Pass the Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan

This morning, more than 20 leading progressive organizations and unions, including AFSCME, announced the creation of the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery Now, a major campaign to pass President-elect Obama's jobs and economic recovery package.

The President-elect's dramatic, bold and innovative program is a clear sign that the change he promised in his campaign has arrived. In contrast to a Bush administration that told struggling families "you're on your own" for the last eight years, the Obama-Biden administration is saying "we're in this together." We're going to need to work together to get out of this mess. It won't be easy, but it can be done. We fought to win the November election, and we're going to fight to pass this emergency legislation and put America back to work.

President-elect Obama understands that we need to fast-track improvements in our roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure. He knows that public investments create jobs and help the economy in the long-run. He also recognizes the need for accountability, which is why his people are working closely with the nation's governors and mayors to identify projects that are called "shovel-ready," and are based on national priorities and not political considerations.

I'm very pleased that the jobs and economic recovery plan includes additional federal resources for the vital health care and family services that states and localities provide for their citizens. We're talking about law enforcement, education, health care and other vital services. These programs are particularly important during difficult economic times. President-elect Obama and Vice-President-elect Biden understand that we can't recover from this mess and put people back to work if we are gutting the public services that are vital to our communities.

We have a big task ahead of us. This bill needs to pass through Congress fast. Every day of delay is a day when more Americans get a pink slip, when more communities see stores shuttering their doors, when more families find the American Dream growing dimmer and farther from their grasp. Congress has got to pass President-elect Obama's plan, the sooner the better.

Comments

[Arthur954]

--- There are so many things that can be done. We have to get back to a REAL economy : our reference should be a country like GERMANY, for example, the number one exporter in the world, specialised in high - tech, added value things. In Germany, the private and public sectors, along with the labor unions and the state and local governments, WORK TOGETHER for the good of all.

--- We need a SECRETARY OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY that can coordinate all the work.

--- As for infrastructure, really it should be a matter of pride for the US to have good things in this aspect. In Europe, they hire famous architects to design new public buildings like train stations, bridges, etc so that they are exciting to look at and create prestige for the location in particular. Many times a beautiful thing costs the same as a dull - looking one.

--- I would LOVE to see high - speed trains in the US : In Europe, they really have changed the life, working possibilities, even property values, etc of the communities that are reached by them : fantastic . Its like riding in an airplane, and you can work on your laptop and use your time well.

And all of this, down to the last screw, MADE IN U.S. lets get going !

[RedneckDem]

I think much of this is needed, but there needs to be some serious oversight.

1. Only American citizens hired by anyone who has anything to do with any project. No exceptions, no excuses.

2. Any road project needs to have areas for future docking stations (i.e. super fast plug in recharges) or other innovative car recharging systems.

3. High speed rail needs to have a complete network of almost door to door service for mass approval.

4. The reshaping of our driving habits needs to have less emphasis on suburban dwelling or a lighter version thereof.

5. The swifter movement of produce and manufactured products has to be a top priority as well (i.e. try to set up a buy and produce locally as much as possible).

Just thoughts, but we will need to make sure that some basic rules such as 1,2 and 3 for sure.

[Beachrunner]

There's nothing innovative about a bunch of infrastructure projects.

And please tell me why we're going to pour almost a trillion dollars into new roads and bridges when we're supposed to stop driving??

[RedneckDem]

uh... I assume that it is for improvements to existing infrastructure and for higher speed initiatives like high speed rail.
Are you ready to give up before you even know the details???