Unemployment: What Is Obama's Plan B?

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(Image above from the graphic novel The Adventures of Unemployed Man, featuring Obama, Unemployed Man, and his aging sidekick Plan B.) With unemployment remaining a major issue in the 2012 presidential campaign, it's clear that Obama needs a Plan B for job creation. Such a plan could include:

Repurposing shuttered GM factories for alternative energy manufacturing Establishing a Works Progress Administration-style program for infrastructure building and repair A new round of stimulus that restores the money for state and local governments that was removed by the GOP from the original stimulus plan A mix of regulations and/or tariffs that would make domestic labor more desirable to US companies than offshoring.

What do you think Obama's Plan B should be for job creation? Please leave your answer in the comments below.

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demilieu
70 Fans
04:54 PM on 6/28/2011

In the green energy movement, make sure our solar panels and related hardware are not made in China or India.
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demilieu
70 Fans
04:52 PM on 6/28/2011

Re-evaluate NAFTA.
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demilieu
70 Fans
04:47 PM on 6/28/2011

Massive WPA-like programs, make our infrastructure #1. Fix the roads, bridges, airports and public parks. Commission new courthouses and public office buildings. Don't leave energy policy to the big fossil fuel oil and coal - interests. In the future, hold Wall Street accountable for what they do right down to the CEO level. What they did to this country for their self-gain was treasonous. Finalize a national single-payer

health insurance option that will force private insurance to keep their rates competitive. Create tax incentives to help jump-start private commercial and residential construction. Offer liberal tax breaks and rebates for companies and private residences to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes and offices.
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Pamela Grundy
Freelance writer & blogger.

396 Fans

01:22 PM on 6/24/2011

Instead of looking for ways to make people work into their 70s and pay for their own (unaffordable) medical care, temporarily give people 55 and up a way to exit the workforce if they choose by giving them access to Medicare and early Social Security benefits. That would free up decent jobs for young people and boost employment. Set this up to expire at some future date. Fund the early retirement initiative by eliminating tax loopholes for corporations, increasing taxes on the top 5% of earners, prosecuting banks who committed mortgage fraud and exacting large penalties, and ending one or more of our half a dozen endless foreign wars. During the temporary early retirement offer put our money where our mouth is regarding clean energy jobs--China is already ahead of us there. Hire the uneducated unemployed to pain roofs white. That will take awhile and save millions in energy costs.
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Hotness
21 Fans
03:37 PM on 6/24/2011

I don't want a white roof. And where does this painting effort revenue come from? Is this a form of govt investment dollars? Sounds like it.
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demilieu
70 Fans
04:57 PM on 6/28/2011

In California, white roofs on new commercial buildings are essentially mandatory to meet energy codes. As Californai does, other jurisdictions will soon follow.
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spinotter11
Spinning through life and trying to understand it.

471 Fans
08:00 PM on 6/26/2011

There is no funding for early social security and medicare. The programs are under the dissecting knife as we speak. And you are proposing an extension to both? What fiscal universe do you inhabit? Certainly not the same one that the Republican legislators do. Tell me truly whether you believe that your proposal would even make it to a bill in Congress (to be shot down immediately if it ever did.) We are cutting, Ms. Grundy, not adding to the budget. Perhaps you haven't heard.
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Pamela Grundy
Freelance writer & blogger.

396 Fans

05:03 PM on 6/27/2011

We? Speak for yourself Mr. Otterperson.

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FLECKENSTEIN44
Real Liberals Vote Libertarian

40 Fans
09:21 PM on 6/23/2011

legalize Hemp for christ sakes! this is a tenth amendment issue if states want to legalize Hemp then let them. if other states dont want Hemp in there state than let them. the federal government ban is hurting the economy.
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yukonsam
This space reserved for self-referential irony.

217 Fans
01:21 PM on 6/23/2011

WPA, CCC, CWA, PWA, TVA... the transportation, energy, water and sewer infrastructure of this country is crumbling. We've got a huge surplus of labor looking for work. This is an opportunity. Send the tab to the people and groups who get the most benefit from infrastructure improvements and it's win-win-win.
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gerald4
licensed mechanical and electrical engineer

3332 Fans
01:09 PM on 6/23/2011

Plan "B" is apparently to print up more freshly printed paper US Treasury Bonds and then sell them at public auction as needed to get some of the US dollars back from the foreign industrialized countries that we paid a lots of US dollars to make the things that we consumed and then use these borrowed US dollars for payment to US contractors to re-build and expand the US infrastructure (Pork Barrel Projects) in order to reduce unemployment. These borrowed US dollars will probably be spent on imported foreign manufactured earth-moving machinery, imported materials (Steel, Cement, Equipment, Pipe and Wire), illegal alien labor, outsourced engineering, outsourced CAD drafting, etc., and the US workers will still be mostly unemployed. Any Economic Stimulus Spending should also prohibit any imported products (even if we no longer manufacture those products) from being purchased with any of these funds, and also prohibit all outsourcing of the Labor Required. What happens after the project ends, and these temporary "Pork Barrel" jobs disappear? This is a short term solution that will mostly economically benefit foreign manufacturers of industrial and consumer goods, salesmen of the foreign manufactured equipment, materials, etc., and the people working in the distribution of the imported things for our infrastructure improvements, but the balance of trade will still require sending borrowed US dollars back overseas to pay for these things that we import, and the NATIONAL DEBT WILL BE INCREASED.
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gerald4

licensed mechanical and electrical engineer

3332 Fans
02:24 PM on 6/23/2011

President Obama will now need to print and sell more freshly printed US Treasury Bonds, and other currencies faster and faster to industrious foreigners to get back their US dollars in order to pay for the growing US government expenses that are greatly in excess of our federal tax collections, including new Pork Barrel project spending to create temporary employment to make President Obama appear to reduce unemployment. Most US citizens seem to follow the US government example and just keep borrowing US dollars to live as high on the hog as possible by using credit card debt. US citizens think that we deserve to have the US government provide us jobs and everything that we desire, right now, and that we can use US dollars borrowed back from people in foreign industrial nations who worked to earn US dollars to pay for the things that US citizens want today. The current US government plan will still require sending more and more US dollars and title to privately owned US assets overseas in exchange for purchase of the foreign manufactured materials that we will import for our infrastructure rebuilding and other pork barrel projects.
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gerald4
licensed mechanical and electrical engineer

3332 Fans
02:28 PM on 6/23/2011

After we have redeemed our US Treasury Bonds with title to ALL of our privately owned US assets to foreigners as required to settle our foreign trade obligations and to re-pay the US Treasury Bonds that we sold to raise money for US government expenses, there will not be anything left for the foreigners to buy and then US government not be able to raise any funds for any re-industrialization of the USA (or anything else), and the US citizens will not have any possibility of any employment in their future. The US government usually just buys some paper and then prints a bunch of fresh US Treasury Bonds and other freshly printed paper government currencies that the US government then sells these items at public auction to people in industrialized nations in order to "borrow" US dollars back from these wealth producing foreigners to pay for US government expenses that are in excess of tax collections as authorized by the US congress each time that the National debt ceiling is raised. These freshly printed paper US Treasury Bonds have ABSOLUTELY NO VALUE, except that they are redeemable for title to privately owned businesses, factories, casinos, hotels, farms, land, ports, breweries, refineries, forests, and other privately owned assets located in the USA that were created by previous productive US generations instead of Gold from Ft. Knox that essentially no longer exists.
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gerald4
licensed mechanical and electrical engineer

3332 Fans
02:29 PM on 6/23/2011

The discounts from current value and/or present worth are reflected in scheduled US government bond auction sales to raise (borrow back) US dollars from those individuals in industrialized nations that are creating wealth will mathematically convert to interest rates offered by the public (including foreigners) at public FED auctions to purchase our freshly printed US securities by industrialized manufacturing nations that have accumulated US dollars does depend and reflect upon the confidence that the USA instills these foreigners by our economic actions and ability to repay these US Treasury Bonds when they become due.
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Hotness
21 Fans
09:42 AM on 6/23/2011

I can tell what won't and shouldn't be plan B...HR 589 or any other handout extension. 2 years worth of free money is more than generous and was enough to supplement you when you should have found a job.
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99er2049er
1085 Fans
10:45 AM on 6/23/2011

Many people did not get unemployment extensions for a lengthy period of time. I fortunately did, but many others were not given that chance. We must extend unemployment extensions. Unemployment benefits generate $1.61 to the economy for every $1.00 invested, so they produce a far higher rate of return to our economy, than tax breaks for the wealthy, which produce the opposite effect, yet we keep giving the wealthy tax breaks, which they don't need and which doesn't increase their spending habits. I can tell you first hand as a former 99er, I looked for jobs 7 days a week, I went through countless interviews, it was pure hell and I was living in poverty. The unemployment extensions were the only thing that kept me from becoming homeless. Believe me, it is no picnic, the unemployed are not laying around having a ball, they are in panic, they are living in the most frightening and stressful situation of their lives. We have a government for this exact reason, to help people like this during the worst economic times. These people lost their jobs by no fault of their own, and there simply aren't enough jobs out there for

them to find a new one right away. In fact, I went up against hundreds of people for every job I applied for, so the odds are extremely low to finding a new job.
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yukonsam
This space reserved for self-referential irony.

217 Fans
01:12 PM on 6/23/2011

"Free money" being that insurance program that most of us have paid into for years?
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Hotness
21 Fans
10:03 AM on 6/24/2011

After the initial 26 weeks, it was borrowed money and a handout. Unless you live in alaska, nj or pa you did not contribute directly into your ue fund. And after 99 weeks thats more than enough, based on the average of 300 a week thats 30k in money you didn't to do anything for. So it is time to end the handout and there willl be no extension past 99 weeks.
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demilieu
70 Fans
04:51 PM on 6/28/2011

Let's take the 'free money' being paid every month to your grandma and grandpa in social security away too. Because that's a big part of what's 'breaking the bank' if you've not noticed. At 70 or 75 you've lived enough, anyway.
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Nick Bella
2 Fans
10:30 PM on 6/22/2011

The WPA idea is best, but would be better if there was a national infrastructure bank, which is unlikely to get any support in this climate. On the anniversary of the GI Bill, it might be worthwhile to mention that there are MANY unemployed vets out there. Just like the GI Bill boosted the post-war economy of the

1950s, it's time to stimulate the economy through support for the armed forces. I love what the guy who makes the Call of Duty games is doing with his non-profit (http://www.crunchbase.com/person/robert-kotick), let's get jobs for all vets and turn this economy around.
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LeftCoastEng
Obsessed with failed trade

106 Fans
08:26 PM on 6/22/2011

Reform our failed trade policies.

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iridium53
Semper Fi

748 Fans
07:03 PM on 6/22/2011

Protecting American industry by enforcing tariff laws. Raising effective corporate tax rates significantly - doubling, perhaps. But, simultaneously, giving significant tax breaks for investments in American job creating capital goods investments, employee training and education deductions, etc. An American manufacturing plan with government and industry cooperation in strategic industry. Cutting all support for corporate socialism. No more gifts to oil companies, agriculture, etc. Significant increases in junior college and public university skills training programs. Giving to private schools is just a grant for nothing. Significant support for returning veteran retraining and care. Significant (Hundreds of Billions) in American infrastructure - especially "green" infrastructure like rail, bridges, etc. Refit American government buildings with energy efficiency. An American Energy plan - perhaps a Kennedy/Moon like goal to eliminate oil dependence in 30 years. Comparing the total cost and risks of energy sources.
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Erich Origen
1 Fans
09:19 PM on 6/22/2011

Great ideas here. The administration could do a much better job of explaining the vast difference in scale between the WPA and what they've attempted so far with similar programs. But beyond infrastructure, there are so many ways that short, medium, and long term gains could be made (including the ideas you've presented). If all the solutions were packaged as an Economic Security Act it could put the same kind of pressure that the Patriot Act put on members of congress: "Vote against this at your own political peril." It's a matter of controlling the story. For example, you suggest (correctly) that pumping money into the community college system is a good idea. The typical GOP criticism of this is expected: It's a hand-out for poor losers blah blah. So you must frame it (in advance) by presenting the facts: Community colleges train close to 80% of U.S. firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical personnel. Thus, "A vote against this bill is a vote against firefighters, police officers, and EMTs." We have to turn their bullshit arguments around before they can even make those arguments, and we must make them afraid to vote against a package of solutions that addresses job creation on multiple fronts at the same time.
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FLECKENSTEIN44
Real Liberals Vote Libertarian

40 Fans
09:24 PM on 6/23/2011

Low taxes for everybody is what i think we should do. You cant have low taxes and wants to spend this much on government. Give low taxes to everybody and let middle class and poorer people keep there hard earn money. than quit giving corporations tax money and bailing them out. a free market cant work when we prop up failed companies.
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iridium53
Semper Fi

748 Fans
11:54 PM on 6/23/2011

Low taxes really don't matter if 9.1% are unemployed and another 15% are vastly underemployed.
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demilieu
70 Fans
04:52 PM on 6/28/2011

Significantly restrict NAFTA!

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bleeckerst6105
12 Fans

06:55 PM on 6/22/2011

What was Obama's plan A? If all his plans are like shovel ready America will become Tent city. Also I have a question. If the health care bill has some many glitches and so many voted for it not knowing what was in it kinda like a box of cracker jacks can this be reasoned as un constatutional since it seems no one read it?
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99er2049er
1085 Fans
10:48 AM on 6/23/2011

No matter who is leading the country, it will take several more years for jobs to return, simply due to exiting a recession, in fact the largest recession since the great depression. In fact, the republicans took the congress in 2010, campaigning on the fact they would create jobs. Where are the jobs? This is what I mean, it takes time. Unless the corporations would begin a massive hiring program, and only hire U.S. citizens, instead of outsourcing, the problem would be resolved far quicker. Take Dell Computers. Imagine Dell did a positive patriotic PR campaign and said we are going to replace our entire outsourced help center from India, back to the U.S. and only hire U.S. citizens. Imagine the impact that will have for jobs, now multiply this by thousands of other major corporations doing the same thing. There you go, millions of new jobs created and the more companies do this, the more powerful the economy would rebound.
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FLECKENSTEIN44
Real Liberals Vote Libertarian

40 Fans
09:48 PM on 6/23/2011

don't drive the corporations away with high taxes. sure i want Americans to have lgood pay but you cant expect corporations to pay that when your taxing them to death as well. Give them low taxes to attract them here and Americans will get more money and better pay. Give them high taxes,lots of regulation i doubt they will come back here and if they do dont expect good paying jobs...
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