positions on the cutting board rose 7.2% to 95,094 from 88,736 the previous month, and were 33% higher than the same month last year, when 71,739 cuts were announced, according to outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
September brought the announced layoff total for the third quarter to 287,142 - the largest number since 2005, according to the report.
We cannot afford four more years of the same.
- Newsweek: Vehicle Records of McCain's 13 Cars Contradict His Boast About Buying American
Today Newsweek reported that John McCain owns 13 cars - and that contrary to what McCain said in a recent TV interview, the fleet includes three foreign cars. The report shows that McCain wasn't being honest with voters during a recent interview with WXYZ TV in Detroit when he said: "I've bought American literally all my life, and I'm proud."
McCain made the comments while defending his purchase of foreign hybrid vehicle - a purchase he denied making despite having bragged about it in South Carolina last year.
In addition to the foreign hybrid he bragged about last year, Newsweek reports that McCain's fleet of 13 vehicles includes a Lexus, a 2005 Volkswagen convertible, and a 2001 Honda sedan.
In a conference call today to respond to the latest news of John McCain not being straight with working families, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said:
"In an interview a few weeks ago with a Detroit TV station, John McCain said, and I quote, "I've bought American literally all my life, and I'm proud." That may be a nice campaign line, but it turns out that John McCain wasn't being straight with the people of Detroit-in fact, John McCain owns 13 cars, including a foreign made Lexus, a Volkswagon, and a Honda Sedan-on top of the Toyota Prius that he bragged about buying just last year. People are free to buy any kind of car they want-that isn't the issue here. What is the issue is that the American auto industry, and American voters, deserve a president who will be straight with them. If we can't trust John McCain on something as simple as what kind of cars he owns, how can we trust him when he talks about investing in American jobs. "Buy American" can't just be a slogan that John McCain rolls out when he is in Michigan. It's insulting to our members. We need a president who's committed to rebuilding the auto industry here America, not a President who buys foreign cars and then lies about when he thinks autoworkers are watching."
Read the Newsweek article here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/160091
Watch McCain's interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0QRapvB9xc
Listen to the entire conference call here: http://s3.amazonaws.com/apache.3cdn.net/42d2c75ecce177d0f3_mlbrgaxho.mp3 - American Voices Program
Roy Gross, Michigan
My name is Roy Gross. Iām a proud member of Teamsters Local 299 in Detroit, Michigan.
When I was a young man and wanted to start a family, I went to Detroit and landed a job as an automobile transporter. I delivered new cars from the assembly plants to dealerships around the country.
It was a great job, a Teamsters union job. You worked hard and it paid good wages, plus health care and pension. I worked there for 18 years. Working class families were doing well in Detroit until the Bush Administration took office, then everything changed.
Manufacturing jobs were exported by the hundreds of thousands and replaced with minimum-wage jobs in the so-called āNew Economy.ā Iām one of the lucky ones; I still have a job. But many of my friends and co-workers have lost their jobs and their homes.
If you ask me, this so-called āNew Economyā is not working. We need a renewed economy. Thatās why Iām seeing so many of my friends in Michigan - Democrats, Republicans and Independents - putting aside their differences to join this campaign.
Barack Obama will enact fair trade policies and work just as hard for us as we work for America. I will do everything I can, from now until Election Day, to put Michigan in the Obama column.
Monica Early, Ohio
Iām Monica Early from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Last January, someone sent me an e-mail containing so-called āfactsā about Senator Obama. The e-mail painted a scary picture, questioning his faith and patriotism. I decided to do some fact-checking on my own and learned the truth.
What I discovered is that Barack Obama is a man of faith, a man of values and a man of actionāsomeone who has shown his love for America by fighting for our people, helping communities left behind on Chicagoās South Side, fighting today for working families and the tax breaks we need to purchase a home, pay for college and save for retirement.
I am grateful for the e-mail that tried to scare me. It brought me here, an ordinary citizen, empowered by a leader who told me I could make a difference. Ohio is home to four of the fastest-dying cities in America. John McCain promises to continue the Bush economic policies that got us there.
Einstein said a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If we elect John McCain, then, according to Einstein, we surely would be insane.
We need change. We need President Barack Obama!
Wes Moore
Hi, my name is Wes Moore. Twelve years ago, I took an oath on the Bible to defend, support and protect the United States of America. Today, I cannot fathom a more perfect expression of my allegiance as a soldier and citizen than giving my full support for Barack Obama to be my next commander-in-chief.
Before I deployed for Afghanistan, my grandparents gave me a Bible. Inside, they wrote four simple words: have faith, not fear. Those words protected and guided me and the soldiers under my command during some of the most trying days of my life.
I want a president who has a comprehensive strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan, and who can rally young people to serve, both in and out of uniform, and sees these as complementary, not contradictory goals. I want a president who believes in supporting our troops while we are fighting overseas, and supporting us with proper health care and education when we come home.
This election is not about history. Nor is it about making history. Itās about seizing history.
The charge my grandparents gave meāhave faith, not fearāis the same challenge I issue tonight. A faith that this nation can rise to meet any challenge.
Tonight, Senator Obama is not asking you to have faith in him. He is asking you to have faith with him. Letās make Barack Obama our next president.
The Honorable Janet Monacco, Florida
Iām Janet Monaco from Rockledge, Florida, by way of Long Island, New York. Fourteen years ago I moved to Florida to pursue my vision of the American dream. Within five years, I had bought a house and opened two pet stores. I was living well.
Then disaster struck: back-to-back hurricanes, and rising costs of food and gas. Today, Iām a struggling small-business owner who is diabetic and without health insurance. I work 70-hour weeks at the store and more hours in a part-time job and still canāt afford insurance.
I donāt tell this story to get sympathy. Everyone has challenges. But what gets me angry is that George Bush and John McCain have done nothing for people like meāand, in fact, have done plenty of things that make it even harder to get by. Huge tax breaks for those at the top. Looking out for the lobbyists and not the little guy. And billions spent in tax cuts for big corporations, but not enough for small businesses like mine.
Iām supporting Barack Obama, because we canāt afford four more years of the same. Yes, we can make a change!
Nathaniel Fick
Good afternoon. Iām Nathaniel Fick. My Marine platoon landed in Afghanistan on a moonlit night in 2001. A little more than a year later, we rolled into Iraq. Iāll never forget one dawn after a vicious gun battle. Weād just medevaced one of our wounded Marines, and I turned to see a small American flag hanging from a humveeās antenna. For a second, it reminded me of the line we all know so well: āAnd our flag was still there.ā
I registered as a Republican at 18 and voted for John McCain in 2000. It took seven years of hard experience to get me on this stage. But we cannot