Actually, the Administration can't tell us if it creates any jobs at all. They just shrug their shoulders about spending what will be more than a trillion dollars and are unsure it will create even one job.  Take  a look at their testimony at the House Ways and Means Committee under questioning from Michigan Congressman Dave Camp, top Republican on the committee.

There is lots of spending in the Obama bill.  Why won't that create jobs?

Unfortunately, much of it is unrelated to jobs creation and surely won't do anything for Michigan.  For example, the bill includes $21 million to re-sod the National Mall in Washington, DC.  I'm pretty sure that won't create any jobs in Michigan.  But I know selling more American cars and trucks would.

Now you've submitted a pair of amendments to the plan that rework it in some pretty key areas.  How many jobs will YOUR plan create?

We've done our research carefully, over many months, and our conservative estimate is that more than one million jobs would come out of a comprehensive plan to build our energy independence, support the efforts to get ourselves to the next generation of fuel-efficient cars, and increase our American-made energy sources.  

And as I look it over, yours is a proposal that looks like it may actually help Michigan, which would be a pleasant change.  What is in your plan exactly and why will it work to actually stimulate the economy and create jobs?

It is a broad-based plan that involves loan guarantees for U.S. automakers and their workers to develop alternative cars and trucks of the future, and a program to build more zero-emission nuclear power to fuel those vehicles of the future. I also include a tax credit that will get older, less fuel-efficient cars off the road and encourage people to buy newer, cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars for their families. Among the side effects would be the boost to new car sales and improved air quality throughout our nation.

Does the Obama plan help Michigan; how does it interact with his attack yesterday on the Big 3 and Michigan's labor force?

The Obama plan includes some money to help the Big 3 retool their factories, but it is less than what Michigan's Democrat leaders asked for and it is barely a fraction of the $40 billion-plus it is expected to cost to pay for the new Obama regulations heaped on the automakers this week. We can't create jobs if our manufacturing sector is taking one step forward and three steps back.

There is still that ever-present concern about throwing good money after bad and overstepping government's boundaries, especially in President Obama's stimulus plan.  Will Republicans oppose wasteful spending?

Actually, the Democrats in Congress have snuck in a number of provisions President Obama never asked for.  We certainly need to do everything possible to protect American taxpayers.  Spending more than a trillion dollars to create 32 new government programs is not the key to being good stewards of the people's money or our future as a nation. I believe that message was quite clear in comments from Members at the Republican meeting with the President this afternoon.  Only 2.7 percent of the cost of this bill would go to tax incentives for small businesses.

What are some specific examples of bad ideas in the Nancy Pelosi's stimulus?

Let's see, where to begin.  The bill that we are going to vote on with little to no Republican input includes: $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention, $150 million to the Smithsonian, $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts, $1 billion to the census program, and $44 million to repair the Agriculture Department headquarters in Washington.  I know this was not the kind of bipartisanship President Obama was hoping for.

How can people find out more about your plan, Congressman?

This proposal is actually based on legislation I introduced last May - the first comprehensive Energy Independence Plan and the details are featured at MikeRogers.house.gov or my YouTube page.