What's this? a quasi plan to turn around the huge trade deficit America has with other countries...China in particular. So what kind of quasi plan will somehow significantly increase the number of export jobs such as coming to the rescue of a slow moving economy. That's just it...there is no such plan. Just talk and chatter. No plan. In order to increase export jobs in a significant way, the first barrier to cross is the limited and sometimes lack of marketability with respect to American products in other countries. Here again, China makes billions upon billions exporting products to the USA. Conversely, China is in no hurry to import products from the USA and even imposes still penalties on local merchants for doing so. That of course is not to mention the draconian sentence i.e. the guillotine for non compliant merchants in China. In short,fix the marketability problem with American products, then and only then will finding export jobs across the country be as simple as finding a deeply discounted foreclosed home in the Atlanta area. At that point, the export jobs market would very likely be the economic rescue the USA desperately needs. Unfortunately, USA needs an economic rescue now.

The economy is still struggling. True. Everyone and the dog is ranting about jobs and hiring. True. Aah, but wait - can manufacturing provide an economic boost or is it just a drag and burden on the economy? If the numbers tell the truth, manufacturing has been a job killer for years and years. What else would you expect from a mature economy? After all, the USA already manufactures the best planes, trains, and automobiles right. When you are on top like that, there is nowhere else to go but down before going up again.

Ask GM about the up and down seesaw thingee. They know it oh too well...and guess what, it wasn't until the massive multi-billion dollar auto industry bailout under Obama until GM actually started to do silly things like...hire employees, make a profit and well manufacture quality cars again. Of course, we can, also, thank the Japanese automakers for putting pressure on the Big Three to step it up a notch. Competition is a huge incentive to efficiency in a capitalist society. No argument there but really, besides better automobiles what else is there to manufacture that isn't already being done -- and done well. Hummh, maybe trains? There is a thought. Not only would manufacturing mass transit commuter trains be a huge step in the right direction, doing so would create jobs (lots of jobs), lower energy consumption and dependency and better people’s health. Ever been to LA? Try breathing in the extremely poor air due to the ridiculously high levels of smog.

Once more, LA incidentally was slated for a mass transit bullet train connecting to San Francisco. What happened to that project? How many jobs with that create? Consider what happen if similar projects got off the ground within other metropolitan areas. So is manufacturing a boost or economic burden? Well that depends on the approach. Speaking of which, what's the plan?

Unemployment, while still high, is lowering and the skies look clear for even lower unemployment going into 2012. So, why then all the talk about immigrants stealing jobs from Americans? Hummh, here is a wild guess -- because it's true maybe. Well kinda sorta anyway. In the effort to stay on top, the USA is doing everything possible to attract global talent especially in areas such as science and engineering. Why is that? Could it be too many Americans are busy watching American Idol? Let's act as if we didn't hear that question.

Anyway, to retract the best talent from around the globe, the USA makes use of the H1-B Visa to get the job done. Now what happens after attracting the best talent? How do you retain immigrants once we have allowed them to go to the best schools in the world, most of the time on fully paid scholarships or on the taxpayer's dime? Hummh, perhaps these are reasons why, at least some, believe that immigrants are stealing jobs from Americans. Guess the Harvard scholars that opened the doors wide open to immigrants didn't consider that question. Too bad, maybe they should have. If they had considered and devised a plan, maybe science and engineering immigrants would not leave America, like a bat out of hell, back to the motherland after getting access to the best education in the world for free.

Hummh, did the big bosses really think free education equals loyalty to America? Fat chance. Perhaps it's a good idea to look around within the borders of America for talent in science and engineering. Undoubtedly, there is so much talent already available domestically of which good use can be made. Perhaps, if we invested in native Americans to the degree we invest in immigrants [that have no loyalty to the USA] than maybe we would not hear so much about immigrants stealing jobs from Americans.

Who wants to pay more taxes? Of course, no one. So the two-month extension to the employer payroll tax is welcomed news to the ears of employees. Especially middle class workers. The bigger question is whether or not the payroll tax break will actually help or induce employers to add new jobs? While the tax break is a good thing, on its face, especially during the holiday period, the fact of the matter is that no significant job increase will come about because of the temporary extension [two months] of the employer paid payroll tax. It makes for good politics and it is definitely welcomed but -- no new jobs.

Let's face it, during the holiday season, employers do a lot of seasonal hiring anyway to beef up for the holiday season spending which spans Thanksgiving, Christmas and the start of the New Year. Get it? Employers beef up head count because of "demand." A demand for products and services brought on by the social pressures to spend all one has [and then some] on holiday gifts for which it takes most of the following year [for most people] to pay off. Bottom line -- demand equals jobs.

A payroll tax break is only a feel good. Instead of spending a lot of political capital on a payroll tax break, maybe we should try to figure out how to create a climate of product and service demand. You think? Some say government has no role in that matter. That might be a bit of a stretch, since the government has been a part of every major economic boom since modern day economics. Granted, the role of government has not been at the same height as that of the private sector. Then again, in this case the private sector is more so in a wait and see mode. Someone has to do something to keep the tribal members happy. Since, the private sector isn't doing much; the baton has been passed to the Feds.

So while the Feds are doing what little they can [to boost the economy] such as the payroll tax extension, the jury is out on the temporary tax cut extension actually creating jobs. One thing is for sure, current employees, across the country, are certainly glad to have more cash in the wallet during the holiday season.