Americans should weigh in on president’s jobs proposal

With the nation’s economy and politics broken, President Barack Obama went before the American people Thursday night to try to reassure them that their elected officials in Washington can close the partisan divide to tackle the seemingly intractable problem of high unemployment. Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress to deliver what could be a defining moment in his presidency.

If the economy continues its free fall going into the 2012 election, the president’s bid for a second term will be a huge challenge. He knows it — and the Republicans, who are determined to make him a one-termer, know it.

But Obama was on the mark when he said “millions of Americans who are watching now, they don’t care about politics. They have real life concerns. Many of them have spent months looking for work.”

He was also right in noting that the economic recovery will not be driven by Washington, but by businesses and workers. However, the federal government can help.

Obama unveiled his “American Jobs Act,” that, he said, should not be controversial and should win bipartisan support. Everything in the $450 billion plan will be paid for.

He urged the Democratic controlled Senate and the Republican controlled House to pass the bill immediately.

“Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin,” the president said. “And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for ‘job creators,’ this plan is for you.”

Here are some of the highlights:

Tax cuts to help America’s small businesses hire and grow.

Putting workers back on the job while rebuilding and modernizing America.

Pathways back to work for Americans looking for jobs.

Tax relief for every American worker and family.

Fully paid for as part of the president’s long-term deficit reduction plan.

Obama has hit the road to sell his plan to the American people, and will be in Columbus on Tuesday. It is important that he demonstrate how what is being proposed will help this state in general, and hard-hit areas like the Mahoning Valley, in particular.

Obama must be aware that Republican Gov. John Kasich has adopted the Republican line that government efforts to stimulate the economy are a waste of money. Therefore, he must clearly show how federally-funded public works projects and funneling money to state and local governments and schools to help them recall laid off employees, will be good for the economy.

The GOP has argued that the $787 billion the administration spent in the original stimulus package did not create the jobs that were promised. Critics of the president ignore the fact that a major portion of the total was taken up by tax rebates, while the unemployment rate would have been even higher than the 9.1 percent had federal dollars not been spent on public works projects and local governments.

But with the nation worried about the growing federal deficit, Obama needs to show how his “American Jobs Act” will be paid for, as he promised Thursday night.

In the end, however, the economic recovery through the creation of jobs demands a bipartisan effort in Washington. And that’s where the American people come in.

They should let members of Congress know the 2012 election is not the priority and that immediate action is demanded on job creation.