Reply #3: as the President said

[bigtree]

. . . they weren't in any way meant to substitute for the legislation they had proposed, offered, and the republicans had blocked.

President Obama in his weekly address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/29/weekly-address-we-cant-wait-strengthen-economy-and-create-jobs

"These steps will make a difference. But they won’t take the place of the bold action we need from Congress to get this economy moving again."

An Unemployment Insurance extension is part of the jobs bill he proposed.

Also, his American Jobs Act (which republicans have blocked) includes:

. . . funds to retain and hire teachers and keep first responders on the job. It invests $50 billion in infrastructure projects to modernize our roads, railways, and airports, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. It offers tax breaks to small businesses to encourage hiring, and payroll tax cuts for 98 percent of businesses to put more money in everyone’s pockets. It will help connect unemployed workers with pathways back to work.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobsact