Pocono News Section

President Obama Talks Job Creation Ideas in Lehigh Valley

President Obama Talks Job Creation Ideas in Lehigh Valley - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 6:10PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday, Dec 4, 2009 @ 06:10pm EST
SCHNECKSVILLE, LEHIGH COUNTY - President Barack Obama has wrapped-up a day-long trip to the Lehigh Valley. The president made several stops in the Allentown area as part of his White House to Main Street tour.

The economy and job creation were the focus of his trip. President Obama spoke at Lehigh Carbon Community College but also made stops at a manufacturing plant, a diner and the Lehigh Valley CareerLink center.

His visit came as new statistics were released on the economy. They show the nation's unemployment rate dropped by two-tenths of one percent.

"We've still got a long way to go. I consider one job lost one job too many," President Obama said.

Before Obama's speech, he visited the Allentown Metal Works Plant. That facility is expanding its workforce. He says more needs to be done to create jobs like investing in clean energy, investing in roads and rails and upgrading community colleges.

"For decades, Washington avoided doing what was right in favor of doing what was easy and the middle-class took a beating for it," President Obama said.

President Obama also took four questions from the audience. He shot down one possible job creation idea.

An unidentified college sophomore asked the president, "I've been wondering maybe if you've checked out statistics for legalizing prostitution, gambling, drugs?"

President Obama thanked the student for his boldness before responding, "That will not be my job strategy."

Two local Congressmen attended Friday's event in the Lehigh Valley. They both say banks need to start lending to small businesses again.

"It sounds like it's not a hard problem, but it really is because what people don't realize is that one year ago from today all of the credit markets were absolutely frozen," Congressman Paul Kanjorski said. Kanjorski is a democrat who represents the 11th Congressional District.

"The ideas, the know-how and the work ethic, most important the work ethic here, is what really sustains this state and this is a place where the re-birth of the economy will happen too," Congressman Chris Carney said. Carney is a democrat who represents the 10th Congressional District.