President Obama, debt and jobs

Dear Friends,

President Obama continues to spew forth Republican talking points that try despite all evidence to connect the current federal debt level with the appalling lack of jobs.  The New York Times editorial staff called President Obama on his Republican talking points in the editorial entitled "The Worst Time to Slow the Economy" (here) today. 

The Labor Department report showed virtually no job growth in June, with the unemployment level edging up to 9.2 percent from 9.1 percent the month before. It seemed to confirm last month’s indication that the economy had stalled. After the report came out, the president went to the Rose Garden and said he hoped that a conclusion to the current debt-ceiling talks would give businesses “certainty” that the government had its debt and deficit under control, allowing them to start hiring again.
Certainty? That sounds like Mitt Romney, or any of the other Republicans who have concocted a phony connection between hiring and government borrowing.

The main thing that is stalling the recovery and preventing any significant job growth is a lack of demand.  Businesses only hire when demand increases, and demand increases when people have money to spend on buying things.  So you need to put people to work so that they can buy things.  The best way to accomplish that result is for the federal government to spend the money needed to improve our infrastructure.  Construction and maintenance of highways, schools, bridges, electrical grids, airports, railways, etc. result in great jobs that have to be done in this country.  It also leads to demand for construction equipment and supplies.  Anybody that has taken Economics 101 can recite all the benefits. 

We know that the Republicans reject reality, but I expect a President that claims to come from the Democratic Party to stand up for reality and true economic theory and the middle class and the poor.  We need a huge jobs program now for the sake of the country.  We need a President who will use his powers of persuasion to cut through the nonsense that is passing for debate in Washington DC today.  Unfortunately, President Obama shows no signs of becoming that President.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal