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Subscribe to RSSElkhart four years later … State of Union stronger, but not as strong as it could be … It’s still the economy … Obama under 50% in latest polls … Dems plan to ‘win’ the sequester … Bipartisan gun deal? … Breannan pressed, but could teach Hagel a thing or two … Dempsey ‘surprised’ Clinton didn’t know about Benghazi cable.
Published 9:45 a.m. ET -- *** Elkhart (and America) four years later: Exactly four years ago tomorrow, President Barack Obama -- who had just been sworn in for his first term -- traveled to Elkhart, Ind., to sell his economic stimulus. At the time, Elkhart had a sky-high unemployment rate(19.4% as of Feb. 2009) due in large part to the city’s reliance on the manufacturing industry (especially the making of recreation vehicles). “I promised you back then [in 2008] that if elected, I'd do everything I could to help this community recover, and that's why I came back today, because I intend to keep my promise,” Obama said. Because of that promise, NBCNews.com began a series called “The Elkhart Project” chronicling the city’s recovery. Four years later, with Obama set to deliver his latest State of the Union address on Tuesday, Elkhart is pretty much the story of America: Things are better, but not back to where they were before the economy crashed in 2008. Elkhart’s unemployment rate is now 9.3%, down significantly from its peak in ’09, but below the state (8.2%) and national average (7.9%). “We’re definitely not where we want to be, but we have certainly rebounded from where we were,” said Barkley Garrett, the city’s economic development director. “All in all, considering where we were, we are doing well. But we have a long way to go.”
Aug. 5, 2009 (archival video): NBC's Chuck Todd poses questions to President Obama about the economic realities that most Americans, particularly those in economically hard-hit Elkhart, are facing during the recession. President Obama spoke at Wakarusa, Indiana announcing federal grants to support hybrid RV and pick-up manufacturers.
*** The State of the Union is stronger -- but not as strong as it could be: Speaking in Elkhart four years ago, the president acknowledged that full economic recovery would take time. “Even with this plan, the road ahead won’t be easy. This crisis has been a long time in the making; we’re not going to turn it around overnight,” he said. “Recovery will likely be measured in years, not weeks or months.” We now begin Year Five of America’s road to recovery. The state of the union -- at least economically -- is stronger than it was four years ago. But it also would be a stretch to say it’s as strong as it could be.
*** It’s still the economy: Despite the focus on guns and immigration, the economy remains the biggest story. And with analysts believing unemployment will remain in the mid-7% range into next year, the philosophical fiscal divide in Washington, mirrored across the world, will continue. There’s been no bridging the conservative view that austerity measures/spending cuts, especially in the public sector, to reduce the debt will lead to growth and the liberal view that more temporary deficit spending is necessary to provide support to a fragile economy -- and that those public-sector cuts are a big part of what's holding the economy back.
*** Not great news for Obama in latest polls: The president’s approval rating in a round of polls after his reelection showed Obama over 50%. Well, this morning the president’s approval is under 50% in both a new FOX poll (49%) and Quinnipiac poll (46%). The FOX poll also shows pessimism continues to reign.
*** Democrats plan to “win” sequester: Part of Obama’s State of the Union is going to be the sequester, Politico notes, and pushing for ending loopholes for the wealthiest, something Democrats believe they have broad support for: “Senate Democrats are digging in against Republican calls for deeper spending cuts by bringing out some of their favorite punching bags: corporate jets, Wall Street and Big Oil. With the automatic budget cuts in the sequester coming up next month, Democrats hope to vote on an alternative plan to raise taxes on some of their favorite boogeymen in hopes of shifting the blame when the GOP inevitably rejects it. … The Democratic public pressure campaign is expected to begin in earnest next week, starting with President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday and a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing expected Thursday at which senior administration officials will most likely sound the alarm that so-called sequestration cuts would devastate the economy. … According to sources familiar with the matter, Democrats are leaning toward a plan that would be split 50-50 between spending cuts and tax hikes, financed in large part by new taxes on corporate and wealthy taxpayers.”
*** Bipartisan gun deal emerging? Guns is also likely to be a topic, and AP reports that there’s a bipartisan private group that is aiming at forging a deal expanding background checks and working on mental health issues. AP: “A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ‘F’ ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to find a compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. … The senators' talks have included discussions about ways to encourage states to make more mental health records available to the national system and the types of transactions that might be exempted from background checks, such as sales among relatives or to those who have permits to carry concealed weapons, said people who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to describe the negotiations publicly.” The senators involved in the private group include Democrats’ No. 3 Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Republicans Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois. It’s significant that, once again, Schumer’s in the middle of this, positioning himself as a dealmaker. Makes us wonder if Harry Reid’s thinking about retiring before his re-elect in 2016…
*** Brennan pressed, but could show Chuck Hagel a thing or two: The confirmation hearing for John Brennan to become CIA director began with fireworks with Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein needing to shut it down and clear the room after five protests. Eight people were arrested outside. Brennan sparred with senators over drones, torture, leaks, and Benghazi. Some senators disagreed with him and pushed him, especially on interrogation. Some might not be happy with his "I don’t know what the truth is" answer, but he was ready, confident and unapologetic. He acquitted himself much better than Chuck Hagel, the president’s nominee to be Defense Secretary. It was a stark contrast. Jill Lawrence, writing under the headline “John Brennan Shows Hagel How It's Done,” called it “a startling 180-degree contrast.”
*** The debate over kill or capture: The Washington Post notes that Brennan was challenged on why “the number of drone strikes has soared while captures of terrorism suspects have dwindled to single digits” under President Obama. “I never believed it's better to kill a terrorist than to detain him,” Brennan said in an exchange with ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). Still, the number of detainees has declined significantly, according to the Post. Is it because of better intelligence? Does it have to do with Obama wanting to avoid detainees? It’s an important question, but one no one with any knowledge is going to answer in public. (Brennan will go at it again in a closed classified hearing with the committee Tuesday.)
*** Dempsey ‘surprised’ Clinton didn’t know about Benghazi cable: Two pieces of news came out of the other hearing on the Hill yesterday before Armed Services with outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey: (1) Panetta and Dempsey said they agreed with a Hillary Clinton (State)-Gen. David Petraeus (CIA) plan to arm rebels in Syria, and (2) Dempsey said he was informed of the Benghazi cable requesting more security by the U.S. African Command, that he offered more help, but it was turned down. And then when asked how what he thought about Secretary of State Clinton testifying that she had no knowledge of the cable, he said, “I would call myself surprised that she didn’t.”
*** Obama acknowledges tension with Capitol Hill Democrats: At the House retreat yesterday, the president rallied Democrats about budget cuts and that he’s willing to fight for Democratic values in the court of public opinion with Republicans. “I have to tell you, if that's an argument that they want to have before the court of public opinion, that is an argument I'm more than willing to engage in,” he said to. But he also acknowledged tensions with Capitol Hill Democrats with this: "There will be times where you guys are mad at me, and I'll occasionally read about it." Today, Bill Clinton (10:00 am ET) and comedian Stephen Colbert (!!!) address the group.
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Obama and the Democrats can no longer blame Bush for the lack of economic recovery. If you take out Federal spending, GDP has been flat. You couple this fact with record deficit spending which has only devalued our dollar and we are on the path to ruin. You can't ignore the math Mr. Obama. Cut welfare, food stamps, and raise the eligibility age of Medicare. WE can no longer afford to be a nanny state to the lazy and clueless.
where are your bills...have balls..to put on the table...nah huh
hoarding Gold is doing this fellas
Obama you can do the same thing...Executive Order..on hoarders of gold..yes it ended in the 70..but you can start a new
Executive Order 6102 signed on April 5, 1933 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt "forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates" by U.S. citizens. Executive Order 6102 required U.S. citizens to deliver on or before May 1, 1933 all but a small amount of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates owned by them to the Federal Reserve, in exchange for $20.67 per troy ounce. Violation of the order was punishable by fine up to $10,000 or up to ten years in prison, or both. In 1933 approximately 500 tonnes of gold were turned in to the Treasury at the exchange rate of $20.67 per troy ounce.
Obama is anti-business. Read below from an article in the WSJ:
Agencies under U.S. President Barack Obama will add thousands of new regulations to U.S. business in 2013, with many of them extremely costly.
According to Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations, an arm of the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), more than 4,100 new Obama regulations are in the pipeline.
The group estimates that the 13 most expensive regulations will cost the U.S. economy $515 billion.
Held back during the heat of the presidential campaign, a backlog of these Obama regulations is about to hit the economy full force.
"The Obama administration has been quietly postponing several multibillion-dollar regulations until after the November election," wrote Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, in an August Wall Street Journal guest column. "Those delayed rules, together with more than 130 unfinished mandates under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, could significantly increase the regulatory drag on our economy in 2013."
Portman dubbed the situation "the regulatory cliff," a reference to the widely discussed fiscal cliff.
While the sheer number of regulations can cause compliance problems, one category - dubbed by the government as "economically significant" - impose the greatest costs on the U.S. economy.
Economically significant regulations are those that cost $100 million or more, by the government's definition.
In his first three years, the Obama administration created 953 such regulations, compared to 30 in the comparable period for President George W. Bush, according to CEI.
Of the 4,128 Obama regulations in the pipeline, 212 fall into the economically significant category. That's 32.5% more than the 160 issued in 2006 under President Bush.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has tried in vain to curb the wave of Obama regulations by passing three dozen bills, none of which has made it to the floor of the Democrat-controlled Senate.
the house wont vote on a jobs bill...now tell me your sh-it again
The senate has put forth NO JOBS bills for the house to sign elvis, please try to keep up. A JOBS BILL is not more spending fool. Also, why can't Harry Reid bring up ALL of the house JOBS BILLS they have sent over for the last 4 years. Could those bills help, probably since Reid won't bring them up for a vote or even a debate.
hoarding gold is hurting the world
I buy my gold from Roseland Capital...and so should you
Sounds like typical liberal spew....."Since I can't afford to buy gold and hedge my bet against the coming disaster thanks to the Empty Suit ...you shouldn't be able to either......it's not fair...waaa.....waaa....waaa....I'll scream that it's hurting the world.....waaa....waaaa...someone pay attention to little old me...sniff...sniff."
I should be getting a shipment from Roseland today as a matter of fact.....What's in your safe???
Please, GOP, fight FOR allowing the sequester to happen. It will be the only way we ever see any real cuts to any politician's sacred cows of spending.
What happens when our interest payments total more than the government's revenue?
Obama is the worst President we have ever had. He was by ne means delt a "rough hand", as proclaims. Bush signed TARP into law cleaning up Clinton de-regulation of the banks and the criminal neglect of Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. Bush also placed the first Bal-Out funds of $13 Billion into a working escrow account.
Oh, we get the Liberal mantra "we were bleeding 750,000 a month". Well no, it was one month, December 2008. And it was 720,000. Now we have 23 Million out of work. Geez, I'll take the 720,000 at this point.
Obama even had control of the congress, and even a $867,000 Billion stimulus filled with his "Tickle up" policies where he promised us a %5.5 unemployment, a green economy with five million jobs, and a cut in the deficit by half. What did we get? A measly $1 trillion added to the GDP in four years. That will barely cover the stimulus, it will not cover the deficit.
Obama Trickle up policies have translated to a huge failure and losses.
• 23 million Americans are out of work, have stopped looking for work, or are underemployed
• $16 trillion national debt (that's $50,000 for every American)
• 48 straight months of 8% or higher unemployment
• 4 straight trillion dollar budget deficits in a row -- more than any other president combined.
More trickle up failues:
18.9% unemployment for Blacks
9.1% for woman,
685,000 woman lost their job and health insurance(who cares about FREE birth control when you do not have health insurance)
The poverty rate for woman has gone up to 14.2% from 7.6%
We have 6 million fewer jobs than 3.5 years ago
3.6 million Residential foreclosures
2.6 million Commercial foreclosures
Over 3.8 million business have gone out of business
38,000 US products moved offshore for manufacturing
The lowest number of patents in 35 years
The highest number of people receiving food stamps in 30 years
A 26% decrease in the value of the dollar
The fewest new prescription drugs in 25 years, 308 prescription drugs in short supply (as of 6/1/11)
Housing values drop 33%
It gets worse:
FOOD STAMPS
Obama – 46.2 million : Before Obama – 28.2 million
CREDIT RATING
Before Obama AAA - Obama AA+
GAS PRICES
Before Obama - $1.65 a gallon (End of term) : Obama - $3.80 a gallon (Current)
(Source: )
UNEMPLOYMENT
Bush - 4.71% (Average) : Obama - 9.4% (Average) – 7.9% Current
( Source: www.bls.gov )
NATIONAL DEBT
Bush – Increased 4 trillion (8 Years) : Obama – Will increase 18 trillion (8 years, according to OBAMAS budget)
(Source: www.treasurydirect.gov )
DEFICIT
Bush - $0.5 Trillion per year : Obama - $1.8 Trillion per year
(Source: www.federalbudget.com)
JOBS
Bush – GAINED 3 million jobs over 8 years : Obama - LOST 6 MILLION JOBS IN 3 YEARS
INFLATION:
Bush +0.1% (End of Term) : Obama +3.6% (Current)
(Source: www.usinflationcalculator.com )
This is called failure. Shall we look at his foreign policy now? In light of current events, do we really need to go there.
To the high information voter these numbers are devstating. To the low information, non-accountable (LINAV) liberal voters (i.e, those that voter for Obama) they mean nothing. Clearly, they cannot understand them and their impact to our country.
Otherwise they would not have voted for Barack. I did notice that you did not mention the non-closing of Gitmo that he promised. Seems as Barack simply skipped that one and went straight to the daily assassintation list review. Unbeleivable how this country has taken an unprecedented turn for the worse.
The middle class is not only getting crushed economically btu they are also lsoing liberty day-by-day courtesy of this POTUS. Sad.
@truth and the other obama hater,
You can post all the Non-factual statistics all you want. Guess what buddy, Obama is still the President.
@Pub,
You lying little sh!t. But what should I expect from low life right wing nut jobs. Let me FACT check some of these lies you told and then you try spin it by quoting a source. Lying bastard..
Lie 1: #of people on food stamps before Obama was 35 million
Lie 2: Credit rating downgrade had nothing to do with Obama, Obama is the President not Congress. Congress legislate bills into Law not the President of the USA. Congress failed to act until the last minute of the 2011 debt ceiling and thats what happen. I bet your dumb a$$ didnt know Presidents don't make legislations.
Lie 3: Gas prices, summer 2008 Gas was $4.00 a gallon Average. Gas fell to around $2.00 before the election because the Economy Crashed dummy. Stocks fell, housing fell, GAS fell in October 2008. Again, what the hell does that have to do with Obama since it happen before he was sworn in.
Lie 4: Unemployment rate, you tried to spin it into just doing an Average of bush 8yrs. Instead pointing out the FACT unemployment double under bush. Going from 4.5% when he took office to 8% when he left office. But i guess if you do an average that makes your guy number look good.
So let's see, Did Obama come into office with a Big Surplus or Huge Deficit (Ecomony collapse).
Everything you said was false and fixated. You tried to be slick and spin the statistics into postives for your guy and negatives for Obama. Nice try dummy, but today you have just been FACT Check.
But it doesn't matter because right wing nuts like yourself believe the same garbage you post and makeup Fabricated Numbers everyday on here.
show us with proof Jason797 that any of those facts are nonfactual.
Jason,
Interesting insight. Thanks for noting that under your "facts" those on foodstamps only went up 25% and increase by 7 million people over Obama's first term.
Obama had everything to do with the credit downgrade. He is this POTUS and put the country in this position with his reckless deficit spending (particuarly in his first two years of office when this happened). In terms of the gas prices, I semi-agree with you. Obviously Obama is in the energy company's pocket as well.
Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first terms. Well, at least he came nowwhere close to that. LOLOL!
Sorry man. I wish it were not true, but those are the facts. Most LINAV's have a hard time comprehending accountability.
unemployment rate stayed under 5% for nearly all the Bush years until a year after the Democrats took control of Congress.
The rate did not double as you claim but increased 60%. Most of that after it was clear that Obgama would be elected and businesses became even more pessimistic about the future. (6.1% Sept and Oct 2008)
Bush also inherited a recession that began under Clinton and there was NO surplus when Bush took office.
Clinton’s Chairman Of Council Of Economic Advisors, Joseph Stiglitz, Said Recession Started During Clinton’s Tenure. “It would be nice for us veterans of the Clinton Administration if we could simply blame mismanagement by President George W. Bush’s economic team for this seemingly sudden turnaround in the economy, which coincided so closely with its taking charge. But … the economy was slipping into recession even before Bush took office, and the corporate scandals that are rocking America began much earlier.” (Joseph Stiglitz, “The Roaring Nineties,” The Atlantic Monthly, 10/02)
Stiglitz noted that during the Clinton Administration “the groundwork for some of the problems we are now experiencing was being laid. Accounting standards slipped; deregulation was taken further than it should have been; and corporate greed was pandered to ….” (Joseph Stiglitz, “The Roaring Nineties,” The Atlantic Monthly, 10/02)
“So the table itself, according to the figures issued yesterday, showed the Federal Government ran a surplus. Absolutely false. This reporter ought to do his work. This crowd never has asked for or kept up with or checked the facts. Eric Planin--all he has to do is not spread rumors or get into the political message. Both Democrats and Republicans are all running this year and next and saying surplus, surplus. Look what we have done. It is false. The actual figures show that from the beginning of the fiscal year until now we had to borrow $127,800,000,000. - Democratic Senator Ernest Hollings, October 28, 1999
The deficit was 459 billion at the end of Bush's last budget and 480 billion when Obama was sworn in.
The Bush Administration forecast a deficit in 2009 of 407 Billion. The Recession did increase that to $480 billion by January 2009. The other TRILLION came during the Obama Presidency in 2009. The Democratic Controlled Congress refused to pass a budget until after Bush left office.
Bush Seeks Budget of $3.1 Trillion
By DAVID STOUT and ROBERT PEAR
Published: February 4, 2008
WASHINGTON — President Bush submitted a federal budget of $3.1 trillion on Monday, declaring that the spending plan would keep the United States safe and prosperous and, despite its record size, would adhere to his principle of letting Americans keep as much of their own money as possible.
“Thanks to the hard work of the American people and spending discipline in Washington, we are now on a path to balance the budget by 2012,” the president said in an introductory message.
Whether the president’s vision will become reality is by no means clear, given the Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress and Mr. Bush’s lame-duck status as the country looks toward the election of the next president in November. Democrats are likely to push for increased spending on social programs, and fewer tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals.
Mr. Bush said he would cut or terminate 151 programs, saving $18 billion in 2009. One agency, the Education Department, accounts for 47 of the terminated programs and three of the programs to be cut. But he would increase spending in areas that fall under the umbrella of “national security.”
Mr. Bush’s proposed budget, the first in the nation’s history to exceed $3 trillion, foresees near-record deficits just ahead — $410 billion in the current fiscal year, on spending of $2.9 trillion, and $407 billion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 — before the budget would come into balance in 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/washington/04cnd-budget.html?_r=0
The Budget as passed by the Democrats and signed by OBAMA in February 2009
3.517 Trillion
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/120xx/doc12039/historicaltables[1].pdf
The Obama Budget thus was a 17.9% increase, the largest one year increase in the Budget since the Korean War
First of all Larry, I done seen you post non-sense on here before. Numerous times other FR posters already put in your place. So get out of here with all that. But since you ran off at the mouth let me school you real quick there.
How did Democrats in Congress caused the whole Economy to Collapse in 2008. Where is your evidence and you better not quote anything from some FAR RIGHt WING blog either. You will get call out on it.
Then you said unemployment rate stay under 5% most of bush term. Okay, Larry what happen in 2008. Unemployment jump from 5% to 7.3% in 2008. Nearly 3 million Jobs Lost. And I got PROOF to back it up. It has a Graph too just in case you can't read and comprehend numbers. SOURCE (www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/jan/wk2/art02.htm)
Another reason unemployment stayed under 5% for Bush was because he inherited an Budget Surplus from Clinton. So how you gonna give credit to bush for unemployment staying so low when he inherited a Great economy.
Now Obama on the other hand became president during an Financial Meltdown, Still cleaning up the mess left behind. And then you complain about unemployment under Obama, the man was handed a Deficit not a Surplus. Do you even understand the difference. I will soon find out..
Larry,
Here is your proof smart guy:
(www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/jan/wk2/art02.htm)
Now what you gotta say Larry, Nothing.. Can't dispute FACTS dummy..
I already disproved your nonsense
Democrat Congress brought us the largest increase in spending since the Korean War
And as I noted, the big jump in unemployment began as it was apparent that Obama was going to win. Businesses began tightening their belts and have continued to as Obama threatens to tax us out of existence.
@Larry,
You disproved my post, HOW?
All I see is more Right Wing Talking Points with Zero Evidence to back it up.
No where in your post, you provided substantial evidence that Democrats caused the 2008 economic recession.
Oh I know, your source is "larry robinson-1323081". Wow, this idiot thinks cause he says it we all should believe it. What a nut job..
What a shame! Chris Rock's daddy is the worst president in history. He blames everyone for his screw-ups, and wants everyone to kiss his ring when he does something he thinks is great...like spend another trillion dollars for nothing in return.
Chris Rock's daddy is an asshoole.
Gee... I didn't know that George W Bush was Chris Rock's daddy... learn something new everyday...
Arguing about taxes and what to cut does not work. It's the "mission" that's the root of the challenge. If you charge the US military with surrounding all the bad guys everywhere and then go about mustering plenty of bases, personnel and equipment to support that huge, fuzzy mission, don't be shocked when the bill gets too high. Change the military's "mission" and the cost comes down. What are all our bases for? Are they needed? Can some be consolidated? What are we going to do with a moth-balled fleet of iron ships? How many generals/admirals (upper-management) does our military need now, five years from now?
Similarly, look to the "mission" of our Government. Do we need to subsidize tobacco production and then spend money to promote people not to smoke? Do we need to payout Social Security "Insurance" benefits to those that beat the actuarial odds on creating wealth for themselves? Mission items.
As a people, we should spend more time discussing (without all the bulging neck veins) our nation's best "missions" to fund.
The only accomplishment Obama has is to completely polarize the people! He has failed to lead! Obama should be thrown out of the country like Putin, Assad, Mubarak, Morsi, Quadaffi! Dictators who take away freedoms and divide the people should be deported for life! Send Obama to Somalia and let him be a pirate!
Barry is the Great Divider. Not just politically either. He simply does not know how to lead. His last 4 years have been a disaster and when things don't go well he blames Bush. A real leader would plow throw and fix things, dig in and get to work. Barry's ego won't allow him to lead. A real leader finds common ground (Hell even Bill Clinton knew this) Barry goes campaigning or golfing. He has never inspired me for a second.
Oh and glad he got to catch up on his beauty sleep the night 4 Americans were being murdered in Benghazi.
(and if anybody responds with "well Bush did this" may your d*ck fall off (especially Fisty Redbeard's)
The economy has not improved...the economy will not improve...the economy is making adjustments that are permanent due to the loss of the manufacturing monopoly following WWII...people want to fantasize that the economies of the past 65 years are going to be revisited...not so...the world labor market does not need a high school diploma holder making $85/hour when all benefits are considered...if that's your dream you may as well join a church a pray to god...who by the way doesn't exist either...life is what happens when you're making plans...
Damn Dee, thanks for making me feel better about things.
your government has screwed it's people and your still backing them up...
hilarious...!!!!!!!!!!!!
only fools would keep making excuses for ANY of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
only a total fool would believe the lies that your economy is getting better...!!!!!!!!!!!!
lmaoooooooooooooooooooooo at how dumb the people have become!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want to break the stranglehold of the 1%ers bring manufacturing back to the urban areas. Enact high import fees commesurate with the National Debt until it is paid in full. Double those import excise fees until the national debt is paid to compensate for unfair trade practices unpunished over the last 20 years. Only trade with countries that offer full benefits to their workers. Tax businesses that import as their main means of sales at a level to pay for unemployment and other jobless benefits. The Government should sponsor startup companies that accept lower profits for better quality of life for workers. A New New Deal. Everyone should be happy. More business more work. Exactly what this country is about.
The Owebama administration doesn't know how to negotiate a trade agreement. Maybe he should hire Jay-Z. He seems kind of like a business man.
Yes it is still about the economy. We here in Michigan are on the crest of a recovery initiated by one Barack Hussein Obama. The auto industry has been adding jobs like a raped ape for a couple years now after it had cast off its expensive older (read > 50 years old) talent/cadre of hangers-ons. HR is still scrubbing the blood off the floors at CTC after the mass slaughter of all the older people not protected by a Union contract.
Hard to find an engineer at Chrysler now who does not sport a pierced something-or-other, or even one who shaves. The luster seems to have finally worn off of the H1B Visa thing as newly-hired Indian engineers are starting to lose popularity in favor of actual American kids who can speak understandable English.
Anyway, the company has cast off all its debtors and expensive employees, but it remains to be seen if that will translate into the promised salary-driven prosperity extolled by Republican economic theory. I know in advance how it will turn out though. We've seen this movie before: the rich will get richer at the expense of the poorer.
Republicanism cannot flourish without cannibalizing the Middle Class for its nourishment.
It is just that simple.
Republicanism is simply antithetical to the existence of the working class.
I lived in Michigan for four years and was lucky enough to get out. Enjoy your recovery... Enjoy the bailout dollars... Maybe Barry can float you another 800 mill or so if LA and Chicago don't jump the cue. Screw the regular people as long as you can prop up those union dinosaurs. The government teet will eventually shrivel to nothing, Barry will be long gone and you'll be wondering why the pension check didn't come...
It took many years to abuse the system by all,to cause the current depression,now just a deep recession.
I assume it should take a decade or longer to correct it.
I watched "Demolition Man" last night and laughed my a$$ off. Dr. Cochteau is definitely Owebama and his new world order. The republicans stayed underground so they could live free. Who would have thought a 17 year old Stallone movie would have relevance today. Too funny.
MEMO: People of Elkhart
You don't matter. Only the east and west coast cities matter. You are not part of my special interest groups.
Barrack Obama
I live about 40 miles from Elkhart....there's some angry folks over there........
and, don't forget about all the americans who just had to buy all those foreign products and cars...now, that's what i call supporting your country and ALL those people who needed jobs...!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks like you cooked your own goose...
so sad...
If anyone has a manufacturing job you can count on losing that job to someone that will do the same job for less money or you will accept less money...if you are in a service industry you will lose your job to someone with a better attitude and who is willing to work for less money...the middle class in the US cost too much and they have very bad attitudes...
that's because they are damn tired of getting screwed by the lazy freeloaders and their government...
can't say i blame them, they work their assesssssssssssssss off for the idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the true weak are the only one's who are entitled to a FREE RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
half your country has jumped on to get what they didn't earn or deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that's pitiful...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What’s funny is so many of the hard right folks love to trash talk others and claim that we Progressive- Democrats don’t have a job and are on welfare.
The truth is that many of the 47% that voted for Romney live in red states and many in the red states are the same ones that don't pay federal income taxes. However, everyone does pay some form of taxes, such as sales taxes.
Source: Tax Foundation):
Top 10 states that got the most back in terms of federal benefits and paid the least in taxes:
New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska, Louisiana, W. Virginia, N. Dakota, Alabama, S. Dakota, Virginia and Kentucky
The States that give more to the federal government in taxes than they get in return. From 1 to 10, they are:
New Jersey, Nevada, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Illinois, Delaware, California, New York and Colorado.
job1, don't know what left leaning rag you got that from but this comes from your very own CNBC and tells a different story.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/31910310
Job1 -
The economy doesn't respond to the left or right...the economy is not a political function but rather a function of the industry and thrift of a society of people...a dollar does not somehow change value because of the political party that spends the dollar...the dollar loses value when the government over spends and gains value when a government spends wisely...unfortunately we are not in the times of the majority of Americans being wise...
94% of the national debt belongs to just 3 people, Reagan, Bush and Bush-Cheney
Obama needs to create some debt in order to match these guys.
Obama has actually been pretty stingy about creating new debt.
http://reaganbushdebt.org/CalculationDetails.aspx
Job1, you freaking crack me up! Way to pull @!$%# out of your ass. Of course this President didn't create any of the debt, he is totally unaccountable. Don't have any idea what i was thinking. BTW where can I get a subscription to that terrific publication you referenced. Definitely beyond reproach I'm sure.
Job1 -
A debt isn't paid on the cause but on the amount...it doesn't matter who you think caused the debt...paying down the debt is the challenge...
The older but goodies, such as Obama’s out of control spending, (which is a Republican myth)
The Bush Administration forecast a deficit in 2009 of 407 Billion. The Recession did increase that to $480 billion by January 2009. The other TRILLION came during the Obama Presidency in 2009. The Democratic Controlled Congress refused to pass a budget until after Bush left office.
Bush Seeks Budget of $3.1 Trillion
By DAVID STOUT and ROBERT PEAR
Published: February 4, 2008
WASHINGTON — President Bush submitted a federal budget of $3.1 trillion on Monday, declaring that the spending plan would keep the United States safe and prosperous and, despite its record size, would adhere to his principle of letting Americans keep as much of their own money as possible.
“Thanks to the hard work of the American people and spending discipline in Washington, we are now on a path to balance the budget by 2012,” the president said in an introductory message.
Whether the president’s vision will become reality is by no means clear, given the Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress and Mr. Bush’s lame-duck status as the country looks toward the election of the next president in November. Democrats are likely to push for increased spending on social programs, and fewer tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals.
Mr. Bush said he would cut or terminate 151 programs, saving $18 billion in 2009. One agency, the Education Department, accounts for 47 of the terminated programs and three of the programs to be cut. But he would increase spending in areas that fall under the umbrella of “national security.”
Mr. Bush’s proposed budget, the first in the nation’s history to exceed $3 trillion, foresees near-record deficits just ahead — $410 billion in the current fiscal year, on spending of $2.9 trillion, and $407 billion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 — before the budget would come into balance in 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/washington/04cnd-budget.html?_r=0
The Budget as passed by the Democrats and signed by OBAMA in February 2009
3.517 Trillion
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/120xx/doc12039/historicaltables[1].pdf
The Obama Budget thus was a 17.9% increase, the largest one year increase in the Budget since the Korean War
@Larry
Unemployment rate jump from 5% to 7.3% in 2008 under BUSH. Lost 3 million jobs in 1yr. I repeat dumb a$$ 1yr.
source
(www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/jan/wk2/art02.htm)
keep rewarding bad behavior...
i can see how well it's working for your economy...
roflmaoooooooooooooooooooooooo
you should make all the ABLE freeloaders get off their butts and at the very least payback your taxpayers by doing community service...
and, see how they wont be screwing you anymore...they don't want to do anything for what you just hand them!!!!!!!!!
your middle class, what's left of it will become the new poor!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you reward the freeloaders and you keep punishing the people who are working...
makes alot of sense to me...
roflmaooooooooooooooo
red states, blue states...
your country has been screwed for decades by ALL your politicans and it's so funny how you just can't see it...
live and learn the hard way!!!!!!!!!!!