Huffington Post
December 10, 2012
From Huffington Post:
As President Obama and Congress dig in their heels during the heated negotiations over the fiscal cliff, the public hears about the middle class collectively wringing their hands over potential caps on tax deductions and changes in Medicare eligibility rules. Likewise, the wealthy are well represented, as is their worry over a potential raise in their tax rate. The media largely ignore the poor and the unemployed, however, those most suffering in the economic climate.
It is possible President Obama might change that. One interesting component of the president’s hand has come to light. In addition to his proposal to collect $1.6 trillion in new revenues and cut $400 billion in entitlement spending, the president also wants to give parts of his failed 2011 American Jobs Act another go in the form of $50 billion of stimulus. While the details aren’t yet clear as to what would comprise his $50 billion stimulus, there is at least talk of increasing funding for infrastructure and extending unemployment insurance and the payroll tax holiday. Some progressives might also wonder whether the proposed stimulus could contain funding for the most disadvantaged and the long-term unemployed, who have largely been left out of the fiscal cliff discussions. Funding for the Pathways Back to Work program, which focused on this population, was included in the proposed 2011 jobs act. If it were to make a return in a final fiscal cliff deal, it could be a boon to those most in need of economic help.
