By Cynthia Parkhill ?
I was relieved to learn that U.S. Congress ended a stalemate on Friday concerning an extension of the payroll tax and of unemployment insurance, at least for two months.
But the debate is not over; in his address Friday, President Barack Obama urged Congress when it returns from its break, “to keep working, without drama, without delay, to reach an agreement that extends this tax cut as well as unemployment insurance through all of 2012.”
According to Obama, this continues to be “a make-or-break moment for the middle class in this country.”
Throughout the week, my Twitter timeline accumulated “tweets” that had been re-posted by the White House: messages from people explaining how they would be affected by #40dollars less per paycheck.
Many of these comments have been curated by the White House at http://storify.com/whitehouse/what-does-40dollars-mean-to-americans. Viewers can also search Twitter.com for tweets with the #40dollars tag.
As expressed by people via their Twitter updates, #40dollars will buy Christmas gifts for the family, a babysitter once a month so a husband and wife can go out, a monthly public transit pass. It will fill a tank with gas, cover a student loan payment or be invested in a child”s education.
As a student, as a contributor to a two-income family and a commuter who rides the bus, I share many of these sentiments. Like many other Americans, #40dollars will buy my family groceries. It will help us pay our bills.
Beyond that, specifically, by spring of next year, California Community College tuition will cost $46 per unit: $10 more than it is now and $20 more than tuition cost only one year ago. That #40dollars each paycheck would certainly help me pay the $46.
The cost of Lake Transit monthly rider”s passes will soon increase to $40; the latest word I have from the drivers is that it will take effect in February. I could use #40dollars from my paycheck to buy my monthly rider”s pass.
Come spring, I hope to renew my student membership in the American Library Association. Having #40dollars available from my paycheck would help me to meet that goal.
My message to Congress ? and the message of tens of thousands of other Americans ? is that #40dollars matters.
Whatever cuts to our paychecks that Congress members are considering shouldn”t just be abstract numbers. I hope when the time comes to consider renewing the two-month extension, our elected servants will remember what their constituents say #40dollars means to us.
To read complete remarks by the President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/23/remarks-president. To view and contribute stories about “What $40 Means to Americans,” visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/40dollars/stories.
Cynthia Parkhill is focus publications editor for the Record-Bee. Contact her at rbinfocus@gmail.com or call her at 263-5636 ext. 39.
