Obama Is Doing Whatever He Can to Improve Employment in America

Employment in America has stagnated and the unemployment rate hovers high

A report published last weekend by the United States Department of Labor shows that the stagnated employment growth in August has kept America’s unemployment rate at a relatively high level of 9.1 percent. According to this report, America’s employment rate has not made any net growth in August, while relatively speaking, an estimated 85,000 more jobs were created in July.

Previously, most economists had predicted that August would see at least some growth in the employment rate. The employment report in August shows, however, it was the worst month of the year. There has been some growth in the medical and health care industry, but jobs in the government have decreased. In addition, a strike at a rather big mobile phone company also affected the employment rate.

The report also shows that in August, the real unemployment rate was 16.2 percent, a little better compared to the same month last year. The scope of real unemployment includes those who are not working, those who wish to have full-time jobs but at present are working part time, and those who gave up looking for work because they think there are no suitable job opportunities. The statistics also indicate that the unemployment rates of the black and Latino populations still remain higher than the overall unemployment rate of the entire society. The unemployment rate for Asian Americans is lower than any other ethnic group.

The American media said this is a depressing report. Because employers are worried that the slow economic growth is affecting sales and profits, they are unwilling to hire more people. Consumer expenditure has been the main driving force for most economic activity in America; its weakening has damaged further growth of the American economy. The consumers lack faith for the future because on one hand they worry about their jobs; on the other hand, they are facing ever rising energy and food prices.

Obama’s approval rating has plummeted to even lower than Bush’s

Due to the Obama administration’s poor reaction in dealing with the financial crisis and its many bold but useless counter policies, the present situation of the American economy still remains awful. Recently, the public opinion polls carried out by The Gallup Group, The Washington Post and Pew Research Center all show that the approval rating for the Obama administration is already quite low — the American public is gradually losing faith in the federal government.

The newest public opinion poll conducted by The Gallup Group shows that the American people’s satisfaction with the federal government has dropped to 17 percent, the lowest level in the past eight years. The level of dissatisfaction is 63 percent, which leaves the net satisfaction at minus 46 percent. American people’s satisfaction with Obama is even lower than with the preceding Bush administration. Although a really low level of public satisfaction with the American federal government like this has indeed happened before, it has never been so embarrassing: The level of satisfaction with the present government could be even lower than with the notoriously unpopular mineral oil and gas industry.

The unemployment rate and fatigued economic growth in the advanced enterprises have already cast a dark shadow on the prospect of Obama’s reelection. According to another new public opinion poll, more than half of the American voters hold the opinion that Obama doesn’t deserve to serve as the American president for another four years. A poll published on August 31 by Quinnipiac University shows that 51 percent of registered voters think that Obama shouldn’t be reelected, whereas 42 percent think he could renew his term. The American voters’ opinions of Obama are divided: 47 percent of voters give favorable views, while another 47 percent hold negative opinions. The American media have analyzed that the main reason for Obama’s low public opinion is the continuously deteriorating economic situation, high unemployment rate and large financial deficit.

In order to save American employment, Obama is pressing hard against Congress

On his weekly television address on August 3, Obama kept pressing harder against Congress to elongate the Transportation Construction Act, and claimed that this act would ensure a million job opportunities. “If it’s delayed for just 10 days, we will lose nearly $1 billion in highway funding that we can never get back. And if we wait even longer, almost one million workers could be in danger of losing their jobs over the next year,” Obama said.

Obama showed in his weekly TV address that if Congress doesn’t act by the end of September, highway and bridge funding would be used up and many workers would lose their jobs. “Allowing this bill to expire would be a disaster for our infrastructure and our economy.” Obama reiterated his previous message in the White House Rose Garden about urging Congress to pass the Provisional Appropriation Bill of billions of dollars regarding aviation and highway projects; if not, it would bring more disasters for the American economy.

An earlier employment report shows that the American economy has not created any new job opportunities in August. Being heavily criticized because of the high unemployment rate, Obama must think of a way to grow the economy and stimulate jobs. He must do whatever he can to lower the 9.1 percent unemployment rate, so that he has a bigger chance to be reelected in the presidential election next year.

Obama is betting all he has on his jobs plan

Obama will give an important speech with the theme of creating jobs and revitalizing the economy at a Joint Session of Congress on September 8. The present unemployment rate in America is 9.1 percent; the American people’s most pressing issue is the government’s policy on creating jobs. In his speech Obama himself will announce his proposal for promoting employment, with the hope that Congress will immediately pass this bailout package for rebuilding the American economy. It could help many small enterprises get stronger and help to get many American people back to work; the income of the middle class and working class will be increased, the government deficit can be reduced and financial order can be finally restored.

When receiving the interview in the White House, Obama claimed that the U.S. government will take several measures to accelerate the economic growth by 1 to 1.5 percent, which means America will have 500,000 to one million new jobs. The detailed content of Obama’s proposal includes expanding the expenditure on infrastructure, providing favored policies on taxation to the enterprises that hire more workers, reducing the employer’s payroll tax and canceling unemployment insurance, but instead offering pension training to employees.

White House Spokesman Jay Carney said that the president thinks America has reached a crucial moment and must take effective actions to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. A researcher in the University of Virginia Center for Politics commented that President Obama may mention in his speech a proposal for elongating the favored plan on payroll tax to enterprise employees and encouraging companies to hire more people; or he may present some plans to promote government expense, for example, on infrastructure.

According to statistics, since World War II, no president could win reelection when the unemployment rate in America was higher than 6 percent except for President Reagan. The economists’ survey shows that the present unemployment rate in America is 9.1 percent, and the enterprise’s average expectation of the unemployment rate next fall is 8.2 percent, apparently above the red line of 6 percent. The media commented that Obama’s magnificent job plan of creating a million work opportunities is the biggest wager he could bet on his reelection next year.