Dems' takeover signals workers' deep discontent

The Democratic victories in Washington in this year's election are telegraphing to the new Congress the dissatisfaction the Americans feel on a number of issues. I believe one of the critical areas that the Democratic Congress must now address are the ongoing assaults by the Bush administration against workers, including trade agreements that destroy American jobs and force more and more people out of the middle class; huge tax breaks to multi-billion dollar companies that are political contributors; the lack of a substantive national health care policy, and the outright gorilla tactics used to devastate the ability of working men and women to organize by gutting many of the hard-fought rights gained via the National Labor Relations Board. The Democrats should realize that they have not been given a mandate. Instead, the American people have given the Democrats an opportunity to demonstrate that they can lead by moving the country forward, in the center and with an agenda that protects working class Americans who are increasingly being squeezed from the middle class that they struggled so hard to enter. Chip Gerrity, President, NJ IBEW, Hightstown - Daily Journal, December 1, 2006