How Obama should fix the economy

Jones and daughter Akilah, 14

I voted for Barack Obama because he was the only candidate who articulated his plan to the American people and he was very consistent with his strategy for getting America back on track. Love the plan or hate the plan, at least you know the plan! I believe Obama's presidency will positively affect everyone's wallet, [though] it may take some time to accomplish his goals....

Obama will need to spur growth and replace jobs. As credit markets ease over the next few months, this could be an opportunity to pressure the Small Business Administration to make more loans available to new and existing businesses. This [should create] jobs and the money earned from them will prevent people from going further into the financial hole.

Second, I think Obama will need to [work on] the mortgage crisis. If a plan can be developed that will resolve the mortgage crisis and [cut] the number of foreclosures, people's confidence will [return]. But as long as the news is bad about foreclosures, we will get more of the same. I like the idea of a 90-day ban on foreclosures to give homeowners time to refinance their mortgages. Obama needs to be firm with the people and lenders who may benefit from the program, so they don't get the impression that this help will always be available to them. It has to be presented as a one-time deal.

I like the tax-cut ideas that Obama talked about on the campaign trail, too. If the plan can be instituted next year, that would be great news and Americans will feel they have something to look forward to during tax season.

The issues of the war and health care are very important, too, but right now a lot of people are financially lost and need guidance. Stimulus plans are good if people can get them every month, but to me they are false hope because as long as people are out of work and have no consistent income, the stimulus checks are only good for about an hour, because that's about how long it takes to spend it.

NEXT: Create good jobs