January 2009
Obama Economic Speech (Condensed)
Nearly two million jobs have now been lost. In the past year, another 2.8
million Americans had to settle for part-time jobs. Manufacturing has hit a
twenty-eight year low.
Me and the people helping me have a plan called An American Recovery and
Investment Plan. Cost of this plan will be considerable.
It will certainly add to the budget deficit in the short-term.
Me and the people helping me need to put money in your pockets, create new jobs, and invest in our future. Me and the people helping me will develop programs to invest in priorities like energy and education, health care, and a new infrastructure. The overwhelming majority of the jobs created will be in the private sector, while our plan will save the public sector jobs of teachers, cops, firefighters and others who provide vital services.
Me and the people helping me will develop programs that will double the
production of alternative energy in the next three years. Jobs will be for
building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and
buildings; and developing the new energy technologies. Me and the people helping
me will make the immediate investments necessary to ensure that within five
years, all of America’s medical records are computerized. Me and the people
helping me will equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges, and
public universities with 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries. Me and
the people helping me will develop programs that will put people to work
repairing crumbling roads, bridges, and schools.
Updating the way we get our electricity by starting to build a new smart grid
that will save us money, protect our power sources from blackout or attack, and
deliver clean, alternative forms of energy to every corner of our nation. We
will expand broadband lines across America. Investing in the science, research,
and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries, and
entire new industries.
To get people spending again, 95% of working families will receive a $1,000 tax
cut.
To help Americans who have lost their jobs and can’t find new ones, we’ll
continue the bipartisan extensions of unemployment insurance and health care
coverage to help them through this crisis.
Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for these decisions
by going online to see how and where their tax dollars are being spent
The plan will be free from earmarks and pet projects.
This recovery plan alone will not solve all the problems that led us into this
crisis.
It means launching a sweeping effort to address the foreclosure crisis. It means
preventing the catastrophic failure of financial institutions and it means
reforming a weak and outdated regulatory system.