Obama's Radio Address 12-6-08

SUBSCRIBE TO GET YOUR WEEKLY ADDRESS

Good morning.

Yesterday, we received another painful reminder of the serious economic challenge our country is facing when we learned that 533,000 jobs were lost in November alone, the single worst month of job loss in over three decades. That puts the total number of jobs lost in this recession at nearly 2 million.

But this isnt about numbers. Its about each of the families those numbers represent. Its about the rising unease and frustration that so many of you are feeling during this holiday season. Will you be able to put your kids through college? Will you be able to afford health care? Will you be able to retire with dignity and security? Will your job or your husbands job or your daughters or son's job be the next one cut?

These are the questions that keep so many Americans awake at night. But it is not the first time these questions have been asked. We have faced difficult times before, times when our economic destiny seemed to be slipping out of our hands. And at each moment, we have risen to meet the challenge, as one people united by a sense of common purpose. And I know that Americans can rise to the moment once again.

But we need action and action now. That is why I have asked my economic team to develop an economic recovery plan for both Wall Street and Main Street that will help save or create at least two and a half million jobs, while rebuilding our infrastructure, improving our schools, reducing our dependence on oil, and saving billions of dollars.

We wont do it the old Washington way. We wont just throw money at the problem. Well measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we achieve -- by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by whether America is more competitive in the world.

Today, I am announcing a few key parts of my plan. First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That wont just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work.

Second, we will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. Well invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and well set a simple rule use it or lose it. If a state doesnt act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, theyll lose the money.

Third, my economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen. We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools.

As we renew our schools and highways, well also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and theyll get that chance when Im President because thats how well strengthen Americas competitiveness in the world.

In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the internet. That is why the economic recovery plan Im proposing will help modernize our health care system and that wont just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctors office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year.

These are a few parts of the economic recovery plan that I will be rolling out in the coming weeks. When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to working with them to pass a plan immediately. We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least two and a half million jobs so that the nearly two million Americans whove lost them know that they have a future. And thats exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States.

Thanks for listening.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Obama
• Barack
• Weekly
• Radio
• Address
• 12/6/08
• President-elect

[ANGLEBOOT]

ChangeDotGov is the old Obama(dot)com channel. So unless you bow down to Obama you're not allowed to post there.

His lies are really shining bright for all to see. Even many that voted for him is starting to see the light.

[tivopro]

So should we wait and see how he does or should we do a recall now?

[tivopro]

What are your take on rebuilding our infrastructure and schools to stimulate the economy? Will it work? Tell us!

[free99boy]

A angleless I live in the country I came from. Go back to Europe you fucking cracker! You white dudes are a trip you spend a couple generations on someone else's native land

and now your indigenous. Winner takes all but don't talk crazy...Bitch!! If your black the same message applies.

[ANGLEBOOT]

Many blindly folow Bush and see what happen there. many like you will blindly follow Obama, well guess what.

All you ever hear of all his speechs is the word "free". you're just another lazy loaf that wants life to be payed for by others.

And why don'y you just move back to the country inwhich you came from.

Oh yeah "boy"!!

[free99boy]

You're a sour grapes asshole. I hope you get murdered slowly. Fuckers like you suppress our economy and national optimism on recovery. You should be have tar and feathers on your stupid ass. Move to a different country son.

[JurkoffJay]

I don't want to replace the same old crap with new crap.

Can't we just get ride of this whole stupid system?

[ANGLEBOOT]

oh I have seen that crap, "jr. go to your room. You are not allowed to go out and play at all for a week".

But go to their room and they have i-pods, cell phones, x-box, play stations, PS2, ect..

oh yeah that's punishment.

The country has been ing trying it your way for some time now, and has found that it isn't working. it's not the school system, it's the goverment stepping in on how parent can correct their kids.

Beside I'm not wanting to motivate my,they have movivtion.

[joshgeek1]

zing! my sentiments exactly.

[joshgeek1]

sry, but there are plenty of ways to motivate kids without spanking them. taking away privileges is one. parents are not helpless and do not need the state to parent their kids for them. i refuse to believe this. I was never spanked and somehow figured out a way to finish high school and even go on to college. There are many ways to negatively reinforce bad behavior without spanking. "the rod" can be anything... get creative. that comment on killin babies is tasteless, offensive, and incorrect.

[nxxbie]

Well, ANGLEBOOT, you don't seem to be bowing down to Obama, yet the posts are here. So at least you can stop with that arguement, wait 4 and even maybe 8 (depending on how much of his promises he will keep :P) to talk your shit. You're just bitter there isn't a republican in office. Don't vote in mofuckin retards like Bush and everybody wont run to democrats to patch things up. =]

[alanleewaddell]

As our president eagerly addresses a sea of skeletons a new spark of hope emerges.