Two words - Clean Air!!Originally Posted by alan
I'm assuming you really mean "Balanced Approach" to a Balanced Budget. I'm all for that!!
Peace
Two words - Clean Air!!
I'm assuming you really mean "Balanced Approach" to a Balanced Budget. I'm all for that!!
Peace
Honestly, that is the same question I've been asking, just for a different reason. My frustration with the current administration finally came to a head. Every time our current President has gotten into a bind his response has been that the administration was going to focus on jobs, but it hasn't happened. Mr. Obama is trying to hand the burden of job creation off to the wealthy. There are a lot of valid reasons the wealthy are not investing, and thus stimulating the economy, right now. Uncertainty is primary among them. Warren Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway are sitting on a pile of cash. Google is sitting on a pile of cash. Heck, I'm sitting on a pile of cash (albeit a small one). Cash is a very, VERY poor investment. The only reason anyone would remain cash heavy is because they can't figure out what is coming next. The wealthy, individuals and corporations, WANT to invest. That is how they make more money. Tax cuts are not creating jobs because there is no leadership in Washington right now. As soon as a clear monetary policy starts to emerge I have no doubt that investment will ramp up very quickly. Mr. Obama flipping between bus stop campaigning in Iowa and a lavish vacation at a Martha's Vineyard estate is not the kind of leadership we need right now. The DOW is down 450 (again) and gold is at a record high (again) as I write this. The EU is in trouble. The USA is in trouble. This would be a good time to rally the troops. There won't be much point in our President campaigning if he doesn't DO something to establish policy. For the record there are very few, if any, members of Congress that have any better record than our President, regardless of party affiliation.
Well Zig, the number was arbitrary, but I disagree that extremely high salaries are crazy in all cases. Regarding elected officials I will stand by my belief that we could attract better qualified people to those positions if the salary was competitive with the private sector. Regarding upper management pay levels of publicly traded corporations, I own stock in a few that have CEO's in the multi-million dollar a year club. If the underlying assets remain solid, the dividends get paid and the company overall is on a good course in these crazy times then I have no problem with the grande' queso getting a fat check. I WANT the best person for the job to be there. Paying to get them is not screwing me, or any other shareholder.
the post office operates at a deficit. Raise rates for junk mail, stop delivery on Saturday and possibly Wednesday. Or let a private system take over.
Term limits for senators and congressmen. They spend too much time campaigning when they should be fixing the system. If you haven't achieved your agenda in 9 or 12 years give someone else a chance.
Social security disability. Make sure those that are collecting benefits are truly disabled. Review the money going to disabled children. Are they getting the services in schools or other agencies?
Earmarks. See bridge to nowhere.
Tax code. Phase out deductions over time and eliminate most of the IRS. Think of all the paper, personnel, computer costs and audits etc that would save a ton. If you make 50,000 you pay x tax regardless of how many kids you have. If you make 500,000 you pay x tax. If there was no mortgage deduction people would be much more likely to buy houses they can actually afford.
Bring our soldiers home. What are we doing in Iraq and Afghanistan at a cost of up to 1.2 million dollars per year per soldier? Not to mention those that come home with PTSD, brain injuries and lost limbs. A tragedy.
Foreign aid. Look to see what percentage actually gets to the neediest, what goes to developed nations or to leaders of corrupt nations. The info is out there.
and regardless of what party you are in if you are in the White house, stay home. Don't be travelling around the country to tout yourself and badmouth the other party. Get some work done. Most US citizens get two or three weeks vacation so do the same.
There is no way that Obama could pass any legislation of consequence. Look at Congress. It just isn't going to happen.
As for uncertainty, that is the world we live in. If you (plural) are are waiting for certainty then the world is just going to pass you by. The US is facing an array of economic pressures from all directions.. IMO, the marginal uncertainty created by anything Obama has done is totally dwarfed by the overall environment. It is dwarfed by tens of millions of homeowners being underwater, contruction in collapse, increasing international competetion, employers getting much better at producing more with less people, demographic issues, etc...
I see the trend towards increasing uncertainty, no matter who is in Washington. YMMV.
Freedom is being easy in your harness. - paraphrasing Robert Frost and Gerry Spence
Wait till Obama proposes his jobs bill - there will be an immediate rejection by the GOP. It's all about jobs until it's about elections.
Peace
Last edited by Zigzagman; 8-18-11 at 3:38pm.
I think that trying to attract someone to the presidency based on wage would only attract people in it for the money; people with a "what's in it for me" attitude. We have enough of that already in this country. We need someone who is educated, has experience, etc but who is also willing to do the hardest job on the planet out of a sense of what is right for its people, not the bank account.
My Blog: Confessions of a Wannabe Housewife
It seems like a 10% cut across the board would be a good starting place. There is probably easily 10% waste in all areas. While that wouldn't fix every thing it would be a starting place.
I agree with you gregg. I also agree with what Magano's gold said in that he can't pass anything with this congress. After all, the republicans stated goal is to make him fail, so they aren't about to pass anything that would make the country stronger or economy better. Just isn't going to happen.
But Obama needs to try. He needs to come up with a jobs bill that is specific (forget talking about shovel ready or tax credits) and take it to the people. Then let the republicans vote it down and explain why. He needs to be open, specific and loud, detailing the bill. And the bill need to be fairly simple. No fancy math or talk around, but a bill that points out real infrastructure jobs in communities across the nation, including many many republican districts, and how much funding each area will get to fix these problems (creating needed jobs and fixing problems..win win). The bill needs to be clean, no add ons, so the republicans won't have an excuse as to why they will vote it down.
We do need a strong voice now, and a leader. I am frustrated by his apparent lack of ____ in standing up for what he was elected to stand for.
Frankly I think this bus ride is kind of silly. He's got the job, he needs to do it.
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