What is the best way Pres. Obama can create jobs and get the economy going again? [View All]

[txlibdem]

Today, our economy is 70% reliant upon consumer spending. The officially admitted unemployment rate is 10% but some say it's closer to 15% to 20% when you count the number of Americans who have given up and those who are working part time but need a full time job.

Back in the 1930s, FDR brought us the WPA, a jobs program under which the government directly hired people (or sometimes through shell companies) to do construction projects (roads, bridges, Hoover Dam, etc.), fix up our national parks, and a whole host of other jobs that needed doing. We as a nation have benefited greatly from the contributions to our society by WPA workers. It was not enough of a stimulus at that time because our economy did not rely on consumer spending. Critics of the program fail to factor that in.

I wondered how a similar program would fare today so I sent a letter to the President:

A message to the president:

Dear Mr. President, please end your fatal attraction to the failed religion of Trickle Down Economics. You have wasted two years trying everything under the sun to get small businesses and big corporations to create jobs, meanwhile they are sitting on $2 Trillion in cash reserves --enough to pay 20 million workers a salary of $50,000 per year when factoring in the other costs of having employees.

Business is NOT going to help you get the economy going. When are you going to get that through your head?!? It has had 2 years to work and it has done nothing.

Bring back the Work Progress Administration and put millions of Americans back to work!

Pay for it by taxing American companies operating overseas, having factories overseas, or having bank accounts overseas. Or figure out some other way to pay for it that doesn't screw the poor, the middle class or the nations retirees.

And if you continue your disastrous record of capitulation and unilateral surrender of Democratic ideals to the Republicans there will be more unrest, more unhappiness, and eventually a 2012 primary challenge!

Get on track and get the WPA going!

I wanted to bring this question to the DU brain trust, please vote for your choice of the best way to create jobs.