Amesbury, MA—Congressman John Tierney last week visited with small business owners, elected officials, and local residents in Amesbury to discuss efforts to revive our economy, create and save jobs, and support our community.

“It is extremely important to me to hear from local residents, elected officials, and business owners who live and work in our area,” Congressman Tierney said. “It is essential that Democrats in Congress continue to respond to the needs of middle-class Americans and small business owners and focus on strengthening our economy and getting people back to work. We need to ensure that our local families, seniors, and businesses can continue to ‘make it in America’.”

In an ongoing effort to hear from local business owners and residents, Congressman Tierney visited numerous small businesses in Amesbury including, Zac & Annie’s, Old Newbury Crafters, Bertram & Oliver Booksellers, and Maggie Sundae.

In addition, Congressman Tierney recently hosted a Green Jobs Workshop for small businesses, an Exporting Seminar for business owners interested in growing their organizations, a series of Grants Workshops to connect business owners, non-profits, and municipalities with state and federal agencies. He also visited various businesses benefitting from federal Recovery Act funding and met with seniors across the region.

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By Lynne Hendricks/ The Newburyport Daily News

AMESBURY — In town for the groundbreaking of the new Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority transportation center, Congressman John Tierney took time out yesterday to meet with business owners throughout town, embarking on a listening tour of sorts to find out firsthand how local business owners are faring in this sluggish economy.

Beginning with stops in the morning at Munters Cargocaire on Monroe Street and Shea Concrete, Route 110 and Eastern Lumber on Haverhill Road, Tierney and several staffers capped off the groundbreaking ceremony with a visit to Zac and Ani's Bakery on Main Street, where they picked up some of Brian Bienvenue's signature handmade cinnamon rolls.

They went on from there to visit with the owners of Maggie Sundae on Friend Street, Bertram and Oliver's Booksellers on Main Street, and several other downtown businesses with hopes of finding out whether economic stimulus bills passed by Congress have trickled down to offer relief.

Tierney said he was pleased to hear, in many cases, how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has made a difference for the businesses' bottom lines.

"We talked to a lot of businesses that have benefited from ARRA," Tierney said. "Some have benefited directly, and some have benefited by a ricochet effect. I've been finding that throughout the district."

At Munters and Shea's, as well as Eastern Lumber, business owners have hired up to five new employees either because of orders for services received as a result of an ARRA-funded project in Massachusetts or another state, or because they see signs in their industry that the economy is bouncing back from the brink, Tierney said.

Tierney inquired of business owners whether they've taken advantage, or plan to take advantage, of tax incentives passed by Congress in the past two years that offer credits aimed at easing the sting of earnings losses and attacking unemployment rolls, as in the case of an incentive that relieves employers of Social Security contributions if they hire someone who is currently unemployed.

"If they keep them on for a year, then they get another $1,000 credit," said Tierney, who said he also talked with business owners about some of the new lenient loans for small businesses that have acquired a lot of debt, available through the Small Business Administration.

"I was glad to discover how people understand where we would be without the ARRA," Tierney added.

Aside from being pleased that so many from the transportation center ground-breaking ceremony followed Tierney into the shop to enjoy a pastry, Bienvenue said he was pleased with the effort Tierney and others made to get the transportation center project off the ground.

"I think what they're doing to revitalize the downtown is the biggest thing they can do for me," said Bienvenue, who stands to benefit greatly should the Lower Millyard facing the windows of his downtown storefront be developed as planned. "The more traffic downtown, the better for me."

If he and Chamber of Commerce President Curtis Wollitz could ask for one thing from government and from Tierney as their representative in Washington, it's to keep doing what he's doing to advocate for funds toward that end.

"He's a fantastic asset for us," Wollitz said.

Taking a moment to talk with town officials following the morning's activities, mayoral Chief of Staff Kendra Amaral expressed appreciation for Tierney's taking time to visit with the people of Amesbury.

"It's so wonderful for us to be able to showcase Amesbury and all the things we have happening," she said.

By Lynne Hendricks Staff Writer

AMESBURY — In town for the groundbreaking of the new Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority transportation center, Congressman John Tierney took time out yesterday to meet with business owners throughout town, embarking on a listening tour of sorts to find out firsthand how local business owners are faring in this sluggish economy.

Beginning with stops in the morning at Munters Cargocaire on Monroe Street and Shea Concrete, Route 110 and Eastern Lumber on Haverhill Road, Tierney and several staffers capped off the groundbreaking ceremony with a visit to Zac and Ani's Bakery on Main Street, where they picked up some of Brian Bienvenue's signature handmade cinnamon rolls.

They went on from there to visit with the owners of Maggie Sundae on Friend Street, Bertram and Oliver's Booksellers on Main Street, and several other downtown businesses with hopes of finding out whether economic stimulus bills passed by Congress have trickled down to offer relief.

Tierney said he was pleased to hear, in many cases, how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has made a difference for the businesses' bottom lines.

"We talked to a lot of businesses that have benefited from ARRA," Tierney said. "Some have benefited directly, and some have benefited by a ricochet effect. I've been finding that throughout the district."

At Munters and Shea's, as well as Eastern Lumber, business owners have hired up to five new employees either because of orders for services received as a result of an ARRA-funded project in Massachusetts or another state, or because they see signs in their industry that the economy is bouncing back from the brink, Tierney said.

Tierney inquired of business owners whether they've taken advantage, or plan to take advantage, of tax incentives passed by Congress in the past two years that offer credits aimed at easing the sting of earnings losses and attacking unemployment rolls, as in the case of an incentive that relieves employers of Social Security contributions if they hire someone who is currently unemployed.

"If they keep them on for a year, then they get another $1,000 credit," said Tierney, who said he also talked with business owners about some of the new lenient loans for small businesses that have acquired a lot of debt, available through the Small Business Administration.

"I was glad to discover how people understand where we would be without the ARRA," Tierney added.

Aside from being pleased that so many from the transportation center ground-breaking ceremony followed Tierney into the shop to enjoy a pastry, Bienvenue said he was pleased with the effort Tierney and others made to get the transportation center project off the ground.

"I think what they're doing to revitalize the downtown is the biggest thing they can do for me," said Bienvenue, who stands to benefit greatly should the Lower Millyard facing the windows of his downtown storefront be developed as planned. "The more traffic downtown, the better for me."

If he and Chamber of Commerce President Curtis Wollitz could ask for one thing from government and from Tierney as their representative in Washington, it's to keep doing what he's doing to advocate for funds toward that end.

"He's a fantastic asset for us," Wollitz said.

Taking a moment to talk with town officials following the morning's activities, mayoral Chief of Staff Kendra Amaral expressed appreciation for Tierney's taking time to visit with the people of Amesbury.

"It's so wonderful for us to be able to showcase Amesbury and all the things we have happening," she said.

This article was originally published in the August 27th edition of the Newburyport Daily News.

By Sean Leonard/The Lynn Daily Item

LYNN - U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, addressed the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce at the Volunteer Yacht Club Friday morning, saying it’s essential to the economic recovery for Congress to remain focused on helping small businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs to take the risk on launching new business.

“We’ve all heard the caveat that small businesses are creating the jobs. But in truth, within small businesses it’s new businesses that do most of the hiring,” Tierney said, adding some positive steps have been taken but there is much more to do. “There are way too many people out of work right now.”

Bills including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Hire Act and National Health Care, he said, are helping to level off — and in some areas have begun to reverse — unemployment, with measures including tax incentives for those who make capital investments in their businesses, subsidies lasting several months for businesses that employ people who have been jobless for eight or more weeks and allowing those who are self-employed to write off their own health care costs.

And the ARRA makes vital investment in our roads, bridges and seaports, he said, as well as science, research and development, and clean energy technology, which Tierney said is the way of the future.

Tierney spoke for 20 minutes defending Congress and the Obama Administration’s move to inject billions of federal money to jump start the economy.

“President Obama came into office on January 20 of 2009,” he said, “and some of my friends in Congress, including (House Minority Leader) John Bohner (R-Ohio) and (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), believe that’s when all the problems started; that no sooner did we swear him (Obama) in that we headed off the cliff.”

Tierney said the crisis the nation continues to grapple with was borne of the “Trickle Down” economic policy implemented by President George W. Bush.

“The last three years of the Clinton Administration we had surpluses; we were working on paying down the debt and there was a $5.7 trillion surplus when the keys were handed over to George W. Bush. But (President Bush) didn’t like surpluses. He was afraid of them.”

As a result, Tierney said, the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 were targeted toward the 2 percent of our population in the top income brackets.

“The Trickle Down theory is that the richest will invest (in businesses and job creation), and the rest of us will be taken care of, but that’s not what happens,” Tierney said.

Instead, he said, the Bush tax cuts cost $1.7 trillion a year, which was never offset by budget cuts or new revenue sources.

Add the trillions of dollars in borrowed money to fund the war in Iraq, he said, “and it’s no mistake or accident that we are where we are today.

“The ones in Washington screaming the loudest today about the deficit are the ones who didn’t say a word from 2001 through 2008,” he said.

Tierney said he agrees with the president that the Bush tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 should expire.

The Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Tierney said, was the only way to try and pull the nation out of recession; the only way to help get the 10 million who are jobless back to work and back to paying taxes and mortgages and spending to support businesses.

He said Democrats, meanwhile, are dedicated to bringing the $12 trillion federal deficit down.

Difficult cuts will need to be made, he said, including billions in cuts from Defense.

Tierney said according to the General Accountability Office, “Just 93 of our (defense) programs have a total of $296 billion in cost overruns and are anywhere from three months to 30 years behind schedule. We can do better,” he said, noting some projects will have to be sped up and other eliminated.

“We can cut $1 trillion from Defense over the next 10 years and at the end have even stronger National Security.”

However, Tierney said he is confident the secondary engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35, produced by GE and Rolls Royce, will be preserved.

“Some (in Washington) say you just want to keep jobs in your district. Yes, jobs are great, but this is about National Security. The F-35 will be used by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. If we have only one engine (Pratt Whitney is the primary engine manufacturer for the F-35) and then there is a problem with that, our entire fleet will be grounded. We need a backup engine, and we’ve swayed some who were opposed (to the secondary engine) on that point alone, without ever mentioning jobs.”

Overall, Tierney said he is optimistic about the future.

“We have seen difficult times before, and we relied on ingenuity and hard work to get us out of it. I’m convinced we can do it again.”

This article was originally published in the August 24th edition of the Lynn Daily Item.

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