Monday, December 7, 2009

Special Access:White House Jobs Summit

Christina Romer,Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors,related what she noted at the White House Jobs Summit last week.It was energetic and creative,she said.I heard some very positive things.Export creation came up,and a lot of interest in green initiatives like cash for clunkers.The one I heard a lot is credit.I heard a fair amount about tax incentives;a hiring credit;an R&D tax credit.The President wants to bring the private sector back in from the sidelines.There are gonna be fundamentally targeted measures,trying to get the private sector involved,Ms.Romer added.
For his part,President Barack Obama,speaking at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across from the White House,said he heard some exciting ideas and proposals.There was agreement we have enormous infrastructure investments to make.We have to do this more effectively,with more coordination among federal,state and local governments.We also heard in the clean energy session how weatherization and clean energy have immediate benefits,the prospect they will pay for themselves by energy savings.There was consensus that if we can focus on the business opportunities of clean energy,America will be able to compete in the next round of global growth.
This is just the start,Mr.Obama said.The input from business leaders is gonna be continuous,the President promised.Ron Saxton,Executive Vice-President of Jeld-Wen,said energy efficient doors and windows could put people back to work immediately.Even a modest effort would create 10,000 jobs.An aggressive effort would create 100,000 jobs,Mr.Saxton believes.

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