The Beginning of the Great Job Debate

What is the most pressing issue on voter’s mind at the moment? Jobs.

What we saw in the 2008 election with the healthcare debate will doubtlessly be mirrored in the 2012 election by the issue of creating jobs in America.

Despite the issues facing our country, such as education, the war and healthcare, a recent study done by democracycorps.com shows that 46% of Americans believe that economic recovery and jobs creation are the most important issues facing us today.

In the same poll participants were asked what they thought the most pressing economic issue facing the USA is. Out of the nine options given, high unemployment came in first with a 41% selection, and in third came the outsourcing of American jobs with 23%.

So get ready for it. Because the job debate is 100% without a doubt about to take over the airwaves and the web.

How the candidates handle this issue will be the breaking point for which GOP candidate is elected to run, and probably will ultimately decide if President Obama is reelected or if we see a new Commander and Chief for the next four years.

With this defining issue of the election year looming large, lets take a look at the stances and past policies of the candidates as well as the president on jobs.

Since President Obama has been in office, the unemployment rate has risen from 9.7% to 10.1% in the beginning and fallen to 8.8% earlier this year, but has now risen to 9.1% where it has remained for the last five months.

The President’s newest job incentive, The American Jobs Act, focuses on tax cuts for specific groups, as well as government-funded infrastructure jobs. It includes tax cuts aimed at helping America’s small businesses hire and grow. This incentive would cut the payroll tax in half for 98% of businesses on their first $5 million in payroll.

There is also a “Returning Heroes” program that provides tax credits to encourage the hiring of unemployed veterans. It includes the hiring of people to build up the infrastructure of the USA much like Roosevelt's plan. There are benefits for companies that choose work sharing over layoffs, and a tax credit for employers choosing to hire long-term unemployed workers. A pay cut is to be given for half of the American workforce as well.

The bill says that the Joint Committee will come up with additional deficit reducing measures required to pay for the Act and to still make the deficit goal. According to businessinsider.com, the total cost of the bill would be $447 billion.

On to the GOP candidates.

The leading candidate for the GOP election seems to be (at this time) Rick Perry. Under Perry, Texas has created jobs the fastest of any state since the recession began at 2.2%, although the state still has a staggering 8.7% unemployment rating. This is due to the fact that since 2007, Texas’ labor force has grown twice as fast as the second fastest growing state.

Most have said that Perry has created unsustainable government jobs, and that is why the job growth has been so great, however over the last year, Texas has shrunk its federal employment by 31,300 while maintaining the growth mentioned above.

Now for Perry’s biggest competition in the primaries, Mitt Romney. Romney made it easy on me by issuing an outline on his jobs plan if he were to be elected.

His plan looks to reduce the regulations and taxes on companies, getting rid of several taxes, utilizing more US energy sources, and slashing federal spending. He also looks to take on the economic behemoth that is China, and looks to push them towards raising the value of their currency, which would eliminate the amount of American jobs outsourced to China.

Whoever wins this election, will doubtlessly have to prove to the United States of America that he (or she) can and will make jobs. And lots of them.