Where's the beef? Nation needed a boost, but hold leadership to specifics

It was nice to hear someone optimistic about the future of the United States Tuesday night. It was a stark contrast, really to the news of the day.

After another volatile week in the stock market and more businesses coming out with earnings adjustments and expense cuts, it is getting harder and harder to look for a silver lining.

The reality is, it is tough out there right now.

And while President Barack Obama's rallying cry was probably what we needed to hear Tuesday, some of the glaring questions still remain about whether a government spending spree is really going to put people back to work and to start cash registers ringing again.

Getting money circulating in the banks and more people taking home highway project paychecks is not the only support this economy needs right now.

The people who are unemployed right now, and the businesses that are struggling, are not going to be saved because of highway spending -- no matter how much there is.

Jobs come from economic growth -- and that comes from people having more money to spend and businesses being able to expand their operations responsibly.

And face it, right, now local merchants -- and the big companies that employ millions -- are struggling simply to make their payrolls.

That is not how you make an economy steady.

During his speech, President Obama made reference to Americans' historic resilience and ability to battle back.

That does not happen when there are handouts with no plan attached. That, sir, is proven fact, no matter how you want to spin the message.

President Obama and Congress had to do something, so they came up with a plan to infuse money into the economy. The problem is that it does not address the fundamental concern -- the people who provide the jobs that move this economy cannot afford the employees they have let alone to add any new ones. And like it or not, it is the business community that can provide the support this nation needs to recover.

There is plenty of time to decide who has the right answer when it comes to fixing this economy, but the current leadership is right about one thing: We need to keep a very close eye on who takes our money, how it is used and what happens to the economy afterward.

Published in Editorials on February 25, 2009 10:48 AM