Labor Federation blasts federal efforts to spur the economy

The President of the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO today blasted the President and Congress for not doing enough to help the state economy recover — despite continuing good economic news. Mark Smith released a poll that ranks the state based on the unemployment rate, job growth, health insurance coverage, household income, the poverty rate, and the rate of bankruptcies. He says we’ve got an “economic crisis” and says they translated it into a richter scale like the kind used to measure an earthquake, and Iowa hit four-point-five. The nation as a whole hit five-point-one on the scale. Smith says there are several things federal officials can do. He says we need to put money into infrastructure, we need to increase the federal unemployment, as he says 30-percent of Iowans who run out of unemployment still don’t have a job. He says the government needs to give more help to homeland security efforts and solve the health care crisis. Smith says putting money into infrastructure like bridges and schools would be a big help. He says no country ever went broke building, they went broke fighting wars. Smith released his report today as federal officials say the national unemployment rate fell and the economy saw growth for the third straight month. Smith says “We’re happy, but it’s like we’re going from just miserable God awful to just God awful, and saying I’m supposed to cheer that. Smith says the AFL-CIO is launching a campaign to raise attention to the need for good jobs the steps needed to build a stronger economy.