The Jensen Jobs Plan
Getting the Kentucky Economy Moving,
Creating Good Jobs, and Improving Wages
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Getting the Kentucky Economy Moving,
Creating Good Jobs, and Improving Wages
One of the biggest challenges facing our economy is most people do not have enough money to
spend. Elisabeth has a bold but common sense plan to get the Kentucky economy moving – get
more money in the hands of hard-working Kentucky families, so they have money to spend
which will create the demand that allows businesses to hire more employees.
The Jensen Jobs Plan does not seek just to create more jobs; it is also focused on creating better
jobs with higher wages.
Create More Jobs and Improve Wages at All Income Levels: Phase in $10.10 per hour minimum wage.
Work to attract more technology, manufacturing and service sector jobs.
Give students and workers the education and skills training to meet the
requirements of better paying jobs.
Support Working Women: Pay women the same as men for the same work.
End job discrimination against women who get pregnant.
Expand access to affordable childcare.
Improve Education, College Readiness, Job-skills and Career-skills Training: Increase access to Head Start and Early Head Start that improve graduation rates.
Support students with afterschool reading and math skills support, mentoring
opportunities, and college readiness programs.
Increase emphasis on job skills training to prepare students for the work world.
Invest in education, modernizing schools and improving science, math and
technology facilities.
Make college affordable with needs based and merit based scholarships and
reduce interest rates to help families that are burdened with student loan debt.
Reinvest in transportation, education, information, and energy infrastructure.
Rebuild and repair aging bridges, roads, and highways and invest in new
roadways that will contribute to local and regional economic growth.
Invest in expanding access to high speed digital data, so students can learn and
businesses can grow.
Keep energy prices low and invest in energy sources for the future.
Expand access to Commercial and Consumer Credit.
Rein in predatory lending and regulate payday lenders to limit high interest rates
and imbalanced lending terms that create dependency and ruin families.
Strengthen community banks and lending institutions that offer small businesses
access to credit on reasonable terms.
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Address Long-term Deficits and Debt but Preserve Needed Programs
The best way to address the deficit and debt is to grow the economy, increasing
income, and reducing the need for support programs.
We must reform the tax system to close loopholes that allow billionaires and
corporations to avoid paying their fair share.
Critical programs like Social Security, Medicare, unemployment benefits and
SNAP nutrition programs must be preserved and strengthened.
To Fix the Economy in Kentucky, We need to Fix a Broken Congress in Washington:
Our economy has been stuck because Washington is dysfunctional, there are not enough good
jobs, families are burdened by student loan debt,
mortgages and credit card debt and wages are not
keeping up with the cost of living. Families are losing
confidence that the next generation will have as many or
more opportunities than their parents faced. These are
not insolvable problems. America has faced and
overcome greater economic challenges in the past and
we know what to do now. We need to restore the
balance in the economy that we had before when the
middle class was growing, the poor were able to work
their way up, and the wealthy were part of the American
fabric rather than separate from it. In short, to get
America working again, we need to get America
working together again.
We need to get more money in the hands of hardworking families so they have the money to
spend to get the economy moving. When hardworking families earn a good wage and are able to
“If we are going to grow the middle class, the American worker deserves a voice at the table and the ability to earn a living wage and not rely on government subsidies if they are working full time.”
Elisabeth Jensen
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get control of their debt, they are able to spend more money in places like restaurants, shopping
malls, and car lots. When consumer demand improves, businesses have the confidence to hire
more workers and improve wages. This is the virtuous cycle that drives our economy forward.
Elisabeth Jensen approaches all issues from the point of view of a business woman, non-profit
entrepreneur, and Kentucky mom. This leads her to this straight-forward approach: you do what
needs to be done. Many of our economic problems seem to be particularly difficult and
frustrating these days but Elisabeth believes today’s economic challenges are not so different
from those we have faced and solved in the past. We have seen sluggish economies get back on
track. We have produced manufacturing miracles that helped build a thriving middle class. We
have made education available to more and more students without sending families into crippling
debt. We have found the funds necessary to build and maintain a first class highway system.
We could do all of this again.
What is different today is the broken Congress in
Washington. Politicians walk away from the
bargaining table and shut down the government
rather than getting the job done that we elect our
Representatives to do. This has to change to get
America and Kentucky back on track. When
Washington isn’t working Kentucky isn’t working.
We can do better and we must do better.
Kentucky Workers Needs a Raise: One of the best ways to get more money in people’s hands
is to improve wages, starting with the minimum wage but extending upward through the middle
class. A single parent working a full time job for a major corporation should not need public
benefits to feed their family, and society should not have to subsidize the low wages paid by
large corporations to keep that company’s full time
workers above the poverty level. Our vital programs like
SNAP benefits and housing assistance that provide a
safety net for families struggling to rise out of poverty
are already stretched too thin. Full time employees
should earn enough money to keep their families out of
poverty without needing to rely on these benefits.
Some people argue that raising the minimum wage would be a “job killer” but this view is
incorrect and out of date. The 13 states that have raised their minimum wages since January 1,
2014 have seen higher employment growth than the states that did not raise wages. Of course a
minimum wage of $50 or $100 per hour would
decrease employment, but when wages are so low
that a full time job still leaves a family below the
poverty line, some minimum wage jobs go unfilled.
The current minimum wage of $7.25 has lost 5.8% of
its purchasing power since it was last raised in 2009, and purchasing power adjusted for inflation
it is well below the $1.60 per hour minimum wage paid in 1968 during a period of rapid
economic expansion.
“A rising wage lifts all boats.”
Elisabeth Jensen
“To get America working again, we need to get America working together again.”
Elisabeth Jensen
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An increase in the minimum wage now, phasing in annual increases over three years to $10.10
per hour and then indexing the wage to keep up with inflation, would increase family incomes,
boost economic activity, shrink the gap between rich and poor, and decrease government
spending on anti-poverty programs. The benefits would extend to workers at higher pay levels
and throughout society as a whole. A rising wage lifts all boats.
In addition to increasing the minimum wage other elements in the Jensen Jobs Plan are designed
to improve wages at all income levels. The education and job skills training elements are
designed to help prepare students and workers with the knowledge and skills they will need for
better paying high tech, manufacturing, and service sector jobs Kentucky needs to attract. The
proposed investments in modernization of transportation and the high speed data networks are
needed to attract those businesses. This is the integrated approach to economic growth and better
jobs.
Support Working Women with Equal Pay for Equal Work: Another way to get more money
into the hands of hardworking Kentucky families is to
make sure women are not getting paid less than men for
doing the same job. As someone who has experienced
wage discrimination first hand, Elisabeth knows that
women face discrimination every day at every level of
the workforce.
Early in her career while working as an executive for
one of America’s largest corporations Elisabeth learned
from co-workers that she was being paid less than her
male colleagues who were managing smaller divisions
than her own, and was told point-blank it was because
they were men with families and mortgages and she was
a women. She regrets that she did not fight back against
it then, but has vowed to fight for other women facing
the same workplace discrimination in today’s economy.
In Congress, Elisabeth will support the Paycheck
“Because I have personal, first hand, experienced of wage discrimination working for one of the top corporations in America, I know it happens every day at every level of the workforce. I will support the Paycheck Fairness Act, fight for full women's equality and a higher minimum wage.”
Elisabeth Jensen
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Fairness Act and any other legislation that may be necessary to right this wrong. Today, so
many women are the sole breadwinners, or contribute to making ends meet. Elisabeth knows
fair pay is a family issue, not just a women’s issue.
Women face many workplace challenges in today’s economy and political environment. The
recent Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case was wrongly decided and places many
hard won gains for women in the workforce at risk in privately own companies. Elisabeth will
work to enact the legislative remedies to ensure that all women have equal access to health
services, including mammograms and family planning services. Elisabeth will fight to
strengthen protections against employers who discriminate against pregnant employees or fail to
provide temporary reasonable accommodations for pregnant women.
Expand Access to Affordable Childcare: The rising cost of childcare is driving many women
away from working to support their families. Wages and support programs are not keeping up.
Elisabeth supports efforts to help women succeed in the workplace including making child care
less expensive for working parents by expanding and
restructuring the Child and Dependent Care Credit
(CDCC). We could modify the program to make it
more like the successful Earned Income Tax Credit
(EITC) so they would complement each other and
provide incentives for lower income mothers to continue
their working careers. By incentivizing use of certified,
licensed care facilities, we could give children the best
chance to develop the social and emotional skills that
will help them when they enter elementary school.
We can help more children reach school prepared for
success by expanding access to Head Start and Early
Head Start programs that have been clearly proven to
help students start education with a better chance to
succeed throughout their educational careers. These
programs have struggled to stay open during the budget
battles in Washington. Instead of targeting waste and
unneeded programs, Washington has given us across-the-board cuts that take away needed
programs that put poor children on the right path.
Ziliak, James P. 2014. “Supporting Low-Income Workers Through Refundable Child-Care Credits.” In
Policies to Address Poverty in America, M. Kearney and B. Harris, editors, The Hamilton Project,
Brookings Institution, pp. 109-117.
“Mothers are deterred from working in the labor market because of costly child-care options. … A restructured Child and Dependent Care Credit could encourage greater economic self-sufficiency and improve the economic well-being of low-income families.”
James P. Ziliak, PhD. UK Economics Professor
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Invest in Education and Jobs Skills Training: As a mother of an elementary school student
with special needs and co-founder of two educational non-profits, Elisabeth Jensen knows the
importance of education in helping our children grow and in building a sustainable future for our
economy and our country. Our commitment to high quality
public schools is how our nation makes sure the next
generation is ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and
prepared to contribute to the economy.
This is why we need to invest in improving our schools’
infrastructure, especially right now when interest rates are
low and people need jobs. Investing in educational
infrastructure helps create jobs today, and helps prepare our
students for the good jobs of tomorrow.
We need to get our workforce prepared for better higher
paying jobs in technology, manufacturing, and service
sectors. This is why Elisabeth is so proud of the work she
has done in founding two educational non-profit
organizations; the Race For Education and the Starting Gate
which provide scholarships, tutoring, internships, mentoring
opportunities, after school academic development
programs, nutritional support and financial literacy training for Central Kentucky middle-school
students.
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Elisabeth believes strongly that every child that wants to go to college should have all the
support we can offer so they reach college ready to succeed, graduate and find a good job
without taking on crushing debt. But Elisabeth also wants to be certain our education system is
providing opportunities for everyone, including those who do not choose the college path to
success. We need to return to investing in vocational education and career readiness programs –
so that we are not only preparing those who will head to college, but those we vitally need to
enter into high paying advanced manufacturing as well as those who will be our
tradesmen, healthcare providers, and service industry workers.
This also means strengthening job skills training for students and experienced workers who want
to gain skills that are needed for jobs that are available today. College is not the choice for every
student and there are many jobs today that require specialized training. There are many federal
programs to train workers in needed skill areas that must be consolidated and strengthened and
Kentucky public schools, community colleges, and worker training centers need greater support
from government and private sector employers in public private partnerships designed to give
businesses the trained workforce they need to thrive.
Making College Affordable and Student Debt Manageable: We have a student loan crisis in
the United States. Young people are graduating from college with tens of thousands of dollars in
debt, and so are moving back in with their parents and delaying their contributions to community
and economic life – marriage, buying a car, buying a home, starting a business, or taking the next
step toward a successful career.
We have to make college affordable to young people by increasing needs based and merit based
scholarships. Elisabeth Jensen has done this in the non-profit sector by founding two educational
non-profit organizations that have raised and awarded over 5 million dollars in scholarships. We
also have to help families struggling with high student loan debt, as part of a broader plan to get
the economy moving by getting more money in the hands of hard-working families. When
people have less debt, they have more money to spend, creating the demand that leads to
increasing employment.
One way to do this is by offering lower interest rate refinancing to graduates and former students
with crippling loan debt. Interest rates have been
lowered for new student loan debt but this is no help to
students who have already left school with massive
loans at higher interest rates. This puts pressure on
family finances and increases the chance the family will
enter a downward debt spiral and fall victim to
predatory lenders. We can give families relief by
offering graduates and former students with existing
debt at high interest rates a chance to refinance at the
lower rates now available to for current students.
We also must do a better job of educating our young
people about just what taking out loans of these
magnitudes can mean for their credit
“Student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt nationally and this is potentially the next bubble that could burst. This is all the more reason to get creative in ways these young people can give back to society, and also repay their loans.”
Elisabeth Jensen
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histories. Elisabeth’s Race for Education offers financial literacy training to help young
students make better financial choices with regard to their education and their future.
Student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt nationally and this is potentially the next bubble
that could burst. This is all the more reason to get creative in ways these young people can give
back to society, and also repay their loans. This could include caps on the percentage of after
graduation salary students must pay. This could include student loan forgiveness for military or
civilian service, or for taking lower paying but vitally important jobs. Any steps we take to keep
student loan payments and interest rates at reasonable levels helps make it possible for young
people to pay back those loans and get their financial lives in order.
Invest in bridges, Schools, Data Networks and other Key Infrastructure: With today’s low
interest rates and underutilization of labor and
machinery in the construction trades, now is the perfect
time to invest in our roads, bridges and other
transportation infrastructure, updating our energy grid,
building and modernizing our schools, providing access
to broadband data networks and other information
infrastructure. Investing in infrastructure creates good
jobs today, and helps pave the way for good jobs
tomorrow.
This is not a “make work” proposal because these are jobs that need to be done. There are many
sub-standard bridges in this district that carry thousands of cars every day. This is a public safety
issue as well as an economic issue. Investments in repairing roads and bridges, and other key
transportation infrastructure will help get the economy moving today by putting people back to
work doing jobs that need to be done.
It has become popular today for politicians to make speeches demonizing all government
spending but there is no more basic purpose for government than building new schools and
modernizing existing ones and building and maintaining roads and bridges. Kentucky businesses
need good roads, rail and other transportation to get supplies in and get products out to the
market. Our economy depends on our investing in the basic infrastructure that makes it go.
Expand access to high speed digital data, so students can learn and businesses can grow:
Kentucky is behind other states in access to high speed data networks, and this impedes our
ability to get high-tech, manufacturing, and service sector jobs that pay higher wages. Lack of
connectivity is frustrating for consumers but it can be detrimental for students and businesses.
Kentucky has a long way to go to catch up. A recent study ranked Kentucky next to last, ahead
of only Alaska, when it comes to average internet speed throughout the state. New call service
centers, technology businesses, legal, financial services, business or professional consultancies,
could all find many good reasons to locate in central Kentucky, but they would all have to think
twice about doing business here unless we can improve our data networks.
Investments in bridges, schools and data networks create good jobs today and pave the way
(literally) for better, higher paying jobs tomorrow. And this is not just about government
“Investing in infrastructure creates good jobs today, and helps pave the way for good jobs tomorrow.”
Elisabeth Jensen
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creating jobs – it is also about government and business working together to create better
jobs. Businesses need to invest in things like worker skills training and improving data
speeds. But when things grind to a halt in Congress, government isn’t leading, or even able to be
a partner with business.
Dysfunction in Washington is costing Kentucky jobs. When Washington isn't working,
Kentucky isn't working. To get Kentucky working we need to get Washington working
together.
Keep energy prices low and invest in energy sources for the future: Central Kentucky has
been experiencing a resurgence of manufacturing for the past several years, due in part to energy
prices that have been low and stable for decades. Elisabeth wants to keep this growth going and
see it accelerate so she supports an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy embracing the broadest
mix of energy sources to meet our needs. Elisabeth issued a statement strongly opposing the
overly tight regulations from the EPA on Kentucky energy generating utilities as soon as they
were announced. She would work to increase flexibility and extend the timeline to keep energy
prices low as our energy utilities transition to a broader energy mix including far greater reliance
on renewable energy sources, like solar power and wind.
But keeping manufacturing jobs in central Kentucky and attracting more good jobs depends on
much more than just low energy prices alone. Manufacturers and other high technology and
service sector businesses that provide the jobs of the future also need skilled workers, good
roads, rail and other transportation infrastructure, high speed broadband internet, and an updated
energy grid that is capable of delivering electricity created by all sources. All of these elements
of the Jensen Jobs Plan are interrelated, and reinforce each other. This is why Elisabeth is so
enthusiastic in her support for the Kentucky SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) initiative
promoted by Congressman Hal Rogers and Governor Steve Beshear because it addresses so
many aspects of the challenges facing Eastern and Central Kentucky. It is an example of progress
that can be achieved by working across party lines.
Elisabeth is committed to protecting
Kentucky coal jobs and Kentucky coal
miners – many of whom have spent their
careers working in mines and are now
dealing with the health consequences. It
is irresponsible to think one can be a
friend of coal while at the same time
questioning the need for tougher rules to
prevent black lung disease in our coal
mines.
Politicians often pick a single issue to harp on in attacking their opponents with harsh rhetoric
like “job killer” when the reality is far more complex. The reality is, the Kentucky economy
needs major investments in education, job training, transportation infrastructure, schools, and
low and stable energy prices to compete against other states and regions for the jobs of
tomorrow.
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The economy is starting to show some signs of improvement but most Kentucky families are not
seeing any increases in their personal take home pay. With the right leaders in Washington who
care more about the people than the powerful special interest groups, we can get the economy
moving for Kentucky families and start to rebuild the struggling middle class.
Expand access to Commercial and Consumer Credit: The financial crisis that started in
2008, the last year of George W. Bush’s presidency, was due to under-regulated and
overextended financial markets. The crisis involved an extended period of time where credit was
difficult to get for consumers and new businesses. Even now, new loans are hard to negotiate.
At the same time many families have mortgage debt, credit card debt, and student loan debt that
continues to be a weight that sometimes becomes unsustainable. When families can’t make ends
meet they turn to predatory payday lenders that charge outrageous interest rates that can make a
bad situation turn far, far worse.
When banking and credit markets are working well, they can offer opportunities for investments
and growth. However, when markets are out of balance the banks and lenders have all the power
and borrowers get ground down as the system grinds to a halt. Good regulations against
predatory lending, with limits on very high interest rates can help credit markets work well for
more people. Why don’t we have better laws and regulations on banks and lenders now? The
answer can be found in the broken pay-to-play Washington we have today, where big banks and
lenders use their money to buy lobbyists and make large campaign contributions designed to
ensure they can block laws that would protect borrowers.
Elisabeth Jensen believes we need people in Congress who are not in the pockets of the large
banks and payday lenders, who can give small businesses, homeowners and other consumer
borrowers a voice when banking policies are written. Elisabeth believes we need to simplify
credit forms, and make financial literacy education a standard course of study for students as
they turn toward college. Young adults need to understand the implications of taking on debt.
Elisabeth also supports reining in predatory payday lenders by limiting high interest rates, and
lending terms that create dependency and ruin families. There are no national regulations on the
payday lending, or quick loan industry, and Kentucky is one of the states with the least restrictive
state laws. This allows lenders to charge interest rates that can exceed 390% per year. Families
that take out a loan for a short period of time can find themselves trapped in a downward spiral
of deepening debt. Attempts to limit that interest rate face huge opposition from the payday
lending industry lobbyists.
Elisabeth believes we need to strengthen community banks and lending institutions that offer
consumers and small businesses access to credit on reasonable terms, with balanced regulation to
put borrowers and lenders on more equal terms. Access to credit on fair terms is so important in
giving families opportunities to earn their way into the middle class that Elisabeth is open to
creative solutions including proposals to allow post offices to offer consumer and commercial
lending. Post offices are already trusted institutions throughout our communities. Post offices
have been under pressure to create more income in a declining market and fair lending could
offer a new business opportunity and revenue stream.
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Reducing Long Term Deficits and Debt while Strengthening Needed Programs: After
expanding greatly due to the financial crisis that started in the end of 2008, the U.S. federal
budget deficit has been declining for several years in a row, and is forecast to be lower than
average for the next several years. All that being said the country does have a long-term deficit
problem as the Baby Boom Generation moves into and through their retirement years. Elisabeth
Jensen is committed to making sure every hard-earned tax dollar is accounted for and spent
wisely and she will fight against irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans who need
them the least.
The best way to reduce deficits and government debt is to grow the economy, increase earnings
and employment, get people off of public assistance by paying them a living wage, and close
loopholes that allow large corporations and millionaires
to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Elisabeth will
work across party lines to support comprehensive
reform of our broken tax laws which are filled with
loopholes and special treatments that allow millionaires
and billionaires to pay a lower tax rate than middle class
Americans.
And in particular, Elisabeth will fight against tax breaks
for individual industries won by expensive lobbyists in
a “Pay-to-Play” system that has become an illness
preventing average Americans from having any
confidence that their Congressional Representatives
really represent the people they serve. Americans deserve the Democracy our Founding Fathers
envisioned and all of us need to fight to keep government that is really by the people, and for the
“The US still faces a long term debt issue, but deficits have been declining rapidly in recent years. Right now the economy needs faster growth, better jobs, and higher wages.”
Alice Rivlin, Economist
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people. Closing loopholes that shield industries from paying their fair share of taxes would raise
revenue that can be used to restore aging bridges, build and modernize schools, and invest in data
networks, creating jobs, strengthening the economy, shrinking deficits, and restoring the sense
that all Americans are contributing to a stronger America.
Preserving and Strengthening the Social Security and Medicare Guarantees: Elisabeth will
not allow deficit cutting to be used as an excuse for drastic cuts in Social Security or Medicare.
Elisabeth believes these programs represent a promise made to every generation that has paid
into them and earned them through a lifetime of hard work. She will oppose all efforts to
privatize Social Security – a risky bet that places seniors’ retirement benefits at the mercy of the
ups and downs on Wall Street, and she will fight any scheme to replace the Medicare guarantee
with a voucher system for this generation of retirees or future generations.
Our long term deficit is serious but solvable if Democrats and Republicans could work together
to embrace balanced measures as we have done several times in the past. This long term issue
should never be used as an excuse to make unnecessary and cruel cuts in needed government
programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (AKA “food stamps”), disability
payments and childcare assistance.
Instead of pitting one generation against other generations, the best thing we can do to reduce the
deficit is to get the nation back to work, earning more income, and increasing the tax base. The
best place to start is here in Kentucky and the best time to start is now, with this election where
we have the opportunity to send someone to Congress who will care about real people and the
real problems they face.
Elisabeth has a plan to get more money into the hands of families by improving wages, making
college affordable and helping families with debt, investing in education and the infrastructure
businesses need to grow, and reforming the tax system so the wealthy pay their fair share.
This is the common sense approach to the economy that Kentucky needs today.