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I just wonder what the unemployment number would be if there were no stimulus package. It would be interesting to talk to people that are still working and have taken stimulus generated jobs, what they think about the effort. Of course the millions still waiting to find jobs will have to wait until the head honchos take their "just" rewards for an improving economy.
Unemployment is at 10.2% now LESS THAN ONE-YEAR into Obama's presidency....
I heard on the radio this morning that it's the highest since 1983...
So I got to thinking. Hmmmm, 1983, who was President then? None other than Conservative/Republican Hero Ronald Reagan....
So I got to thinking. Hmmm, well OBVIOUSLY that must mean that unemployment was HIGHER when he took over and it had been going DOWN for those three years since he'd taken office, right?
WRONG!!!
Reagan took over an economy in pretty bad shape in 1980 and unemployment continued to rise for THREE BLOODY YEARS before he turned it around!!!
Yet...... to you...... Reagan is an economic GOD?!!!!
Obama took over, arguably, a MUCH worse economic situation and the right wants to crucify him for worsening unemployment, even though he's been in office a third as long as Reagan was before HE turned it around!!!
How soon we must forget I guess....
Remind me of the $787 Billion stimulus package that Reagan rammed down our throats and warning us that if he didn't do it, that there would be hell to pay in unemployment.
How about we try putting money in the hands of the people and see if they spend it.
We tried that, remember? When we all got stimulus checks? It did absolutely nothing. Most people simply used it to pay off debt or they squirreled it away because they were scared of the economy. You see, it doesnt matter how much money you hand to people, if the consumer confidence is low, they arent going to put it back in the economy. They are going to put it under the mattress to help pad their family when they get the pink slip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadex
Business will have to hire if people had more money in their paychecks.
No, actually they dont. This is what a jobless recovery is. All major economic factors are improving, EXCEPT the unemployment figures. This means that, instead of hiring more workers, businesses are just squeezing more out of the workers they have. Which completely explains the record productivity gains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadex
Business pay less taxes they have money to hire when customers come spending their tax cuts
Customers will not spend any tax cuts if they are worried about losing their job. Giving people a little coin in their pocket is not going to alleviate any fears about the economy. You have to completely turn consumer confidence around, and you do that by stabilizing and reducing unemployment. However, you cant attack it from the demand side because of the impedement of low consumer confidence, so, you have to attack it on the supply side, which means you have to some how force jobs. Unfortunatley, this is best done by creating a bunch of federal or federally funded jobs.
The thing about Obamas plans thus far though, they havent really done much of that. We really need a huge massive temporary federal hiring program that hasnt been seen since the New Deal, and that hasnt happened. In that respect, I would question Obama on what is going on here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadex
What is playing baseketball, golfing or fund raising doing to help this country?
Same thing Bush sitting in an elementary school when 9/11 was happening was doing. Dont single out Obama here. Every president in the jet set age has been doing most of the same things.
Remind me of the $787 Billion stimulus package that Reagan rammed down our throats and warning us that if he didn't do it, that there would be hell to pay in unemployment.
For the life of me, I just don't remember that.
I remember him ramming 2 trillion dollars of deficit spending down our throats. And that was 1980s dollars when the national debt was only 1 trillon.
For a decade we judged the economy on "housing starts" until we suddenly got slapped in the head by the fact that there were more houses than qualified buyers. The same for Autos and appliances. If manufacturing is to make a comeback we need to create demand by getting clunkers off the market, autos, and appliances and putting construction workers to work on infrastructure
Sure .. I've seen the numbers on the "Cash For Clunkers" program, and it took roughly 27k just to sell one new car .. No Thanks.
Pie in the sky health care reform and Cap and Trade needs to be tabled in favor of concentrating congressional resources and effort toward the sectors that create jobs.
I'll be closing my small business down Jan 1, after 31 years, in light of all of the new proposals for Cap and Trade and Healthcare Reform anyhow. Those two things alone will do more to damage economic performance with regard to jobs and production that I can see ..
You're absolutely right. Tax cuts for business will not entice business to hire. But corporate tax cuts could help existing businesses stay in business. Corporate tax cuts are needed to help keep business from leaving the country. Right now we can't compete with countries that have cheap labor and/or single payer health insurance. We don't have either of those things - US businesses have expensive labor, expensive health insurance, and a high corporate tax rate. Something has to give.
I am for single payer health insurance. However, that aside, the US is the one that is allowing businesses to go overseas and freely conduct business back to our shores.
I think you are looking at it wrong. I dont think the answer is neccessarily making the US more competitive for businesses, but using our consumer demand to make other countries less competitive for business.
Protective tariffs are the biggest piece of the puzzle.
Not incl. are people who are out of getting benefits and still have no job and people who just started to look for a job due to not being able to live of their retirement money....and people who half lost wages due to cuts of their working hours....
But, but, but. . . I thought the above were just lazy louts who wanted a handout. Now the RW is all sympathetic to them?
I am for single payer health insurance. However, that aside, the US is the one that is allowing businesses to go overseas and freely conduct business back to our shores.
I think you are looking at it wrong. I dont think the answer is neccessarily making the US more competitive for businesses, but using our consumer demand to make other countries less competitive for business.
Protective tariffs are the biggest piece of the puzzle.
We need to have more protectionism.
Produce more of the things we want within this country.
Guess what? It aint gonna stop, and all the tax burden will be put on those who manage to keep paying taxes. We cant compete anymore because the rest of the world is smarter than us, and we cant start wars anytime we want to to get what we want - look at Iraq.
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