Comments on: State of the Union: Can Barack Obama Kickstart the Economy?

By: Hidden Debt Could Balloon Federal Deficit - Mortgage Rate News

Hidden Debt Could Balloon Federal Deficit - Mortgage Rate News — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:48:33 +0000

[...] departments, and even pork barrel projects (as long as that federal pork comes to our communities). We demand these things and tax breaks. And all of that adds up — no matter who is in [...]

By: MoneyEnergy

MoneyEnergy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:05:08 +0000

Inconsistencies – thanks for acknowledging that! Nicely written article here, I largely agree. I’m not sure what kind of person it takes to actually want the horrendously frustrating job it would be to work as President. In many ways it’s just a symbolic role – and Obama seems to work best when he can inspire and provide visionary leadership. I was impressed by the SOTU as well, but like you said, alot of it isn’t going to be up to him once it’s out of his hands. Everyone else has to do their share of the work. Reducing all personal debts could be a big part of this.
.-= MoneyEnergy´s last blog ..How Do You Decide Which DRIPs To Get Rid Of? =-.

By: Obama Administration Looks to Raise Taxes on those earning more than $200,000 a Year - Money & Investing – Banks.com

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:29:37 +0000

[...] I watched the State of the Union last week, it dawned on me that we have a lot of inconsistencies in the way we view money, as a [...]

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:32:40 +0000

I think you folks have hit the nail on the head. The infrastructure of the United States is in horrible shape. A bridge falling into the water is something you expect to see in a third world country, not a country that considers itself one of the world’s superpowers.

But instead of accepting that these things cost money and being willing to pay more in taxes to get them done, we’ve got a bunch of people who are so concerned over the tax rates of people who make five times as much money as they do. They cry about “tax and spend” policies, never understanding that these policies will BENEFIT them and they won’t be paying more in taxes!

Not that Dubai is a model of how a country should be run, but they are willing to spend billions to expand their airports just a few months after they came close to defaulting on their debt!

But we’ve got people who act as if asking those who make $250K a year or more to cough up three additional cents of every dollar above that level is tantamount to inviting bin Laden to the White House.
.-= Tony´s last blog ..Dubai Makes Drunken Sailors Look Restrained =-.

By: Matt SF

Matt SF — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:36:45 +0000

No, I don’t think the POTUS can do much these days when lobbyists and special interest groups can sandbag things in Congress. That’s even worse when you have a POTUS that spends too much time worrying what the polls say.

The role of the contemporary POTUS, at least from my vantage point, seems to be less of a leader and more CHEERleader whose main goal is to sooth our worries, get us pumped up, and tell us grandiose fallacies that will likely never occur.

Rather than a State of the Union address, I’d be happier to see a 10 minute kicka*s PowerPoint presentation on what the problem is, how it can be fixed, and what we’ll do to never let it happen again. But Washington is too corrupt of a place for commonsense Corrective Actions/Preventative Actions (CAPA) techniques to take place since that would require transparency and status quo changes.
.-= Matt SF´s last blog ..DIY Alternatives to Processed Foods that Save You Money =-.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:11:37 +0000

Indeed, there is plenty of blame to go around. People in government (from both parties) are more interested in staying in power, rather than doing necessary things that would make them unpopular. And, of course, we the people casually fall into the sniping, and we're all ignoring the deeper issues. But the bottom line is that true reform, whether it's health care or economic, would upset the citizenry, and political heads would roll. Because what needs to be done is to completely overhaul the system, and change the way we think. But that would be too painful in the short-term for ordinary people, and it would cost the folks in Washington their power. Everyone claims they want reform, but from Main Street to Wall Street to K Street, everyone is just more comfortable with the status quo. .-= Miranda´s last blog ..President Obama Focuses on Jobs =-.

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:36:00 +0000

“People expect government to alleviate more of their problems, but they don’t want to pay for it with tax dollars.”

Well put Miranda! This is why no one in the citizenry cares about the size of the deficit and national debt. If we can get $2 of benefit for every $1 we pay in taxes, we’d prefer that to a balanced budget, or $1 of benefit for $1 in taxes.

I used to think the problem was government; now I’m certain there’s plenty of blame to go around.
.-= Kevin@OutOfYourRut´s last blog ..Buying vs Renting a Home – Its Not All About Money =-.