Maria Miller

Editor-in-Chief

    On September 8, 2011, President Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress concerning the American economic crisis and his ideas to fix it.  His plan, titled “The American Jobs Act,” is expected to create “more jobs for construction workers, for teachers, for veterans, for first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed.” 

    The plan concentrated primarily on taxes, aiming to “jolt” the economy and get Americans back to work.  Companies and small businesses were promised tax cuts if they agreed to hire new workers or raise wages. Middle class Americans would also see tax cuts while affluent citizens will see loopholes close and an increased tax rate.  The President also focused on the repair of America’s infrastructure, sending construction workers back to work improving “badly decaying roads and bridges all over the country.”

    In addition, Obama addressed the rising problem of Medicare: a large portion of our population is retiring, and while those people deserve the Medicare they worked for, the working class is not large enough to pay for it.  He suggested reforming Medicare, because America is “spending too fast to sustain the program.”

    However, even with changes in governmental spending and tax cuts on companies and small businesses, Obama assured Americans that he was not going to cut protection and safety laws.  He stated, “We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top.”

    This speech was controversial on the Republican side of the aisle. Some House Republicans agreed with some of the President’s requests, particularly in tax relief for businesses.  However, other Republicans believe that Obama’s speech had little substance.  As Republican Congresswoman Candice Miller stated, “It is unfortunate tonight that the President offered no real details of his plan at the same time he was urging Congress to pass it.” 

    Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “President Barack Obama laid out a set of bipartisan ideas to create jobs whose size and scope reflects the urgent need to put Americans back to work. Most of the ideas in this bill have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans. These are common-sense solutions for getting our economy moving again and spurring hiring in the private sector.”

    The text of President Barack Obama’s full speech is available at  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63043.html