Illinois Dems weigh in on job creation and deficit reduction

With all the national attention being focused on the nation’s lack of jobs and deficit reduction, this week two Illinois U.S. House members put forward their plans to help the country.  Both have some great ideas.

Yesterday, Representative Mike Quigley released his 60-step blueprint he hopes the new Congressional deficit reduction Supercommittee will follow.  His plan calls for reducing deficit spending by $2 trillion over the next ten years and includes:

--$700 billion in savings by reducing U.S. troops in Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan and other Asian
   countries
--allowing the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for drugs   
   purchased through Medicare
--raising the income level subject to Social Security payroll tax
--cutting subsidies to oil companies
--closing corporate offshore tax haven loopholes
--ending tax credits for vacation homes

On Wednesday, Representative Jan Schakowsky released a proposal that she says will create 2.2 million jobs over the next two years at a total cost of $227 billion.  The following jobs would be created under her plan:

--400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs for public school rehabilitation improvements
--100,000 jobs for youth between the ages of 16 and 25 to work on conservation projects on public
   lands
--250,000 par-time jobs for college students under the Federal Work Study Program
--300,000 teachers, 40,000 new police officers, and 12,000 firefighters
--40,000 health care providers for underserved rural and urban areas
--100,000 early childhood care and education jobs
--750,000 jobs to do housing rehab, weatherization, recycling and rural conservation