Religious Responses to the American Jobs Act: As I've written about before, the need for serious job-creation legislation is just as much a moral imperative as it is a political advantage. The President has put forward a plan to get our economy back on track and put Americans back to work. Here are some responses to the proposal from the faith community, which is committed to putting pressure on Congress to pass legislation that will create jobs and help pull Americans out of poverty and joblessness: Rev. Chuck Currie: In short, the president offered up a moral vision of what America should be and in doing so he provided a stark contrast with the Tea Party Congress and their Ayn Rand devotees in the GOP leadership. Congress should pass the American Jobs Acts immediately and put politics aside to address the jobs crisis. PICO National Network: We applaud President Obama for putting forward the American Jobs Act, a set of bipartisan proposals to spur job creation, and we urge Congress to move quickly to pass it and other measures to get Americans back to work. Unemployment is more than just an economic problem - it is a moral problem that destroys families and destabilizes communities. Simon Greer (Jewish Funds for Justice): What I heard was a plan built around thoughtful analysis, by an Administration willing to take risks, to experiment and evaluate to get the best results, to try something bold at a critical time using the best tools we have available... It's a challenge to those on both sides of the aisle - and to all of us on every side of the issues - to be about more than just putting up obstacles. To unite and be for getting our economy - and the millions out of work - back on their feet. NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby: We strongly support those specific proposals that address critical needs of people who live at the economic margins of our society. They include strategies to widen employment opportunities and much-needed help for people who have been without jobs for extended periods of time.