From a National Public Radio report today:

Obama's ambitious — and expensive — agenda was drawing a tough eye from fiscal conservatives even before the new deficit projections.

One of those conservatives, Rep. Mark Kirk, says, "The American people are absolutely ready for action by the White House to fix the economy and to put Americans back to work. But other priorities — nationalizing health care and on climate change, etc. — this may not be the time."

In Kirk's world, tackling the health care and environmental crises would apparently do nothing to "fix the economy and put Americans back to work."

I guess that's why the Chamber of Commerce and other corporate interests are clamoring for health reform.  It must also be why BusinessWeek says Obama's cap-and-trade carbon emissions plan could boost growth and create jobs.

UPDATE (3/21): On a related note, a group of faith leaders and laid-off steelworkers rallied outside GOP Rep. John Shimkus' Collinsville office this week, sharing their health care struggles and demanding that he take a firm stance on reforming the broken system.