From Deseret News archives:
Utah electrician gets look at U.S. job plight
Wednesday the group ended its weeklong publicity tour which stopped in 18 cities and traveled through 13 states with a rally outside a Washington hotel where Bush was holding a fund-raiser.
Christensen told the Deseret Morning News that if he could talk personally to Bush he would say, "Show us the jobs. You keep saying you're creating jobs, but I'm not seeing them."
The "Show Us the Jobs" tour is sponsored by the AFL-CIO union and the Working America advocacy group. Christensen, a member of the executive board of his local electricians' union, was chosen to represent Utah.
"I've worked a total of 12 months since January of 2002. The last time I did work was down in Ephraim that's two hours from where I live, and it was for a substantially lower rate than I usually receive," he said, adding he feels other construction workers in the state face similar problems.
"I've never seen it this bad" in 19 years as an electrician, he said, noting that even his unemployment benefits ran out in January. "Businesses just are not building, even though the economy is supposedly improving."
"If there is a recovery, we're not participating. We do not shop. We do not buy things. We make do with hand-me-downs. We're not spending to help the economy along," Boyce said.
As he listened to other unemployed people tell their stories at stops through the Midwest and Northeast over the past week, Boyce said, "There has not been a day go by that I haven't cried about the plight of the people everywhere. When I got on this tour, it was about me. I think about four days ago we started talking how it isn't about 'me' or any one of us. It's about the nation."
The group also had a press conference Wednesday with such Democratic leaders as Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. For months those legislators have attacked Bush for a "jobless" recovery that has seen 2.2 million jobs disappear nationally since he took office.
What would Christensen suggest Bush do to help create more jobs?
"We've had many discussions about that among ourselves," he said. "It seems that outsourcing (companies moving jobs abroad, where wages are lower) seems to be the main culprit. If you penalize the businesses that took their work somewhere else, or at least didn't give them the favored status that they have had, it would help."
E-mail: leed@dgsys.com
Comments
- Lawyers earn fees from own laws 1:36 p.m.
- No. 2 fugitive mob boss nabbed 1:35 p.m.
- Frustrated Palestinians appeal to UN 1:25 p.m.
- 'Tweeters' to report on shuttle launch 1:24 p.m.
- Pet cemetery reflects dedication 12:58 p.m.
- Film honors NYC defense attorney 12:57 p.m.
- Redgraves recreates grandma in play 12:21 p.m.
- Can 65 be considered young now? 12:14 p.m.
- Marriage: having each other's back 12:13 p.m.
- Presidential libraries open history 12:04 p.m.
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
360 - BYU happy to escape with victory
217 - TCU creams U.
203 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
200 - Will state consider gay rights law?
148 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
132 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
130 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - RSL heads to MLS title game
107 - Celtics crush Jazz
104
Sears is holding a special VIP night Sunday, Nov. 15, in stores and online.
Maybe someone out there can help me understand how raising the state...
Where in recorded history - anywhere - has a government based on dogma and...
Nobody cares about soccer. Will RSL please reimburse the Utah taxpayers now?
Maynor Miles Matthews Koufos Fesenko Milsap If I were the coach these...
If only! Beating BSU is unlikely, but look at the other upsets this year. If...
Ute fans are hanging their hats on "we scored more points than BYU, so...
Examples of effective summits please?
Why not make a trip to Romney stadium on Friday and cheer the locals "AGGIES"...
It used to be that some people were bigots. Today,as many of thexe postings...
and Utah's pathetic defense gave up 55 to TCU, and it could have been worse ...
I am a Utah fan and my hope is that we will get to the point where our...



You can be the first to comment on this story.