Obama's Road to Recovery

I'm thinking we can let the numbers do the talking when it comes to the recreation of jobs in America post President Bush.

"One year ago tomorrow, after tens of thousands of you shared stories and called your representatives, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." - David Plouffe

Just for giggles maybe we should look at a few of the things that the President's plan has accomplished so far. I wouldn't call it a full recovery when the bars are still in the negative range no matter how small a number that might be. After-all, those numbers are not just numbers but actual people that have lost their jobs in the latest economic downturn aka recession.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

• Cut taxes for 95 percent of working families through the Making Work Pay tax credit
• Cut taxes for small businesses
• Provided loans to over 42,000 small businesses
• Funded over 12,500 transportation construction projects nationwide, ranging from highway construction to airport improvement projects
• Made multi-billion dollar investments in innovation, science and technology that are laying the foundation for our 21st century economy
• Provided critical relief for state governments facing record budget shortfalls, including help to prevent cuts to Medicaid and creating or saving over 300,000 education jobs

Just for another set of giggles, I emailed President Obama my resume just after his state of the union speech. I'm hoping that he just might have a job somewhere in America for me. I'm not looking for the Vice President's job but I sure as hell could use the frequent flier miles that the Secretary of State racks up.

Papamoka

***Propeller has linked in with 16 Props... Thanks!

USS Enterprise

This is a time warp piece back to the days of old back in World War II. I happen to love the History Channel and today they had a non stop running of Battle 360 and it covered the battles that the carrier U.S.S. Enterprise encountered in the Pacific against the Japanese during WWII. If there was ever a symbol more worthy of the American people it was this ship against the original Axis.

Those guys went through hell more than once. If you are reading this and you are a veteran of the Enterprise then God bless your heart my friend. Holy crap! From battle after battle the Grey Ghost just wouldn’t give up and at one point she was the only surviving carrier the US Navy had during the Pacific Campaign of WWII. If there is anything that comes close to defining the road trip to hell and back, then these guys can explain it all with graphic personal first hand details.

The Enterprise encountered the best the Japanese had to give and beat them back time and time again. That is a tribute to the American spirit of the time and a testimony that many should hear. These men refused to give up and they gave it their all to defend what was right and wrong in the world. Even against overwhelming force they stood and fought and persevered. It was an amazing time and in it we can all take a serious lesson in our lives today. Regardless of all the crap thrown at you at any point in your life, somebody faced a much more dire set of circumstances than we will ever think possible, and they survived to tell the world about it.

Times are tough but times are changing for the better. Things are starting to turn around in the banking industry, stocks and confidence in them shows that. Housing starts are starting to turn the corner and the refinancing of existing homes is turning a page for the better.

Now is the time for people to stop listening to the doom and gloom media and think that it is actually possible that America can survive and get past the current economic crisis. While everyone on the news is spouting more gloom and doom you don’t hear crap about the success stories during this difficult time. Something like General Motors saying that they believe that they will be okay after bankruptcy court. Or the fact that many people able to purchase an existing home from the distressed real-estate market will be launching into home repairs, renovations, upgrades, and out right rebuilds of the existing homes all across America. Then of course it is a must to mention all the folks that still have a job, still pay their bills and pay their mortgages on time as well.

All is not lost, the ship that is the American economy is still able to tread water and make headway. We just can’t barrel ahead at 25 knots and we all need to accept the fact that we have to fix the ship and know that our battle in this economic crisis only acceptable outcome is victory. Just like in WWII, we can fix this and make it seaworthy once more to make her ready for battle on the frontline again. But we can do better. We can make her torpedo proof, make her capable of defending herself, and we can make her survive the long fight ahead of us all. All that we have to do is give her a crew worthy of the sacrifice.

Thank you Enterprise and all that served on her then and now for your courage and your service. Your history and your ship earned a respect unequaled by many and wothy of many more tributes. I just hope that the America of today can live up to your courage in the face of total aniliation and see that survival is possible and you can come back to fight another day.

Papamoka

Act Now! Paint the Republicans Red Before It's Too Late!

Hello Papamoka Readers! I grew up like most kids in America, believing in truth, justice, and the American way! Therefore, I always considered my fellow Americans a fair bunch when it came to politics, usually giving our politicians time to get the job done.

Unfortunately, it would appear that Americans are becoming more and more like the media today: short-sighted, somewhat fickle and very impatient. It seems our fast paced world, coupled with worries about the economy, are eating away at our national intelligence, and - in my opinion - we risk national failure if we can't control it.

The country has less trust in its leaders, probably for good reason after the past eight years, but we need to trust President Obama for a while if we're to see any of the CHANGE we voted for. He needs more time. We need to rediscover our long-held trust and patience, or we could spiral down into Republican-generated turmoil that has dangerous consequences.

Isn't it obvious to you by now the GOP thrives on chaos? They love it. Conflict creates opportunities for the military-industrial complex, and other devious people that roam the back hallways of power. There are many books on the subject. They're the dark lords of chaos who hate the Democratic Party and it's clean-up efforts, and see the American people as puppets in their game. I wonder what will happen when we're no longer useful. Scary!

Look at your calendar people! President Obama has been in office for less than 2 MONTHS, and some of you (probably many independents) are already second-guessing him? You're already listening to the boobs on the right who DESTROYED this great nation, and a lot of the world with it? It seems to many of us you're already willing to give their old, stale and broken ideas a chance again. What is the matter with YOU?! WAKE UP! Stop listening to their old, busted ways!

I realize I'm being somewhat melodramatic, but I had hoped that Americans would give President Obama a high approval rating for most of the year. I had hoped that Americans would look to President Obama to rescue us from what the Republicans did, and are capable of DOING AGAIN! Unfortunately, for the less patient Americans, time is already running out.

President Obama is slipping a little in the polls. Last week a major Opinion Research Poll for CNN showed his ratings decline to 64 percent from 76 percent in February. That's OVER TEN POINTS! We need to stop that decline NOW! His disapproval rating edged up to 34 percent from 23 percent. That might not seem like a lot, but we need him to remain as popular as possible to tackle the huge problems facing this country. We need every American to stop listening to the Republican BS machine and support the President!

Republican operatives around the country are busy at work RIGHT NOW crafting grotesque and dishonest schemes to foment chaos. We need to respond! The two-thirds of Americans who say Obama will succeed need to talk to their friends, and try to discredit Republican attempts to create chaos. More Democrats need to discredit the 24/7 "news" channels, and talk about why we voted for President Obama in the first place. We have a small window to recapture the debate and shut the Republicans down again - like last year.

HOW? I have a simple idea, especially for us, over-complex-loving Democrats. We need to shut down their strategy by painting the Republicans RED with the deficit they CREATED and DESERVE. RED NEEDS TO BE THE NEW GOP COLOR! The color of debt, corruption and lies.

I've written about it many times. It's a fact that the Republicans are responsible for over 90% of this nation's post World War II debt (see my Feb 2009 post entitled The Lies and Debt of Republicanism). They should not get away with being seen as fiscally responsible! Truth be told, they should be tarred RED, feathered and thrown out of the country! Short of that, how about at least blaming them for the damage they caused? WAKE UP Democratic leaders! Do your jobs! Paint the GOP RED!

Republicans are thrilled by the fact they have lied their way into getting millions of Americans to - ONCE AGAIN, despite all evidence to the contrary - think the Democrats are the big spenders. They know it's a joke, but it doesn't matter to them. Truth is inconvenient to them. It's simply their latest fake controversy.

I'm speaking of course about the latest brilliant GOP ideas, freezing government spending and lowering taxes on the wealthiest Americans. (Oh yea, that's worked in the past.) Those ideas have no basis in history or fact. They are reckless and borderline stupid. Respected economists worldwide agree, along with the majority of the American people, that only domestic spending, health care, finance and other overarching government reforms will rescue the economy, the middle-class, and ultimately the whole nation - including the wealthy.

Instead of respecting the election and letting us have our chance to create policy, the Republicans are reacting like spoiled brats. They claim we're "spending their money" and they "want it stopped." It's a joke, a crock! What the hell did they do while they were in power? SPEND MONEY?! It's called winning elections and governing with your own ideas you morons! Unfortunately, their latest crisis seems to be gaining support, so we need to stop it!

What do we need to stop? How about the latest Republican orchestrated anti-bailout protests that started last month when that grandstanding fool Rick Santelli of CNBC complained about Obama's $75 billion mortgage-relief plan. Santelli accused the government of promoting bad behavior and sarcastically asked people at the Chicago Board of Trade whether they'd like to pay for their neighbor's mortgage. His rant was picked up on the Drudge Report and posted on YouTube.

His call for a Chicago Tea Party along Lake Michigan spread rapidly via the Web, and people started planning mini-versions of the Boston Tea Party, which - of course - was a protest against unfair taxation from England. I guess Santelli and the idiot Republicans see Democrats in power as some kind of "royalists" who spend their hard earned money foolishly. I have news for you simpletons, it's our money too! Get a life and shut the hell up!

It's obvious to most observers that Democrats need a better plan, or at least a better marketing and communications plan. They need to start labelling the Republicans. They need to start putting out simple messages - to our simple, pseudo-modern press - blaming the Republicans for all the damage they did, and encourage the media and the American people to discover the simple truth. Republicans aren't the good guys they say they are.

Republicans do not represent the best of America. Unlike the past (it's true that many decent people are slow to realize and get out), it's clear these days they represent the worst. They are a small, regional party that loves to use lies and deceit to create chaos, thus gaining power and stealing wealth. Honorable Republicans and independent-minded Americans need to wake up and stop trusting the lies they're being told day after day. They need to do more to find the truth. I hope they wake up before it's too late, for us and the world.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Today's Ugly, Lazy Politics

Hello Papamoka Readers! It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and a good time to give up something. Let's purify the soul. If you start with the seven deadly sins as a guide, perhaps we Democrats should let go of some pride. President Obama is causing an overload lately. Let's give it a shot.

Let's see, how about Republicans? I have a suggestion for our Republican friends. How about giving up sloth? Sloth is one of the sins articulated so well by medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.

Think about it, it's the perfect sin to describe today's modern American Republican. Yes, SLOTH!

According to the Catholic Church, sloth is the "sluggishness of the mind which neglects ... sloth is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses." Wow, I don't know about you, but for me that is the nail that hits the proverbial Republican head. It's PERFECT!

The Church was referring to the idea that life requires work, and that work leads to salvation. You can interpret "work" any way you wish, but before I'm inundated with Republicans accusing Democrats of lacking a work ethic due to their desire for government leadership, allow me to say the work I find lacking involves Republican laziness related to FACT FINDING! Besides, I totally disagree with you Republicans that Democrats are lazy. American workers are the most productive on earth.

As many of you know I audit many of their news sources, and let me tell you their leaders, radio talk shows and various psychotic FOX "News" programs have been swamped lately with even more propaganda than usual. I call them the propaganda "elitists," to borrow a word the Republicans like to use on us. Well, the elitists are out-of-control and off the scale!

I've referred to Recovery.gov as a fact checker numerous times, and I am shocked by the amount of Republican BS that's being repeated ad nausea in some kind of retarded GOP-to-media-to-constituent daisy chain, or merry-go-round when they talk to each other. They are out of control and they don't even realize it most of the time. To be blunt, it seems like some kind of sick sociological experiment, to discover just how wrong politics, parties and their constituents can get when guided by unprincipled, desperate people.

The last few weeks have been the worst ever tainted by their lies, which has spurred them to be the least cooperative opposition during a crisis in American history. Their unwillingness to acknowledge the will of the American people after the last election is striking. They seem determined to stick to their broken ideas and stunted schemes. Their leaders have been despicable, doing whatever they can to stop a true economic recovery for their own political purposes. Their only concern is the next election and power, not the American people.

You see, there is only one set of facts. We Americans can debate them all we want - as to whether we feel they will help or hurt - but the fact remains there's still only one set of them.

I have a few questions for those Republicans who love to think they're politically smart these days, but in reality parrot the hyperbole of a few fanatic media dogs. Do you ever listen to yourselves? Do you ever think how absurd you sound when you try to debate politics using today's corrupt and discredited Republican resources? Do you ever get tired of ignoring factual responses, while resting on a crutch of media ignorance? Do you ever LISTEN?

Why don't you look up just a few key facts, which just might encourage you to cut President Obama and the Democrats a little slack? Try these first:

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how Republican presidents and congressional leaders ran up WELL OVER 90% of today's post World War II government debt, which now tops off near $11 trillion? George W. Bush himself ran up over a TRILLION in the past fiscal year alone. If it's true, which it is, doesn't it stand to reason that Democrats should be allowed an opportunity to spend government money based on their own needs and policies? It's only fair.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about what generates actual wealth in a nation? Republican leaders, the media, and my Republican friends keep talking about how World War II spending was the real reason why America pulled itself out of the depression. They like to say that Roosevelt's policies helped the poor, but in reality they prolonged the depression. That is a LIE!

Economists know that war spending does very little to create the economic conditions for domestic growth, since most of the money is wasted on products and services that are ultimately destroyed. Economies grow based on investments that are both renewable and long-lasting. Infrastructure investment, education investment, and good government policies are what most economists and academics credit with pulling America out of the depression. The fact is Roosevelt is responsible for those conditions. The Republican talking points to the contrary are deceitful, disingenuous and ignorant.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about why tax cuts are not enough to spur an economy, especially one mired deep in a recession or a depression? Most economists believe tax cuts spur an economy, which is why President Obama included $288 billion in tax cuts in the stimulus, HOWEVER, most economists ALSO believe that government spending and smart policies can play a vital role in stimulating an economy in crisis. The Republican talking points that criticize government efforts have no basis in reality. They are LIES! It is a fact: government has helped in the past and it can help again. The Republicans are playing politics!

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how they themselves used the same tools of government intervention in the past to help the economy? There are many examples throughout history when Republican administrations and congressional delegations used government to help fix the economy. I'm not going to name them all, but suffice to say that Ronald Reagan (Savings & Loan Crisis - $160.1 billion, about $124.6 billion of which was directly paid for by the U.S. taxpayer) and George W. Bush (federal bailouts and guarantees totalling over $5 TRILLION) were the two most recent examples. Feel free to list your own. They used LOTS of government money to tweak the economy. If Republicans wish to be fair, they'll allow us the same tool box. Unfortunately, I suspect fairness means little to them.

Why didn't more Republicans worry about creating debt when they were in power? Don't they see their own hypocrisy and double-standard today? I guess not.

Why didn't more Republicans care about smart regulations and enforcement when they were in power? Why are they fighting it now? Don't they acknowledge the role their leaders played at creating this crisis? Why doesn't it matter to them? Why don't they question their leaders' competence more?

Why do Republicans keep saying the Democrats were responsible for our problems because they controlled congress during the last two Bush years? Are they stupid? Think about the time scale! Are they even aware how their party filibustered every significant piece of reform legislation over those two years?

Why do Republicans always believe - without question - that Democrats spend while Republicans save? The exact OPPOSITE IS TRUE! The Republicans have consistently outspent the Democrats while in power, and by their love of tax cuts are guilty of lowering their own taxes at the expense of future generations. IT'S A FACT!

Do Republicans understand how BIG the deficit could get if we don't stimulate the economy, and HOW LONG the recession/depression could last? There are plenty of historic examples where governments did nothing, and nothing happened. Republicans love to use the Japanese stimulus packages of the nineties and their subsequent slow growth as arguments for nonintervention, but they always fail to mention that Japan's economy is driven by exports, and how stimulating that market is difficult. I say get all the facts, or don't bother.

The Republicans like to call us Democrats socialists. The facts suggest otherwise. Republicans lie to their constituents, create myths about who they are, and lie about what they did moments after doing it. They are the CON ARTIST party. A good example is their passion for the "FREE MARKET." Sure they love it, when it benefits them. Republicans are famous for PRIVATIZING THE PROFITS and SOCIALIZING THE RISK. Democrats simply acknowledge that government has a role to play. We tell the truth. We do not try to con the American people.

The list of questions goes on an on. I might even add a few over the next few days. Feel free to suggest your own. The bottom line is that most Republicans are ignoring the facts these days, while believing lies from multiple, illegitimate sources. It's time for Republicans to step up, smell the coffee, unhook the old ball and chain, and free themselves of whatever is causing them to be so brain dead these days.

I have had numerous debates with Republican friends and family recently, and they all seem to be parroting the same lies. It's getting very tiring and annoying. As I said on this blog, modern American political discourse is being steered by political and media elites, who are often LYING! I'm begging average Americans, especially Republicans, to do their research, read more, and discover what really happened in the past, and what is really happening today.

PLEASE DON'T TRUST TODAY'S POLITICAL AND MEDIA ELITE! Get up, get active, and get better informed!

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Handle with Care

In these foreboding times in our nation it is up to all of us to handle our economy with care. While we have all been beat up and shot down our reputation and place in the world is to lead with confidence and to some degree arrogance and yet with some form of humility. Our future as a people and nation has not been robbed from us but simply misplaced. It is up to each one of us to lean on one another to find the path out of this mess and we can clean it up together. Our nations government and its reputation is on the line with the bailout packages that they are proposing but that is just a drop in the bucket of what this nation really needs. We need to join together, stop being fooled and listen to one another and act accordingly with one another. Stop acting as if the next great depression is upon us and listen to the traffic outside your window and that my friends is America alive and well and working. Non stop fear mongering by the media is driving the mentality that we should all tighten our belts and forget that we are the economic engine of the world. That is bull and we all know it deep down.

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Everybody has a part to play in this economy and everyone can excel at their part in fixing it by simply not acting out of fear. Give the time needed for change to happen and by all means, if you can hire one person to do a job in your small business, then do so. If you can take the time out of your life to volunteer at your local police or fire department, parks department, schools, or wherever your service to the community you live in will help, then just do it!

One thing is certain, when any group of people acts like a bed of clams and closes their shells tightly out of fear, eventually the entire bed will die off from lack of oxygen. The same scenario is true when the American people stop using their overall purchasing power that does in fact run the world economy.

Make no doubt about it, fear is the main driving force that is running the American economy right now and the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. A wise man once said that to his people in a similar situation. Who was it that said that? His name is on the tip of my tongue but I'm drawing a blank... Help me out here.

If you are waiting for better times to replace the things you need to replace just in case then the fear is in your heart. Let it go and let God. Replace that old car or truck with a new one, replace that television or fridge or washer and dryer with a new one, replace that living room set that you hate anyway. Not because you have to, but because you want too! That my friends is the key to the American way of life. We do things simply because we want to and that got us to the moon with the inspiration of a President some four decades ago. So what is stopping you from replacing or upgrading the stuff you already have? Is it fear? Now ask yourself who sold you that fear in a wrapped package?

Papamoka

The Far Right is Choosing Lies Over Unity

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - The far right has grown even more vocal than usual over the past two months. I realize they're sore losers, but they seem to be accusing Obama and the Democrats of whatever pops into their minds. They're even more illogical and tiresome than usual.

My theory is they smell blood. What blood? A weakness in voter logic. The Clinton and McCain campaign's limited success at harming Obama by linking him to perceived radicals has obviously tweaked their interest. Guilt by association resonates with voters! They see it as a new way to harm Democrats.

In the same way Karl Rove and George Bush drove their fanatics over the past eight years using wedge issues like gay rights and stem cell research, younger Republican strategists are using innuendo to drive scandals using that great American icon - the ROLODEX.

They're using random relationships and speculation as chum to brew new scandals daily. Facts are irrelevant. Since the election they have "chummed-up" the "OBAMA RECESSION," "ELECTION FRAUD" in Minnesota, and numerous other "OBAMA SCANDALS" involving people like Blagojevich and Richardson. Again, facts be damned. It's insanity, but then again it is the far right.

Oh well, I thought they might learn from their defeat, but if the past two months are any indication of their intentions, it appears there will be no coming together as a nation. They will probably continue to use the strategy, and the media will continue to feed from the Republican trough, for as long as it gets them attention.

It's incredible! The election is over, they were beaten very badly, but they still keep fighting. They're like junkyard dogs! Not the funny kind, but the sad kind.

They have decided not to cooperate. Instead, they are determined to paint Obama and his team as corrupt. The corporate media is cooperating by giving their wild speculation air time. The heresay and speculation has grown beyond FOX. The far right is determined to deny the Democrats any respite. They are determined to play dirty to the end.

Republicans get away with war crimes while Democrats are criticized because they associate with one another. The media ignores real scandal while responding to the smallest perception of scandal encouraged by Republicans who seek to prey on weak-minded voters. Unless things improve, the world today seems ass-backward, illogical and dark.

No matter how low they go, it doesn't change the fact that the country voted for Barack Obama to fix the problems caused by the Republicans. That is undeniable. The people want CHANGE! The rantings and the lies of the far right will not change that fact. However, it DISTRACTS from the mission. It HARMS Obama's ability to get things done. It can slow or prevent progress.

I continue to support Obama's desire to unite us, but I bet against it. They are a dishonest and dishonorable opposition. They want us to fail. They are biding their time, hoping to once again lie their way back into power. I grow tired of their deceit, and will not fall for it again.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Is the US Witnessing the Start of Another Depression?

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I went to Wikipedia, one of my favorite places, and looked up the definition of a depression.

Their definition is: "a rare but extreme form of recession, a depression is characterized by abnormal increases in unemployment, restriction of credit, shrinking output and investment, numerous bankruptcies, reduced amounts of trade and commerce, as well as highly volatile relative currency value fluctuations, mostly devaluations. Price deflation or hyperinflation are also common elements of a depression."

So, let's see, the US Commerce Dept. reports today that US companies axed 533,000 jobs in November, 183,000 more than was expected. It represents the 11th MONTH IN A ROW OF LOSSES!

Most economists today are calling it the worst slump in employment since 1974. The federal unemployment rate stands at 6.7%, but most economists believe the number is MUCH HIGHER because it doesn't account for people who fell off the rolls or who are underemployed. No matter what, they say that it's evidence that the country is in a recession.

Yea, right, I think it's more likely an early depression. I know many say that you need 10% or 20% unemployment to claim a real depression, but I think that's beginning now. Construction, finance, telecommunications, entertainment, auto and retail are all starting to announce HUGE LAYOFFS. If Congress allows the auto companies to collapse, in my humble opinion, we are witnessing the start of another depression.

The last one lasted about twenty years. How deep will this one go we all need to ask? I think it's beginning NOW! I could be wrong - I do read lots of different opinions about it. So, what do you think? Let's discuss it if you're willing.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

America in Recession

Back in the days of the late sixties there was a great song by Scott MacKenzie about going to San Francisco and wearing flowers in your hair. With the recent downturn of our nations economy and the gloom and doom coming from all corners of the markets we need to think about the big picture. This nation is not built of companies but of people working together to provide a product, a service, and information. We can get passed this recession thing and learn to live once again. We need to take a melodic trip to San Francisco…

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It is time for the next generation to wake up and smell the roses, realize that they are just roses. We can all take time to smell the flowers but we need to see that the next step we all need to take is far greater than anything we as a generation thought we could take. You can wear the flowers in your hair but summer time lasts only so long till the bills of winter come knocking on our doors. Now is the time to kick in the generation change with a new explanation.

In politics we are all facing an about face politically. What was once up is now down and what was down is up. It’s the cycle of politics and I think we can all have a little bit more faith in a President that dares not to surround himself with people that are of like mind and yes men and women.

Papamoka

GOP Hastily Calls Economic Crisis the "Obama Recession"

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I would like us to remember something important, because it might help us keep things in perspective as Obama takes office.

Last Thursday, only two days after the presidential election, I heard a pundit on FOX "News" use the term, the "Obama recession." On the Stephanie Miller Show this morning she pointed out that Rush - the "drug-addled-gas-bag" - Limbaugh used the same term last Friday. I'll bet this is only the beginning.

I think it's reasonable now to assume that the Republican spin machine has started its job of trying to pin the blame for the economic downturn on our new president-elect. I think it's too early. They probably should have waited until he takes office. Oh well, they must know something I don't, or they've screwed-up.

Let's watch to see how much traction they get. Let's see if the term the "Obama Recession" takes hold. If they succeed, they will have once again pulled off one of their classic deceptions. Language is powerful people.

As Thom Hartmann says in his great book Cracking the Code, Republican propaganda turns torture into "enhanced interrogation" and borrowing money from our children and deficit spending into "taxes are evil." The list goes on and on.

It would appear they've set their evil sites on making Bush's bungling into Obama's personal recession. I guess time will tell if it works.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Bush Feels Your Pain at the Pump?

President Bush today let the American people know that he is right on top of things with the rising gas prices. Then again, no, he really didn’t. But he did acknowledge that it’s a problem for the working class of America. Then again, no, he really didn’t. I’m pretty sure he is really feeling the pain that we are all suffering but I’m also pretty sure that President Bush had his fingers crossed through the whole interview.

Over at MSNBC they had this to say on our distinguished “Deciderer” on the gouging at the pumps…

Bush: No quick fix for gas prices
President troubled by 'tax on working people'; to take look at proposals

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that he's troubled by rising gas prices and will take a look at proposals to relieve the crisis but warned that there is no quick fix.

"It's been a while in the making and it's going to be a while that we solve the problem," Bush said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." "We're too dependent on foreign oil and we need to be exploring more at home."

Bush said the rising cost of gas "troubles me a lot" because it is "like a tax on the working people."

Snippet…. Wait for the key phase!

He said he understands the pinch for working families and that some people will cut back on summertime travel. The federal tax rebate on the way to taxpayers will help, he said.

"One way to help solve it, of course, is by sending some of the money back. That's what's happening now as we speak. There's a rebate going back to the American people, which should help," Bush said. He reiterated his call for Congress to make permanent the tax cuts enacted during his administration. - MSNBC

This was classic Bush and his shiny object over here while I’m doing something else over here. Does the man think that the entire nation suffers from some form of attention deficit disorder?

Basically, his whole speech or interview could be translated into the following. Blah, blah, blah, gas prices, blah, blah, rebate checks, blah, blah, blah, but leave my tax cuts for the top two percent of income earners alone!

Maybe somebody should explain to the Nit Wit in Chief that the gas crisis is market driven and not a supply problem. Then while they are explaining that they could tell the deciderer that some of that market problem is directly linked to some little scuffle in the Middle East called the Iraq War that he started to settle a personal grudge! 4,000 plus U.S. Military dead but at least the crayon pusher at the White House got the guy that threatened to kill his daddy.

George Bush could care less if you can not afford to fill up your Chevy or Ford to get back and forth to work and why should he? He could care less if your family is about to have the lights shut off because the money is so tight these days that food just might be more important than paying the electric bill. All you people that are on fixed incomes are totally screwed if this sad excuse for an American President has any say in a pay raise of one or two percent in your Social Security check. You folks might as well sell your cars and think about canceling next winters idea about having heat in your home. In his mind your winter heating problem could be fixed by moving your sorry asses south where you don’t need heat in the winter! He is about as compassionate as a freaking rock! You might want to duck because the CEO of XYZ oil has this puppet boy President’s permission to smash all your windows and take all that they want from you.

I’ll be very clear that this President is on the take and his pockets are lined with the tears of the poorest American’s and those tears are not enough for him or his corporate buddies in the oil industry. Ten Billion in profits every three months isn’t enough for the number crunchers, they feed on greed and want more of what you no longer have. By the oil industry I’m also talking about all those fast talking salesman on Wall Street that are riding the fatted calf of oil with no care for their fellow man. Bush and company is all about full speed ahead till the Democrat’s derail the Republican business machine that takes no prisoners.

One has to give the Liar in Chief Bush credit, he has never wavered on the services he could provide to his business friends that put him in the White House. George Bush and Dick Cheney are very loyal to their friends, that is till the special prosecutors come looking. Bye Alberto, bye Scooter, bye…

Papamoka

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McCain on the Economy

When it comes to the economy we can pretty much give Senator John McCain an F for Forgetaboutit! (New York City Accent)

McCain’s idea about dealing with the current troubles and economic collapse is to leave all options on the table? That’s a great sound bite but means absolutely nothing. It’s tantamount to telling a dead man in a car crash directions to the hospital.

Do I believe that John McCain is serious about rescuing our nation from the current economic downturn? No, I don’t! Apparently, his idea of fixing the housing crisis caused by “Irresponsible American’s” is to wait for the dust to settle. Umm, that pretty much means he is giving a green light to disreputable lending practices because people are stupid. Those people are American’s betrayed by our own banking industry. Over at the Washington Post they have this to say on his brilliant idea to fix the housing crisis…

McCain told reporters he would oppose any big government bailouts, saying they had not worked in the past and would not work in the future. But he expressed support for the Senate's economic stimulus package.

"We have got to restore confidence on the part of the American consumer to invest, to save, to do the things that make our economy run," the Arizona Republican said.

"We have got to find the floor on the cost of houses. When we find the floor, then there will be people who will come in and purchase some of these at bargain rates," he said.
A sharp downturn in the U.S. housing market has led to a full-blown credit crisis that has reverberated throughout the U.S. financial system.

Still, McCain said he was confident about America's economic future. "The fundamentals of our economy are strong," he insisted.

Some Democrats have criticized McCain for advocating a less interventionist approach to the housing and financial crises than either Clinton or Obama. McCain said in a speech on the economy last month it is "not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers." - Washington Post

When we find the floor? That is McCain’s answer to the housing crisis? When you are loosing your house you can’t take the floor with you. If you are a neighbor to a homeowner that lost their home in foreclosure it reflects on your own homes value. Vacant houses owned by banks waiting for a buyer that might pay for a bargain go empty for months and in some cases years when the evicted family takes the pipes and destroys the home rather than give the bank a move in condition home. Maybe McCain is right and you can wait for the floor? You’ll find the floor boards over at the surplus construction scrap outlet.

Is his plan to save the economy restoring the Hoovervilles of years gone by? Maybe his plan is to let the banks police themselves and fix the problems in their own back yard? Maybe his plan is to offer the banks mega tax cuts to repay all the favors he owes them? It’s not like he doesn’t know that end of the political spectrum given his Savings and Loan history.

McCain with every passing day in this election is coming off as a man that will wing it as President. Unfortunately, the Senator is gravely mistaken when it comes to the economy. It would help when he claims to have more economic background than Senator Clinton or Senator Obama if he actually had a workable plan to temporarily sure up the economy. Maybe his wing man has it?

McCain’s actions and thoughts on the economy are always limited to his own experience and with that thought in mind he sounds more and more like George W. Bush every single day.

No more W!

Papamoka

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It’s called a Recession

While all the politicians including the Hack in Chief of the United States are finally noticing that the economy is in a free fall the latest news everywhere is not enlightening on how to fix it. While one political party is calling for more tax cuts for the middle and upper classes the other is presenting tax cuts for the middle and lower classes. Stimulus tax cuts they call them. In a realistic world they would be called one layer of gauze tape to stop the bleeding of a lost limb.

Our nation is being bled dry not by outside influences but by our own behaviors as a nation. Rather than facing our worst fears we point out who is to blame and then head on over to Walmart or any other super store to save a few dollars on our household needs. It may not be fair to single out Walmart alone simply because every store you go into for any product your family needs and it has become increasingly harder to find products that are actually “Made in the U.S.A.”. Which should also mean made here and not just packaged here. All of the manufacturing jobs that used to make that tooth brush or that nail clipper or toaster are gone. Walmart is hiring part time workers though so you can make minimum wage being a greeter or cashier.

There is an enormous difference between a manufacturing wage and a retail wage. Huge difference! Our nations middle class economy is based in the manufacturing sector and when that is sold out to Wall Street and jobs shipped overseas, it tends to have a negative effect on local economies all across America.

Free markets without controls and rules are dangerous as ignored by the former majority political party and the latest reporting of the mega banks writing off hundreds of billions in foreclosed mortgages is outrageous. Without clearly written government rules, the industry of home lending is imploding on itself with bad loans for people that could not afford them to begin with and it is a self fulfilling prophecy. Greed will do that in a pyramid scheme when you leave the next guy holding the bad loan bag.

"We're facing a recession in the economy," Clinton told a predominantly black church outside of Los Angeles. "I know it's already arrived." - New York Times

"We don't know whether we are already in a technical definition of a recession, but what I know from traveling all across the country is families have been struggling for a long time -- even prior to the sub-prime lending crisis," Obama said in San Francisco. - New York Times

John Edwards… We have to strengthen and grow the middle class, which is struggling mightily in this country today. And one of the reasons that we've lost jobs, we're having trouble creating jobs, we're having trouble growing & strengthening the middle class is because corporate power and greed have literally taken over the government. - On the Issues.org

Instead of a “Stimulus Tax Cut” lets look at the highest affect of the economy and largest creator of the American recession. Oil prices. Everything in your personal life is bound to the price of oil even if you are a new born child. All of the food on your table has a transportation cost to get it to the market and then to your refrigerator. I won't even start on plastic products which are all oil based. You are not alone when you think that three bags of groceries should not cost fifty dollars when it was twenty less than six years ago. Transportation cost are passed on to the consumer in every industry product on the open market except the ones coming from China? They may now call it Black China as an accounting term rather than a political one. Government supports in China make the products the cheapest in the world and the cheapest on the shelf here in America.

Instead of a tax cut, we should urge our government leaders to propose a Legal Aid for America. awyers with a free will to go get them attitude with a government badge. How many of the best legal minds in America would sign up for a commission basis result of prosecuting market manipulation in the oil markets from any sector. We could call it the Green Beret’s of the Justice Department and just the site of any single one of them in the lobby of any Wall Street firm or Big Oil companies front office would set off the sprinklers in the CEO’s pants. Prices at the pump would drop and so would the preposterous ten and twenty billion dollar quarterly profits reported by the largest of oil companies. Not to mention the hundred million dollar bonuses for the top of the top on Wall Street every single year.

We need strong leaders and a strong legal arm of the government that is not beholding to the President no matter who it is. Our economy is being sucked down the drain because the friends of this current President are at the end of the money pipeline with his time left in office.

It was rather ironic that recently the most powerful man in the free world was forced to beg and kiss the ring of the King of Saudi Arabia to open the spigots to relieve the world oil supply needs after being rebuked by the King’s Oil Minister. Now that tells you who is really running the world doesn’t it.

Then of course there is the bleeding of our treasury to fight a war that has no end in the Middle East. Our nation is sending so much money into this endless pit that it has become an addiction of pride rather than an admission of the truth. Can’t fix it, won’t ever be fixed, and the people that live there don’t want it fixed. And yet the American people are screwed by the King of America and the King of Saudi Arabia.

I know that I personally thank our President in my own special way every time I fill up my tank. How about you? Do you feel no longer like an American and just another money chip on the political poker game table? If you do then voting now is more important than ever.

Papamoka

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Cross posted at Michael Linn Jones.com and Bring IT ON!

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