Obama calls on skywriters to get busy

By Judy Kurtz - 09/12/11 07:19 PM ET

President Obama wants to take his push for the American Jobs Act to the upper atmosphere.

While delivering a statement on his proposed legislation at the White House on Monday, Obama urged supporters to help him get the word out, saying, “We can’t afford these same political games, not now. So I want you to pick up the phone, I want you to send an email.”

A telephone and a computer — those both seem pretty typical. Then the suggestions got a bit wackier: “Use one of those airplane skywriters, dust off the fax machine, or you can just, like, write a letter, so long as you get the message to Congress: Send me the American Jobs Act so I can sign it into law.”

While a stamp for a written letter will set one back 44 cents, of all the president’s recommended methods of communication, skywriting would surely be the priciest for those Americans who want to take his request to heart.

According to Skywrite.com, personal messages in the air can range from $1,000 to $5,500, depending on location. And getting some buzz about jobs could create a lot of work for the skywriting industry — business messages that “employ five planes writing in unison” start at more than $5,000. Who knows how much a lengthy message, such as “Congress: Send Obama the American Jobs Act” could cost?

Maybe fans of the Jobs Act should just stick to tweeting.