Should we focuses on Jobs as opposed to anything else

[dschis]

1. I agree with Ed Shultz. If we don't get job creation going we will see the Republicans getting back control of the Congress next year.

2. We, as Democrats, quibble amongst ourselves with other stuff. They're important yes, but if we can't bring the MANUFACTURING jobs along with firing up REAL INNOVATION, not constantly dressing up old ideas.

3. Vote yes if you think we're behind on the "power curve" in the Job Creation Forum

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. That should have been the first thing on the agenda

Arguably before health care, DEFINITELY before bailing out the criminals on Wall Street.

[Warpy]

4. Bull. There has always been something

more important than health insurance reform.

The bad system we have now is killing 45,000 people a year. Maybe you can live with that but I can't.

Job creation will definitely be on the table next. As the GOP wars wind down and the reckless GOP tax cuts expire, we'll start to get this country's fiscal house in order and that's when jobs programs will start.

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. And yet, after all the months spent on it, we have nothing to show for it

Except the Monica Lewinsky Memorial Corporate Fellation Act of 2009. It might have been worth it, if we had gotten at least the public option out of the deal. And I mean the real one Howard Dean was talking about. Not the fictional illusion in the current bill.

[dschis]

11. I agree, but 14, 15, 20 percent

Before we do get serious? Have to do the both at once

[blues90]

18. yeah right, don't hold your breath

All this admin has done is bail out the very criminals who caused this then come up with some half ass health re-form bill.

Without a job that pays the bills what does anything else really mean , not a danm thing.

[MilesColtrane]

5. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Economic Stimulus Bill)

...was passed on February 17th, less than a thirty days after he was in office.

You can argue that it has failed to create jobs, but you can't argue that job creation wasn't one of the first things on his agenda.

[dschis]

10. I blame the government economic advisors

We as a country have been addicted to the "economic crack" of Wall Street thinking. We are in danger of having very little to nothing to contribute to world economy. A paper economy only benefits the people with the paper

[Quantess]

2. It's not too late to edit your grammar.

[dschis]

3. i was in a hurry

[vadawg]

6. i guess it depends where you are at the moment

if your out of work jobs are a priority, if your sick its health reform, if your anti war its bringing the troops home, i think everyone has their own priorities.

[dschis]

7. If there's a 800 lb gorilla in the room

He will get your attention. The Dems haven't seen it yet. I'm saying we need to look beyond the things that have bothered us for a while. It's easy for us when we have a warm home and great food. None of the other things can be done or really matter.

I'm successfully retired BTW

[LuvNewcastle]

9. You're right.

They should be able to tackle more than one problem at once, though. Maybe the administration is afraid that if it saddles Congress with too much that HCR will be put off until next year. But they have to get something going on jobs. Thank God they've continued to extend unemployment, but that just isn't enough.

[Naturyl]

12. I voted no on principle.

Not because we are "on the right course," but because this is a push poll which includes no other options.

"JAWBS" are not a magical answer to all ills. What we need to prioritize is helping people, whether through jobs, social programs, benefits, in-kind assistance, or what have you. There are MILLIONS of Americans to whom "jobs" mean absolutely nothing and never will. These Americans need solutions too, and I will vote "no" on anything which suggests that only "job creation" is important to revitalizing America. Countless other things are important as well, and "the right course" includes a lot more than imagining everyone can be or should be put to work.

[Bonn1997]

13. +1...Jobs aren't really something you focus on...

you put policies into place, which includes and requires strong health care reform, that will create jobs.

[dschis]

20. An analogy

In order for a computer to POST you have to have a working motherboard. with a CPU, memory, video, along with appropriate software OS, antivirus, firewall,etc. The Repukes have been drastically overclocking the CPU and running without the firewall and antivirus. Now we all know what happens when you don't run security software that'll show up first. The computer will run, but slowwwwwws down, people use your computer to run weird stuff, your personal info gets stolen.
The CPU being overclocked still runs for quite a while, but then over heats and the computer is no more.

IMHO, CPU=economy (job specific)
security software = health care


Replace the CPU first, get the computer going then get rid of the viruses, trojans, malware, etc. and install security software

[Bonn1997]

21. So what kind of action would be analogous to replacing the CPU that you'd like to see Obama do?

I believe strong health care reform is as important as any other action he could take to help create and save jobs. (We probably won't get strong health care reform but that's another topic.)

[dschis]

22. Let's see

Fire up the FTC. If an outfit/association is in the position to fix prices or stand in the way of getting work here or dictate policy to us bust them up. Like Teddy did

Do a major fireside chat, not press conference once a week on TV and the Internet to explain to the American people what's going on. Doesn't necessarily have to be the President, but someone in the position that can address everything of concern

Structure the tax code to make it prohibitive to speculate in commodities, derivatives, stocks (non american), gold. Target it in such a way to force investors to target their investments toward green tech, manufacturing base, small business for a start. Divert some of those R&D resources to make it doesn't excessively pool up in say drug R&D, but encourage our vaccines to be made here, that's part of the problem ala H1N1.

Do an FDR on banks e.g. holiday, confiscate gold, reinstate Glass Steal <sp>.

During my December meeting hold those threats over their head, If Congress doesn't want to play turn the various agencies loose on the offenders. If they move money or other resources put them out of business and build up the smaller business that do the same thing.

That's a start, sounds like a command economy. It'll have to be for a bit until the new regulation can take effect.

That's a start

[Bonn1997]

26. I'd love to see all that happen but I'm not sure it can when most of Congress is bought out by

lobbyists. I do think Obama could have accomplished more if he'd led more firmly and clearly though.

[dschis]

15. True but that will get us out of office

more quickly than anything else unless of coarse it moving signifigantly in the right direction. It's not good enough, not yet by a long shot. More people including the media needs to push for a REAL economy. Take money from Wall Street, force them through the tax code to invest in the country. Can't build it here? Get with their buddies that can and build it

[clear eye]

14. Issues are interconnected. See the recent David Sirota interview.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/545/index.html

[dschis]

16. Wrong, I refer to Bill Clinton

We all know what happened there. If it's not turning around by then it will be 'throw the bums out' there are more of us than them

[clear eye]

23. Wrong? What I meant was that it takes backing other things,

both specifically economic and some more indirectly related, to successfully promote the creation of jobs. You can't just pass a "let there be more jobs" bill, and expect it to work. It's in the Sirota interview.

I didn't say anything in opposition to the premise that turning around unemployment is essential for keeping a Dem majority. So why "wrong"?

[cynatnite]

17. Unlike the repukes, the Dems can walk and chew gum at the same time. n/t

[dschis]

19. Really ! For the moment

I'm from Missouri

[SoCalDem]

24. Can't create jobs out of thin air. Business owners will not pay people

to make stuff they cannot sell, or to stack & sort merchandise for the non-customers to pass by.

we have a major systemic problem , and creating jobs won't solve it. People have had a super dose of reality, and will not go back to profligate spending anytime soon (except for the rich ones who never stopped shopping).

We are in the process of creating a whole bunch of new-poor, and they will probably remain poor for decades, with only piecemeal work here and there.

What needs to happen is for our leaders to level with people and fill them in on what's really happening, instead of pretending that this party or that can change what's wrong.

[TexasObserver]

25. Yes. Job Creation now is more important than any other issue.

We need a WPA to put out of work people to work doing something now.

There are plenty of trades and construction folks without work. They get work, other sectors follow.

[yellowwood]

27. If I Ran the Country

It's so complicated. Jobs are undoubtedly important, but perhaps not the first priority.
My first priority would be to get us out of our militaristic culture. What we spend on military would fund many social programs such as health, education, etc.
On the other hand, I see that jobs and medical care are interrelated. One of the reasons that so many jobs have left the country is that the high cost of providing health care for workers is so expensive. Health care must somehow be separated from employment. If an employer is thinking of hiring new workers, he has to factor in the cost of providing their health care, which may cause him to move the job offshore, if possible.
Then, there's education. If we are to thrive as a country, we must have educated people. Our democracy depends on this, also. We're failing at this.