Messenger Boy

September 7, 2010

To further stimulate job creation, President Obama kicked off a national campaign asking for support of an infrastructure bill making its way to Congress this week. The six-year spending proposal, the majority of which will be dispensed in the beginning, is currently reported at $50 billion. The front-loading is meant to help create jobs sooner rather than later. View the full speech to the Milwaukee Laborfest, on September 6, 2010.

With the unemployment rate ticking up to 9.6 percent as midterm elections approach this fall, Obama is looking to give the Democrats a boost in the polls. It is thought that the GOP has a current advantage in these upcoming elections due to the still-high jobless numbers, the highest-ever national deficit, and waning optimism of recession recovery.

According to the Associated Press, the goals of the plan include “rebuilding 150,000 miles of roads; constructing and maintaining 4,000 miles of railways, enough to go coast-to-coast; and rehabilitating or reconstructing 150 miles of airport runways, while also installing a new air navigation system designed to reduce travel times and delays.” The plan also addresses business tax breaks, including breaks instituted by G. W. Bush, and proposes research and development tax breaks.

Is this the type of job creation the country needs? Or do you have ideas for economic stimulation that the administration should consider?