Economy
For decades, our prosperity has rested on a simple promise: if you work hard and play by the rules, you’ll have a real shot at the American Dream.
Raised by a single mom in a middle class home, Jim Himes learned the value of that promise firsthand. In recent years, however, the disastrous economic policies of George Bush and Chris Shays have pushed the same American Dream out of reach for many Connecticut families.
With his experience in banking and in the non-profit sector, Jim understands how our economy works - and he knows how to get it back on track. We need to restore confidence in our markets, our companies, and our consumers. We need to craft tax policies that will create jobs at home rather than abroad. We need to put the referee back on the field, so that sensible oversight can prevent abuses like those we saw in the sub-prime mortgage industry. And we need to invest in middle class tax relief, a superb educational system, and true energy independence.
MIDDLE CLASS TAX RELIEF
In recent years, prices for everything we consume - from food to healthcare to gas - have skyrocketed. As a result, Connecticut families are finding it harder than ever to send their kids to college, fill up their cars, or save for retirement.
To fight back against this middle class squeeze, Jim is proposing a tax cut package that will help families achieve three pillars of the American Dream: owning a home, sending children to college, and saving to build wealth over time. Jim’s plan will offer families up to $1,500 to defray the closing costs on a first home; $5,000 to help cover college tuition costs; and $1,000 to match voluntary contributions to a retirement savings account.
Click to read Jim’s plan for middle class tax relief (PDF)
A GREAT EDUCATION FOR EVERY CHILD
In the long term, we need to have great schools to be economically successful. As a graduate of public schools, Jim knows the doors that can open when we provide a child with a great education. That’s why Jim will make major new investments in attracting and retaining first-rate teachers, expanding access to early childhood education, and closing the achievement gap so that all of our kids enter the global job market with 21st Century skills.
Click to read Jim’s education proposals (PDF)
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Record gas and home heating oil prices are on everyone’s mind these days - and rightly so. But this crisis shouldn’t have taken us by surprise. For decades, Washington has seen the energy shortage looming but failed to take action. Our leaders failed to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, failed to promote innovation towards energy alternatives, and failed to increase efficiency so that we consume less energy.
In Congress, Jim will work to provide immediate relief for struggling families in the short term, while making bold new investments in alternative energy and increased efficiency to secure a clean energy future. As someone who has built green housing, Jim knows first hand how investments in the right technology can result in big savings over time. That’s why Jim believes that with a serious investment in renewable energy, we will create new industries, thousands of new "green-collar" jobs, and new alternatives to sky-high oil and gas prices.
Click to read Jim’s full energy plan (PDF)
