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Friday, September 9, 2011

President Obama's Jobs Speech

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Evaluate president Obama's Speech. (You should be able to identify at least 5 key proposals he makes for spurring job growth in the US.) Where there specific ideas that you support or oppose? Why? Do you think that this speech will have influence members of Congress? Will it help create jobs? If you feel strongly about this speech, you should consider contacting our CT representatives and letting them know how you feel.

Due Monday by 7:30am

34 comments:

Kerry Chavoya said...

Kerry Chavoya
After watching Obama’s Job Speech, five proposals he explained were to give small businesses a tax cut for hiring others or increasing the pay of their present employees, repair & modernize schools across the county, give a $4000 tax credit for hiring anyone who has been looking for a job for six months, and to give a tax break for hiring veterans. These are proposals that very much stood out to me. I supported all the ideas that he was talking about because I know how hard it was to find a summer job and I couldn’t imagine having to look for more than three months like some people are having to. I supported all of his ideas because I do think it will benefit the country. Allowing more opportunities for people to get jobs helps them, and the rest of the country. He stated that he wants to rebuild many bridges and roads which mean that people will gain jobs but the country will gain better bridges and roads as well. I do think the speech will influence the congress because it seems like the audience listening to the speech liked what they were hearing. Obama spoke with confidence and explained everything very well so I believe that congress will think that he knows what he is doing. His ideas will help to make jobs because of the opportunities that he would give people. He wants more teachers, more construction workers, anyone who could work to benefit the country and he seems determined to make it happen. Whether it’s giving small businesses a tax cut for hiring others to helping out veterans that have been away fighting.

Katie Schmitt said...

In president Obama’s speech to Congress he proposes the American Jobs Act. This plan targets unemployment and includes proposals to lower the percentage of out of work Americans, bringing hundreds of people back to work. Some of the proposals he mentions in his speech include: cutting payroll taxes in half, offering tax cuts for small businesses if they hire new workers or raise wages, providing jobs in construction through the repair of many of the nation’s schools, roads, and bridges, offering extra tax credits to employers who hire American veterans as well as workers who have been unemployed for six months, and giving the typical working family a $1,500 tax cut. I support all of these ideas because I believe that these proposals will be successful in lower unemployment and getting Americans back to work. Although the cost of the act may be high, Obama has also suggested a plan to pay off the American Jobs Act in full as well as to work toward the elimination of the entire national deficit. I specifically support ideas such as bringing back more teachers and beginning national construction projects because they will not only provide jobs for the people trained in those positions who are out of work, but the work that they do will also benefit the entire nation. I think that Obama’s speech will influence Congress to pass this act because from the video it seemed like he was getting a lot of support and applause. I think that he did a good job of making sure that he appealed to both parties and united them under the common interest of reducing unemployment. He proposed a plan for the financing of the bill that I believe will make the Republicans happy as well as the Democrats. His speech was very convincing to me, so I think that many of the members of Congress probably felt the same way.

Rachel L said...

The Obama speech brought up 5 key proposals that could help start up the economy by create jobs for many unemployed Americans. one proposals was making more exporting opportunies by having more American products sold over seas. Also, giving small businesses tax breaks and reevaluating restrictions and regulations for those small businesses. He proposed to start up construction jobs to modernize schools and bridges. Community college tuitions would be paid for by the worker’s company for extra training and internships for specific jobs. And lastly, put teachers back to work and create jobs for veterans. These are all very good suggestions but the only one I have a slight disagreement with is the increase of exports. We also need to keep importing to a minimum so Americans’ have to buy American products over Chinese or other foreign products. I support these proposals, as long as they wont increase the national deficit, then I think they will help out. The members of congress, judging by the extensive applauding after every sentence, that they support these proposals also. They seemed eager to help out on getting things changed and opening up ideas, giving them a chance to work on things that they think will work. The proposals should work as long as we can get people to agree on things and get things in motion it should create jobs successfully.

Kim Labbe said...

After viewing Obama's speech to congress, there were a few proposals made to help the economy. These proposals were called the American Jobs Act. The goal of this is to "jolt" the economy and help all Americans. Some proposals that were said was; to low taxes, give teachers more jobs or their jobs back, also raising wages to all workers and to create more jobs in public work. Providing jobs in public works is a huge deal because it would not only give jobs to many people but to fix all bridges and roads and make all schools better by remodeling them. Another proposal was to give tax breaks to veterans and give tax credits to people who have been searching for a job for the past 6 months. I suppose all these proposals because I believe that these will change our economy and will hopefully change it to become normal. I think this speech will influence congress because these ideas are all ready smart and the congress knows that they need to help change the world. This will 100% totally and completely create jobs because the people are willing to help because they want a job. American needs to change so I believe this will help.

Blake Dawson said...

President Obama had multiple key proposals in his speech. All of which revolved around his American Jobs Act, which he hopes gets passed a soon as possible. A few ideas that I support are the small businesses tax cuts. Being a person who lives off of a small business income I highly support the tax break. Obama states that for every employee you hire you get a tax cut, along with if you give your employee a raise, and if you have 50 employees your taxes get cut in half. He wants to jump start construction work around the world by cutting the red tape as we have the resources and the people. Obama talks about getting rid of tax breaks for millionaires and giving jobs back to teachers. He includes that this will help America in the long run because we are currently taking away teachers that are teaching our kids who are the future for America. Obama wants to get rid of loop holes for corporate companies that make there taxes less and make a more balance economy and win the race for the best economy in the world. He wants to make it easier for veterans to get jobs when the return from war. He wants to export more goods and he’s okay with seeing Americans driving kia’s but he wants to see south Koreans driving Fords, Chevy’s, and Chryslers. Congress will go along with this in my opinion because it’s a great opportunity to help America get ahead. Along with this is a topic that both democrats and republicans can agree with.

Lila Purvis said...

In President Obama’s most recent speech to Congress, he advocated his new American Jobs Act. In doing so, the president highlighted many specifics that would be contained within the act, and explained why Congress should vote to support his act. One of the first proposals the president had for creating jobs was helping small business. In the speech, the president outlined many different ways to help small business, such as tax credits and a large payroll tax cut for small business that are actively hiring new workers. Personally, I agree with this proposal because I believe that small business need more help rebounding than large corporations do. A second proposal President Obama presented to Congress was to create more construction jobs. In doing this, President Obama highlighted the fact that not only would more jobs be created, but also dilapidated schools, highways, and bridges would be replaced or repaired. Again, I agree with this proposal because the manual laborers were some of the hardest hit with unemployment, and not only would this help the individuals who are working, but it would also help the communities where they are working. Another concept presented to Congress was to help unemployed veterans. The idea behind this was to reward companies that hired veterans by giving them a tax break. Although I definitely support the idea of trying to ease veterans back into the workforce, I don’t believe that this is necessarily the best way to do it. This means that when veterans and civilians are competing for jobs, the veterans will have an unfair advantage and might be hired for the tax break instead of proper qualifications, which could lead to problems down the road. President Obama also proposed to help the middle class, both through a $1,500 tax credit, tax cuts, and refusing to raise their taxes. I also agree with this because the middle class were some of the hardest hit with the recent unemployment, and that many families are still struggling. Finally, President Obama also proposed hiring back thousands of teachers that had recently lost their jobs. I support this as well because the reduced number of teachers put even more stress on the remaining teachers and the administration, as well as forcing the administration to offer less classes and class options for the students.
I don’t believe that this speech will have a large effect on the members of Congress. Congress recently has had a difficult time agreeing on issues, and this is a large issue that they’ve been conflicting on for a while. Although this act does present a mix of different policies, it might be difficult to get both sides to agree on it because both sides will always be pushing to see how much they can get out of the act. Because of the conflictions in Congress, I don’t think this speech will create many jobs. The speech itself wouldn’t create jobs, the legislation discussed in the speech would, and like I mentioned above, Congress can’t seem to agree on any legislation to pass. Although I would like to be optimistic and believe that Obama’s most recent speech would persuade Congress to agree on this issue, I don’t believe this, and I think that there still is a lot that has to be discussed and then agreed upon by Congress before any significant number of jobs are created.

Alison Dempsey said...

In President Obama’s American Jobs Act, he proposed many ideas, including giving tax breaks to people who look for a job for longer than 6 months, tax breaks for small businesses if they hire new people of give higher wages, making more jobs for teachers, having the rich and big corporations pay taxes, and tax breaks for hiring a veteran. I support all of the ideas he had and think that all of his ideas will benefit the country in a positive way. Congress will be influenced by his speech because Obama seemed confident and like he knows what he was talking about. Congress will see that and want to pass the American Jobs Act. Congress will realize that teachers, construction workers and other people need to be hired and they will pass the act that Obama wants passed.

Jessie Zelisko said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessie Zelisko said...

President Obama’s speech had one main purpose, and that purpose was to introduce the American Jobs Act. Its main goals are to put more people back to work with higher salaries. Another thing this act will accomplish will be to cut payroll taxes in half for everyone. This Act also includes the Public Transit Project in Houston which will help clear traffic and institute better transportation for the general public. It will repair and modernize many schools, rehire teachers and give veterans jobs for when they come home from the Middle East. It also extends unemployment insurance for another year. I support this act because I feel that the United States needs to do more in order to provide more jobs for both the recently and previously unemployed. I also believe in President Obama’s point that the upper class needs to pay their fair share because only 1 top percent of the population carries 34 percent of the wealth of our country. That seems unjust and rather ridiculous to me when our country is in such need. I think that this speech will help to influence members of Congress because most of the goals of this act (clearly stated by Obama) are universal goals both for Republicans and Democrats. Creating more jobs and giving money to small businesses who hire more workers will definitely make a difference in our country.

David Brzozowski said...

Overall president Obama’s Speech seemed very forward and was really more than a speech, it was pushing congress and the house to push his new bill threw. As for the “Americans Job Act” I thought it had some good ideas however some of the proposals may be to big to actually make a reality. For example the, idea to repair and modernize 35,000 schools, and the improvement of the U.S.’s infastructure in order to give construction workers jobs. I question where the money will come from for these tasks, and if the unions will hold up these programs with “red tape.” However the tax credits for veterans, and the tax breaks for companies that hire new workers I think will be appreciated by “small business America.” The idea that eliminating loop holes for cooperation’s will bring in more money really, is minimal, even if it does how much would it bring in, and will this consequently make corporations layoff workers? I believe this speech will sway few republicans however it will not pass, as for the creation of jobs I believe some programs will cut jobs however others might cut job opportunities.

Rachel Lochowski said...

President Obama’s speech covered many ideas all under what is called the American Jobs Act. This act deals with trying to decrease the numbers of unemployment. Five ideas that were mentioned were the tax cut for small businesses, having more public work jobs, providing better schools for children, cutting tax for the veterans, and having everyone pay the taxes, including the upper class. I agree with the idea of the cutting of tax for small businesses, because I think that if they are able to hire more people than it can benefit. Obama says that the more employees, then the tax will get cut in half. The proposal on having more public works and providing better schools for children, I agree with. I believe that repairing schools and such can open many jobs for teachers, veterans, and construction workers. Public works is a great way to get most people involved and be employed. I don’t think it is right if veterans come home from the Middle East and have to fight to get a job. They already fought for our country; there should be a way to make sure they can have a job when they come back, if needed. The other proposal that stood out to me, and would probably make a change is if everyone, including the upper-class pay the amount of taxes they are suppose to instead of putting all the pressure on the middle class. Our country really needs help and I think the wealthy should truly help out. I believe that Obama’s speech will have support of some of the congress, but for some reason, I still think it’s not going to pass. I only think this because I don’t know if everyone will truly come together, and work on this to make it realistic. If we do come together, then I believe there is a possibility these proposals could work out.

Magali said...

In Obama’s speech about the American Jobs Act, he brought up five key proposals. With this act he planned to create jobs and put people back to work. Whether it be by building bridges, working on public transit, or renovating schools. Obama also said that small businesses would be able to get tax cuts if they hire more workers. He explained that veterans will get jobs and that the companies that hire them will also get tax breaks. Another proposal was to reform medicare. Finally, he talked about everyone paying their fair share of taxes. I support the ideas to put people back to work and provide tax breaks to some companies, because I feel that in doing this, we can finally get more jobs for the unemployed people in America. I believe that this speech will influence members of Congress because it talks about ideas that both Democrats and Republicans can agree with. As long as everyone works together, I think this act will be able to help the American people.

lukegayeski said...

President Obama's speech was clear and reasonable. His repetition, while it felt contrived at times, it held an important message. These issues are urgent. His proposals to give tax cuts to those who raise wages or hire new workers, rebuild infrastructure, renovate schools, give payroll tax credits to those who hire someone who has been looking for work for 6 moths, and to give tax cuts to those who hire veterans, are all part of The American Jobs Act. In my opinion, these proposals are reasonable and necessary. Hopefully the bipartisan aspects of his speech will influence congress to make reasonable compromises. I do believe it will help create jobs.

Anonymous said...

During Obama’s speech, he proposes the American Jobs Act. This act revolves around sending millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Five key proposals he made about his act were re-building America, giving small businesses tax credits if they hire veterans, giving working families a $1,500 tax cut, raising workers’ wages, and giving a $4,000 tax credit to anyone who has been looking for a job for over six months. Hiring construction workers can help renovate roads and bridges and modernize and repair schools around the country. The act can also help teachers get their jobs back after many had to be laid off. I support all of these ideas that the president brought up in his speech. He made several good points which well help decrease unemployment in America. One specific point that he addressed that stood out to me was when he said veterans risked their lives fighting for our country, so they shouldn’t have to fight to find a job when they come home. I think his ideas were capable of influencing Congress to pass this act because he seemed confident with them. It was well thought out and planned to positively change America’s economy and many will benefit from it.

Megan Robles said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Megan Robles said...

Throughout President Obama’s Jobs Speech he talks about many different proposals he has to create more jobs. Five of the many proposals he talks about is cutting taxes, creating more public works projects, giving teachers back their jobs, extending unemployment insurance, and reforming medical insurance. President Obama says in his speech that if small businesses hire more employees they will get a tax cut. He also states that companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire someone that has been unemployed for more than six months and companies will get a tax cut for hiring veterans. In President Obama’s speech you can tell that he strongly supports giving teachers back their jobs to help better the education for the future of America. I support his proposals because they can create more jobs for people currently unemployed. Out of all his proposals the one that stood out to me was creating more public works projects. This proposal stood out to because it will not only help repair things like schools, bridges and highways; but it is an easy way to create more jobs. I think that his speech will have an influence the members of Congress because of their positive reaction to what the President had to say. You can tell that Congress reacted positively because of their applauding throughout his speech. Even though it seems like the majority of people reacted positively towards the presidents speech there is still some that will worry if the President’s proposal is to ambitious and it will cost be to high. I think as long as Americans can work together to reduce unemployment than President Obama’s plan will be successful.

Alyssam said...

Alyssa Miller

President Obama had many key proposals in his speech about expanding job growth in the U.S. The most important ones he mentioned was that everything in the bill would be payed for. There will be more jobs for school teachers, contruction workers and many more. Summer jobs will also be available for people who are willing to work that time of year. Obama stated that this act should be passed to put people to work on rebuilding America like roads, bridges, schools, and much more. The act will fix 35 thousand schools and teachers will go back to work. I agree with Obama on all of these. I think this act will really help out America and getting people back to work. He has a very good chance of influcing the members of congress with his ideas. Most of the people in the clip from his speech were standing and clapping for him. If most people do agree and the act is passed, I feel it will deffinately help create more jobs and oportunities in the future.

Aida Feng said...

President Obama’s Jobs Speech introduces the American Jobs Act, a piece of legislation that he explains will spur job growth in our economy. He begins outlining what this plan will entail by proposing a tax cut for small businesses for hiring workers or increasing current workers’ wages. I feel that this plan is a refreshing strategy in terms of supporting business. Obama makes a good point when he notes that corporations have had better profit returns than small businesses, even though those small businesses are the source of most new jobs. Another proposal aims to put Americans to work to repair our infrastructure, including developing more efficient buildings and transportation systems. This reminds me of Roosevelt’s job ideas during the Great Depression, and I hope it will help relieve our current economic troubles as well. In suggesting the repairs of schools, Obama also seeks to create jobs for teachers. As a student, I highly support this aspect of the plan, because I know great teachers to have been laid off as a result of budget cuts, which is “unfair” to our generation. Additionally, the American Jobs Act offers tax credits for people who hire veterans. I strongly agree that these men and women are deserving of a job after serving our country; however, I am worried that employers will put their desire for a tax break before the actual qualifications of job seekers. This would be unfair to non-veterans who may be more qualified for a certain job. Obama also proposes tax credits for the long-term unemployed. Perhaps, since I am not one of those searching for a job for over six months, I do not fully understand the circumstances, but I do not feel that this will help create jobs. Rather, it only allows the jobless to live more comfortably in their unemployed state, which doesn’t do much to encourage job growth. Having said this, I do understand the importance of extending the unemployment insurance and helping the unemployed support the economy; I just feel that additional aid is not economically viable or necessary. I noticed that throughout the speech, Obama highlights how the American Jobs Act incorporates the beliefs of both Democrats and Republicans. For example, he points out that creating construction jobs should receive support from labor organizations and business organizations. I believe this will be effective in urging Congress members from both political parties to agree on a key economic plan. However, I think money will ultimately be the main arguing point. In other words, Congress members need to figure out how to compensate for all these tax cuts, and their methods may clash. I can see how Obama’s proposals will create jobs, but I am worried that, with our deficit, the tax cuts will only hurt the economy. Even so, I am glad Obama is taking action to provide an immediate “jolt” for our unemployed. I hope it will pay off in the long run.

Jordan Ruocco said...

In watching president Obama’s speech to congress, I pulled from it several important proposals he suggested making in order benefit our nation. The American jobs act was intended to lower the unemployment rate and let American’s get back to working. The percentage of people without jobs has greatly increased recently and needs a plan to reverse it again. Other proposals he made include the rebuilding of America’s bridges and roads, which not only will make for easier travel, but put many unemployed American’s back to work. Small businesses will receive a tax cut for hiring new employees or will increase the salary of people already in the working industry, making for an improving lifestyle among American’s who cannot find work, or for those who work for not enough pay. Along with the same idea, he proposed to give a $4,000 tax credit to hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job or to a Veteran who is unemployed, leading to a “new beginning” for those of which have been out of the work field. Obama wants to build more schools, and put teachers back in business, giving them the jobs that they belong and furthering children’s education. With all the opportunity to reform an American life, we should consider his plan and enforce it as soon as possible to make America the place it once was. A final proposal he made was to extend unemployment insurance for a year, obviously appealing to those of which do not work. Through personal experience, I and many other teens and adults know the difficulty behind getting a job and being able to support oneself, but in following Obama’s steps, we can improve our economy and continue on being a leading nation. His confidence is comforting and plan of action seems to be the start of a rebuilt America.

Catherine Dykty said...

Catherine Dykty
In his speech, President Obama intended to inform the general public about his plan for creating more jobs in America, as well as persuading Congress to pass the American Jobs Act. I think that if Obama can actually implement all aspects of this act, it could benefit this country, but it is unlikely. I’m unsure of how successful it can be. Obama was proposing a $1,500 tax cut for working families next year and to cut payroll taxes in half for many people. He also plans to improve roads, bridges, and schools. It is a well known fact that our nation is in a substantial amount of debt. Taxes are put in place to pay for our government, schools, roads, and many other things. How does Obama expect to receive less money than before from American citizens, while spending money on other government projects and lessening the increase of debt that the United States is quickly acquiring at the same time? Overall, Obama’s mission of the American Jobs Act was to increase the availability of jobs for our people, which he could probably do in this act. However, by doing things to try to help out the impoverished people in America, such as tax cuts, Obama isn’t helping the country as a whole. I think Obama may have had good intentions, but his solution of the crisis our nation is facing is all wrong.

Matt Neveu said...

In President Obama’s speech to Congress he proposed several different and hopeful ideas, all part of the American jobs act. One of the many things he suggested was how small businesses can get a tax cut just for hiring veterans. I believe that veterans should be able to get jobs fairly easily, because of their duty to our country. I definitely support this idea because veterans get jobs, and at the same time small businesses get tax cuts. Everybody wins. Other ideas President Obama proposed were directed towards schools. One was that thousands of old rundown schools would get renovated. Not only would this make people more attracted to certain towns, it would also create jobs. The other school-related proposal was that more teachers would be put back to work. Over the years thousands of teachers have been laid off, and plenty of good teaching skill has just been wasted. I believe these are both fantastic ideas, and only good could come from them. The president also gave out options with transportation systems and public works. His argument was that all over the country roads and bridges have been decaying (which I agree with). These transportation systems weren’t planned to last this long, and are in desperate need of work. This has the potential to help millions of people find work, and we would have better roads. The last thing President Obama proposed (and possibly the riskiest) was to reform Medicare in order to try and get some money back. While I mostly support this idea, I can see why many people would totally be against it. Although people shouldn’t rely on this once they retire, a lot of people would be upset about it. I think that the president has thought this through pretty clearly. While some of it does sound like a bit of a long shot, I believe it can be done if congress is willing to work together. I think that congress will be influenced by this speech in a positive way because it shows hope in our economy and in creating jobs. I also feel that this American Jobs Act will definitely create millions of jobs, given to all people.

T_Violano said...

After watching President Obama’s speech, the five key proposals that I believe are the most important are: More jobs for construction workers, teachers, and the unemployed. Repairing and modernizing 35,000 schools across the country. Tax break for hiring veterans. Tax cuts for hiring new workers or for raising their wages. Any company who hires someone who has been unemployed for more than 6 months will receive a $4000 tax cut.
I agreed with all of his proposals I think that if this bill is passed that it will help out our economy but more importantly it will help middle and lower class families with finding jobs. The only thing that I don’t like about the proposals is that he came up with these good ideas but he doesn’t really say how we would go about making them happen except for a few.
I think that congress will pass this proposal because it will help out our country as a whole. This will help out a majority of our country and it should be passed because it will create so many jobs for people who really need a job.

Blake Wetmore said...

President Obama’s speech covered several parts of what is now the American Jobs Act. This act is focused on rewarding people for their attempts of helping the unemployment rate. He proposed that the government gives tax breaks of $4000 to people employing those that have been unemployed for over 6 months. Also, any business who hires a certain amount of new employees receives tax breaks. The act will then create jobs by fixing old bridges and schools. The schools will then receive a new wave of employable teachers to hire. In addition, this act contains a way to pay for the dues. There will be new reforms to Medicare to raise money for the government to put towards the act. I think that this speech will influence congress mainly because president Obama kept returning to the idea that both parties have agreed on acts similar to every part of this new act. These comments will put pressure on the members of both houses to pass the bill. Also, with the upcoming presidential elections, congress will feel more obligated to get this bill over with as quickly as possible. Personally, I think that the act will create a phenomenal amount of new jobs because businesses, both large and small, will be interested in getting the tax breaks offered in the clauses of this act. Also, they will know that others are doing the same to help the economy, so although hiring new employees might cost a little extra at first, they will be repaid by the growing strength of the economy. With the help of this bill, the economy will be able to generate enough strength to start paying off our country’s deficit.

Eric Icaza said...

President Obama's job speech was one that will define his presidency. The purpose of it was to bring democrats and republicans together to think of a plan for creating jobs. The plan included tax cuts to small business that: hire people who have been looking for work for more than 6 months, hire unemployed returning veterans, and give higher wages. The President also wants to start investing in infrastructure to better American roads and give jobs to eager construction companies, modernize public schools, and help families refinance their mortgages at lower rates. Barak Obama plans to pay for some of this act by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans. I agree with the plans that Barak Obama has planned because I feel that the average individual will have more impact upon the future of the country than the richest people. Therefore, I agree that the average American should have the tax breaks and the richest should be taxed more. I believe that a major point President Barak Obama was trying to make towards Congress was to not be tied to any party just for votes. He wants the political manufacturing of problems to end immediately so that he can help Americans get back to work. this speech was powerful and very demanding. I believe it is a step up from his previous position, and that politicians will recognize this. I believe this act will eventually help create jobs. I hope!

Rachel DeVylder said...

In President Obama’s September 8th jobs speech, he proposes the idea for the American Jobs Act. The American Jobs Act is a bill he’s trying to get the members of Congress to pass. The bill has many various, specific proposals in it. Some of the key proposals the President spoke of included: giving small businesses tax deductions for hiring new employees or giving existing employees raises, creating new public works projects in order to put more people back to work, getting more teachers back to work, giving companies extra tax credits for hiring veterans, and giving the average middle-class family a $1500 tax cut. I think all of the President’s proposals were good ones, which could help our country’s economy to get back on its feet. American businesses will most likely be encouraged to hire new workers and the vast number of returning, unemployed veterans by the incentive to get tax breaks. Many companies need any financial help they can get, and wouldn’t want to pass up such a worthwhile opportunity. This in addition to the possibility of workers being put on new public works projects and the proposal of hiring new teachers will put many of the presently unemployed back to work and help get money in the economy re-circulating and improving the country’s overall financial situation. Also, most working families can use as much financial relief as possible, so the tax cuts would be beneficial to help them keep save some money. I think the members of Congress will be influenced by this speech, because they, like everyone else, know about the country’s poor economic status, and they’re eager to get things to be stable once again.

Jessica Joseph said...

Jess Joseph
This past Thursday, President Obama addressed the Congress in a joint session, challenging them to pass his proposed act, the American Jobs Act. The goal of the act is to better the American economy and to form more jobs for American citizens. In order to achieve these goals, the President proposed many key ideas. The most prominent point was to boost the economy by offering a tax cuts to small businesses if they in turn hire new employees and/or raise wages. The second proposal he makes is to begin new construction projects on bridges, roads and other modes of transportation, therefore giving thousands of unemployed construction workers jobs while boosting America in the competition with other countries. He also proposes to renovate at least 35,000 schools, putting people to work and ensuring a better future for children, and to put laid-off teachers back to work. Additionally, he plans to offer tax credits for the hiring of long-term unemployed, veterans, and young people as well as tax cuts for the working, middle-class family. He proposes that all this will not add to the countries deficit, and instead asks for it to be paid for by an increase to the amount congress has already agreed to save, a slight adjustment to Medicare and Medicaid, and for the wealthiest companies and individuals to pay their fare share. I personally support all these ideas, especially those involving school renovations and teachers because I believe that the children are the future of America and therefore very important, and because I hope to become a teacher in the future. Though I'm not entirely sure how realistic all the goals are (35,000 schools), I suppose it’s better to set high expectations to reach for and not quite get there, rather then set low expectations and stop after or before they are reached. I believe if these ideas are followed through with that they will create a great deal more jobs and at least supply a start for the economy to grow off of. I believe that even though the speech may not have a huge effect on certain members of congress, it should. The way the President words his speech puts those who oppose it in a situation; if they deny passing it, they will be accused of simply being stubborn and not accepting compromise. President Obama states: “In the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy.” By calling what has happened a political circus, he infers that anyone who does not accept this bill, is simply not focused on actually getting things done, and will therefore be disliked by the public. His speech was absolutely convincing: to me, to citizens, and, hopefully, to congress members.

Kelly Gunneson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelly Gunneson said...

Kelly Gunneson
President Obama’s speech addressing Congress was about the American Jobs Act. This Act was proposed to create jobs and give money back to the people by putting them back in work. Some of the key proposals that Obama addressed were creating jobs for public works projects around the country, giving small businesses a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise wages, cutting payroll taxes in half, putting thousands of teachers back to work, giving summer jobs to disadvantaged young people, giving companies that hire someone who has been unemployed a $4,000 tax credit, extending unemployment insurance, reforming Medicare and Medicaid, giving companies tax credits for hiring veterans, and eliminating the loophole and deductions to make sure that all people pay their fair share of taxes. I support the various ideas that Obama proposed. The various proposals he discussed are meant to help our economy and the American public for years to come. I support the proposal to put 1,000s of teachers back to work. Being a student in a public school district, I see the effects of the current lay offs of teachers that have become common. By hiring new teachers, the American youth will be well educated which will help us for years to come. I think that this speech will influence members of Congress. The members of Congress are fully aware of the many problems present in our economy. All of the members of Congress will see that the various proposals are geared to help our economy recover and our nation as a whole. I think that the American Jobs Act will help create jobs. The proposal offers many incentives for companies to hire unemployed workers and raise wages. The various incentives will cause businesses to hire workers or create jobs.

Erin Williams said...

Obama made 5 proposals in the form of the American Jobs Act. This act is to help fight unemployment in america in the following five ways: Revitalizes schools across the nation, tax breaks for those who hire veterans and for small businesses who hire more employees or increase the pay of current employees, and give a tax credit to citizens who have been looking for a job for 6 months or more. I am unaffiliated, but lean towards democratic views, and I feel as though this bill will be beneficial if passed.Helping those to get a job and helping those who cant get one. Idealistic mostly, but this bill helps.
Obama spoke with an inspiration in his voice, how he believed this would help. His speech was compelling, it inspired me to believe in it. I believe that Congress should most certainly pass this bill.

Sean Murphy said...

Obama's speech on jobs and the U.S. economy introduced the American Jobs Act. This bill's main purpose was to create jobs across the country by offering major companies incentives to hire. Obama discussed tax breaks for any companies that hire someone who has been looking for a job for six months or more. Also, employers who hire veterans would receive tax breaks. Obama also discussed putting teachers back to work and focusing on rebuilding and modernizing schools. Obama also spoke about giving small businesses tax breaks, and putting more people to work by constructing roads and renovating bridges across the nation. I personally agree with this bill and believe it will be successful if approved. I also believe that the bill will be passed because of how well the speech was received by members of congress.

Jen Lonergan said...

During President Obama's Jobs Speech, he mentioned many different ways to improve the economy. By passing the American Jobs Act he expects to help get America out of debt and make many more currently unemployed Americans employed. Obama says that the Jobs Act will increase public works. This will open many more construction jobs as bridges, roads, schools, and other important buildings and structures. I agree with Obama on this proposal. Construction is a great way to give people who have been long unemployed can find a job to help them pay the bills. There are many areas that could use improvement such as the bridge between Ohio and Kentucky that Obama mentioned, and many schools around the world in need of repair. Schools are something else that Obama mentioned in his speech. Part of the new act is that it will "repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools" which means not only putting teachers back into those schools, but hiring more people to help in repairing and modernizing those schools. I think this is one of the best parts of the speech. Children and teens are the future or the nation. We are the people who will one day be making the decisions in America. It is important that we get a good education so we can make better and more informed choices when we get older. The more updated our schools are, the more opportunities we have to discover and learn new things. Another part of the American Jobs Act that President Obama talked about was the tax breaks for companies that hire new employees that have been unemployed for over six months and veterans. I agree with this proposal, but more so about the tax break for hiring veterans than for hiring the unemployed. The soldiers and veterans have bravely fought for our country. They shouldn't have to fight for a job when they come back home, it just isn't right. Veterans should be honored and given some special privileges, and companies should want to give them the jobs. Obama also plans to reform medicare so many will be able to afford to retire in the future. I think this is very important. Many people need medicare to survive once they are too old to do work. Many live off medicare, and will and do need it in the future, if it is too expensive, they won't be able to retire. The American Jobs Act, Obama says, will not add to the deficit. He says it will be paid for and he is soon to come out with a more detailed plan as to how it will be payed for. I think that many members of congress were extremely impacted by his speech. President Obama made sure to appeal to both republicans and democrats. He spoke clearly, and with a confidence that he knew for a fact that this plan was going to work. It will help create jobs without a doubt, but if it will help to stabilize the economy as much as Obama says it will. Fixing today's economy will take time, and it isn't going to be a quick fix, it is just something that is going to take time. If Obama keeps to this plan, it is possible that America's economy will better. Like President Obama said, "It's time for us to do what's right for our future", we have to do what we need to do to fix the economy in the long run and focus on the long term as well as the short term.

RNA said...

Amro said...
President Obama American Jobs Act

After watching President Obama’s speech referring to the country’s unemployment, he pushed several valid points to congress in which lead to his proposal of the American Jobs Act. In summation, in President Obama’s he proposed tax cuts for businesses that higher more employees, more tax cut for businesses that offer their workers a higher salary, tax cuts for businesses that higher the long term unemployed and veterans. President Obama also proposed heavy improvements in public works including roads, electric systems, transportation, and schools. Along with that he said less government layoffs and heavy improvement in education. I believe President Obama did well by taking a conservative approach to the countries unemployment. To directly lower the unemployment rate President Obama is offering tax cuts as incentives for businesses to higher more workers and even more incentives if the workers they higher are unemployed for a while or are veterans; this move is really the most logical way to directly lower unemployment. Also, Obama pushed for more public works, which would not only benefit and improve the country, but in the process create sever job opportunities for those to work in suck fields. Less government layoffs, also will leave many with their jobs, and benefit education having teachers stay in schools.
-Amro Manaa

RNA said...

Done. If I don't have your response, it is late!

Aaron Blauvelt said...

five proposals from obamas jobs speech are that small business owners will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise their workers wages, hiring workers to repair roads and bridges and to repair and modernize schools. also to hire teachers back. Veterans shouldnt have to look for a job when they come back from serving our country overseas. also companies will get a $4000 tax credit if they hire anyone that has spent more than six months looking for a job. i think that what Obama is saying is Completely correct and on the money. i think with his jobs speech he is 100% right in what his planning to do. this speech should influence members of congress. there is no reason why it shouldnt. nobody in their right mind wouldnt agree with what he is saying. I am a strong Republican and i agree with what he is trying to do. this jobs act will definitely create jobs.