President Obama Talks Job Creation, High Speed Railway in State of the Union Address

In President Obama’s first State of the Union address last night, he waxed on for 70-some minutes about the economy, the housing crisis, the health care reform (meltdown) and Iraq and Afghanistan.

But amidst those important issues, his top priority for the coming year was clear: Job creation.

Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.

Recognizing that America’s businesses are the “true engine” for job creation, President Obama asserted that “government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.” To support the “sheer grit and determination” of the American entrepreneurs responsible for small businesses, Obama is proposing a $30 billion small business tax credit for businesses hiring new employees and raising wages.

He is also calling on Congress to pass some new infrastructure projects, which as readers of this blog, you might be particularly excited about:

>> There is the high-speed railroad project (which President Obama is touting today in Florida…. You can read more about railroad jobs on JobMonkey)

>> and then there are the investments in building new clean energy facilities — aka green jobs (which I’ve talked about extensively on this blog and will probably do so again in the near future)

While job creation received the most air time during President Obama’s oratory, other topics touched on included the housing crisis, banking reform, and health care.

Did you catch the State of the Union? What did you think about the President’s job creation plan?