President Barack Obama's jobs speech presented a solid plan. Maybe not the best plan, but a good one. No plan approved by Congress will be "the best."

Politicians who pick at it because it isn't "the best" are really trying to derail any action. They're seeking votes, not problem-solving solutions.

This bill should be passed soon. We don't need months of hand-wringing and naysaying in congressional committees. We need a vote in a couple of weeks, not months.

Going with an imperfect plan is far better than doing nothing. But that's what we'll get if 535 members of Congress all assert their own plans. It'll take months to sort through them all. By then, it'll be January, and the presidential campaign, and nothing will be done.

Far better to approve Obama's proposal now, and give it a chance to work. If it doesn't, well, the voters can decide next November.

Maybe that's what worries the Republicans: It will work and Obama will be re-elected. Naw, at least Utah's Republican members of Congress are men of honor. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee and Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz would never play politics with people's jobs. Or would they?

Billy C. Hanson

Park City