Let’s try something that’s been proven to work before…a New Deal
By louisehartmann
You need to know this. New job numbers highlight a slowing economic recovery. 54,000 jobs were created last month – the 15th straight month of job creation. The jobless rate stands at 9.1%. But 54,000 fell way short of what economists projected – about 165,000 jobs. It’s also the slowest job growth in 8 months. And considering that 200,000 jobs need to be created each month just to keep up with population growth – our nation is still falling behind.
Job creation is being hampered by a double-dip in the housing market – as home prices fell to a 9-year-low last month – with 28% of all home sales today resulting from foreclosures. And, nearly a quarter of all homeowners are “underwater” on their mortgage. Looks like George W. Bush’s plan of bailing out the banks in 2008 and just sitting back and hoping that money trickles down to everyone else didn’t work – just like it NEVER works. So let’s try something different to reboot our economy. Let’s try something that’s been proven to work before…a New Deal. With bridges and roads collapsing – our energy infrastructure outdates – and a growing need for new schools and hospitals – let’s put American back to work building up our nation again.
Never in the history of the world has a country achieved prosperity through budget cuts and low taxes. It’s time to invest money – and grow our way out of this recession.
Comments
#2
I agree with the fact that we need to use new forms of energy, invest more money into our flailing education system, and reduce military spending (this is happening all over Europe, I just don't understand why the GOP is so against it, seeing as how it would bring profit in the future...and that is what they're after, right?). However, I think that we need to get the citizens of this country to protest against what the GOP is trying to do. Unless we mobilize and tell the GOP to stop putting the wealthy before the poor, nothing will change. We have the power to get them out of office, but it is also our duty to make our voices heard (our wellbeing may well depend on it!), if we sit back and enjoy the ride, we will only have ourselves to blame for whatever calamities the GOP put us through.
#3
It's worse than that. The prison population is not included . The active criminal population is not included. The barter population is not included , the working under the table population is not included. Many of the homeless living out of dumpsters and hand outs are not included.
Obviously No one knows the true stats but common sense dictates that the situation is worse than reported based on on figures derived from registration with governments efforts at employment services which are relatively ineffective in the best of of times and anyone who has been there and done that a time or two can attest to that .
#4
I don't see as how we can possibly deal with this and neglect tariffs. I see no effort here on either side to repair what has to be repaired here in order to "put America back to work" which is the battle cry from all sides.
#5
The Ronald Reagan utopia has failed, the rich have gotten richer and more arrogant. They do not make jobs. They take jobs. And FDR type work program improving infrastructure in the United States for hard-working Americans. Yes!
As for Mitch Daniels maliciously endangering lives by crashing Medicare system in Indiana, in one case manslaughter 10 cases mass murder, put him on trial. Bring charges first given a fair hearing if the leaders of this country recklessly endanger citizens, they should be accountable.
On the Florida law that penalizes humanitarians for feeding the homeless. The cost is 60 days in jail would be way too expensive. This guy must have wrote Medicare parts C and D. Probably took part in Bush energy policy, we all want to pay three times more than some things worth,!
#6
Whatever you think of Reagan, the Republicans always point to him as the one who fixed our economy. But what they don't tell you is that he had a Democratic controlled Congress who was willing to work with him. At the present we have a Republican House and minority Republican Party in the Senate, who is unwilling to work with this President, on anything.
The states who elected Republican governors are waking up to Republican governors and because of the their ideological extremism, are working to get rid of them as their polls show.
This message should be passed on to your Republican friends.
#7
Here is what I don’t understand. Obama has been president for 2 ½ years. The first two years he had a huge majority of democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he couldn’t get it done. The republicans were blamed. Now democrats are still a majority in the Senate, the President is still a democrat and still it’s not getting done.
Regan had a democrat House and democrat Senate. He accomplished so much, that according to those who post here, what he accomplished hasn’t been undone and is still a problem today. That makes me believe, if you want something done, have a republican as president. They get it done. Why would I want a democrat to be president if he can’t get it done even when he has huge majorities in the House and Senate, and can’t get it done even though democrats still control half of the legislative branch, and the entire Executive branch? Would someone please explain this to me?
#8
Interesting, very interesting! Paul Ryan is a Catholic!
A second window will need to be opened to view the video!
Paul Ryan refuses to accept the Holy Bible as a gift!!!
http://www.facebook.com/FaithfulAmerica/posts/224857490876058
Why is there no talk of shared sacrifices???
My wife heard it this morning (June 3, 2011) from Alan Greenspan that America cannot spend any more money. When Americans reach a certain age ALL BENEFITS AND SAFETY NETS WILL BE TERMINATED!!!!! But, the American rich and American corporations will remain exempt from paying any income taxes and they will be able to hoard their money. THERE WILL BE NO SHARED SACRIFICES FROM THESE LOW LIFE ENTITIES!!!!! But, there will be more money for the killing of God’s children through immoral and wrong wars. Yes, there is an orchestrated effort to kill Americans. The United States of Mortal Sin does not have a future for the poor and for working Americans!!!!!
#9
For most Americans Reagan is an icon and at least one half of Americans view Reagan as a god!!! I am very surprised that the Catholic Church has not canonized him a saint by now!!! Saint Ronald Reagan, patron saint for the disenfranchised Americans!!!!!
#10
Excellent articles to read!!!
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Truth-About-the-Americ-by-Robert-Reich-110602-103.html
The Truth!!!
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=132589
Americans are cannon fodder.
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=132608
A twelve-step program!!!
#11
Thom asked what's stopping us. A complete failure of leadership, in my opinion. Obama talks a rousing campaign mode when he wants votes, but is so afraid of losing any vote that he capitulates before any controversial issue arises. He's also assembled a pathetic group of economic advisers and steadfastly ignored the good advice from Paul Krugman and Robert Reich. Failure begins at the top, and Obama is a complete failure when it comes to jobs.
#12
One of the biggest obstacles to a New Deal type program is the stupidity of the voters, especially so called independents, who are propagandized by the right wing controlled media and vote for right wing conservatives thus giving us a Congress bent on decimating the poor and the middle class. FDR, although he had many enemies, had a Congress that could implement New Deal economic policies and put people to work. This resulted in consumer spending and higher tax rates for corporations and the wealthy thus giving the government revenue to implement programs.
#13
Our president can use the "bully pulpit" to tell the people that they aren't crazy: that things are as outrageous as it seems. . . and that he needs to know from us, by how we behave, what we really want from our government. He could also expand the voices and exposure of careful progressive thinkers like Robert Reich and Paul Krugman and Thom Hartmann. They need to be invited to the White House to share their ideas, and exchange ideas with the appointed leaders he has chosen to give his ear to. And that needs to happen transparently, in the open, where the press can observe and report.
The greed heads are venal and the ultra rich are, very often, so pampered that they don't know much about how money really works and depend on their financial advisers. Those folks have no invested interest in the national good, and they tell their rich employers/clients that they need more and more money. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates' the elder are exponents of reasonable responsibility demonstrated by the wealthy because they understand how the money works / economics and finance/ and they are reasonable patriots.
But, just because you're rich doesn't mean you're smart. Calvin and Ayn Rand were wrong. And the lunatic bad guys on C street (they're in Congress???) are lousy philosophers and at least as guilty of distorting Christianity as the right wing Muslim extremists are guilty of distorting Islam.
We need a new bumper sticker, that reads, "You're So Rich, Why Aren't You Smart?"
And a letter-writing campaign to the President to insist that he take some responsibility for making the record clear about what's real and what's claptrap. We need to know that he really wants to hear what we think. Then maybe Congressional representatives could recall who they work for and that they don't need to prostitute themselves to the stinkin' rich.
#14
An economic point no one is talking about is simply this:: raising tax rates on the rich is a way to keep money IN the economy. The rich are totally tax averse so they will keep their money safely away from the tax man which is exactly where we need it for job creation.
(Sound bite: Not Revenue From,... so much as STIMULUS BY the Rich).
Lowering tax rates as a policy does not work for a stimulus effect; just the opposite, money in Switzerland does not creat jobs. (Recession recoveries in the last 25 years have been faster, the higher the top tax rates, check it out.) The revenue aspect of higher top tax rates is only a secondary benefit and this should not be the only aspect discussed. We need policies that make everyone richer, not just the already rich. Since the rich now have all the money imagine how substantial this could be. The tax cut, spending cut, montra is exactly wrong.
#15
Just heard Thom say requiring a permit to feed humans is obscene. What? I'm a health inspector in cal. If you sell/offer food to the public you must follow the state food code, including obtaining a permit. In our county and as far as I know all others, we do not charge non-profits a fee, but, they still must read and complete the permit application so 1) we are aware of them in case of a food-borne illness outbreak and 2) we can ensure they understand how not to kill people with food-borne illness. Private events like weddings parties are not required to obtain permits or even follow the state food code. Please, Thom don't demonize requiring a health permit to offer food to the public. It saves injury, illness, and even possible deaths.
#16
If we really want to stimulate the economy and re-build infrastructure and build new green infrastructure we need to take back the Federal Reserve. Once we de-privatize our money creation, we can simply create money to purchase our investments in infrastructure - instead of letting bankers create our money and lend it out with interest. If you don't believe me then read The Science of Money by Steven Zarlenga of the American Monetary Institute.
But that's not all. We can also remove taxes on honest work and this will vastly improve our job situation. Instead of taxes on income, sales, buildings, small businesses (large corporations get out of taxes) we need to charge use fees on our common heritage natural resources including location values created by public investment. For more information on this read Walt Rybeck's new book "Re-Solving the Economic Puzzle."
#17
What's stopping us? Business.
Business is holding back because they want us to suffer so much that we'll put their good ole boy rethuglicans back in power again.
Business can bring us out if it wants. Americans spent money at Christmas--business should have rewarded that with jobs but they are acting like petulent children until their political party is back on top. So they won't have to pay living wages or provide pensions or healthcare or pay their fair share of taxes or follow environmental and finance rules.
It's called blackmail.
#18
What's Stopping Us?
In the history of Palm Beach, Florida Whitehall society, including the Flagler System, it's called "going behind the hedge." The great mansions built by the industrialists and railroad tycoons during the Florida land boom went behind the hedge in 1929. Miles of great and tall Ficus benjamina, dense Coccoloba uvifera (sea grape,) and Casuarina equisetifolia (Australian pine) hedges were instantly planted on the perimeters of the estates so that no one could see in. The greater part of Palm Beach Island has become one contiguous ficus hedge requiring daily clipping and shaping, to keep out Orphant Annie.
Big money has once again Gone Behind the Hedge, and I've said it once or twice, hedges are made of bushes which can hide a lot if they are allowed to grow too tall.
XXXXX
#19
We are stopping ourselves. We have bought into the fallacy that Government cannot create jobs and that only the private sector. I blogged an article today that was prescient here and did an iReport out of frustration here. It would be great if I got some liberal commenters on that platform as supply side paid trolls follow my every posts to attempt at neutralization.
I did a lot of research on this issue and wrote the book "As I See It: Class Warfare The Only Resort To Right Wing Doom" that details how we got here in basic layman terms.
#20
The NU Deal
For those who wonder about the entity NU Bank and if its founders can spell or not, NU stands for National Underwriters- and they know who they are.
We should not only have a New Deal because the old deck had 5 Aces, but reparations should come from out of a National Underwriter's A rating, whose gleanings built it, each time the nation was cheated, which by now is up to about once every three minutes, counting backwards each dirty deal back to The Civil War.
XXXXX
#21
The situation is that the private sector is adding jobs at the expected pace (all be it slower than we would like) but the public sector is shedding jobs at such a pace that the overall employment numbers look bad. How would the GOP solve the problem of large public sector layoffs? How does downsizing government improve the economic outlook other that creating the Chamber of Commerce's favorite thing, a highly educated, highly motivated (i.e. hungry) work force?
#22
It would appear, that Thom is asking for another World War.
#23
I believe you will find that starting with 1991, this recession ends the longest expansion in US history. That is 20 years. I'll have to check on the other 5.
#24
It also resulted in no real investment and a depression that was extended for no reason other than FDR policy. The rest of the world recovered much sooner.
#25
Is she dumber than a door knob?
#26
"he has huge majorities in the House and "
What kool-aid are you drinking! Hugh Majorities! Yes REUPBLICANS in the house - by a VERY LARGE margin!! Last I looked! In the Senate, 53 Democrats! That is way less than the 60 needed to pass anything!
Either you grew up in Europe somewhere or you are being disingenuious! And don't forget the fillaburstering that goes on in the Senate by the Republicans who vote enmass to block everything.
How many jobs bills have been introduced by Congress this year - 0! How many Abortion reelated bills - last count was over 20 maybe more!
Get a life and stop distorting facts! You simply do not even know the rudiments of how your government works!!!
#27
Another Kool-aid drinker! What in blue-blazes are you talking about???
#28
You mean Palin? Yes!
#29
Based on what logic? Yours?
#30
I'll say it right out - Reagan was a nut! A kind and simple talking one, but still a nut! If he's a saint I'm god!
What he and his ilk started 30 years ago, the world is still to reap the whirlwind! Just look at what represents the republican party today - greed, avarice, meaness, heartless, push the grandmas over the cliff, rascist nutjobs!
THERE IS NOTHING GOOD about who and what represents the Republican party today - that ended with Eisenhower!
#31
The responsiblility to create jobs is - ready - CONGRESS! They are the ones who hold the Purse! And who runs CONGRESS right now - ready - REPUBLICANS! No job bills introduced since they gained the house - NOT ONE- but over 20 ABORTION bills!
Another one who does not know how his own government works!!
#32
What's Stopping Us?
The corporatists in both parties. The Corpocrats, the corporatist Democratic Party, and the Republicorps, the regressive uber-corporate Republican Party, have led to the corporatization of America and The Second Gilded Age. They're sending us back to the raw deal. Democracy, not corporatocracy!
#33
"Corporatism" is business, labor, and government working towards national goals. Sounds like social democracy to me.
#34
You bring up a good point. Why hasn't Harry Reid and the democratic majority in the senate eliminated the filibuster rule? They can do that the beginning of each session, but they ignore it.
#35
The Republicans never have solutions to anything other than cut taxes. Yet everyday they appear on the news and harp on jobs and the state of the economy and stress what little Obama has done to turn things around. The only newscasters I have ever seen that point out how ridiculous this is are Thom Hartman and Ed Schultz. The Republicans, of all people know where the jobs are. It is well documented they supported the exporting of 8 million jobs by Corporate America via tax credits. The Republicans in the Senate last year filibustered 75% of all bills by Democrats and Obama to improve economic issues. Immediately after Obama was elected Mitch McConnell stated the primary objective of the REpublicans was to defeat Obama and block any initiative to improve conditions. I hear intelligent people such as Chris Matthews say that if unemployment doesn't get below 8% that Obama won't be re-elected. Obama did not ship 8 million jobs overseas and close 50,000 manufacturing plants. He did not invade Iraq and Afghanistan, establish Medicare Drug Coverage without funding and disallow negotitation with drug companies as in Veterans Care, or deliver tax cuts to the wealthy, deregulate Wall Street and the banks, and deregulate the oil and gas industry.We were losing 750,000 jobs per month upon Obama entering office and for months have been adding 150,000 to 200,000 and we still hear from Republicans state Obama has done nothing to turn things around. We need the news media to do their jobs, at least those not controlled by the right wing, and remind people who created this mess, how they did it, how they block all efforts to improve things, and how it will never get better if the Republicans get control of Congress and the Presidency. It is time to fish or cut bait.
#36
Miss Dnarnadem,
In 1981 when Regan began his Presidency, there were 46 Republicans, 53 Democrats and 1 independent in the US Senate (the same as now). In the house, there were 242 Democrats, 192 Republicams and 1 independent. The reason for Regans' success is he saw solutions in that mix. You and the dems see problems.
#37
@wmstoll, social democracy sounds good for me! I consider myself a Socialist, a progressive with Democrat leanings, a Jesus liberal, and hopefully to be a better Christian someday.
#38
Here is some good reading!
Perpetual war!
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1106c.asp
The other side of war!
#39
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VGuqk5sleA
Come to Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM&feature=related
Change My Heart Oh God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk2CHhjlFj4&feature=related
Here I Am Lord
#40
In the Apostle’s Creed there are words, “He descended into hell “(the original version) and the new version, “He descended to the dead.” When Jesus died on the Cross, He descended to the dead. He was in Purgatory until He arose on Easter Sunday. Jesus, actually, experienced the loss of heaven and the purging that takes place in Purgatory. He has a first hand account of what many of us will experience until our sins are purged and our souls are pure for entry into heaven. The Son of God’s love is infinite. Please do not let Him down through more and more sin! Please try to emulate Jesus in love, mercy, and forgiveness!
#41
http://www.opednews.com/articles/America-s-Addiction-Wagin-by-Stephen-Lendman-110604-975.html
Americans are addicted to wars.
#42
#43
This is another one of those issues that torques the living hell out of me! "Economic Recovery"
What's stopping our un-representative govt. from implementing economic measures that have historically proven to work in pulling a country out of a "working class" DEPRESSION like the one we're currently in ? The answer makes me furious. Mitch McConnell made himself the poster geezer representing the economic terrorists,aka, "republican/tea party", when he commented that his main goal is to make sure President Obama does not get re-elected. Thus we have seen his party of terrorists block or hold hostage every corrective economic proposal made by the Democrats, including getting rid of tax breaks for corporations who ship jobs overseas. -Talk about a threat to our national security!
Thom could not be more correct, we need President Obama to declare war on the economic terrorists and take a FDR- like- stance. I hope he finds a way to get the message out ...... fireside chats? The republican mass-media will do all they can to prevent truth and facts from reaching the vast majority, so we all need to speakout and keep fighting.
The following is off topic but I keep hearing bits and pieces about Michelle Bachmann on radio free America stations, and think it needs to be said, "it" ,relates to politics and religion.
"Of all tyrannies that effect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst; every other species of tyranny is limited to the world we live in; but this attempts to stride beyond the grave and seeks to pursue us into eternity." Thomas Paine
For Bachmann to say God called her to run for political office is no different than me saying God told me he does not want her to run for political office, but that would mean we both have mental illness.
I recommend she read, The Age Of Reason, by Thomas Paine.
I have said this before, the religious right has a far greater influence on the derailment of our democracy through tax-exempt institutions spewing misguided info, to manipulate citizens into voting against their own best interests in favor of the wealthy top 2%, more than anyone can imagine.
#44
What's stopping us?
Failure to escape from the illusion 'all comes down from above'; from a 'master-slave' mentality. This is what has enabled world-wide corporate control.
Individualism was the American signiture!
In similarity to the study of quantum mechanics--which studied what didn't seem to exist, but proved true,--so did the premise that each person is endowed with unalienable rights prove true. That we came to life after individuals were allowed to follow personal conscience should not be an enigma. The American difference was to structure a nation in likeness to nature,--to all living things. Where each cell matters, all serve each other, through harmonious giving and receiving they compose a whole. Continued existence is dependent on welfare of all parts, and allowance for energy to flow from the inside-out.
A common belief in Colonial America was that a person's primary responsibility should not be to religious or secular government, but first to his Maker, and next to the Creation.
To follow personal conscience was the liberty extended. President Lincoln through ending physical slavery, President Roosevelt through the New Deal, and President Johnson through much legislation, most especially Civil Rights further decreased barriers to expression of this inherent social conscience.
It was with the development of the A-Bomb that government secrecy began to grow. In essence, despite increased civil rights legislation, soon our government stopped moving toward becoming a product of 'We the People',--not toward an eventuality of being a whole formed through free individual contribution.
Then, corporations swallowed up private enterprise. There is no privitization, everything is corporate controlled;--no government formed by personal talents,---people have not only been deceived,--made dependent,--but placed in an economic prison.
The only way out may be to recognize that unlike the natural predator-prey animal motion,--our ancestors proved master-slave is a mutual agreement that does not need to be;--and they gave us the legal right to separate from it,--to follow our own conscience.
Unless we utilize that opportunity soon,--the whole will collapse--because already the foundation of free enterprise,--of individual contributions toward common welfare,--is crumbling under corporate pressure.
#45
In 2001 we were warned by Paul Hewitt, director of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies' global aging initiative, that by 2010 we would be doomed to a permanent "aging recession" if we did not radically rethink our labor, tax and social policies. He claimed if we did not restructure our economy to account for our aging population, higher childcare cost, lower birth rate, fewer workers, higher longevity rate, lower consumption and the burden on healthcare we would follow in the footsteps of Japan and fall into a permanent recession. Our recession has lasted almost 4 years, and now we are considering privatizing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Was this a warning to the American people, or a gift to the Republican Party?
#46
Isn't it true, that LBJ fought Ike's civil rights bill so the democrats would get the credit and the undying devotion of the black vote. Or was he racist, that found himself with no alternative at the time?
#47
You are right, it is time to look at history and solve this problem. FDR poisoned the dialog, making industry uncertain, resulting in no real investment, thus the US depression dragged on and on. Either we are going to plan for another world war, or we are going to create some certainty and encourage the private sector to be optimistic. That is what Keynes would say.
#48
Purgatory was an invention of the Catholic Church, so that newly converted pagans didn't think that one sin and it was game over.
#49
I want to be a socialist myself, but first I have to know how you become an allocator of resources. I don't want to be the allocated too.
#50
And that success was the fact that the Democrats WORKED with the Republicans!
TODAY - Republicans vote enmass - THEIR WAY!
Can't believe you can't see the difference!!!
AND WHERE ARE THE JOBS BILLS??? See any? Hear of any?? Are there any that the DEMOCRATS can vote on?
You need a History refresher my friend! And knock if off with the Miss - makes you look foolish!
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
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This article from Washington's Blog notes that the numbers for this recession are actually worse than for the Great Depression, and how Roosevelt's policies brought unemployment down over a 4 year period from about 23% to about 10% :
http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2011/06/unemployment-during-great-depression.html