I am writing to urge you to support President Obama's economic stimulus package.
Here are some facts about what the bill really does:
1. Creates or saves 3 million to 4 million jobs in the next two years. Eighty-thousand of the new jobs are slated for Indiana workers.
2. Averts "literally hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs" - and doubles funding for the Department of Education.
3. Creates hundreds of thousands of green jobs and doubles our clean energy production.
4. Immediately gives unemployed folks access to affordable health care coverage.
The stuff that's being singled out for criticism amounts to a tiny fraction of the bill-like anti-smoking programs that make up less than one-ten-thousandth of the spending. This kind of nit-picking is pure politics.
If it doesn't pass, we're in deep trouble. Even John McCain's economic adviser estimates that without the stimulus, unemployment would top 11 percent by 2010, the highest level since the Great Depression.
Senators Bayh and Lugar are two of the most influential senators in current negotiations. Please contact them and let them know what you think. Bayh's phone number is 202-224-5623 and Lugar's is 202-224-4814.
