Good bye summer. Hello school next week. Hello Democratic Convention. I don’t know about you but I am getting “conventioned out.”
The Gulf Coast is getting tired of slow moving Hurricane Issac. Issac brings a new dimension to the word “stalled.”
Kids, it’s time to get back on the “cheese” and head back to school.
@Cargosquid
yes, some black people like Kenye West did say that. Your point?
Kenye West says lots of things I don’t necessarily endorse.
I guess I don’t know what your point is. No, Obama didn’t beat Romney down there. Was it a race? Obama should have gone down there once the dust settled.
1. Cat 1 vs cat 5
2. Devastation no where near as catastrophic
3. I think the only comparison that fits is NOLA and hurricane.
Whatever your point is, it is being missed by me.
@Moon-howler
My point was that while I didn’t see a need for Obama to go, and I think that Romney going was pure politics, why wasn’t Obama criticized by the press for not going? Double standard.
I was also pointing out how Obama was criticizing Bush’s response during a worse hurricane, after saying “When disasters like this happen we set aside whatever petty disagreements we have…”
Romney left from the convention, I think. Perhaps the PRESIDENT had some other things on his plate since it wasn’t an emergency.
You are going to pick at him if he goes and pick at him if he doesn’t go. Why am I even responding?
Obama didn’t criticize Bush that I am aware of. Where did you see that?
Do you think the Bush response was totally appropriate? I dont think it mattered if he went as much as it mattered that he attended to critical relief areas that were being ignored. Brownie obviously was in over his head, as most of us would have been.
In fact, Bush shouldn’t have gone until things cleared up a little. They had enough problems down there without pulling one person from rescue to do presidential security.
I am still waiting for the point? I think you are reading something into Obama’s words that just isn’t there.
I am trying not to use the W word. No one is criticizing anyone that I am aware of.
@Moon-howler
I’m sorry that you resent it, but their involvement attributed to the failure. They stopped any reform of Fannie/Freddie. They were involved in pressuring banks to fall in line with the ACORN tactics. Frank actually stated that he didn’t want to change anything because he felt that poor people getting houses was the priority.
@Moon-howler
“Lets talk about facts and figures that everyone agrees on.”
That will be a first. My source is an investment site.
I wasn’t taunting. I was responding to Middleman.
Bush had one Dem Congress. And that Congress produced the first 1.2 Trillion dollar deficit and then held that budget until Obama took office. And that was the LAST budget that the Democrat Senate ever passed or produced.
It’s not that hard, if you’re not completely full of crap, like our friend Warren.
Considering no written records were usually available, it isn’t particularly easy. Have you ever known anyone who has gone through the process?
Why are you picking about something like that? Is that as strong as you have? Tell me somethink positive about your candidate rather than picking at someone who you can’t even vote for? Don’t you feel sort of small and petty? Are your own candidates so freaking lame that you can’t find anything good to say about them?
That doesn’t say much for the Republican ticket.
Got my new health insurance cards today. They have a picture of a smiling Obama on them, and I also got three coupons for free abortions in the envelope, too! Pity it’s just all guys here.
@Cargosquid
I’ll ask you the question that is conveniently avoided except through soundbites by our politicians. I don’t expect you to personally be responsible for the solution to country’s unemployment/underemployment problems, but….
From where do you think the jobs for the jobless are going to come? Our manufacturing jobs can’t compete with cheap overseas labor. Our service jobs don’t provide a livable wage. What do you expect the average Joe or Jane to do for employment. I once lived in a small town which had the largest number of millionaires per capita in the US. Now it has the highest unemployment rate per capita. It’s basically a one industry town that is reliant on the housing industry and its fashion trends. It exists in a dream world where the manufacturers think because of the weight to ship their product, they will not have to compete with China. What a crock! If cheap furniture can be economically shipped from China, so can this town’s product.
I think it’s ridiculous to blame the Prez for this town’s fate or its inhabitants’ fates. We need a serious discussion about what to expect in employment in this country. It’s a discussion that’s been avoided. Even infrastructure repair and upgrading can’t employ all the people looking for work. In five years, twenty years what can we expect given that we as a country have to compete internationally?
That’s actually very sad.
What did you think of the FL’s speech?
Man, the Democrats are REALLY busting out the Nazi references lately! Frankly, I find the desperation unpalatable.
@Cargosquid
Please provide me with proof that Chris Dodd said that in some periodical that someone has heard of. I simply do not believe that.
Secondly, Chris Dodd didn’t contribute to the failure. He wasn’t even working on the Dodd Frank bill when the failure happened.
We might have to get Chris on the batline on this one.
@Moon-howler
I’m not a team player so I don’t watch the conventions. 😉 I read the synopses or the speeches that interest me online and haven’t gotten around to them today. (I’m celebrating having survived one of those indignant exams we old farts are subjected to.)
The manufacturers in the town that I mentioned above are now all international players. One family plant may still be in operation. That makes it all the easier to go overseas.
@SlowpokeRodriguez
I would like to have Elizabeth warren and Scott Brown here in Virginia. It beats some of the crud we have here, starting with Cuccinelli, Eric Cantor, etc.
@Moon-howler
My point is that the press castigated Bush for NOT going while leaving Obama alone.
My point is that Obama stated that politics should be left out of the mess and then, immediately thereafter, criticize the previous disaster relief efforts.
@Moon-howler
http://tjhancock.wordpress.com/housing-bubble-financial-crisis-detailed-comprehensive-assessment/
Sorry that its not a periodical that “someone has heard of” but its an accurate retelling of the entire episode.
Read the whole thing. Dodd is at the end, as Senate Leader. He opposed increasing oversight of Fannie/Freddie. That’s what all the Democrats did.
@Cargosquid You seem to be in the bubble- the info doesn’t seem to be getting through. Just real quick:
From Cargo: “If, and its a big IF, the GOP can turn it around, it will be because they reverse Obama’s policies of over taxation, over regulation, and crony capitalism.”
I asked you for examples of Obama’s policies that you claim are dragging down the economy and Romney could reverse, and you came up with: “ACR. EPA closing coal plants. Energy prices rising.” I don’t know what “ACR” is- did you mean ACA, or the Affordable Care Act? If so, please advise how that will drag down the economy. I’m not sure how it’s preventing a better recovery since it hasn’t really been implemented yet. The only coal plants being closed are old, dirty outdated plants that are too expensive to clean up. Maybe you want our children to continue to breathe that crap, but most Americans don’t. The fact is, with the price of natural gas, many, many coal plants are already changing over to gas, which is an improvement. Apparently, you’re blaming Obama for some energy prices rising, in which case I can’t help you. You must not understand that energy prices are set by the world market, and a Keystone Pipeline or more drilling in Alaska won’t affect oil prices appreciably. A war with Iran would, however, and the neocons have been trying to get that done for years.
Are you really going to try to blame Obama for gas prices going up (see above), disability claims going up, union membership going down, and the “misery index” going up? Disability, really? The point, and I’ll make it again, is that after you are forced to spend a bunch of money to rescue the economy, it takes a while to catch up. Why is that so hard to understand? Europe is still trying to decide how to spend their stimulus, and their economy has fallen back into recession. We have had positive growth since 2010, they are still in contraction. Read that last sentence again, Cargo- it’s an important fact in this discussion.
Btw, I don’t agree with all the Dems have done, and I do approve of some of what President Bush (W) accomplished. He (Bush) had a major effect on world AIDS eradication, I think his “No Child Left Behind” was well-intentioned, he actually kept Cheney under control at some key moments, passed new clean air rules, and more. And, I think he’s a good American who would probably be fun to sit down and have a beer with (if he still drank). On the other hand, the left wingers fought Clinton’s welfare overhaul (which worked remarkably well), are against nuclear energy (which is safe but expensive and the waste issue can be dealt with by eliminating it as the French do), etc, etc. And I disagree with the Obama administration on many points, such as “clean coal,” not pushing for single-payer healthcare, not pushing for cap and trade (a Conservative idea), backing off on closing Guantanamo and holding terrorist trials in civilian court (as has been done many times), spending too much time trying to negotiate with Republicans who had no intention of doing anything except ensuring a one-term presidency for him, and on and on. He’s aloof and lies sometimes and speaks in the singular tense way too often (there’s no I in team, and a president doesn’t work alone).
As for Cuccinelli, you’ve got to be playing me here- harassing college professors because you don’t believe in science (global warming)? Spending taxpayer money on lawsuit after lawsuit that gets thrown out for obvious legal reasons? When do we get to the “good ideas?”
We’ve been in recovery since 2010, some things lag behind. What’s Romney’s plan for jobs? All I’ve heard is eliminate taxes on capital gains, block grant Medicaid,
@Cargosquid You seem to be in the bubble- the info doesn’t seem to be getting through. Just real quick:
From Cargo: “If, and its a big IF, the GOP can turn it around, it will be because they reverse Obama’s policies of over taxation, over regulation, and crony capitalism.”
I asked you for examples of Obama’s policies that you claim are dragging down the economy and Romney could reverse, and you came up with: “ACR. EPA closing coal plants. Energy prices rising.” I don’t know what “ACR” is- did you mean ACA, or the Affordable Care Act? If so, please advise how that will drag down the economy. I’m not sure how it’s preventing a better recovery since it hasn’t really been implemented yet. The only coal plants being closed are old, dirty outdated plants that are too expensive to clean up. Maybe you want our children to continue to breathe that crap, but most Americans don’t. The fact is, with the price of natural gas, many, many coal plants are already changing over to gas, which is an improvement. Apparently, you’re blaming Obama for some energy prices rising, in which case I can’t help you. You must not understand that energy prices are set by the world market, and a Keystone Pipeline or more drilling in Alaska won’t affect oil prices appreciably. A war with Iran would, however, and the neocons have been trying to get that done for years.
Are you really going to try to blame Obama for gas prices going up (see above), disability claims going up, union membership going down, and the “misery index” going up? Disability, really? The point, and I’ll make it again, is that after you are forced to spend a bunch of money to rescue the economy, it takes a while to catch up. Why is that so hard to understand? Europe is still trying to decide how to spend their stimulus, and their economy has fallen back into recession. We have had positive growth since 2010, they are still in contraction. Read that last sentence again, Cargo- it’s an important fact in this discussion.
Btw, I don’t agree with all the Dems have done, and I do approve of some of what President Bush (W) accomplished. He (Bush) had a major effect on world AIDS eradication, I think his “No Child Left Behind” was well-intentioned, he actually kept Cheney under control at some key moments, passed new clean air rules, and more. And, I think he’s a good American who would probably be fun to sit down and have a beer with (if he still drank). On the other hand, the left wingers fought Clinton’s welfare overhaul (which worked remarkably well), are against nuclear energy (which is safe but expensive and the waste issue can be dealt with by eliminating it as the French do), etc, etc. And I disagree with the Obama administration on many points, such as “clean coal,” not pushing for single-payer healthcare, not pushing for cap and trade (a Conservative idea), backing off on closing Guantanamo and holding terrorist trials in civilian court (as has been done many times), spending too much time trying to negotiate with Republicans who had no intention of doing anything except ensuring a one-term presidency for him, and on and on. He’s aloof and lies sometimes and speaks in the singular tense way too often (there’s no I in team, and a president doesn’t work alone).
As for Cuccinelli, you’ve got to be playing me here- harassing college professors because you don’t believe in science (global warming)? Spending taxpayer money on lawsuit after lawsuit that gets thrown out for obvious legal reasons? When do we get to the “good ideas?”
You asked for examples of a lack of recovery.
Obamacare is dragging down the economy. Taxes have already been implemented. Future hiring will be more expensive. Some of the regulations have not been written.
The EPA is trying to regulate CO2 based upon an unproven theory.
Spending the money to rescue the economy? Spending is the drag. None of the spending is boosting a thing. Econ 101, based on Keynesian theory, is that any increased spending MUST boost GDP to be effective. The economy, AT BEST, is flat line in all categories. The stock market is going to tank as soon as the Fed stops pumping money into the world when inflation, IF the gov’t actually reports it, rears it’s head. Yes, we’ve had positive growth, if you believe the BLS on how it figures inflation. 1.2% growth…really? That’s your recovery?
As for Europe, some of their stimulus is our money. Billions of our “bank bailout” went to European banks, whose members are now taking their money and running.
NCLB is a disaster. That’s one thing that needs to be repealed.
Cap and Trade…is only a “conservative” idea because its market based. The idea of a carbon market, in and of itself, is a statist’s dream come true. Cap and Trade is not feasible. As for the “conservative” idea of the health care mandate….the idea that one should be responsible for one’s health care is the conservative part. The idea of the gov’t forcing you to buy a third party’s product just because you’re alive, is a horrible precedent.
Negotiating with Republicans…you mean when they literally locked them out of the room when developing bills. “Negotiating with Republicans,” from him, means “I won. YOU compromise.”
Cuccinelli sued because Mann used gov’t funds. Cuccinelli sued because he wanted to examine if Mann used those fund to defraud the state. Mann, at the time, was under investigation.
Suing against ACA… that was on sound footing.
Obamacare has helped millions of Americans already. It has kept young people on their parents’ health care policy. It has kept people from maxing out. It has added tens of thousands more kids to the schips program and it has helped seniors by cutting the doughnut hole drugs in half. It will eventually eliminate the doughnut hole. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for someone being forced to buy health care. It will be a sliding scale for those who cannot afford it. Why don’t I feel sorry for them? Because I have paid for at least part of my health care every month for more years than I will admit on this blog. I know I will have to pay for the person who doesn’t have ite if they get hurt or sick.
CO2 and EPA I am glad that they are. It can’t be good for the atmosphere if it is coming from burning fossil fuels. I mean what will it take–a gas mask for every man, woman and child? Cuccinelli–I think working for the University of Virginia isn’t the same thing as govt money. Let’s just say its a swap off for all those years my ffamily paid taxes and no females could be admitted to VMI. There, we are even.
I am not sure that there is a model for this recession. I don’t think we will find the answers in Econ 101. Otherwise there would be lots of folks out there rescuing us.
Economies don’t right themselves overnight. This financial crisis was steep enough that it could take a decade or so to recover. The point is, it is slowly moving in the right direction. Some indicators do better than others.
NCLB is being worked on…not fasdt enough to suit me but again, it needs to be defunded or repealed by Congress. We know how that works…it doesn’t.
I don’t believe anyone locked anyone out. I know what Minority Leader McConnell said. That’s all I need.
@Cargosquid The bubble seems to be descending, but I’ll make one more attempt to get through, then I’m out. I hear these same falsehoods all the time, so I’ll point out the obvious:
From Cargo: “The EPA is trying to regulate CO2 based upon an unproven theory.”
Really. Based on what? Virtually all climate scientists agree that the planet’s temperature is rising, and mankind is affecting it. Show me a “climate denier” and I’ll show you a link to Exxon-Mobil, the Koch brothers, or both. The Supreme Court (full of Liberals!) has decided that the EPA has the authority to do this.
From Cargo: “Obamacare is dragging down the economy. Taxes have already been implemented.”
How, exactly is it affecting the economy? What taxes?
From Cargo: “Future hiring will be more expensive.”
Based on what? Hiring of whom? When exchanges are set up in 2014, small businesses should be able to get insurance cheaper.
From Cargo: “1.2% growth…really? That’s your recovery?”
It’s actually closer to 2.4%, and that’s not my idea of recovery, it is how economists decide growth. Positive growth for over 24 months is how economists decide we’re in recovery.The economy is clearly not “flat line in all categories.” Home sales are up in many parts of the country, car sales set new records again last month, exports are up, the unemployment rate in the midwest is rapidly coming down, etc. Again, you’re disagreeing with the experts and the facts, just like with climate change and healthcare. Based on what, exactly?
From Cargo: “Cap and Trade is not feasible.”
The industries involved in the sulphur dioxide (acid rain) cap and trade program implemented in the 90’s would be surprised to hear this! The program has been wildly successful and resulted in dramatically lowered sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. California modeled their C02 cap and trade program on this, and it has worked well-could be a model for the nation. Just like Romneycare has worked great in Mass., and that’s why it was adopted for the rest of the country. Again- you disagree with proven programs. Based on what?
From Cargo: “Suing against ACA… that was on sound footing.”
Are you a lawyer? I ask because the judge threw it out, but, again, you disagree. Based on what legal footing?
I don’t mean to pick on you particularly, Cargo, but I hear this stuff a lot and it drives me crazy. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but just because something’s repeated over and over doesn’t make it true.