Beginning in January of 2008, unemployment has held more or less steady around 9%. Some 8.7 million jobs have been lost and a mere 1.8 of those regained, according to data in a report released by the ProPublica investigative journalism organization. The approval, just given by the President to a 10-year debt reduction plan, has freed up some attention to job creation. No one can argue that’s not a priority. Despite the current sky-high jobless rates, it seems as if there just may be a suspiciously silicone lining to the dark unemployment cloud.

"Now that this debt issue is at least for the time being clarified, Washington needs to shift to jobs and the economy," said Steve Case, founder of America Online, at a recent jobs conference in Palo Alto.

Mr. Case also stated that different business groups and trade associations have been collecting ideas for months, and have gone through "a pretty thoughtful analytical process" about ideas designed to drive job creation.

They intend to meet next month with the president in order to "present a road map on entrepreneurship" and obviously job creation, he said. President Obama has taken every given opportunity to reiterate his approval of Silicon Valley’s vanguards, hailing them as important job creators in a variety of high-profile events on both coasts.

The White House revealed to conference members a series of initiatives designed to ease the visa regulations in order to make it easier for foreign entrepreneurs to start up companies in the United States, particularly tech firms. Thus: creating more jobs for Americans.

Also present at the Palo Alto conference was Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. She pointed out the vast number of companies of varying sized that have emerged as a result of the gigantic social media site Facebook.