Q+A-What options does Obama have to boost US hiring?

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0613689220100906

By Alister Bull

WASHINGTON, Sept 6 | Mon Sep 6, 2010 7:01pm EDT

WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is considering a number of options to try to jump-start job creation, the top priority for recession-weary Americans as the country heads toward congressional elections in November.

Obama unveiled one new initiative on Monday -- a six-year plan to overhaul the United States' aging highways, railways and airport runways with an initial investment of $50 billion in the first year.

He is expected to announce more initiatives on Wednesday, including extending a tax credit for companies for research and development. But is it all too little too late?

The Obama administration's caution reflects the hard political truth that there are not enough votes in the U.S. Congress to deliver another government spending bill to rival the $814 billion stimulus package he signed in 2009.

The White House is adamant it will not propose a second giant effort. In an election campaign in which opposition Republicans are playing on voters' anxiety about record U.S. spending, "stimulus" has become a dirty word.

Republicans have castigated Obama for what they call reckless spending, sapping support for more action among Democrats in tight election races in November.

But deepening voter discontent over the stubbornly high 9.6 percent unemployment rate, means Obama has to do something to stimulate job growth, even though analysts agree he has few options and that there is little he can do before November's elections.

FULL story at link.

[DrDan]

1. does this not look like a political move - to pull out the November election

there were so many calls to do this a year ago . . . and some actually were started.

Now . . . an additional $50B. Just a couple of months befor the mid-terms. Why not put these people to work a year ago and get these infrastructure efforts underway?