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With the crisis in Iraq continuing unabated both President Obama and Republicans used their weekly radio broadcast on Saturday to focus on the U.S. economy.

President Obama spoke about the upcoming White House Summit on Working Families which begins on Monday.  This is where the president will bring together business leaders and working people to discuss the challenges confronted by working class families.

The president in his weekly radio address mentioned paid family leave. “Many jobs don’t offer adequate leave to care for a new baby or an ailing parent, so workers can’t afford to be there when their family needs them the most. That’s wrong. And it puts us way behind the times.”

The president continued his remarks, “Only three countries in the world report that they don’t offer paid maternity leave. Three!  And the United States is one of them. It’s time to change that. A few states have acted on their own to give workers paid family leave, but this should be available to everyone, because all Americans should be able to afford to care for a family member in need.”

Republican Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan gave the GOP weekly radio address on the U.S. economy, but took a different approach in his address by discussing energy policy and its impact on the U.S. economy.

Upton commented on “Energy is at the core of American life.  It supports jobs and our economy, and it affects everything from the price at the pump and the monthly electricity bill to the cost of groceries – all of the things Americans need to make ends meet. Schools, churches, hospitals, and manufacturing plants in my home state of Michigan and around the country … they all depend on affordable energy.”

Upton stated, “this coming week, the House is going to vote on bills designed to make the most of America’s abundant energy supplies by building pipelines and transmission lines to connect our energy abundance to consumers, and by using our energy strength to fight back against hostile nations who use their resources to hold the rest of the world hostage.”

Both the president, Democrats and Republican continually focus on the plight of the U.S. economy, but unfortunately it always seem they are speaking to the base of their party instead of improving the U.S. economy.

The economy and jobs are the top concern for Americans but Washington continues to divulge into partisan politics without solving the stagnate U.S. economy.

With high unemployment and minimal job growth, record national debt with nothing to show for trillions in spending, and now Americans this summer are faced with higher food and energy prices; Washington is still focused on partisan warfare.

The nation needs leadership and answers, but we won’t get it as Republican and Democrats are engaged in partisan warfare leading up to the November mid-term election.

The only way to solve this political stagnation is for the American people to challenge their elected officials and engage them, without being captivated by campaign rhetoric.

If we don’t challenge Washington then we get the government we have.