English subtitles for clip: File:2011-11-05 President Obama's Weekly Address (Joe Biden).ogv
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1 00:00:05,658 --> 00:00:07,558 The Vice President: Hi, this is Joe Biden. 2 00:00:07,558 --> 00:00:09,792 I'm speaking to you from the University of Pittsburgh, 3 00:00:09,792 --> 00:00:12,825 where I just spoke to students here about what we've done to 4 00:00:12,825 --> 00:00:16,525 help ease the burden on them when it comes to the rising cost 5 00:00:16,525 --> 00:00:20,325 of tuition and the accumulating student debt and what we're 6 00:00:20,325 --> 00:00:23,758 going to do to help create jobs when they graduate. 7 00:00:23,758 --> 00:00:26,657 You know, today we found out we've had the 20th month in a 8 00:00:26,658 --> 00:00:29,991 row where we've increased private sector jobs -- 9 00:00:29,991 --> 00:00:34,124 104,000 this month, 104,000 private sector jobs. 10 00:00:34,124 --> 00:00:36,525 And as all you know, that's not nearly enough. 11 00:00:36,525 --> 00:00:38,058 We have to increase the pace. 12 00:00:38,058 --> 00:00:41,425 We have to act now to do everything in our power to keep 13 00:00:41,425 --> 00:00:44,558 this economy moving and to grow jobs. 14 00:00:44,558 --> 00:00:47,858 President Obama is on his way back from France where he just 15 00:00:47,858 --> 00:00:51,824 met with the leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world, 16 00:00:51,825 --> 00:00:55,058 where he urged our European friends to step up and stabilize 17 00:00:55,058 --> 00:00:57,925 their own economies because if they fail, 18 00:00:57,925 --> 00:01:00,157 it will affect the whole world. 19 00:01:00,158 --> 00:01:02,792 Too many Americans are still struggling. 20 00:01:02,792 --> 00:01:05,257 Too many college students here at the University of Pittsburgh 21 00:01:05,257 --> 00:01:07,658 and elsewhere are worrying about the rising cost of their 22 00:01:07,658 --> 00:01:11,358 tuition, and the increasing accumulation of debt. 23 00:01:11,358 --> 00:01:15,291 And too many of their parents are in stagnant jobs or out of 24 00:01:15,291 --> 00:01:17,758 work, wondering if they're going to be able to send their child 25 00:01:17,758 --> 00:01:20,258 back to college next semester. 26 00:01:20,258 --> 00:01:21,991 My dad used to have a saying. 27 00:01:21,991 --> 00:01:25,091 He said, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. 28 00:01:25,091 --> 00:01:26,791 It's about dignity. 29 00:01:26,792 --> 00:01:28,325 It's about respect. 30 00:01:28,325 --> 00:01:31,224 And too many Americans have been stripped of their dignity 31 00:01:31,224 --> 00:01:33,591 through no fault of their own. 32 00:01:33,591 --> 00:01:35,692 So we can't wait to help them. 33 00:01:35,692 --> 00:01:39,625 The President and I believe we have to act now. 34 00:01:39,625 --> 00:01:42,358 That's why we've introduced the jobs bill which independent 35 00:01:42,358 --> 00:01:46,191 validators said would create 2 million new jobs. 36 00:01:46,191 --> 00:01:48,558 Although 51 senators voted for that jobs bill, 37 00:01:48,558 --> 00:01:51,725 our Republican colleagues in the Senate used a procedural 38 00:01:51,725 --> 00:01:56,190 requirement that requires it to have 60 votes, so it failed. 39 00:01:56,191 --> 00:02:00,258 And since then we've taken every important piece of the jobs bill 40 00:02:00,258 --> 00:02:03,058 and demanded that we have a separate vote. 41 00:02:03,058 --> 00:02:05,224 But our Republican colleagues in the Senate have voted 42 00:02:05,224 --> 00:02:08,825 unanimously to vote down each and every part so far: 43 00:02:08,824 --> 00:02:12,325 to restore 400,000 jobs for teachers, police officers, 44 00:02:12,325 --> 00:02:14,991 firefighters, putting them back in classrooms, 45 00:02:14,991 --> 00:02:17,558 on the streets and in the fire houses. 46 00:02:17,558 --> 00:02:20,124 And then on Thursday, they unanimously voted down the 47 00:02:20,124 --> 00:02:23,692 second part of our program: to rebuild our crumbling roads and 48 00:02:23,692 --> 00:02:27,391 bridges, which would have created more than 400,000 49 00:02:27,391 --> 00:02:29,558 good-paying jobs. 50 00:02:29,558 --> 00:02:31,725 These are all programs that the Republicans in the past have 51 00:02:31,725 --> 00:02:35,525 supported, but once again, every Republican voted no -- 52 00:02:35,525 --> 00:02:39,591 blocking the majority will to put these folks back to work. 53 00:02:39,591 --> 00:02:41,692 I think the assumption is they're voting no because of the 54 00:02:41,692 --> 00:02:45,725 way we would pay for these jobs, and they are paid for. 55 00:02:45,725 --> 00:02:48,091 Well, we think everybody should pay their fair share, 56 00:02:48,091 --> 00:02:52,658 and that's why we added a small surtax on the first dollar after 57 00:02:52,658 --> 00:02:56,958 a person makes his first $1 million -- to pay for it. 58 00:02:56,958 --> 00:02:58,591 That seems fair to us. 59 00:02:58,591 --> 00:03:01,758 It's a small price to pay to put hundreds of thousands of people 60 00:03:01,758 --> 00:03:03,458 back to work. 61 00:03:03,458 --> 00:03:04,325 So, look, we can't wait. 62 00:03:04,325 --> 00:03:07,892 We can't wait for the Congress to start acting responsibly, 63 00:03:07,892 --> 00:03:09,958 and that's why the President has begun to use his executive 64 00:03:09,958 --> 00:03:13,591 power and making announcements like one that will put hundreds 65 00:03:13,591 --> 00:03:16,625 of thousands of people -- will be able to go and refinance 66 00:03:16,625 --> 00:03:20,358 their homes from a 6% interest they're paying to 4%, 67 00:03:20,358 --> 00:03:22,391 which what the rate is now. 68 00:03:22,391 --> 00:03:25,090 That would save them $2,000 a year. 69 00:03:25,091 --> 00:03:27,892 That's why the President announced that beginning next 70 00:03:27,892 --> 00:03:32,224 year, no student will have to pay back more than 10% of their 71 00:03:32,224 --> 00:03:35,857 discretionary income toward their student debt. 72 00:03:35,858 --> 00:03:37,792 He also announced new regulations regarding 73 00:03:37,792 --> 00:03:40,858 prescription drugs to prevent price gouging. 74 00:03:40,858 --> 00:03:42,491 And there's more to come. 75 00:03:42,491 --> 00:03:44,925 If the Republican Congress won't join us, 76 00:03:44,925 --> 00:03:47,792 we're going to continue to act on our own to make the changes 77 00:03:47,792 --> 00:03:50,625 that we can to bring relief to middle-class families and those 78 00:03:50,625 --> 00:03:53,925 aspiring to get in the middle class. 79 00:03:53,925 --> 00:03:57,892 Look, it's simple: We refuse to take no for an answer. 80 00:03:57,892 --> 00:04:00,725 We know these steps taken alone are not going to solve all of 81 00:04:00,725 --> 00:04:03,391 our problems, but they will make a difference in the lives of 82 00:04:03,391 --> 00:04:07,424 millions of American families struggling to hold on. 83 00:04:07,425 --> 00:04:10,958 And you know and I know if the Republicans would just let the 84 00:04:10,958 --> 00:04:14,191 Congress do its job, let it step up and meet its 85 00:04:14,191 --> 00:04:17,524 responsibilities, we could do so much more, 86 00:04:17,524 --> 00:04:19,291 and we could do it immediately. 87 00:04:19,291 --> 00:04:22,491 That's why the President and I need your help to tell your 88 00:04:22,491 --> 00:04:25,792 Republican congressmen and senators to step up. 89 00:04:25,792 --> 00:04:28,558 Tell them to stop worrying about their jobs and start worrying 90 00:04:28,558 --> 00:04:31,825 about yours because we're all in this together, 91 00:04:31,825 --> 00:04:35,291 and together is the way we're going to bring America back even 92 00:04:35,291 --> 00:04:37,792 stronger than it was before. 93 00:04:37,792 --> 00:04:38,691 Thank you.