Why we need a stronger stimulus and jobs bill

This week, the New York Times released a study that three of the nation's top economic research firms have confirmed that last year's Economic Recovery Act in fact worked, despite the smearing of many on the right. Moody'sEconomy.com estimated the growth between 1.6 to 1.8 million jobs. In addition, many of the Republican Congressmen who had derided the bill have in fact returned to their local districts for ribbon cutting ceremonies. However, despite these impressive results, unemployment still hovers below ten percent, which is why the Senate must pass a new jobs bill that builds on the achievements of the stimulus and cuts the failures.




Many have compared this recession to the Great Depression-some have come to call this the "Great Recession"-and in truth the government's reaction to unemployment must be met with the same type of action that Franklin Roosevelt and his team met the troubles with; the willingness to try just about anything. Many people remember that Roosevelt's administration instated the Glass-Steagall Act, and created the Civilian Conservation Corps, but many also forget that many of his ideas utterly failed. Case in point, despite its ability to give aid to states in need, the Supreme Court Ruled the National Recovery Administration unconstitutional. Also, many would also argue that Roosevelt's reticence over the national debt made him wary of creating more jobs. However, throughout his Presidency, Roosevelt and his advisors never stopped trying different methods to rebuilding the economy.



In the same respect, the necessity for jobs bills cannot be diminished and there are many fields where able-bodied Americans could be put to work. In an era where the country is trying to wean itself off of foreign oil, investing in green jobs is something that will create jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. The jobs are secure, and with simple education courses, we can put many more people to work.



In addition, there also must be further investment in community colleges and trade schools. Many people have worked certain trades in manufacturing and manual labor their whole lives only to see the jobs shipped overseas. Community colleges and trade schools are the places to invest in to help out of work blue collar workers find a new trade and be able to create a steady income for their families. It is the blue collar and middle class of this country that have helped make this country thrive in the first place.



Lastly, another area of work that is desperately in need of labor is infrastructure. The United States has not had a widespread overhaul in infrastructure since the Eisenhower Administration. However, as we have seen with disasters like the Minnesota Bridge Collapse in 2007, an infrastructure face lift is something that could benefit by employing hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers.



Of course, these are not the only areas where we could create jobs. Giving incentives for small businesses and putting tighter regulation on employment fraud are also great methods. However, if any of these ideas fail, it is up us to continue to work and try again. It is the American spirit of ingenuity that has helped the country of our grandparents persevere. Now it is our to to take hold of that mantle.