First of all bookmark this thread so that we can look back in 4 years time when you and all of Obama's supporters wonder what happened to his presidency. All you have to look is that states of California, NY and any other state that is in serious financial trouble. They are big socialist states, that should show you where this country is headed as a socialist country. We will probably wind up like Argentina, once a rich country which is now poor! I'll give you a solution, impeach, fire, get rid of everyone in Washington DC and start a new government. You probably don't believe me but I think you might believe that very little if anyone in that town is doing anything in your or your children's interest. Why is the government's answer to everything is to spend more money thinking it will fix the problem? That hasn't worked with the public school system, it hasn't worked with Bush's stimulus projects and it won't work with Obamas. Why doesn't anyone spend more of their personal money in hopes for a higher return? Bye the way, say goodbye to the USA as we known her people.
It takes real money to pay off debt, not tax credits, and paying down national debt is absolutely necessary for a healthy economy. It takes a budget surplus to have the uncommitted money to pay off our creditors. It doesn't matter how that surplus was achieved, but it requires a surplus. In fact, Clinton achieved his budget surpluses through budget cutting, not through tax increases. People are opposed to deficit spending on principle, sure. Me too. But they are also aware that the bailouts and the stimulus are better than the potential for total economic collapse, which doesn't seem to exist in your daydream economy. It's not good. It's an urgent, last-gasp effort to avert a depression and jump-start a faltering economy, as were the bailouts, which nobody really liked either. That's why it's not wasteful spending.
Easy to say, but harder to document. I challenge you to do so. You are believing your own propaganda and taking a small amount of pork and making it into a "minute amount of cash for infrastructure and public education". There are vast amounts being spent here on infrastructure, education, and other real-world projects that will create jobs and get cash moving through the wholesale and retail markets. Here is how it breaks down: Now, look closely at these projects and see just how few are "pork". Then look past the headers. There is a ton of infrastructure and education money going on in other main categories besides the INFRASTRUCTURE and EDUCATION ones. Under ENERGY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, HOUSING, and ENVIRONMENT there are infrastructure projects. Under SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT there is research money going to universities. Under PUBLIC SERVICES, JOBS, and HEALTH CARE there is money for non-university education. There would have been more money for school buildings infrastructure, but the republicans that supported the bill got it removed.
I see a lot of Al Gore-type Global Warming funding which is just another way to pad someone's pocket with few tangible results. There are many social programs being funded as well which won't create jobs but just keep people dependent on government and assure that they continue to vote Democrat. Many of the supposed "infrastructure" projects sound good but won't create permanent jobs. Spending $30 million on a park is great but it hardly qualifies as a stimulus. I'm in favor of some of the spending and opposed to other parts. I just don't see where this budget/spending bill/stimulus/bailout or whatever you want to call it is going to create a significant number of jobs or kickstart the economy. The stock market seems to agree. What I'm already hearing is just what I expected...excuses. The Democrats are realizing their plan will not be an overnight success and are blaming past, present, and future Republicans for the problem. Pelosi and Reid aren't the lowest rated Congress by mistake. These clowns are clueless and just want Obama to be their puppet. The current future is not bright. We need to give the guy enough time to get settled but not too much time as the mistakes may not be reversable. I've never seen a campaign such as this one proclaim to have all the immediate answers and to be annointed as our savior. Due to that, my expectations for Obama are very high. We were promised the world overnight and I'm ready to cash in. It's early but so far...it's not looking good.
1) That real money does not have to come through tax increases. As proved by Clinton. 2) Our debt as a percentage of GDP is not at a dangerouse level yet. We are in the 80% range which has not been problematic. Our unfunded liabilities are much more concerning. 3) It certainly does matter how a budget surplus is acheived. Tax increases take money out of the economy, where as cutting Federal waste allows more money into the economy so that tax revenues can increase.[/QUOTE] Get a paper. This bill was extremely unpopular with the public. It would not have won a popular vote. I know no matter what Bill Cassidy does for the next 18 months his nay vote ensured I will vote for him next time around. And seriously "total economic collapse?" Wal-Mart isn't going anywhere. Well if this was our last gasp we are screwed, because this bill will not stop the bleeding.
Example? The whole idea of a stimulus is to make quick economic progress. It's not supposed to be generating permanent jobs. A recovered economy will do that. Most people are, I think. Well, duhhh! The Republicans did create the problem and nobody expects the stimulus to work "overnight" and fix it. It's just supposed to put the brakes on the downward spiral, so that the economy has time to recover.
Well many sheep bought into the Obama plan that everything would be fixed overnight. It was another political ploy claiming to be the answer when in fact it was just more rhetoric. Regarding global warming scare tactics...if you "create" one million "green" jobs thus eliminating one million "manmade global warming" jobs, have you really made gains in employment? I love when a McDonald's (for example) builds a new modern restaurant next to an existing McDonald's and once open, tears down the old building. The net gain in employee is ZERO yet the local politicians claim they brough 100 new jobs to the area. That's what I see in this plan.