Obama: Cut what we don’t need to pay for investment projects

by Michael O'Brien - 01/29/11 11:00 AM ET

President Obama redoubled his call on Saturday for investments in the economy in his weekly radio address.

The
president touched on themes he voiced during his State of the Union
address this past week, highlighting one of the companies he visited
during a trip to Wisconsin on Wednesday as an example of the benefits of
government spending.

{mosads}”I’m here because this business and others like it are showing us
the way forward. And in the coming days, I’ll be shining a spotlight on
innovators across America who are relying on new technologies to create
new jobs and opportunities in new industries.”

Obama recorded his address at Orion Energy Systems, a clean-energy company that benefited from a small-business loan and tax credits
available to companies manufacturing green technologies.

The
president reiterated his theme of “winning the future,” and again called
for spending on education, research, and infrastructure, along with
reductions in wasteful spending.

“We have to reform our government and cut wasteful spending, so that
we eliminate what we don’t need to pay for the investments we need to
grow, like education and medical research,” he said.

Obama’s
address serves to emphasize his message in Tuesday’s address, one that
Republicans have criticized as being too heavy on spending and too light
on cuts, despite the president’s call for a five-year freeze in
domestic discretionary spending. GOP leaders have signaled they’ll push
ahead with an effort to roll back the budget to 2008 levels.

“This is going to help spark innovation at businesses across
America. This is going to spur new products and technologies. This is
going to lead to good, new jobs,” Obama said of his proposals. “And
that’s how we win the future – by unleashing the talent and ingenuity of
American businesses and American workers in every corner of this
country.”

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