Obama’s economic team touts jobs plan

President-elect Obama’s economic team on Saturday
released a report saying that the incoming administration’s economic plan could
create up to four million jobs by the end of next year.

Obama presented the findings of the new report on his
stimulus package during his weekly radio address.

{mosads}“The report confirms that our plan will likely save or create
three to four million jobs,” the president-elect stated. “90 percent of these
jobs will be created in the private sector – the remaining 10 percent are
mainly public sector jobs we save, like the teachers, police officers,
firefighters and others who provide vital services in our communities.”

Republicans had expressed concerns over the possibility
that too many of the jobs that Obama hopes to create would be positions within
the government. The president-elect on Saturday sought to defuse those worries.

“The jobs we create will be in businesses large and small
across a wide range of industries,” he said. “And they’ll be the kind of jobs
that don’t just put people to work in the short term, but position our economy
to lead the world in the long-term.”

Obama stated that half a million jobs would be created
through investments in alternative energy, nearly as much would gain employment
by helping to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and “hundreds of thousands”
of jobs would come available in the healthcare sector.

“Finally, we won’t just create jobs, we’ll also provide
help for those who’ve lost theirs, and for states and families who’ve been
hardest-hit by this recession,” Obama said in touting the other part of his
stimulus plan. “That means bipartisan extensions of unemployment insurance and
healthcare coverage; a $1,000 tax cut for 95 percent of working families; and
assistance to help states avoid harmful budget cuts in essential services like
police, fire, education and healthcare.”

Obama again noted that the road to economic recovery
would be long and difficult but expressed confidence that “if we come together
and summon that great American spirit once again, we will meet the challenges
of our time and write the next great chapter in our American story.”