It's safe to say that 2010 hasn't exactly started off the way the American people would have liked. Life for millions of Americans hasn't been particularly easy, considering unemployment is at an all-time high.
The economy grew 5.7 percent, the best quarterly performance since 2003. This is obviously good news, yet there still aren't jobs to be found. Personal spending still remains very weak.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Without a steady income, Americans cannot spend. The fact remains that Americans need the Jobs Bill proposed by the president because the private sector can't do it alone.
Employment leads to Americans getting income, which leads to spending. The problem is that the economy is missing about 10 million jobs.
The House has passed a bill that gets the ball rolling on creating jobs, but the Senate is still dragging its feet. Republicans and a few Democrats who are more worried about the deficit are the reason for the hold up.
The deficit is worth worrying about, but there is no way to get the American economy back online unless millions of jobs are created.
President Obama called for cutting taxes on small businesses. This, along with the elimination of the capital gains tax, should encourage some investors to invest again.
The biggest proposal for stimulating job creation is a tax credit for more than a million small businesses for the purpose of hiring new workers or raising wages. Results from this should be seen almost immediately.
Tax relief for business has always been a major point in the platform of the GOP. But at first mention during the State of the Union, Republicans didn't even bat an eyelash. If this is a point of contention, then it would prove beyond any doubt that Republicans are more concerned with their party's interests rather than the American people's – at least until the election.
A final job bill should be a collaboration of ideas from both the House and Senate. It should contain the House's proposal for extending unemployment benefits and providing more aid to states. Without the assistance, states would be forced into deeper budget holes. The end result would be laying off large portions of their work force.
It should also include the Senate's plan to create jobs that create more energy efficiency. The president was correct for wanting to focus on expanding clean energy sources. It would provide an abundance of new jobs and also move this country away from dependence on foreign oil.
There shouldn't be any debate about what needs to be done. Jobs need to be created; that isn't a political ideology. Americans want leadership and bold action. The time for debate is over.
The country is in dire straits. Every American sees this hardship and is starting to grow tired of the bickering in Washington. Republicans and Democrats need to put their heads together and come up with an effective job bill.
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Without job creation, economy will remain weak
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