American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan
In this week’s weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama lays out the challenges that face us in the new year, and his plan for taking them on.
“We need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term,” he says. “And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.”
Watch the full address or read the text below.
The blog, Open Congress is actively following this story and reports: Here are the five things he says the stimulus will do:
* double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient;
* engage contractors across the nation to create jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools;
* update and computerize our health care system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help reduce health care costs by billions of dollars each year;
* build 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries;
* provide direct tax relief to 95 percent of American workers.
Also covering the topic is Where's The Outrage.