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Enough Is Enough: Confirm Hilda Solis Now
Feb 12, 2009
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Van Jones
Van Jones, President of Rebuild the Dream, and author of the new book Rebuild the Dream. Jones was the founder and former president of Green for All and author of The Green Collar Economy. In 2009, he served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, and also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
Van Jones
Van Jones, President of Rebuild the Dream, and author of the new book Rebuild the Dream. Jones was the founder and former president of Green for All and author of The Green Collar Economy. In 2009, he served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, and also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
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