So each year, exports have to grow by 15% to attain that goal. Did Obama jump the shark?

Is this sort of wet dream what the world's economy will rely on to generate that invisible recovery everyone's talking about?

It may be unrealistic, but its what America has to do to be successful. Just like any household, you cannot buy more than you make, and if you do you are in trouble. Similarly, America is in trouble because the population imports more than they export.

Obama should come up way short though. Currently, America is at a price disadvantage with lesser developed countries, and that will not change. Without public healthcare and education, America is at a huge disadvantage to other developed countries. Why would a businessman pay an American $50,000 a year then pay $25,000 in benefits when they can hire a European for $50,000 and let the government pay the benefits?

America has a disadvantage compared to other developed countries and lesser developed countries, and all the while Americans love to spend money they dont have. Its a recipe for disaster that no mere mortal is going to fix any time soon.

Why hire an American worker?

A) It's MUCH easier to fire an American... so you don't have to worry about incompetant workers... better to pay one worker 75,000 then have to pay two workers 100,000.

B)  The United States is at the top of list for production per hour for workers.  So is Germany... but See A... and C.

C) Americans have a culture of work.  Americans are more willing to work longer hours, work ermegency hours, give up freetimes and vacations to rally around their company, work overtime.

D) Despite being such hard workers Americans great power index scores... and more importantly when compaired with europe... high individualism scores.  These are traits that are valued highly in the working world now that buisness sociology is big.

E) Related to D but deserves it's own entry.  America is really high in uncertainty avoidance index(well low I should say)... espiecally compaired to other nations that match productivity... this is pretty much the most important factor when it comes to buisness sociology since this is what prevents mistakes and makes productivity... well productive. 

F) Flexiability laws.  It's much easier in the USA to drop workers when you need to slim down, and add workers when you need to bulk up... part of A really, but worth it's own mentioning... most europeon countries make it hard for you to slim down when you need to and bulk up when you need to... meaning you tend to get a layer of "fat" you can't shed due to Europeon laws... until said fat has almost thrown your company into a cardiac arrest.

You pay United States workers that extra 25,000 in benefits... because in general American workers are worth it.

The damage to the US economy is almost impossible to fully recover. Corrupt business practices and dealing by bankers, politicians and Wall Street Stock traders over a long period of time led to the GFC. Obama is all talk and no action.

It will take years to fully recover from this recession. Unemployment rates are at 10% in most of the western world including US and mainland Europe.

For every boom there is a bust. It takes a long time to fully recover from the bust.

Obama's rhetoric is not going to drag the US out of the economic doldrums. Bailing out US corporations for them to possibly lose the money all over again? Policies and regualtions are needed to ensure the corporations do not lose money again. Socialised medicine which would cost US tax payers billions of dollars to run and maintain. Higher taxes would be needed to finance the socialised medical program. Hopefully the Republicans stop the Social Medical program.

Obama sounds like all talk and very little action. His support and approval rating have hit record lows. He will more than likely be a one term wonder US President.

Kasz216 I don't think what you wrote in F is true... there are layoffs all the time (and I've lived in 3 different European countries already). Whether the companies are making money or not.

Kasz, I few things to prove you wrong:

The average U.S. worker produces $63,885 of wealth per year, more than their counterparts in all other countries, the International Labor Organization said in its report. Ireland comes in second at $55,986, followed by Luxembourg at $55,641, Belgium at $55,235 and France at $54,609.

Americans may be more productive than other nations, but they also get paid higher wages.  You have to pay Americans for overtime, they dont just stay and work for pop and peanuts.  That $8,000 more wealth generation hails in comparison to cost of benefits.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20572828/

Your ease of firing example is laughable in the fact of actual statistics:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_ent_hir_fir_wor_dif_of_fir_ind-hiring-firing-workers-difficulty-index

The end all argument is economic growth.  America is lagging behind our mentioned counterparts, still spending freely on imports like its going out of style (it actually is).

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_rea_gro_rat-economy-gdp-real-growth-rate

Its not true, he just made it up.  Its actually very difficult to fire people in America.  American companies face a lot of legal issues when firing people.  In many cases, its better to keep somebody than to fire them and face legal repercussions.  Layoffs are a different beast altogether, its very easy for American and European countries to lay people off because business is bad, and they have no worries about legal issues unless contracts are involved.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_ent_hir_fir_wor_dif_of_fir_ind-hiring-firing-workers-difficulty-index

You'd be surprised... France and Germany have some pretty interesting laws on the matter.

Technically in France "Saving costs" is not a reason to fire somebody.  You have to prove their is a redundancy for example.

Usually the kind of places people talk about American Jobs going.

There is a reason why the rest of Europe tried to copy the Denmark method for employment but realized it was unworkable for larger nations that weren't so economically 1-sided.

I think Denmark was the one where 1/3rd of the country changes companies every year or two yet has really low unemployment.

Well I wouldn't know much about France or Germany, as the countries I mentioned have been Portugal, Denmark and now Sweden.

Not places I was considering such jobs going to.