COMMENTARY | The U.S. Senate continued on Thursday the smack down of President Barack Obama's jobs bill for the second time this week. This time, a few Democrats broke ranks and joined in opposing the revised measure.
Republicans successfully defeated an attempt on Tuesday to spend $30 to prop up the jobs of - what Obama claims to be - 400,000 teachers. That's an insane amount of very targeted government spending just to protect such a small number of jobs in a time when vast industries are suffering the effects of a recessed economy.
Associated Press reported that Senate on Thursday took up a revised measure that would add an additional $5 billion to that plan for firefighters and police salaries. This didn't sit well with members either. If the previous bill wasn't going to work, adding more money that would have to be borrowed wasn't going to work either. But it shows how desperate Obama is for any kind of victory with this bill - however meager it may be.
The defections of senators Ben Nelson, D-Neb., Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut sunk that measure on a split 50-50 vote -- substantially short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure. Clearly, Obama is struggling to hold on to his own party supporters as the jobs bill continues to morph into something acceptable to the Senate.
This aspect of the jobs bill just isn't going to pass - and rightfully so. The country doesn't need highly targeted stimulus plans. It needs a comprehensive, broad-based jobs bill that promotes hiring across many sectors. Given the immediate opposition to Obama's bill from the moment he announced it, it would make more sense for congressional leaders to advance portions of the bill that actually have bipartisan support. Instead, they waste their time and taxpayer's money by promoting dead-end issues.
The real solution to creating jobs rests with small business. A $2,000 tax credit for hiring new employees promotes job growth and is more easily introduced into the market. More importantly, it doesn't cost the Treasury any money up front. This is a solution that - if it were to fail - wouldn't increase the national debt at all. If it works -- all the better.
Congress needs to think outside the box and stop writing checks to solve every national problem. If they need help, ask the citizens of Louisa County, Virginia. They are doing just that to recover from the August earthquake.
