Barack Obama

“ So the question is, can we work to design a system where the banks recognize it's in their interest to avoid foreclosure -- because the bank is only going to get 40 cents on the dollar if there's a foreclosure. On the other hand, the borrower is going to have to probably, if they get some assistance, agree to give up some equity once housing prices recover, so that both sides are giving a little bit, but you avert the foreclosure. That's good not only for the homeowner, but it's good for the entire community, and it's good for property values throughout the state. ”

“ So our priority has to be on job creation. We can reform unemployment insurance to make it more efficient, we have extended it, but ultimately, people want to work. And the priority of this package is to create jobs -- create jobs in construction, create jobs in the health care system, create jobs in energy. ”

“ And I know how frustrating it is for taxpayers when they're looking and they're saying, let me get this straight; you've got a guy who's making $20 million a year, who ran his bank into the ground, and now we've got to come in and clean up the mess. Now, that's something that -- it just makes you mad. I understand that.
But recognize that whether we like it or not, credit is the lifeblood of our economy. If consumers can't borrow for a car loan, then cars don't move out of the dealership. ”

“ You've got over 45 million people who don't have health insurance, and people who do have health insurance are seeing their costs rise too fast. And so in addition to computerizing the health care system, we've got to emphasize prevention. We've got to make sure that people have regular check-ups. We made a down payment on it this week -- and I did it, by the way, with the help of a lot of these members of Congress -- by passing a new SCHIP, that's the children's health insurance bill -- (applause) -- that provides millions of children, who didn't have health insurance, health insurance. ”

“ And I know that there are a lot of folks here in Fort Myers and across Florida that are struggling. But I also know, because I spent a lot of time in this state, that you got some of the best workers in the world here. (Applause.) You've got some of the best neighbors in the world who step up, who help each other, who make sacrifices when times are tough. I know that all that people are asking for is a chance to work hard. They're not looking for a handout. They just want to be able to work hard and translate that hard work into a good life for themselves and their families. ”

“ I said that we had to change our tax system where, instead of giving all the tax breaks to the wealthiest few, that we start giving tax breaks to middle-class families who are struggling to make ends meet. So I made that commitment even before the crisis. (Applause.)
So in the package that we put forward, what we have is $1,000 for working families, $1,000 in additional immediate tax relief that would start flowing right away. And so it would -- it would offset a lot of the payroll taxes that people are paying. ”

“ And most importantly, this plan will put people to work right now by making direct investments in areas like health care and energy and education and infrastructure; investments that save jobs, and create new jobs and new businesses, and help our economy grow again.
Now, more than 90 percent of the jobs created by this plan will be in the private sector -- 90 percent. And they won't be make-work jobs; they'll be jobs that lay the groundwork for a lasting economic boom -- jobs that put people to work today preparing America for tomorrow. ”

“ We always had the best infrastructure. We were always willing to invest in the future. You know, somebody -- Governor Crist mentioned Abraham Lincoln. In the middle of the Civil War, in the midst of all this danger and peril, what did he do? He helped move the Intercontinental Railroad. He helped to start land grant colleges. He understood that even when you're in the middle of crisis you've got to keep your eye on the future. (Applause.)
So transportation, when it -- is not just fixing our old transportation systems, but it's also imagining new transportation systems. ”

“ Florida, you're lucky.
I want to give a special thanks to your Governor, Charlie Crist, for joining us here today. (Applause.) The thing about governors is they understand our economic crisis in a way that maybe sometimes folks a little more removed don't understand. They're on the front lines dealing with the economy every single day. They're having to make choices about the budget every single day. They know what it means to balance a budget when revenues are short and more and more people are asking for help. ”

“ Well, look, unemployment insurance is not ideal. People want a job, they don't want unemployment insurance. But when the jobs aren't out here, it's tough. But I want to be honest with you, we are bumping up unemployment insurance -- as I said, tens of thousands of people will be getting an extra hundred dollars a month -- which doesn't sound like a lot, but that means an extra bill that you can pay. ”

“ But I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act in the face of this crisis will only worsen our problems. Doing nothing is not an option. You didn't send me to Washington to do nothing. (Applause.)
So we've had a good debate, we've had a good debate. That's part of what democracy is all about. But the time for talk is over. Folks here in Fort Myers and across America, they need help, they need action, and they need it now. (Applause.) Americans I've met understand that even with this plan our economy will likely be measured in years, not weeks or months. ”

“ Cities throughout Florida are having a difficult time because of the mortgage crisis. Growth has slowed. We fund our transportation infrastructure needs through impact fees. Now that we're not getting that, we're falling behind in our ability to keep up with road work, municipal water projects, being able to bring the solar panel down here to an inland port. We need commuter rail. We need lots of things for infrastructure in this state. If we ran out of oil today, we would not be able to move anything around in this state, honest to God. ”

“ At a time when so many Americans are looking for work, there's so much work that America needs done. That's why we put forward this plan for recovery and reinvestment. It's the simple idea at its core that we put people back to work doing the work that America needs done. It's a plan that will save or create up to 4 million jobs over the next two years. (Applause.) It will ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike. It will make the investments necessary for lasting economic growth and prosperity. ”

“ Steve is the president of a small construction company in Fort Myers that specializes in building and repairing schools. But work has slowed considerably, like it has across the board in the construction area. Now, he's done what he can to reduce overhead costs, but he still has been forced to lay off half his workforce -- which means that many of those people may now be trying to figure out how are they going to pay their mortgage, how are they going to pay for the basic necessities of life -- which puts us on a downward economic spiral. ”

“ I don't -- I assume that you're not getting health care through your job, and so one of the things that we want to do is reform the health care system so that you all have access to health care in your job. ”

“ My hope is, is that the American people expect from me the same thing that I expect from myself, which is not to have every answer or to never make a mistake, but to feel like every day me and my staff -- that we are thinking about you and your lives; that we're talking to the most knowledgeable people on these problems; that we're making the best decisions for what's good for working families and middle-class folks, and not just the powerful and the well-connected ”

“ And being here in Fort Myers with all of you, I am more confident than ever that we can set aside our differences; that if we commit ourselves to the work ahead and come together, then I guarantee you we can meet the great test of our times. ”

“ If it turns out that a few years from now people don't feel like the economy has turned around, that we're still having problems, that folks are still unemployed, that our health care system is not more efficient, then, you know, you guys won't applaud me next time I come down here, you know. ”

“ Now, we'll begin by ensuring that Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own can receive greater unemployment benefits and continue their health care coverage. (Applause.) That means that an additional -- that means an additional $100 per month to more than 760,000 Florida workers who've lost their jobs in this recession. It means extended unemployment benefits for another 170,000 folks who've been laid off and are looking for work but can't find any right now. ”

“ Today I wanted to come to Florida and I wanted to visit all of you in Fort Myers because you have seen hardship, as well. (Applause.) You've seen a change in the economic conditions of your community. You see, all too often in Washington what happens is, is that people think in terms of numbers and statistics. They think about it in abstract terms. But when we say we've lost 3.6 million jobs since this recession began, nearly 600,000 in the past month alone; when we say that Lee County has seen its unemployment rate go from 3.5 percent to nearly 10 percent in less than two years ”

“ And because we have, our health care still costs too much. Our schools still fail too many of our children. Our dependence on foreign oil has actually grown since the 1970s, still threatens our economy and our security. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail. They say we can't afford to take on these tasks. Florida, you know we cannot afford not to. ”

“ No place is seeing tougher times because of the mortgage crisis than the people here in Florida and the people here in Fort Myers. And unless we address this in a serious way, we are not going to be able to get the economy back to where it needs to be. ”

“ Usually what happens is that when you apply for governmental assistance, they say, well, you make too much money. If you go from making $3,000 a year -- a month to $1,100 a month, how are you able to take care of your family? Why can't we have that to be automatic that goes along with your unemployment tenure ”

“ I would like for us to invest in mass transit because potentially that energy efficient. And I think people are a lot more open now to thinking regionally, in terms of how we plan our transportation infrastructure. The days where we're just building sprawl forever, those days are over. (Applause.) I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that's not a smart way to design communities. ”

“ And my question to you today is, as you stated earlier, there are many of us here in the area that are unemployed and that have been unemployed for some time. And probably some people here have large families. And we have had the opportunity to receive unemployment, but yet we have not been able to get any other type of governmental assistance to help us during this crisis so that we can kind of be able to take the funds that we do have from unemployment to pay our bills. ”

“ But I think you identified the key issue, which is, look, if we're honest, there are probably some folks who bought homes that they couldn't afford. And no matter how much we help, they're not going to be able to make their mortgage payments. But the larger group of folks are folks who have made their mortgage payments, but because of foreclosures, property values have declined, they're now what's called "under water," where the mortgage is worth more than the price of the home, the current value of the home. ”

“ I have an urgent need on unemployment and homelessness -- a very small vehicle for my family and I to live in. We need urgent -- and the housing authority has two-year waiting lists. And we need something more than a vehicle and the parks to go to. We need our own kitchen and our own bathroom. ”

“ That's not just a moral responsibility, to help, give a lending hand to our fellow Americans in times of emergency -- it makes good economic sense, because if you don't have money, you can't spend it. ”

“ And that's what this debate is about -- folks in Fort Myers and all across the country who have lost their livelihoods and don't know what will take its place. Parents who've lost their health care and lie awake at night praying their kids don't get sick. Families who've lost the home that was the foundation of their American Dream. Young people who put that college acceptance letter back in the envelope because they can't afford it. ”

“ My hope is, over the course of the year, I'm going to be able to work with Congress to move forward a bill that gets us on track to every single person in America being able to get affordable, decent health care coverage. ”

“ There are a lot of schools in this country that don't have state-of-the-art science laboratories. And for us to not only modify the building, but also to go into some of these classrooms and redesign them in ways that allow kids to get state-of-the-art learning in science and math -- I mean, that's a gift that keeps on giving. ”

“ The problems that led us into this crisis are deep, they're widespread, and so we're going to have to do a lot of different things to get the economy moving again. We need to stabilize and repair our financial system. ”