Washington is starting to listen after all. They have responded to the sharp criticism that a bipartisan jobs bill that was emerging in the Senate would not create many jobs. Desperate to pass something the Senate Democrats have proposed a new, stripped-down version they hope will still get support from both Republicans and Democrats. The latest bill focuses on boosting job creation, renew highway programs, and help states and local governments finance large infrastructure projects. The proposed bill before was 361-pages stuffed with unrelated provisions sought by lobbyists for business groups and doctors. That $31 billion package included an extension of several parts of the USA Patriot Act and higher payments for doctors facing Medicare payment cuts. The new package focused solely on creating jobs. The new bill has a $13 billion payroll tax credit for companies that hire unemployed workers and an additional $1,000 tax credit for workers retained for a full year. This is a tough call as the Republicans are riding a wave new found support across the nation. This will be another test if they are willing to let the Democrats stay on the offensive and are only reacting to Democratic action. The problem for the Democrats is no one believes they know what they are doing and hit or miss the taste of last December will not expire in the American conscience.
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