In his weekend video address to the nation, President-elect Barack Obama called on Congress for fast action on a plan to stimulate the US economy. Obama re-stated his plan to invest in rebuilding infrastructure, including roads, bridges and schools in order to quickly create about three million jobs.

'Nearly two million Americans have lost their jobs this past year,' Obama said, 'and millions more are working harder in jobs that pay less and come with fewer benefits. For too many families, this new year brings new unease and uncertainty as bills pile up, debts continue to mount and parents worry that their children won’t have the same opportunities they had.'

In addition, Obama said the economic stimulus plan should lay a foundation for transforming the US economy. Part of his plan would double the production of renewable energy and re-fit public buildings to be more energy efficient.

'To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow,' Obama pledged, 'we will double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient.'

Obam also emphasized the need to modernize the US health care system 'to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help reduce health care costs by billions of dollars each year.'

But this economic stimulus project has to be accomplished thoughtfully and carefully: 'we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem,' he added. 'We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results.'

Obama's longer term goals included new investments in education and his promised tax cut for 95 percent of working families. 'To make America, and our children, a success in this new global economy,' he continued, 'we will build 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries. And to put more money into the pockets of hardworking families, we will provide direct tax relief to 95 percent of American workers.'

Re-stating a dominant theme of his campaign, Obama expressed a desire to pass this economic stimulus plan in a bipartisan manner. '[T]he problems we face today are not Democratic problems or Republican problems,' he pointed out. 'The dreams of putting a child through college, or staying in your home, or retiring with dignity and security know no boundaries of party or ideology.'

'I am optimistic that if we come together to seek solutions that advance not the interests of any party, or the agenda of any one group, but the aspirations of all Americans, then we will meet the challenges of our time just as previous generations have met the challenges of theirs,' he concluded.

See the video message here: