Social Contract Is In Jeopardy, Says Representative Larson

March 12, 2007 -- Representative John Larson (D-CT) holds a special place in his heart for fire fighters. His father was a fire fighter for 37 years. “He was extraordinarily proud,” Larson told an audience of more than 900 fire fighters at the IAFF 2007 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference. “I know no greater man than my father, and I know he is smiling down at my opportunity to speak to all of you. I pledge to you my continued support.”

Praising the nation’s first responders for answering the call for their country and communities, Larson expressed concern about the lack of resources provided to fire fighters to respond to natural and manmade emergencies.

“Look at what is going on in this country today,” he said. “We have a social contract that is fractured and teetering on being broken. The national debt is crushing us. We have major trade imbalance. Personal debt among the people of this country is staggering because of what you have to do to provide in this economy.

“This administration is trying to break the social contract between government and the people,” he continued. The good news is that people are finding their voices all across America. “For the first time in 20 years, we passed a minimum wage bill and introduced legislation to give people the right to organize.”

But there is much more to do, Larson reported. “The president’s budget includes 42 percent less funding for first responders. At a time when we should be emphasizing the need to invest in our own national security, we should be putting money back into our country’s infrastructure.”

With more than 47 million Americans without health insurance, Larson criticized this country for not being able to address this need. “We must set a new direction for this country,” he stressed. “It’s not that complicated. People want to be secure in knowing that they have a health care system and long-term care system that will be there when they need it.”