Catching up on this week's reading, I found Bob Herbert's NYT column headlined "Good Jobs Are Where the Money Is." And he had very tough words for the Administration (and, by association, the House) on the economic stimulus plan.

"Economic alarm bells have been ringing in the U.S. for some time. There was no sense of urgency as long as those in the lower ranks were sinking in the mortgage muck and the middle class was raiding the piggy bank otherwise known as home equity.

"But not that the privileged few are threatened... it's suddenly time to take action.

"There is no question that some kind of stimulus package geared to the needs of ordinary Americans is in order. But that won't begin to solve the fundamental problem.

"Good jobs at good wages -- lots of them, growing like spring flowers in an endlessly fertile field -- is the absolutely essential basis for a thriving American economy and a broad-based rise in standards of living.

"Forget all the CNBC chatter about Fed policy and bargain stocks. For ordinary Americas, jobs are the be-all and end-all. And an America awash in new jobs will require a political environment that respects and rewards work and aggressively pursues creative policies designed to radically expand employment."

Herbert suggests starting by rebuilding our infrastructure. Certainly, insulating and greening our buildings is another. Building and rebuilding our transit lines is yet another.

But Herbert is so right. Doesn't it seem odd that not a word has been heard about the creation of good jobs during the economic stimulus discussion?

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