Create a public works project to pump money into the economy RIGHT NOW while creating an infrastructure to pump money into the economy IN THE FUTURE...
While many people (if by people we are only talking about Republicans or conservatives) like to think that American economic history started around 1940 or so, there was actually a rather large economic disturbance before that called The Depression.
Part of the government response then was to create jobs through public works projects. Traveling through my city I see buildings and bridges built then, visiting my state and national parks I still use the facilities built then. It helped the economy right when needed and helped the country for decades afterwards.
This is the time to tie infrastructure improvements (or simply infrastructure maintenance such as replacing all those dangerously old bridges) with getting the American worker through the present (and building) economic crisis.
Barack Obama has already recognized our transportation infrastructure issues and how they can tie into economic issues
New Jobs through a New National Infrastructure Investment: Barack Obama believes that it is critically important for the United States to rebuild its national transportation infrastructure – its highways, bridges, roads, ports, air, and train systems – to strengthen user safety, bolster our long-term competitiveness and ensure our economy continues to grow. Investing in national infrastructure is especially important in our efforts to bolster our homeland security to meet international terrorism and natural disaster threats. Additionally, a robust federal infrastructure investment program today will help strengthen the U.S. economy and provide at least one million more U.S. jobs at a time when the housing and construction industries are slowing. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure needs..
This idea needs to be perhaps expanded into other issues such as perhaps a state of the art digital backbone (instead of waiting for Comcast and ATT to decide they feel like giving us one, especially unlikely if the economy is tanking) and perhaps also adding support infrastructure for our educational system as well.
This kind of "Get America Back to Work" program is exactly the difference that we need to make between a "corporate citizen" friendly Republican economic plan and an "American citizen" friendly Democratic plan to help actual people in actual need.