I'm currently watching an episode of "2 1/2 Men" in which Alan screws over his mother, his ex-wife, Charlie and the maid by persuading them to lend him vast amounts of money on a business venture that turns out to be a total pyramid scheme.
Seems appropriate, somehow.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
Infrastructure Likely Part of Obama Jobs Push
By NAFTALI BENDAVID, wsj.com
President Barack Obama signaled Monday he'll propose a major infrastructure program and an extension of a payroll tax break in the jobs speech he planned to deliver Thursday before a joint session of Congress.
In an animated Labor Day talk before an enthusiastic crowd of union members in Detroit, Mr. Obama, who has been battered by low poll numbers and a sense that he's been unable to recharge the economy, sought to seize the initiative at the outset of a week in which both parties will focus heavily on job-creation ideas.
"We've got roads and bridges across this country that need to be rebuilt," Mr. Obama said. "We've got private companies with the equipment and manpower to do the building. We've got more than one million unemployed construction workers ready to get dirty right now."
Mr. Obama also stressed his desire to extend a payroll tax holiday for workers, which has reduced the Social Security tax rate from 6.2% to 4.2% of earnings but expires at year's end. Mr. Obama didn't mention whether he will also push to expand the reduction to cover employers, who also pay 6.2%, an idea backed by some in the administration.
"I think putting money back in the pockets of working families is the best way to get demand rising, because that means businesses hiring and that means the economy growing," Mr. Obama said.
As important as the speech's content was its tone. It was feisty and framed in part as a challenge to Republicans to join his jobs push and, as the president put it, to prove they care as much about the middle class as they say they do.
Mr. Obama delivered the address as his approval ratings had slipped to the lowest of his presidency, with voters frustrated he and members of Congress had been unable to jump-start the economy. Adding to the frustration was a report Friday showing that the U.S. created no new jobs in August and unemployment remained at 9.1%.
Both parties are focusing on jobs this week. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is laying out his jobs plan Tuesday in Las Vegas. The GOP candidates hold a debate on Wednesday—the first to include Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the newly minted front-runner—and job creation will likely to be a major topic.
Full story: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904900904576552820082030698.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
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