President Obama,
I know you're busy convincing the Senate to pass the stimulus and you want us supporters to hold house parties, but what I really think you should do is talk directly to the American people. It's easy for the Republicans to convince people $800 billion is too much when the connection between the $800 billion and people's individual lives isn't clear. Talking directly to the people will fix that. Not in your weekly weekly radio and YouTube address (which doesn't get a lot of coverage), but in a speech.
I know you have plenty of speechwriters (and you're a great one yourself), but I've put a suggested one under the fold. Feel free to borrow it.
My fellow Americans,
In this time of economic turmoil, there has been much debate on how best to stimulate our economy and create jobs. I believe that investing money in our infrastructure, our schools, our health-care, and our environment is the solution. Not only will these investments pay off now, but they will also continue to pay dividends into the future, leaving our children with a better world.
Now, others believe that the solution to our troubles lies in cutting taxes and reducing spending. These are admirable goals, but they are better suited for a more prosperous time. Right now, every state in the nation and most of our cities and towns are cutting or freezing spending. They are laying off teachers and social workers, janitors and nurses. They are reducing vital social services that are most needed in these troubled times. Even as the number of needy soars, food banks and homeless shelters are having their funding cut. This is not the moment to worry about our deficient. This is the moment to worry about our people.
In my stimulus plan, I have provisions to increase aid to all Americans. There will be direct funding to the states, so that they will not have to cut vital public services like health-care and education spending. The food-stamp program will be expanded, allowing the millions of Americans who go hungry every night to buy the food they need. Unemployment benefits will be extended, helping all those who have lost their jobs to continue supporting their families.
There are provisions in the bill that will create jobs right away. Some have criticized my plan to buy hybrid and electric vehicles for federal workers, but these vehicles will not only help our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, they will also provide jobs for the thousands of autoworkers that are sitting idle while our automakers struggle to return to profitability. Some have also criticized the funds devoted to help lower-income Americans weatherize their homes, but every home weatherized will require the skilled work of our builders, plumbers, and carpenters, who have been hard hit by the downturn in home construction and improvement.
Another part of the bill that will create jobs right now is the funding of "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects. For too long, our states have delayed vital improvements to roads, sewers, public buildings, and mass transit. I intend to fund those projects now, allowing the ones that are ready now to begin immediately and put people back to work. Not only will these projects provide the immediate benefit of job-creation, but they will serve us for years to come.
I am also looking farther into our future. Money spent on the research and development of green technology now will result in millions of jobs down the road, just like those that were generated by research on computers. Green technology will help preserve our environment, meaning our children will be able to enjoy the same natural wonders that we do now and perhaps breathe a little easier as the amount of pollution in our air drops.
Our children are our future, which is why I am increasing funding for pre-kindergarten education and investing more money into charter schools. The amount of Pell Grants to our college students will be increased, making it easier for thousands of students to receive their degrees and go out into the workplace prepared for the demands of modern business. The American economy is only as strong as its workers, and education only increases our strength.
Critics will argue that cutting taxes across the board is the solution to this crisis. I do believe in tax cuts, but I believe those tax cuts should be targeted to those who need them most, not those who need them least. Our business executives and corporations have enough money already. They do not need their taxes cut, when every dollar less they pay in taxes is one dollar less that could be used to pay for roads or trains or schools.
The people who do need their taxes cut are ordinary Americans, like those who are paying taxes on unemployment benefits that will run out too soon or are working three jobs and see too much of their income taken away in payroll taxes. It is poor and middle-class Americans who need a tax cut, so that they can continue to put food on the table and pay their bills.
America is at a turning point. We can go forward into the future by spending today and reaping our rewards tomorrow, or we could take what rewards we can today and hope that tomorrow is brighter. I believe in hope, but I also believe that hope cannot exist alone. It takes action to ensure our hopes are realized. Today I am taking that action. I call on all of America's citizens to join me.