Obama pledges 2.5 million new jobs by January 2011

Vowing that "we must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again," President-elect Barack Obama this morning connected the dots between jobs and an economic recovery.

The YouTube president announced in his weekly address that he has directed his economic team to develop an Economic Recovery Plan to jump start job creation and create 2.5 million more jobs by January 2011. They'll do it by investing in rebuilding infrastructure including roads and schools, and investing in green technology.

The one thing he left out that I'd like to see in his jobs agenda is rebuilding health care infrastructure.

"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis, these are long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama said.

Watch the video:

If you can't see the video, click here to watch, or read the transcript here.

Comments

[Sheila]

By 2011? We've already got 10 million new unemployed people in our country and that country is going to be much, mych higher by 2011...If this is all we got, than our country is doomed.

[johnk]

The focus on green jobs can come back to bite him if energy costs fluctuate or stay low. With the economy collapsing, health care should sound more necessary, I think. Expanding healthcare also produces predictable results.

There's also an education crisis that's going to get us.

[KStaples]

I have filled out over 700 applications and only recieved 3 interviews in the last year, I have signed up with 3 staffing companies in 3 different locations, phone calls to the staffing companies weekly result in I have nothing. I hate when government and media say the unemployed are not trying. If they do not extend unemployment until there are jobs this whold country is doomed and everyone will loose everything...do they possibly think we would rather be unemployed then collect what little we do on unemployment and think the average person can survive by paying mortgage, utilities and food? I have never been unemployed until the last year and it has never taken me this long to land a job...can government not see that there is a real problem????