You know, even Jeb Bush said recently in an interview w/Piers Morgan that he believed the President was doing the right thing concerning his focus on improving education in this country. If you're pushing to change the education system, why wouldn't you push to protect jobs for teachers?
Crime has been on the rise since the economy has stagnated a few months ago. Wouldn't you think it's smart to keep police on the job?
Put simply, Stimulus 1 helped keep teachers, police and firefighters on the job because the States couldn't afford to. I see nothing wrong with providing more short-term federal funding - Stimulus 2 - to do the same while also providing incentives for State and federal governments to form public-private partnerships to spur job growth and prop up local/state economies. Think of it this way...
States, especially those with Republican Governors and GOP majority legislatures, have worked hard to bring their budgets into balance and reduce waste, etc., etc. If they're finally getting their spending on track but just need alittle bit more of a cushion, why not provide that push at the federal level? It worked once for teachers, firefighters and police to keep them employed, why shouldn't it work again?
You do realize that the President's Jobs Plan and his Deficit Reduction Plan are two separate proposals purposely designed to work together?
The Jobs Plan is intended to spur short-term economic growth while other legislation, such as trade agreements and expediting pattents, are intended for long-term economic stability.