Rep. Kind Outlines New Dem Solutions for America’s Changing Economy
New Democrat Coalition Chair Ron Kind (WI-03) outlined policy solutions to address America’s changing economy. Rep. Kind highlights New Dem-led efforts to find the most innovative, effective solutions for adapting to these economic changes. The released report, New Dem American Prosperity Agenda: Winning the Future, provides details of the bills aimed at keeping America’s engine revving, creating high-paying jobs, and improving the skills of all Americans who seek them.
Read more below and in The Huffington Post:
Winning the Future
By Rep. Ron Kind, U.S. Representative, Wisconsin’s third congressional district
For the last several months, Americans across our country have listened to the leading Republican presidential candidates share their pessimistic and partisan ideas about the state of our country. The key point that none of them seem to realize is that America and the American people are already great. We are resilient and throughout our history have always risen to meet the challenges presented to us.
There is no question that today’s economy isn’t the one I grew up in. And, it won’t be the one my grandchildren grow up in either. In the past two decades, the Internet and a rapid boom in technology have forever changed the shape of our economy. Americans have seen the immense benefits these technological advances have had in their everyday lives. However, more and more Americans are concerned about what these changes may mean for their place in the economy.
In response, the New Democrat Coalition developed a plan to help hardworking Americans win in the changing global economy. The New Democrat Coalition is made up of 52 democratic, pro-growth, innovation-focused lawmakers committed to seeking pragmatic solutions to help hard working Americans compete in the increasingly globalized economy and ensure our families and communities are secure from threats around the world.
In March 2015, we released the American Prosperity Agenda, which outlines how we can grow our economy, preserve the American Dream, and make government work better for the people. These principles represent ideas anyone?—?Democrat, Republican, or Independent?—?can support. Earlier this year, we unveiled our one-year report on the New Dem American Prosperity Agenda, outlining our list of policies to keep America the most competitive, creative, and innovative country in the world.
The report highlights bills and projects that have become law?—?for instance, New Dem efforts to support the passage and implementation of The Jump Start Our Business Start-Ups (JOBS) Act to bolster new entrepreneurs trying to raise early-stage capital. It represents innovative ideas to help government work better for the people, such as Yelp for Government, which allows federal agencies to set up Yelp pages to be more responsive to public feedback. Additionally, it offers solutions for the future, such as The Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would help protect voting rights for everyone.
We know that we need to be legislating for the economy of the future, not the economy of fifty years ago. This means identifying ways to make government more efficient and give all Americans the opportunity to succeed. We need to write the rules of trade to elevate standards by prohibiting the exploitation of child and forced labor while leveling the playing field for our workers, businesses, and farmers. We also need to be investing in innovative policies that will help us maintain our status as a global leader in areas like developing groundbreaking technology and moving toward sustainable energy.
Our workers have always been and will continue to be our country’s greatest asset. With the economy changing we need to increase investments in education and job training programs so no one is left behind. Providing access to quality education is one of the best things we can do to reduce income inequality in our lives.
It won’t happen overnight, but we need to take action today to stay competitive tomorrow. The policies laid out by the New Democrat Coalition will help shape and control the direction of globalization rather than allow globalization to shape us, often to our detriment. Our economy isn’t going to stop changing, and neither should our efforts to find the most innovative, effective solutions for adapting to those changes.
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