Obama Pledges Summer Jobs: 600,000 of 'Em

This morning thousands of Americans who otherwise envisioned themselves pounding the pavement and collecting unemployment checks this summer received some good news: With the aid of Vice President Biden, President Obama unveiled the Roadmap to Recovery, an aggressive extension of the Recovery Act, and pledged to create upwards of 600,000 jobs over the next 100 days. Vice President Biden spoke from the White House. Ideally, these efforts will expedite the spending of the recently approved $767 billion stimulus package by streaming funds into the pockets of taxpayers so that they can ultimately pump a portion of it back into the economy. Far more than 600,000 of us will reap the benefits of their labor. The fruits of these initiatives are all seemingly aimed at serving the greater good. Whether it be protecting our nation's parks, serving our veterans or improving social services, these jobs have far-reaching potential. And despite the dauntingly long road ahead, it feels good to have a map. Ten spotlighted commitments include:

• Enable 1,129 Health Centers in 50 States and eight Territories to provide expanded service to approximately 300,000 patients.
• Begin rehabilitation and improvement projects at 98 airports and over 1,500 highway locations throughout the country.
• Fund 135,000 education jobs, including teachers, principals and support staff.
• Begin improvements at 90 veterans' medical centers in 38 states, ensuring soldiers receive the care they deserve.
• Funds to retain 5,000 new or veteran law enforcement officers.
• Begin building 200 new waste and water systems in rural communities.
• Begin work on preserving 107 National Parks.
• Begin or accelerate cleanup work at 20 Superfund sites from the National Priority List.
• Create 125,000 summer jobs for young Americans in order to provide them with valuable work experience.
• Initiate 2,300 construction and rehabilitation projects at 359 military facilities across the nation aimed at improving personnel living quarters and installing green technologies.

By Lisa Germinsky of Tonic. Lisa Germinsky is a New York–based freelance writer. Her work has appeared on Salon.com, Blackbook.com, Modelina.com and Psychopedia.com