Barack Obama

[Natalya]

Big Post

Oh, and there is a poll....

/flame on

So my question is what personally has changed in YOUR day to day life since Obama got elected?
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Let's get out of debt by getting into more debt! Makes sense right? Boy, that is change I can believe in! >.>

~Maller

We're not in bad economic times because we're in debt. And we're not in debt because the times are bad.

We're in bad economic times because during good economic times we had huge deficit spending. Unfortunately, the only way to get out of the specific type of rut we're in is deficit spending. So, although people might think it sucks, that's what we've gotta do to get out of this. If you believe otherwise, then tell me why Herbert Hoover didn't fix the Great Depression.

[rjk83]

So my question is what personally has changed in YOUR day to day life since Obama got elected?
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We're not in bad economic times because we're in debt. And we're not in debt because the times are bad.

We're in bad economic times because during good economic times we had huge deficit spending. Unfortunately, the only way to get out of the specific type of rut we're in is deficit spending. So, although people might think it sucks, that's what we've gotta do to get out of this. If you believe otherwise, then tell me why Herbert Hoover didn't fix the Great Depression.

Here is what has changed, and the point is, that it hasn't affected my day to day life yet (the policies already in place will affect my day to day life shortly, and the policy changes that they are TRYING to push will impact my day to day life tremendously).

What he wants to do and is doing (the is, both in word and action) is absorbing huge sections of the private sector into the government. Banking business, mortgage business, auto business, health care, etc. Has it impacted me? No, I still have my job, my healthcare, my cars, etc... Does it mean that since it doesn't impact me that it doesn't matter or that I'm somehow disqualified from thought? Hell No. This is my country, and myself and my wife and kid has a vested interest in the success of the country.

Politics has always been politics, democrats want big government and republicans want less spending... ok great, but lately there has been a paradigm shift in government. What is now being threatened (through things like cap and trade and health care) is my ability to make a living and provide for my family. This is what happens when the government starts getting too big, they encroach on the private sector (in this case, take over the private sector quite literally as if we were a Socialist state), they try to extend their reach everywhere and put down rules and policies and what they do is squeeze out the ability for small business to flourish and at the same time make it a less hospitable environment for big business.

This directly impacts my ability to get and hold a job when companies are going out of business and/or moving over see's. I know 3 guys just in the NU community that have been laid off in the past 6 months or so.

We were warned that if we didn't pass the "recovery act" (tarp) that unemployment could possibly reach 9%. Well, we passed it, and now unemployment is at 9.6% with no stopping in sight. We have lost about 3 million jobs and they say that they have possibly "saved or created" 150K jobs. Get real...


Also, to put in my 2c for the spending part... (without getting into how we got to this point as a country because thats another huge conversation) I think the question falls to what are we spending that money on, and how will it impact/correct the economy? If you look at where the Tarp funds were slotted to be spent, you will see why even though the government passed the greatest increase of spending of any government at any time in the history of the world, it's still not working.

They decided to spend enough money to be able to write a check to every tax-paying american for $10K, but large amounts of it aren't being spent on things that will actually stimulate the economy.

I think the point here is that we are spending the money to increase the government interest in the private sector instead of on things that stimulate the economy. Obama wants to again raise taxes (letting the Bush tax cuts expire) plus add an additional tax cut on the wealthy since they make up a small portion of the country. Also, Obama is promising massive increases in regulations (like cap and trade) that will cost the economy another trillion dollars a year. On top of that, he is trying to push through the Obama-care (a long term democratic pet project / state run healthcare). Obamacare is estimated to cost 1-2 Trillion over the next few years. (As an interesting side note, if I don't want to have health care, I would have to pay like 2-4% of my annual salary as a penalty for opting out of the national healthcare dealio).

So yeah, we have to spend, but we have to spend in a way in which brings jobs back (not increases government jobs, but fostering the environment for small business growth) The government can never match the private sector. We all know how "efficient" and "effective" the government is. Think about the last time you went to the DMV. The issue is that the real problems aren't being addressed and were spending money like it's candy (which puts a huge strain on the ability for the private sector to lend) and deceiving and diverting to bullshit like healthcare. We do need to spend, but no the way that Obama wants to spend.
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The problem with the stimulus right now is it would have helped if we didn't have to revise it to a point where it can't do anything, the revisions were made by republicans that don't think the economy can be saved by government spending.......
Yes I might be a liberal person about the whole situation but that is just how I was raised. I do study politics very closely and I am greatly interested in economics so I know what I'm talking about. I just hope people can accept everyones political and religious views and not make ludicrous accusations about our president. I greatly respect the Republican party (except for Palin) and I think their thoughts are as good as mine being a Democrat.

1) Why not Palin?

2) How much money was cut out of the stimulus bill and what did the republicans change in it?
As a point, out of 527 voting congressman, a total of 3 republicans voted yes on the stimulus bill. I don't think that they "gained republican support". Also, the things that the republicans wanted to add (across the board tax cut, 15% freeze on capital gains and dividends taxes, and other pro-business measures), were left out.