Obama Bus Tour: North Chesterfield, VA
October 19th, 2011
06:17 PM ET

Obama Bus Tour: North Chesterfield, VA

President Obama ended his bus tour at Fire Station #9 in North Chesterfield, Virginia where he talked about his keeping firefighters on the job.

"So the first vote we're going to ask Congress to take this week would put hundreds of thousands of firefighters back on the job, police officers back on the street, teachers back in the classroom. 

Now, Chesterfield has been lucky.  It isn't facing layoffs right now.  But a lot of these guys have seen their pay frozen.  You've got cities and states like Michigan and New Jersey that have had to lay off big chunks of their forces.  That means that firefighters can't always get to fires before they become major fires.  And that makes their job more dangerous.  It means police officers can't respond to every crime.  And when giving our children the best education possible we know is the ingredient for success in this new information and technology-rich economy, how can we be laying off teachers - when other countries are hiring teachers in droves?  It's unfair to our kids.  It undermines our future.

So this week Congress is going to get to vote on whether or not hundreds of thousands of police officers and teachers and firefighters get back on the job.  And I don't know if these members of Congress - maybe they haven't met some of these firefighters.  I don't think they want to tell them that their jobs aren’t worth saving.  Some of these guys are pretty big.  Captain Kemp is an ex-Marine - which means he's still a Marine.  And these guys are risking their lives every day on our behalf.  These jobs are worth fighting for. 

Folks in Congress are also going to get a chance to decide  - later in the month - whether our construction workers should sit around doing nothing while China builds the best railroads, the best schools, the best airports in the world."


Topics: Bus Tour • President Obama • The Visuals • Virginia

soundoff (13 Responses)
  1. marperl

    For the fun of it:What would it be like if Obama's bus tour ran into Palin's?

    They'd be on this narrow country road, both approaching a section where one bus would have to pull over to let the other one by. At first the parties would not know who was in the other bus. Then an Obama aide would notice the "Palin, One Nation Bus Tour" on the other bus's side. And Palin's daughter would see the seal of the president of the United States on the Obama bus. . .

    "It's her, Mr. President."
    "Who?"
    "Palin, on her bus tour."
    "I see. I was told this wouldn't be a situation, that she was in Ohio to speak to the Caffeinated Tea Party of Toledo."
    "Google was down. We had to guess. What should we do Mr. President?"
    "Let's see if we can work with her. Send an aide over to explore if she's willing to compromise."
    "Yes, sir."

    "Governor Palin, as you know the president is in the other bus."
    "So that's who that is. What's he doing away from his usual elitist stomping grounds? Did he get lost?"
    "Very funny, Governor. No, he's on a bus tour to check in with the mood of the American people."
    "Could have saved him the trouble. All he had to do was ask me."

    The whimsical tale continues at Thinking Out Loud, http://marperl.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-blogger-tallboy-obama-bus-tour.html

    October 19, 2011 at 6:51 pm |
  2. Daniel6

    Keep spewing the same misinformation and fear mongering POTUS-really "Presidential"-and as for your side-kick-really pathetic behavior threatening more murders and rapes if the not jobs bill isn't passed. This display is beneath highschool students-

    October 19, 2011 at 6:52 pm |
    • Ann Marie

      Daniel you're an idiot. Go vote for Cain's 999 plan and then bend over and kiss your ass good bye.

      October 19, 2011 at 7:24 pm |
      • jean2009

        Under Cain's plan Warren Buffet and Herman Cain would pay no taxes, and the delivery person at Cain's Godfather Pizza making $7.50 and hour would be paying 27% more in taxes. Cain is a moron...an empty suit for the rich.

        October 19, 2011 at 7:53 pm |
      • truindep

        you first

        October 19, 2011 at 8:36 pm |
      • time2befree

        Ann Marie whats Idiotic is buying this crap. The funding lasts for a short time for "jobs for Firefighters, teachers, and policeman" then what???? The local municipalities cannot pay for them after as the local Tax revenues keep declining due to Obama's anti-growth policies and lack of addressing the real issues in our economy such as the housing market that continues to plummet. For every house foreclosed and job lost the local municipalities loose even more revenues, this is why we cannot afford to just throw money out there to hire someone for a year or so with a grand JOBS PLAN.. Then what???? The Next great Bailout comes??? Get real its time to stop and pay for what we can afford and address the real issues not just the ones he thinks will win him re-election by trying to act like he is the only one who cares!

        October 20, 2011 at 4:59 am |
      • Jay in NC

        Jean you are just making numbers up. The truth is Warren Buffet would continue to pay capital gains tax, 15%. The worker would pay 9% income tax, and 9% on items that they purchased, the company would pay 9% income tax as well. Please explain where you get the 27% from.

        October 20, 2011 at 3:35 pm |
      • jean2009

        @Jay Cain’s 999 Plan A Payoff For Koch Support
        You may also like-
        SimCity Creators Make Fun Of Herman Cain's 999 Plan With Silly Ad“Paid for the people who live in your computer and have green plumbobs over their heads.”At least the guys over at Electronic Arts (owners ...
        Close
        Written by: Linda C. LaVictoire on October 18, 2011

        October 20, 2011 at 6:30 pm |
      • jean2009

        @Jay to pay taxes under Herman Cain's 999 plan the person has to have earn income. Warren Buffet, the Koch Brothers, Walmart heirs, and Herman Cain do not earn their income they earn Capital Gains and under 999 only earned income is taxed, the capital gains tax disappears.

        Read: Cain's 999 Plan a Payoff for Koch Support
        by Linda La Victoire 10/18/2011 @ letzgetreal .com
        You are totally clueless.

        October 20, 2011 at 6:41 pm |
  3. Kevin

    No, Ann Marie, you are the idiot or perhaps one of those who doesn't pay any taxes and sponges off the government. I'll take my chances with Cain's 9-9-9 plan any day over another 4 years of Obummer!

    October 19, 2011 at 7:38 pm |
  4. James

    Hoooo Hummmmmm -

    October 19, 2011 at 9:34 pm |
  5. Free Man

    Did you not see "MY" finger waging ??? Pass "MY" jobs bill now! "I" have been on this working tax payer funded campaign trip for days now it's hard work without "MY" teleprompter... Union government worker "jobs" are very important to "MY" re-election!

    October 20, 2011 at 7:11 am |
  6. NW1000

    Obama is a clueless Boob.
    I cannot believe we got stuck with him.
    Hillary does all the heavy lifting, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan.
    While Obama joyrides around in a CANADIAN made bus bumming money.
    What a boob.,

    October 20, 2011 at 8:55 am |