The American Jobs Act

Evelyn - posted on 06/09/2012

Remember, the number one goal of the Republican Party is to make sure President Obama does not win a second term. This is really "sad" because this shows that they would rather this country "fail." If President Obama fails, this country fails. My opinion is that the Republicans don't really care about this country. This to me is "anti-American." If they really cared about the people, they would work with the President, sign the job act so that people can go to work. What ever happened to government of the people, by the people and for the people. It it clear that the Republic party is for themselves and for the rich.

Jeannette - posted on 11/23/2011

The American Jobs Act has five key components:

Tax Cuts to Help America’s Small Businesses Hire and Grow
Putting Workers Back on the Job While Rebuilding and Modernizing America
Pathways Back to Work for Americans Looking for Jobs
More Money in the Pockets of Every American Worker and Family
Fully Paid for as Part of the President’s Long-Term Deficit Reduction Plan.
When you see it laid out just like this, who wouldn't want this to pass, right?

TAX CUTS TO HELP AMERICA'S SMALL BUSINESSES HIRE AND GROW.
The President’s plan includes new tax cuts to businesses that provide immediate incentives for firms to hire and invest. These tax cuts would be available to all businesses, regardless of size, but are designed to target their impact towards the smallest businesses:
Wait - Doesn't the title say Small Business, yet the paragraph explaining the program states "regardless of size"? Hmm..

EXTEND 100 PERCENT BUSINESS EXPENSING THROUGH 2012 ($5 billion).
The President is proposing an extension of the 100 percent expensing provision that he signed into law in December 2010, which rewards firms for making investments by allowing them to deduct the full value of those investments from their tax obligations through 2012. Extending 100 percent expensing for an additional year would put an additional $85 billion in the hands of businesses in 2012. Most of this relief would be recouped by the Treasury as businesses regain their strength.
This program will cost us the taxpayers a mere 5 billion, but put 85 billion into the hands of businesses. I bet they are completely regulated and do honorable deeds! ;)

I don't know how excited I am about that Project Rebuild section either. Sounds as if they offering new ways for Corporations to access tax payer dollars. There are a couple of different tax credits for firms/businesses/corporations based just on them hiring new employees. One tax credit is incentive for them to hire, the other is incentive for them to hire long term. I wonder if they get both???

While there are many aspects of this bill I can agree with and support, there are some that should not be blindly accepted, but questioned.
How many more tax breaks do businesses and corporations need? The section that will extend unemployment benefits to the INDIVIDUAL, I can support.
Even the infrastructure job creation is worth supporting, though I would much rather see that one abolished to favor a new energy source job creation.

Sometimes bills don't get passed and have strong opposition, not because of their title, but because of their contents. We should be questioning the sincerity and the actions of all those we elected to spend our money.

Karla - posted on 10/08/2011

Sabrina, the general inaction in congress based on partisan issues is disheartening at best. It certainly doesn't appear that they are considering the citizens' best interests.

I'm afraid I'm losing hope in Americans in general and specifically I've lost hope in our Representatives.

Sabrina - posted on 10/07/2011

I think it is so stupid that they have not passed The American Jobs Act. Like come on do something already. It is ridiculous.