A White House Jobs and Economic Growth Forum Discussion : Hosted By Yours Truly

President Obama Announces Job Creation Forum

YouTube :

Before departing on his trip to Asia, the President announces that in December the White House will host a forum of business owners, labor leaders and others to discuss new ideas to ensure that job creation follows recent economic growth. November 12, 2009. (Public Domain)

I went onto the White House website and was perusing it and found out I could host a Job Creation Forum.

So, I signed up for it and here I am, I am choosing to do it here on this site for the next ten days.

I received the e-mail just about five minutes ago and here's the e-mail/letter that sparked this particular post.

Thank you for signing up to hold a community jobs forum in your area. Just like the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum hosted by the President at the White House, these events are opportunities to gather ideas for continuing to grow the economy and putting Americans back to work. Hearing from working Americans and communities across the country means understanding what’s really happening on the ground, what’s working, and what’s not.

At the link below you will find all the materials you should need to host your own jobs forum with your family, friends, and co-workers, including a suggested guide for hosts and a list of suggested questions that we hope you will touch on. Use the same link to share the feedback from your community jobs forum once you have finished. We will be reviewing submissions and compiling your feedback into a report that will be sent to the Oval Office, and will be responding to what we hear on WhiteHouse.gov afterwards.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

December 03, 2009

Remarks by the President and Vice President at the Opening Session of the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building, South Court Auditorium, Washington, D.C.

1:42 P.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Secretaries, members of the Cabinet, distinguished guests, I welcome you all here today. Your presence is welcomed, but quite frankly, it's not nearly as important as your input. We're looking to you. We're counting on you. We need help, for we realize that even after all we have done in these last 10 months that -- to revitalize American communities, our capacity, the government's capacity, is still somewhat limited. We can help -- we can help create the conditions that make for a stronger economy, make a stronger economy possible. But it's you, all of you in this audience here, who are in the position to make it a reality. To put it another way, without you it will not become a reality.

So our task together is obviously not an easy one. We've not faced this kind of economic dilemma in the lifetime of anyone in this room. And so building a new and invigorated platform upon which we can enter this century in a way that we can lead in the 21st century, the way we did in the 20th century, is at rock bottom what this is all about. No more bubbles. No more bubbles. You cannot sustain your world leadership based upon a housing bubble or a dot-com bubble; it's got to be based on a really firm foundation. I don't have to tell you. That's preaching to the choir, as they say where I'm from. I know you all understand that.

Look, the Recovery Act -- much maligned, but worked -- has worked very well -- the Recovery Act has played a vital role in kick starting this process. It has not only pulled us back from that abyss that we were looking at -- remember the -- remember your college days, having to study the essayist, Samuel Johnson? And one of the favorite quotes I remember, Mr. Secretary, was "There is nothing like a hanging to focus one's attention." (Laughter.) Well, let me tell you, your attention has been focused, our attention has been focused. And we've been able to pull back from that dark abyss.

My deceased wife used to have an expression. She'd say, "The greatest gift God gave mankind, Joey, is the ability to forget." And my mother would quickly add, "Yes, if it weren't for that, all women would only have one child." (Laughter.) But all kidding aside, it's amazing -- amazing what we've forgotten already in 10 months just how dire and bleak things looked 10 months ago.

And so the Recovery Act has put us on the path to recovery, it pulled us back from the brink. Before the President and I dropped our right hand on January the 20th of this year, already that month 700,000 people had lost their jobs; 740,000 by the end of that month lost their job; another 640,000 in the short month of February. So the fact of the matter is the last job report was not good, but a lot better -- 190,000 jobs lost. Our economy was shrinking when we took office at a rate of 6 percent, actually above 6 percent. And now it's growing at a rate at about 3 percent the last quarter. And leading economists attribute a large portion of that GDP growth in the last quarter to the Recovery Act.

And according to the most CBO report -- and if you've noticed, the one thing those of you who aren't -- do not work here every day notice the only thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is the objectivity of CBO. We all quote their numbers, and we quote them even when they don't agree with what we wanted to do, because they are bipartisan; they are responsible. And the CBO report, the most recent report of several days ago, said the act is responsible for creating as many as 1.6 million jobs. A couple of my friends on the Hill wrote me a note saying, "Joe, stop quoting that the act created over 600,000 jobs." I wrote back and said, "I promise I'll do that if you start saying it created 1.6 million jobs." But the point is it has created jobs.

So there's been progress. But you know it's not enough. That laid-off teacher -- that laid off teacher, they don't want to hear about the GDP. That out of work autoworker or that Teamster, they don't want to hear about a CBO report. There used to be an expression, and I'm not joking, my grandfather always used it. He was from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He said, "When the guy from Throop is out of work, it's an economic slowdown. When your brother-in-law is out of work, it's a recession. When you're out of work, it's a depression." And it is a depression for over 10 million Americans, which is why I'm pleased that the next phase of this Recovery Act -- we are only about halfway through it -- we're entering even at a more rapid rate, we're distributing these dollars even quicker, projects are getting in the ground faster, and we're spending -- and a particular focus on those aspects that have proven successful in creating jobs, putting real paychecks in the pockets of hardworking Americans.

And by design, the items in the act which have the biggest impact are yet to come. Within the next two weeks to a month, another roughly $13 billion is going to be announced rolling out in terms of both investments in broadband and high-speed rail, and competitive education and infrastructure. In fact, the money spent on clean water, renewable energy, superfund sites, and much more, is going to more than double -- it's going to more than double in this quarter and will maintain a similar pace for the next two quarters.

So tomorrow, for example, Secretary LaHood -- who is here -- is going to be making an important announcement about the number of high-speed rail manufacturers who are looking to come to the United States, build facilities here, manufacture components here, manufacture train sets here based on our willingness to provide the seed money to invest in high-speed rail. And many more announcements like that are coming in the months ahead. But we're not just looking to bold new programs. Many of the upcoming investments are expansions of our most successful programs to date. And that's where you all come in.

At today's job summit, we're all hearing -- we'll be hearing about ideas -- ideas that can do even more than we've done so far. Some of you will urge us to invest more in infrastructure -- roads, bridges, water projects. We've seen this investment succeed in creating jobs in the Recovery Act. And today, we'll hear the case for doing more along those lines.

Others of you today are going to argue that we should invest in green jobs, retrofitting, weatherizing, making homes and offices more energy efficient. Again, we've seen that these investments can be successful in creating jobs. And today we'll hear the case for doing more along those lines, I suspect as well.

And still others of you will talk about the need for more incentives for small businesses and our other ideas to help business through tax incentives. And again, similar investments in the Recovery Act are showing some real promise. So we should see if there's more we can do in those areas.

Many different participants are going to -- are here, and many different offerings are going to be put forward, many different ideas. But in the end, the grist is the same: take the things that we know work, and make them work better and make them work faster. And all of this can't be done -- I should put it another way: None of it can be done without your full buy-in and your leadership in the private sector.

President Obama has focused on this issue with an intensity that it demands, and with an intensity it deserves. With everything else he has on his plate -- and I've been here for eight Presidents -- I think I can say without fear of contradiction, no President has ever entered office with as many crises sitting on his desk the day he walked into office. And I've been here for eight Presidents as a United States senator.

But notwithstanding that, his laser focus has been -- and the economic team can tell you, every morning we have the meeting relating to the principles on the economy, the principals in the economic team coming in, it's what we call the Presidential Daily Briefing, is jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.

And so, folks, we not only want to create jobs, but good jobs, jobs you can raise a family on, jobs that will service a foundation for a new economic future in this country. And no man is more committed to making that happen than President Barack Obama.

So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Please, have a seat. Good afternoon, everybody. I'm glad you all could join us today for this job forum here at the White House. We've got leaders from just about every sector of the economy -- government, labor, academia, non-profits, and businesses of all sizes. And I know that your unions or universities or cities or companies don't run themselves, so I appreciate that you've taken the time to be here today. And I appreciate the unique perspective each of you brings to the great economic challenge before us: the continuing plight of millions of Americans who are still out of work.

Sometimes in this town, we talk about these things in clinical and academic ways. But this is not an academic debate. With one in 10 Americans out of work, and millions more underemployed, not having enough hours to support themselves, this is a struggle that cuts deep, and it touches people across this nation. Every day I meet people or I hear from people who talk about sending out resume after resume, and they've been on the job hunt for a year or year and a half and still can't find anything and are desperate. They haven't just lost the paycheck they need to live; they're losing the sense of dignity and identity that comes from having a job. I hear from business owners who face the heartbreak of having to lay off longtime employees, or shutting their doors altogether -- in some cases businesses that they've taken years to build; in some cases businesses that they inherited from their parents or their grandparents. And I see communities devastated by lost jobs and devastated by the fear that those jobs are never coming back.

Now, as Joe mentioned, it's true that we've seen a significant turnaround in the economy overall since the beginning of the year. Our economy was in a freefall; our financial system was on the verge of collapse; we were losing 700,000 jobs per month. And it was clear then that our first order of business was to keep a recession from slipping into a depression; from preventing financial meltdown and getting the economy growing again -- because we knew that without economic growth, there would be little to nothing we could do to stem job losses. And we knew that trying to create jobs in an economy based on inflated home prices and maxed-out credit cards and overleveraged banks was akin to building a house on sand.

So we implemented plans to stabilize the financial system and revive lending to families and businesses. We passed the Recovery Act, which stopped our freefall and help spur the growth that we've seen. Today, our economy is growing again for the first time in a year and at the fastest pace that we've seen in two years. And productivity is surging. Companies are reporting profits. The stock market is up.

But despite the progress we've made, many businesses are still skittish about hiring. Some are still digging themselves out of the losses they incurred over the past year. Many have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers, and that cost-cutting has become embedded in their operations and in their culture. That may result in good profits, but it's not translating into hiring. And so that's the question that we have to ask ourselves today: How do we get businesses to start hiring again? How do we get ourselves to the point where more people are working, and more people are spending, and you start seeing a virtuous cycle and the recovery starts to feed on itself?

We knew from the outset of this recession, particularly a recession of this severity and a recession that is spurred on by financial crisis rather than as a consequence of the business cycle, that it would take time for job growth to catch up with economic growth. We all understood that. That's always been the case with recessions. But we cannot hang back and hope for the best when we've seen the kinds of job losses that we've seen over the last year. I am not interested in taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to creating jobs.

What I'm interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs right now, in the near term. That's why we made more credit available to small banks that provide loans to small businesses. That's why we provided tax relief to help small businesses stay afloat and proposed raising SBA loan limits to help them expand. That's why we created the Cash for Clunkers program, and made sure the Recovery Act included investments that would start saving and creating jobs this year -- as Joe mentioned, as many as 1.6 [million] so far is estimated, according to the most recent analysis. And that's why I've been working continuously with my economic advisors, as well as congressional leaders and others, on new job creation ideas. And I'll be speaking in greater detail about several ideas that have already surfaced early next week.

But I want to be clear -- while I believe that government has a critical role in creating the conditions for economic growth, ultimately true economic recovery is only going to come from the private sector. We don't have enough public dollars to fill the hole of private dollars that was created as a consequence of the crisis. It is only when the private sector starts to reinvest again, only when our businesses start hiring again and people start spending again and families start seeing improvement in their own lives again that we're going to have the kind of economy that we want. That's the measure of a real economic recovery.

So that's why I've invited all of you here today. Many of you run businesses yourselves. Each of you is an expert on some aspect of job creation. Collectively, your views span the spectrum. That was deliberate. We've looking for fresh perspectives and new ideas.

I want to hear about what unions and universities can do to better support and prepare our workers -- not just for the jobs of today, but for the jobs five years from now and 10 years from now and 50 years from now. I want to hear about what mayors and community leaders can do to bring new investment to our cities and towns and help recovery dollars get to where they need to go as quickly as possible. I want to hear from CEOs about what's holding back our business investment and how we can increase confidence and spur hiring. And if there are things that we're doing here in Washington that are inhibiting you, then we want to know about it.

And I want to continue this conversation outside of Washington, which is why I'll be meeting with some of the small business owners that you saw in the video in Allentown, Pennsylvania, tomorrow, to get their ideas. It's also why we've asked state and local officials and community organizations to hold their own jobs forums over the next week or so and to report back with the ideas and recommendations that result.

Now, let me be clear. I am open to every demonstrably good idea, and I want to take every responsible step to accelerate job creation. We also, though, have to face the fact that our resources are limited. When we walked in, there was an enormous fiscal gap between the money that is going out and the money coming in. The recession has made that worse because of fewer tax receipts and more demands made on government for things like unemployment insurance.

So we can't make any ill-considered decisions right now, even with the best of intentions. We're going to have to be surgical and we're going to have to be creative. We're going to have to be smart and strategic. We'll need to look beyond the old standbys and fallbacks and come up with the best ideas that give us the biggest bang for the buck.

So I need everybody here to bring their A-game here today. I'm going to be asking some tough questions. I will be listening for some good answers. And I don't want to just brainstorm up at 30,000 feet. I want details in our discussion today. I'm looking for specific recommendations that can be implemented that will spur on job growth as quickly as possible.

I want to be clear: We won't overcome our unemployment challenge in just a few hours this afternoon. I assure you there is extraordinary skepticism that any discussions like this can actually produce results. I'm well aware of that. I don't mind skepticism. If I listened to the skeptics, I wouldn't be here. (Laughter.)

But I am confident that we'll make progress. I'm confident that people like you, who've built thriving businesses or revolutionized industries or brought cities and communities together and changed the way we look at the world and innovated and created new products, that you can come up with some additional good ideas on how to create jobs. And I'm confident that the spirit of "bold, persistent experimentation" that FDR talked about and that's gotten this country through some of our darkest hours remains alive and well -- not just in this room, but all across the country.

We still have the best universities in the world. We've got some of the finest science and technology in the world, we've got the most entrepreneurial spirit in the world, and we've got some of the most productive workers in the world. And if we get serious, then the 21st century is going to be the American century, just like the 20th century was. But we're going to have to approach this with a sense of seriousness and try to set the politics and the chatter aside for a while and actually get to work.

So, welcome. Thank you for participating. We are going to maximize the productivity of this effort over the next several hours. And I will be returning back with you so that I can get a report on what kinds of ideas seem to make the most sense. Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)

END
2:03 P.M. EST

So, here's your chance to get in on telling Obama how to create more jobs for your fellow Americans.

Jobs and Economic Growth Forum

Anyone have any ideas?

Please keep in mind that I will not be passing on foul language, only ideas, suggestions, and serious discussion.

This is after all going directly to the White House and I am going to act accordingly.

I do not need the Secret Service showing up for no reason and forcing me to go somewhere I do not want to go.

SKL - Jason Stansfield


[edit on 4-12-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

Alright ATS'ers, here is your opportunity to share with the White House your ideas on creating jobs and I would love to hear your ideas, suggestions, and thoughts on this, please.

I am going to treat this just like I am giving Barack Obama a Presidential briefing.

Some of you know me, some of you do not, but this is a topic I am taking seriously.

I know I have a strong opinion of Barack Obama, but I am giving it a try to speak on behalf of the communities I know, online, and offline.

I have already participated in one of these types of events, although not quite the same.

My Contribution To Open Government Directive

While I never received a reply to the previous submission to the White House, I will keep trying until I do, and here's where you guys can help.

O.K. Here goes...

Starting this January the President announces no income tax for a 2 year period, beginning on April 15th, 2010 and ending April 15th, 2012. In addition, the government agrees to step back and allow both large and small business to arrange for loans with all banking institutions, that are guaranteed by the federal reserve, along the lines of say a V.A. Home loan type of program, with no need to qualify, as long as the paperwork is in proper order. Then pass a law requiring all physicians and attorneys to accept a $100,000 per year salary, for 2 years, regardless of specialty or case handled. Next, establish a fund from which the homeless and truly poor, can use to get back on their feet, not given out, but earned, and verified of course. In the 2010 census, require all undocumented aliens to either register to become american citizens, or move back to the country of their origin until they can become citizens. Lastly, institute a program where all high school age (17) kid's are required to either go on to college, or register to work for minimum wage at a variety of jobs throughout the country for a period of 2 years. If possible this would not only turn the country around, it would instill a sense of self worth, and allow all of us to return to our root's lost so long ago. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, allow the FCC temporary (2 years) ability to shut down the T.V. throughout the entire USA. Sorry, but's thats the best I've got for now, hope that helps.

The biggest step we need to take to fix the job situation is to accept that our economy is different than at any time in prior history. Our productivity has simply resulted in us needing less people in the workplace, even if we manufactured everything we use, there would still be a huge shortage of decent jobs.

The logical way to address this is to reduce the numbers of hours everyone works. We also need to raise the wage base which has been degraded by the cycle of productivity, i.e. as more people look for work, employers need to pay less and less. It is an endless cycle that will eventually have the majority of our population living as they do in third world countries.

Of course, employers will cry foul, but it is them who have used our progress in productivity to benefit themselves rather than sharing that benefit with their workers. In other words it is their greed which has destroyed much of the opportunity in America. Until employers and corporations start thinking more of the general social good instead of their wallets, we are doomed to have recurring cycles with each one becoming deeper and deeper.

I know I'll get flamed for this but I honestly believe the best thing he could do to promote job growth is to resign from office if he was a true patriot and a man of honor he could do no less!

Originally posted by freetree64
O.K. Here goes...

Starting this January the President announces no income tax for a 2 year period, beginning on April 15th, 2010 and ending April 15th, 2012. In addition, the government agrees to step back and allow both large and small business to arrange for loans with all banking institutions, that are guaranteed by the federal reserve, along the lines of say a V.A. Home loan type of program, with no need to qualify, as long as the paperwork is in proper order. Then pass a law requiring all physicians and attorneys to accept a $100,000 per year salary, for 2 years, regardless of specialty or case handled. Next, establish a fund from which the homeless and truly poor, can use to get back on their feet, not given out, but earned, and verified of course. In the 2010 census, require all undocumented aliens to either register to become american citizens, or move back to the country of their origin until they can become citizens. Lastly, institute a program where all high school age (17) kid's are required to either go on to college, or register to work for minimum wage at a variety of jobs throughout the country for a period of 2 years. If possible this would not only turn the country around, it would instill a sense of self worth, and allow all of us to return to our root's lost so long ago. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, allow the FCC temporary (2 years) ability to shut down the T.V. throughout the entire USA.

Sorry, but's thats the best I've got for now, hope that helps.

Okay, interesting take on all of this, that's for sure.

I understand the tax incentive, that's obvious, and I agree it would work.

The businesses and loans is understandable, I would even go so far as to recommend grants, streamlining them, so that they are easier to understand as well as more accessible to people who do not know legalese.

Funds for the homeless, I understand where you're coming from, but how do you see this as creating economic growth and jobs? I'm not being snide or derogatory, just not quite sure if I see the point you were making and I am only asking for clarification of that one.

As well, can you clarify how illegal immigrants, registering, or leaving will assist in jobs and economic growth? I can myself see that their registering to become citizens might increase tax income for the Federal Government, but how will this assist job creation?

Everything else I understand completely, keep the discussion going.

Originally posted by sligtlyskeptical
The biggest step we need to take to fix the job situation is to accept that our economy is different than at any time in prior history. Our productivity has simply resulted in us needing less people in the workplace, even if we manufactured everything we use, there would still be a huge shortage of decent jobs.

The logical way to address this is to reduce the numbers of hours everyone works. We also need to raise the wage base which has been degraded by the cycle of productivity, i.e. as more people look for work, employers need to pay less and less. It is an endless cycle that will eventually have the majority of our population living as they do in third world countries.

Of course, employers will cry foul, but it is them who have used our progress in productivity to benefit themselves rather than sharing that benefit with their workers. In other words it is their greed which has destroyed much of the opportunity in America. Until employers and corporations start thinking more of the general social good instead of their wallets, we are doomed to have recurring cycles with each one becoming deeper and deeper.

I understand what you're saying about this being a different economy, but how can you say that we need less work force?

If people are given less hours, but given more pay, is this not equaling the same exact situation, with just less productivity, thereby creating a lazier society through a lack of presence in the work environment?

Myself I see that we need to up the amount of pay per employee by decreasing the profit margins of businesses by standardizing and regulating what percentage of profits a business can make because while working at 7-11 I put away the truck delivery and saw the invoices where items that cost very little were marked up anywhere from 35% to 600% depending on the item.

I concur with you about employers crying foul, but in this day and age of the working class societally speaking businesses do not reward the worker for duty, loyalty, and productivity.

Not unless you are forced into a competition with you co-workers.

Originally posted by genius/idoit
I know I'll get flamed for this but I honestly believe the best thing he could do to promote job growth is to resign from office if he was a true patriot and a man of honor he could do no less!

I will put that probably a bit more tactful through this I assure you.

I recommend this book to you, but of course it sounds like you may have read it.

The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power

Amazon Review :

The Bush years have given rise to fears of a resurgent Imperial Presidency.

Those fears are justified, but the problem cannot be solved simply by bringing a new administration to power.

In his provocative new book, The Cult of the Presidency, Gene Healy argues that the fault lies not in our leaders but in ourselves.

When our scholars lionize presidents who break free from constitutional restraints, when our columnists and talking heads repeatedly call upon the "commander in chief " to dream great dreams and seek the power to achieve them--when voters look to the president for salvation from all problems great and small--should we really be surprised that the presidency has burst its constitutional bonds and grown powerful enough to threaten American liberty?

The Cult of the Presidency takes a step back from the ongoing red team/blue team combat and shows that, at bottom, conservatives and liberals agree on the boundless nature of presidential responsibility.

For both camps, it is the president's job to grow the economy, teach our children well, provide seamless protection from terrorist threats, and rescue Americans from spiritual malaise.

Very few Americans seem to think it odd, says Healy, "when presidential candidates talk as if they're running for a job that's a combination of guardian angel, shaman, and supreme warlord of the earth."

Healy takes aim at that unconfined conception of presidential responsibility, identifying it as the source of much of our political woe and some of the gravest threats to our liberties.

If the public expects the president to heal everything that ails us, the president is going to demand--or seize--the power necessary to handle that responsibility.

Interweaving historical scholarship, legal analysis, and trenchant cultural commentary, The Cult of the Presidency traces America's decades-long drift from the Framers' vision for the presidency: a constitutionally constrained chief magistrate charged with faithful execution of the laws.

Restoring that vision will require a Congress and a Court willing to check executive power, but Healy emphasizes that there is no simple legislative or judicial "fix" to the problems of the presidency.

Unless Americans change what we ask of the office--no longer demanding what we should not want and cannot have--we'll get what, in a sense, we deserve.

This is interesting. OK... Here are my plans. (Note: I am making up the titles)

Rule #1 America First: For the people (Of the USA) By the people (Of the USA) Don't forget where your allegiance lies (elected officials).

Rule #2 ALL PRODUCTION / MANUFACTURING of materials used for these Government Stimulus / Public works projects which are being paid for (eventually) by the U.S. taxpayer money must be manufactured IN the United States of America. (Otherwise everything would be outsourced to China)


Step One: Federal Mortgage Refinance Act of 2010

Any private citizen's primary home (primary residence only) mortgage can be refinanced by the Fed or Government at 0.5% with a flat closing cost of $2,000.00 which can be added to the loan / payoff amount. ($500.00 goes to Federal, $700.00 goes to State, $500.00 goes to city or county, $300.00 goes to the institutions processing the paperwork.) No assessments, simple change in financing on whatever you currently owe. Banks receive a flood of money in "pay-offs" as each mortgage is refinanced through the Fed / Govt or fannie

Mortgage holders will save almost 50% of their current mortgage payments and THIS will highly boost spending and the economy. (Thus create jobs as spending dramatically increases and provide a host of short term jobs for the mortgage brokers / reps. States and Local revenues will receive the necessary influx of revenues to get past this rough times.

Step Two: Energy Independence Act of 2010

Federal Money is used to build a HUGE facility in New Mexico to grow Algae oil for domestic liquid fuel consumption. Closed system algae bio-reactors can produce 20,000 to 100,000 gallons per acre per year (for reference corn provides 18 gallons an acre per year, over a 1,000 times less fuel).

This would be a huge public works project requiring pipelines from the ocean needed to reach New Mexico for water. Glass can be made at location (sand) and glass vertical tube closed system bio-reactors constructed to include processing and refining facilities. Any extra water can easily be put through solar distillation and piped to your city of choice as clean water. Rail lines, barracks, roads, support, etc would also be required and the whole thing could be managed by the military with 6 month assignments of active duty personal to oversee the operation and civilian workers bused in and rotated (similar to working on oil platforms currently). Through constant expansion, 1/10 of the state of New Mexico would be utilized to harvest and process the product (carbon neutral liquid fuel).

Rules would have to be in place that the "product" is domestic use ONLY and would not be available to paper traders to speculate on price, etc. Once this is up and running as a NON-PROFIT entity, the cost of the product would be production cost + X% with the X% going to Federal Revenue. Once domestic needs are met, any excess would be sold on the open market.

Garbage Plasma facilities set-up at ALL major landfills. (No need to explain, see Youtube.com

Implementation of "solar-cell" easy-roll roofing materials massed produced in the U.S. (only by law) utilizing current Welfare (now work-fare) recipients who work 20 hours a week as well as "voluntary" prison labor (at their own secured facilities). Voluntary meaning that general prisoners (not your nutcases) can work if they want to for say $2.00 an hour paid in US savings bonds that they receive upon release (better to get out with a few thousand $ than nothing).



Step #3: America FAIR Trade ACT of 2010

Probably won't get great response on this one but common sense should tell everyone we cannot maintain our standard of living if the Chinese (and others) have a very unfair competitive advantage if we do not levy FAIR tariffs on imported goods. We cannot compete with labor cost of $6,000 a year on average vs. Our $45,000 a year. Get a clue and levy FAIR Tariffs!



Step #4 Welfare / SSI Disability home-worker / teleworker program.

Yeah, you may have a bad back that keeps you from heavy lifting or you may be a 3rd generation welfare mom but it doesn't matter, YOU can work from home now processing orders / paperwork and taking queued inbound phone calls. I am sure we can find quite a few Federal / State or even local government work that needs to be done that is currently outsourced to a foreign call center or similar.



Step #5 New Farming Subsidies Act

Pay farmers (well farming corporations nowadays) NOT to grow food? Are you crazy, have them grow seed and food at a fair price that is sent to a government cannery which cans the food and is utilized by Government entities (military, school lunch programs, etc.)

Step #6 Container Inspection Act of 2010

ALL shipping containers entering the U.S. will be inspected. An inspection fee will be assessed (whatever price / tariff needed to cover the cost) on all containers entering the US or any cargo coming in via land from Mexico / Canada. We will call it the "price of doing business" in the U.S. and we can employ 10's of thousands of people to make this happen. This need to happen for the sake of "National Security".

[edit on 5-12-2009 by infolurker]

reply to post by infolurker


All of those are great incentives, ideas, and promotion of America, first.

I agree with where you're coming from, I do see that the White House will like them.

Now, if our fellow humans on other continents would not fight it, they see only money.

Personally, I believe cutting back foreign aid to under-developed countries would bring money back to American citizens to access funds that should be allocated to our country first as a viable option as well.

While I can appreciate the under-developed nations problems, it is their problem, and not ours, and we need to take care of America first.

I like all of your thoughts, please as well as everyone else, keep the ideas flowing.

I introduced this thread in the thread below just to see if I can stimulate this discussion.

Student to Obama: Legalize Drugs, Prostitution to Stimulate the Economy

I was hoping ATS might give a better response, not that the people here have not given good responses, they are great, but I thought for sure people might actually want to participate more so in order to try to effect a change.

[edit on 5-12-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

Could be a true lack of ideas?

I truly wish I could have an hour or two with the President to state my proposals. I have many (some that I won't post that you touch upon above) and contrary to my "internet" writing style on ATS, I am a professional businessman (by day).

The problem we have is nobody in Washington will listen unless you have a lobbyist with you writing them checks!

Originally posted by infolurker
Step #3: America FAIR Trade ACT of 2010

Probably won't get great response on this one but common sense should tell everyone we cannot maintain our standard of living if the Chinese (and others) have a very unfair competitive advantage if we do not levy FAIR tariffs on imported goods. We cannot compete with labor cost of $6,000 a year on average vs. Our $45,000 a year. Get a clue and levy FAIR Tariffs!

I agree with this one.
I said much the same thing while Obama was still campaigning. Why would manufactures want to have their facilities in the U.S. if they can make it cheaper overseas and ship it here with no consequence.

On the other hand, if import fees and tarrifs were in place which made it non-profitable to produce overseas, manufacturing would build their facilities in the U.S. and create jobs.

Barack Obama Interview – Post Your Questions NOW

Originally posted by makeitso on 2/7/08

Senator Obama,

While it has not been part of the current debates, many people feel that the problems with the current economy have been caused by inequality in import fees.

The near complete collapse of industrial manufacturing in America can easily be traced back to this issue.

Allowing China, Mexico, Japan, etc. to import cheap products built by so called "slave labor", which are funded or subsidized by those countries governments without "taxing" or placing import tarrif's/fee's as a means to equalize the price of those products manufactured in the U.S. gave those countries an unfair advantage on the U.S. Market.

Mr. Obama, will you move to level the playing field so that American manufactures can compete in the U.S. market, or will you continue the tradition of eliminating manufacturing jobs in the United States?

[edit on 12/6/09 by makeitso]

Originally posted by infolurker
Could be a true lack of ideas?

I truly wish I could have an hour or two with the President to state my proposals. I have many (some that I won't post that you touch upon above) and contrary to my "internet" writing style on ATS, I am a professional businessman (by day).

The problem we have is nobody in Washington will listen unless you have a lobbyist with you writing them checks!

I think in all reality it is quite a few things.

Apathy has set in with the country, and specifically ATS, about actually making a change, or not believing that they can actually make a difference, or that some would rather bitch, whine, and complain and when an opportunity like this comes along they see it not an option to try to give it a shot like I am, but instead for a platform for more bitching, whining, and complaining, or bringing up a discussion for legalizing something which was made illegal.

If there is something you wish to share with Obama, and I can pass it on, without it being discussed here, feel free to U2U me, and I will do my best.

As for the lobbyist comment, I concur with your assessment, because the re-election machine is far more powerful than the people who actually got them elected, the people who voted them into office to begin with.

As for me, I am a professional, not in industry, yet, but in how I post online, for the most part.

I am working on building a non-profit, which will phase into many things, a think-tank for one, potentially a lobbyist group for the second, a multi-billionaire profession is definately in the mix.

Here's my problem with lobbying though, I see it as bribery, whether it is legal bribery, or flat-out illegal bribery, it is still bribery, so I am going to formulate it in such a way as to not cross that boundary if I can help it, even if I have to make it so the lobbying group uses its resources to get politicians thrown out of office, or voted out of office, if I find the non-profit finds they are not amenable to doing the right thing, of the people, by the people, for the people.

Originally posted by makeitso

I agree with this one.
I said much the same thing while Obama was still campaigning. Why would manufactures want to have their facilities in the U.S. if they can make it cheaper overseas and ship it here with no consequence.

On the other hand, if import fees and tarrifs were in place which made it non-profitable to produce overseas, manufacturing would build their facilities in the U.S. and create jobs.

Great answer.

Keep those coming in more and more.

I agree if corporations can go overseas and save money, how will America ever survive.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


So nobody on ATS has any good ideas to share? I find that unbelievable.

Sunday afternoon bump.

[edit on 6-12-2009 by infolurker]

Originally posted by infolurker
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

So nobody on ATS has any good ideas to share? I find that unbelievable.

Sunday afternoon bump.

[edit on 6-12-2009 by infolurker]

I can only speak for myself, and I've shown ideas, as well as you.

I think a large part of it stems from a lack of knowledge in how to actually participate in Government.

Let alone, like I stated, apathy has set in, and people as a whole society are too lazy to bother.

That's sad to me, I was always eager to learn, except a few topics, I excelled in school.

I was always reading books on Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, and I know because of that as well with my studies of history that our Founding Fathers modeled America after both of those now decayed empires, as well as a host of other things they modeled this country after.

I commend you on your efforts though my opinion is that those in power have already made their minds up on how to approach the issue of new jobs.

For some reason, they believe that the government is the best impetus to creation of jobs.. I beg to differ, look at their track record this year, it's not very good not to mention the news of fictitious figures in regards to stimulus funds from earlier this year..

When the government should back off and scale back pressure on privately owned businesses to fuel job growth, what do they do?

They try to implement wholesale legislation that could severely impact those businesses bottom line.. Who is going to hire or expand when they don't even have the ability to forecast how much of their money is going to have to be allocated to the government?

Add to that the outright disregard for the value of the US dollar with the printing of billions upon billions and the highly suspicious bailout of the very entities that created the current economic recession. It wasn't the local business owner who did this, it wasn't Joe sixpack who did this, it was the greedy (wall street) and powerful (Congress) who did this..

Who pays? Joe Sixpack and the local business owner ie, the taxpayers.

Madoff made off with billions.. but, he's now serving time and those he conned will get some semblence of justice..

Our government has made off with TRILLIONS.. where's the taxpayers' justice? Loss of jobs, concerns of increased taxes, continued devaluation of the dollar?

My suggestion to the government is to first, stop spending money you don't have, I am sure that most of the taxpayers have tightened their purse strings, reevaluated the need for excess credit, I thought the government was supposed to lead by example..

Get your House and Senate in order, I know I am one who doesn't mind having to go through some really tough times if it is going towards a better outlook for my children, what I do mind is going through tough times that does nothing to better my childrens' future. Try heeding your own words, you know, the one's you use to get elected...

Secondly, there needs to be a concerted effort on the government to scale back severely the pressure that is stifling the backbone of the US economy, private small businesses, these folks don't have the $20+M compensation packages for their top dogs, these are folks chasing the American dream and trying to share that dream with others in the form of JOBS! THe government isn't helping them, the government is scaring the [snip] out of them.

Take you hands off their collective necks, release the pressure (taxes) and let them help to create new jobs or rehire those they have had to lay off due to your (gov't) pressure.

Third, I would suggest you take a trip around the country, not staged by those who insulate you, and talk to the people, not those on the campaign contributors list.. The one's who are filing the unemployment forms, the one's who are on pins and needles waiting to see what your plans' impact will be on their bottom line..

If you fail to go to those folks, then your words about helping those folks are empty, much like their purses & wallets, they don't have the luxury of printing up some cash when they run out, they lose their jobs, homes, families etc..

Do you really care? about the people I mean, not an agenda.


Sorry SKL, I get a bit riled on this issue and probably got some things wrong and really haven't given you anything you can use in your effort..

but it felt good to get this out of my system

I would like to see other members chime in with their ideas and wish you the best as you take this effort forward to the WH

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
I commend you on your efforts though my opinion is that those in power have already made their minds up on how to approach the issue of new jobs.

JacKatMtn, first off let me say thank you, and I appreciate your thoughts on here. I do agree with you that for the most part, I believe they have made up their minds already and that this concerted effort to appear transparent is nothing more than the usual political smoke and mirrors.

The more I read here within ATS, this thread, and others, the more I see that people agree with that, know nothing of it, or are blind followers who want to believe that their representatives actually listen to them but are in denial that politics itself is wholly and completely corrupt.

I'm not sure if you read this thread I wrote last year, in the previous Administration, about the collusion I saw in Bush and Congress in putting our nation right where it is today, or not, but that's how I felt then.

The difference is now I see that the country is now being dissolved slowly, silently, and shamelessly.

Without a vast majority of our nations citizens knowledge, understanding, and or consent.

Political Collusion of a President and Congress in Collapsing America, The Fall of the New Rome

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
For some reason, they believe that the government is the best impetus to creation of jobs.. I beg to differ, look at their track record this year, it's not very good not to mention the news of fictitious figures in regards to stimulus funds from earlier this year..

Yes, I heard about those "Ghost Figures" and that pissed me off.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
When the government should back off and scale back pressure on privately owned businesses to fuel job growth, what do they do?

I agree there 100% as I see America as too commercialized through large corporations.

We need a return to small town America where America is taking care of its own.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
They try to implement wholesale legislation that could severely impact those businesses bottom line.. Who is going to hire or expand when they don't even have the ability to forecast how much of their money is going to have to be allocated to the government?

Well, this is where I disagree, but only slightly.

Our Congressmen (and women) do not write the legislation, this was evidenced via the Town Hall meetings where the politicians had no clue how to speak on the Healthcare Reform Act.

The corporations, health industry, ad naseum corporate America C.E.O.'s write the legislation because they send lobbyist groups and special interest groups to those people's offices and bribe them, legally, to let them do so.

Lobbying while it is legal is still a form of bribery.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Add to that the outright disregard for the value of the US dollar with the printing of billions upon billions and the highly suspicious bailout of the very entities that created the current economic recession. It wasn't the local business owner who did this, it wasn't Joe sixpack who did this, it was the greedy (wall street) and powerful (Congress) who did this..

The following two threads, I have more, are answer enough to my thoughts to your comments there, I see right through their sham, it's a con job, a shell game, Three Card Monte.

Bend Over, With Lube, Here It Comes (Economic Stimulus Package In PDF's)

The Creature from Jekyll Island : A Second Look at the Federal Reserve

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Who pays? Joe Sixpack and the local business owner ie, the taxpayers.

Yes, financial predatory and predatory lending practices, I agree.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Madoff made off with billions.. but, he's now serving time and those he conned will get some semblence of justice..

We need to go back to the Old West, hang him by the neck, until dead.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Our government has made off with TRILLIONS.. where's the taxpayers' justice? Loss of jobs, concerns of increased taxes, continued devaluation of the dollar?

The Old Shell Game


Three Card Monte Street Hustle

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
My suggestion to the government is to first, stop spending money you don't have, I am sure that most of the taxpayers have tightened their purse strings, reevaluated the need for excess credit, I thought the government was supposed to lead by example..

Amen, do not spend money we do not have, quit printing more to devalue what we do.

Lead by example would be a good idea, they are leading my example, of what not to do.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Get your House and Senate in order, I know I am one who doesn't mind having to go through some really tough times if it is going towards a better outlook for my children, what I do mind is going through tough times that does nothing to better my childrens' future. Try heeding your own words, you know, the one's you use to get elected...

Every single day I drive by people who are dumpster diving, selling their car or house, houses foreclosed on due to mortgages they cannot pay, and yard sales, more so than any other decade, this last decade, meaning under Bush and now into Obama, people are seriously threatened by this fraud, which amount to nothing more than Treason through financial means to me.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Secondly, there needs to be a concerted effort on the government to scale back severely the pressure that is stifling the backbone of the US economy, private small businesses, these folks don't have the $20+M compensation packages for their top dogs, these are folks chasing the American dream and trying to share that dream with others in the form of JOBS! THe government isn't helping them, the government is scaring the [snip] out of them.

Repeal N.A.F.A.T.A., period, this would make a difference immediately for America.

Bring American jobs back to America for American's, sorry Mexico and anywhere else.

I care about America and our paychecks, if Mexico's Government is that corrupt, I encourage the Mexican citizens to overthrow it, not come here and bog us down, unless they are doing it legally.

Immigration Gumballs

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Take you hands off their collective necks, release the pressure (taxes) and let them help to create new jobs or rehire those they have had to lay off due to your (gov't) pressure.

Agreed.

I believe however this is what they want.

This is a concerted effort to push people into near homelessness, to join an Armed Service.

As well, the volunteer nation, I am a volunteer with Boy Scouts, but I want a job that pays as well, and in this current economy I just lucky to have a job that barely feeds me, I was evicted last week.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Third, I would suggest you take a trip around the country, not staged by those who insulate you, and talk to the people, not those on the campaign contributors list.. The one's who are filing the unemployment forms, the one's who are on pins and needles waiting to see what your plans' impact will be on their bottom line..

JaKatMtn, I agree 100%, the problem is these politicians will never do this, they want the insulation, so they do not get mobbed, hit, or beaten the crap out of for not listening to begin with.

As well I agree with this because it is what I am doing on a daily basis, I am building a network of people offline.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
If you fail to go to those folks, then your words about helping those folks are empty, much like their purses & wallets, they don't have the luxury of printing up some cash when they run out, they lose their jobs, homes, families etc..

Exactly.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Do you really care? about the people I mean, not an agenda.

I do not believe any politician cares, Obama, or otherwise, the semblance of caring is enough to carry them against the unsavvy American's who know no better.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Sorry SKL, I get a bit riled on this issue and probably got some things wrong and really haven't given you anything you can use in your effort..

but it felt good to get this out of my system

I would like to see other members chime in with their ideas and wish you the best as you take this effort forward to the WH

JacKatMtn, do not apologize, your reply was honest, forthright, and well spoken.

I am constantly riled at these idiots at Washington D.C.

Glad you did get it out of your system.

I hope no one else has mistaken this thread as some butt-kissing thread where I grope and grovel to Obama about change and hope, it will not be when I compile all of the information together.

I will be treating this just like I was on assignment for a Presidential Finding.

Each and everyone's thoughts will be shared, in a consensus manner, showing exactly what I found, and so far that is a disillusioned American people.

If I could give you an applause, I would, I will however give you a star.

I will leave you with my thread on my thoughts on Obama, so far.

Obamaland : Cotton Candy, Gumdrops, and Rainbow Dreams, This is the Land of Collusion

As well with an invitation to debate me in the Bully Pulpit.

Stop The Stalkers

Read about my fight against stalkers here, since I was six years old.

Left-Wing, Right-Wing, This Turkey, Knows How To Soar Like An Eagle

Become a member of the Bully Pulpit, so you can debate me politically, if you do not choose membership in the Bully Pulpit, you can only read, and not post replies.

[edit on 7-12-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

I forgot to post this a few days ago.

UPDATE

White House E-Mail :

Thank you again for signing up to hold a community jobs forum in your area. We wanted to send a quick note to inform you that the response to this program has been so strong, with thousands of people signing up across the country, that we've extended the time period through January 7th of the new year.