Obama Doesn’t Need Congress to Create Millions of Jobs: Jeanne Mirer and Marjorie Cohn

[The Straight Story]

Obama Doesn’t Need Congress to Create Millions of Jobs: Jeanne Mirer and Marjorie Cohn

Forget Congress, argue attorneys Jeanne Mirer and Marjorie Cohn. President Barack Obama has all the authority and resources needed at his disposal to create millions of new jobs for unemployed Americans.

Just as others on the left have remarked during the past two years, Mirer and Cohn believe Obama needs to take a page out of the past and do what Franklin Roosevelt did during the Depression to help get the country back on its feet. In this case, the historical example is Executive Order 7034, which Roosevelt signed to appropriate $4.8 billion for the Works Progress Administration and put people back to work.

What Obama should do is use his presidential powers to redirect monies paid back to the government by companies that were rescued under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) in order to finance new employment opportunities.

“Much of the TARP money has been repaid and the administration refers to the profit on the payments,” write Mirer and Cohn. “If one assumes an average cost of one job is $50,000, 6 million jobs could be immediately created for $300 billion. 12 million jobs could be created for $600 billion. Because this is already appropriated money, Congressional Republicans could not block it.”

http://www.allgov.com/Opinion_from_the_Left/ViewNews/Obama_Doesnt_Need_Congress_to_Create_Millions_of_Jobs__Jeanne_Mirer_and_Marjorie_Cohn_101110

[LWolf]

1. So of course, he'll get right on that, because the jobless need jobs.

Right?




Right?



Any minute now....



He's on it.......

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. He has a job...well for at least the next two yrs. That's all he's concerned about.

Well that and how many jobs India will create. :puke:

[baldguy]

2. I'd like to see that.

But the previous two years has shown that Obama is too timid to do it.

[doc03]

3. Where the hell is that money? That is something has me

confused, we hear the TARP is been paid back but why hasn't the deficit gone down? Where did that money go? If we got $600 billion back from TARP why hasn't the deficit gone down an equal amount.

[donco6]

4. Just don't let him become a "fierce advocate" whatever you do. n/t

[dkf]

5. Do we really want to set a percentage where the President takes funds from one program

And spends it wherever he likes?

Isn't that ripe for abuse?

[QC]

6. But if he does that, the Republicans might say bad things about him! n/t

[The Straight Story]

7. Well we need to keep our powder dry, there is another election in 2 years

Someday, there will be 20 years between elections and then we might be able to act and hope people will forget what we did by the next election.

[QC]

10. One can never have enough dry powder! n/t

[mmonk]

8. I thought executive orders were for war and Constitutional violations

....oh wait.

Such a move would guarantee voter support in 2012. Hence his smaller government advisors are probably against it.

[blindpig]

9. It is doable, but there is no desire.

The priorities are otherwise. it would be anathema to the Chamber of Commerce and the NAM and it is too apparent who has the president's ear.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Not Everyone Can Build Roads...

For young people a new CCC or other "shovel-ready" job may work but not for the many over 40 who have taken the brunt of the economic downturn. Rebuilding infrastructure is very important and should be a priority, but that doesn't cover the millions of white collar/cube rat/service-oriented jobs that grew during the 90s. The government can't create those jobs.

The private sector has always been the engine of prosperity in combination with government regulation. The outsourcing of jobs has hit critical mass and is a major reason while some sectors will recover most are still depressed...people can't spend money when they don't have jobs or are fearful of losing theirs.