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With the start of Labor Day, it also signals the beginning of the countdown to the much anticipated mid-term election in November.  The ultimate prize, will Republicans be able to gain control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2006.

It’s interesting to watch both Democrats and Republicans try to spin how their leadership has helped or will help the Middle Class.

On Saturday, President Obama stated, “We set aside Labor Day to honor the working men and women of America.  And this Labor Day, we’ve got more to celebrate.  Over the past 53 months, our businesses have added nearly 10 million new jobs.  Last month, for the first time since 1997, we created more than 200,000 jobs for six straight months.”

What the president has failed to mention was jobs were created, but unfortunately they were in low paying service sector or retail positions.  Hardly the high wage and or middle wage jobs that paid substantially better then service sector positions.

Many of these new jobs being created were part time or with many full time workers regulated to part time status due to economic necessity.

The other missing component is the Labor participation rate is at a historic low not seen since 1978, plus we now have as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau close to 110 million Americans receiving some form of federal public assistance.

Hardly a resounding success of economic leadership!

Republican Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana, who gave the GOP weekly radio address on Saturday, stated, “We need to get people back into steady, good-paying jobs.  One thing we’ve already done is fix our job training system to make it easier for workers to find the skills they need to get ahead – this was a bipartisan, common-sense compromise with our colleagues in the Senate.  We’ve also offered proposals to jumpstart small business investment and rein in the red tape factory that makes it harder for employers to hire and expand.”

Continuing, “All told, we have more than 40 good jobs bills awaiting action in the Democratic-run United States Senate.”

The one thing missing from all these bills awaiting action by the U.S. Senate is comprehensive tax reform!

At the beginning of the year Gallup polled businesses asking them what is their biggest impediment to growing their business; economic uncertainty, healthcare reform, and political uncertainty all led the list.

Republicans continually focus on the need for tax reform but fail to articulate a comprehensive tax overhaul nor has the president submitted one himself to end inversion he champions, where companies move overseas to avoid paying higher taxes.

On Saturday the president continued with his populist appeal by commenting, “In America, no one who works full-time should ever have to raise a family in poverty.  A hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.  And raising the minimum wage would be one of the best ways to give a boost to working families.  It would help around 28 million Americans from all walks of life pay the bills, provide for their kids, and spend that money at local businesses.  And that grows the economy for everyone.”

Will raising the minimum wage help the broader middle class, almost all economists say no, including the Congressional Budget Office.

Now it’s up to the American people to challenge Washington, to challenge both political parties, and have them address these issues instead of pushing them past each election.