Democrats work on multibillion-dollar jobs package

[babylonsister]

And 'crickets' from the rethugs. Stand by for their criticism; you know it's coming.


Democrats work on multibillion-dollar jobs package
Lawmakers say they're moving fast to get a job-creation bill to Obama by January. It's unclear how much of the effort would be funded with deficit spending.

By Peter Nicholas
November 27, 2009


Reporting from Washington - Troubled by the rising jobless rate, President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress are assembling a new jobs package that would devote billions of dollars to projects meant to put people back on payrolls in 2010 and keep them working.

Discussions over the scale of the bill are fluid, but lawmakers said the intent was to move swiftly and get a bill to Obama's desk as early as January.

The renewed push to create jobs is driven by a recognition that the $787-billion stimulus program enacted in February is not a sufficient remedy for an unemployment rate that stands at 10.2%.

Nearly 16 million people were unemployed as of October, and 3.49 million jobs have been lost since January, when Obama took office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The stimulus boosted employment but "did it in a way that was not as highly visible as a lot of people would like," said Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), one of the House members devising the jobs bill.

"It did so in somewhat of a scattershot approach -- a job here and a job there, trickled out over time. . . . Far too many Americans are without a job, and far too many more are worried about what tomorrow is going to bring," Sutton said.

Congressional aides said the new program could cost tens of billions of dollars. Democratic House members who had wanted a larger stimulus said they would press for a substantial spending plan this time.

"I hope we don't play around the edges with this and we do what will work. Invest the money now," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. "We have to create jobs, and we have to create them right away."

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-jobs27-2009nov27,0,725670,full.story

[asdjrocky]

1. Really hard to take this seriously at this point. nt

[babylonsister]

3. Better late than never. We'll see what becomes of this, but

I think and hope they're serious; the current economic situation demands it.

[Deja Q]

2. Middle class jobs? McJobs? How about

curbing corporate power and doing something that lets small businesses flourish again?

Last night I read how small bookstores were being wiped out by Borders, and now Borders is whining for a free ride because it can't sustain itself.

Can't ANYBODY see the frigging obvious?!

[babylonsister]

4. Call it whatever you want, but I'd happily settle for a middle-class

job, as would loads of people. Throw in some health care and I'm there!

[phasma ex machina]

12. +1 small shopkeepers ensure a nation's economic health. nt

[AllentownJake]

5. Too little too late

They get a C for at least pretending to give a shit. The GOP would have said pull yourself by your bootstraps fuckers.

[fasttense]

6. I think Congress knows that if unemployment gets any higher,

The next jobs to go will be their jobs. Historically high unemployment leads to incumbents being voted out of office.

This is the best way to go, if you want jobs right now:

"Special partnerships in which government tries to avert private sector layoffs by picking up a share of employee wages."

If they avoid the corporations and focus on the small businesses, then this would get you jobs immediately. The federal government, through OPM, could hire unemployed people for small businesses, non-profits and some local government agencies at $10 per hour (plus cover benefits). The small businessman could then cover half the cost or $5 per hour. By doing this the executive branch could create jobs tomorrow. There are thousands of OPM programs that allow the federal government to hire for special circumstances. All that would be needed would be funding and that can be done through the reconciliation process with 51 votes in the Senate.

But I think it is too simple for our federal government. Just like single-payer was too simple.

[FreakinDJ]

7. If its any thing like the Stimulous Bill - No Thanks

Honestly - Pelosie blew it big time and we can't afford any more of that shit

[endless october]

8. going to be hard to bring back manufacturing without tariffs.

lots of slave labor markets out there. labor is so cheap that they can afford to ship it across an ocean and still beat our prices by half.

[crazyjoe]

9. how stupid do they think we are?

[NightWatcher]

10. would said "projects" be contracted out to mega construction companies who then use illegals?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Just because the long-delayed new Duval County Courthouse is finally under construction doesn't mean all the controversy is behind the project.

One of the selling points to build the new $350 million courthouse was to create jobs for the city, but it was expected those jobs would be American workers -- not illegal immigrants.

So city workers said they were shocked when they learned Monday that out of 350 construction workers hired at the courthouse, 100 of them had falsified green cards.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/21575650/detail.html


We dont need more contracts that can be bid by companies that will hose the American workers, hire illegals, threat them like garbage, and pocket a huge profit.

[The Straight Story]

11. Let me guess - they will pay big corps not to layoff people and call it hiring (nt)