President needs to work for more jobs

More than 80% of American voters agree that Congress and President Bush should be doing more to create jobs for those who want to work. Also, 70% would support boosting federal spending on transportation projects in 2004 as part of a jobs creation initiative. These results in a new Zogby International survey of 1,000 likely voters came as Congress prepares to debate next month a six-year federal highway and public transit program authorization bill.

"The U.S. Department of Transportation says every additional $1 billion invested by the federal government in highway and transit capital investments creates 47,500 new American jobs," Pete Ruane, president and chief executive officer of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). "Congress and the Bush Administration have a golden opportunity early this year to create good-paying American jobs by passing a robust highway and transit reauthorization bill."

The national telephone survey, commissioned by ARTBA, was conducted Jan. 15-18. The margin of error on the results is +/- 3.2%.

Virtually every respondent said the nation's highway and public transit network is "very or somewhat important" to the U.S. economy.