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It is true that there are 23 million unemployed or underemployed, but it is necessary to examine the cause for condition, rather than just blaming it on the Obama administration. The cause for most of this number and the number of families on food stamps and in poverty.
From the beginning of this century, as George W. Bush took office, his administration did not keep up with the natural increase in the labor force, which amounts to between 125,000 to 150,000 people per month. Extending these numbers to a full year means that 1,500,000 to 1,800,000 jobs must be created to keep up with this growth. That's 6 million to 7.2 million jobs during his first term or a total of 12 million to 14.4 million by the end of his second term. Unfortunately, the maximum number of jobs created during the 8 years of President Bush's two terms was 4.5 million, all of which were lost, plus a few million more, by the time he left office. That means that as many as 15 million people entered the ranks of the unemployed when Obama took over the presidency and more losses continued for the next few months. Many of these people have now been out of work for up to 8 to 10 years, so that the 5 million plus jobs that have been created during the past 30 months, which is more than Bush created in 8 years, has only made a dent in the overall unemployment figures.
We should put the blame for our economic situation where it belongs.
The Usual Suspect Lies SNAFU, and I think that President Obama ,as President or an average Adult Human Being, is'nt led into child like behavior and lies. Romney on the other hand,is'nt even ashamed of telling the world that his children are liers as well.?
Everything Obama does seems to cost tax payers millions. No wonder nothing passes. Are you not worried that the US has a 16 Trillion dollar debt. Who is going to pay for this? Compare it to other countries per person:
US 51K, Canada 16K, Australia 18K, UK 16, Italy 40K, Greece 37K, France 34.
Like Greece pretty soon know one will lend any money to the US.
What was in The President's Security briefing yesterday morning? We don't know; may never.
Or, perhaps:
Imagin having spent over 3-years dealing with the minutia of a trillion-dollar operation, crisis after global-crisis, everything ultimately landing on your desk, with continuous vicious opposition from opponents, and frankly weak-support from your own party and the public -- and tonight finding yourself on a carnival stage with an arrogant pompous-ass spewing simplistic lie after misrepresentation after fabrication, of grossly oversimplified bainalities. How do you begin to respond in half of 90-minutes?
-- -- Then suddenly the futility of three long years might become distressingly clear. The very fact that this poser is across the stage from you . . . . acting like he's important. And you're supposed to take this seriously?
Me . . . I'd be silently wagging my head asking myself, "What the hell am I doing here, wasting my time with this loser, on a pseudo-reality-show, little more than gladiatorial entertainment for millions of folks -- when I have real work to do?"
Or more likely, I'da long ago said: "Take this job and shove it. I'm outta-here; who needs-it."
Here's the link to the three hour debate that includes Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party.
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/10/4/expanding_the_debate_watch_democracy_nows_full_three_hour_special?autostart=true
Yeah of course Romney was high. Romney talks out of both sides of his mouth. No money was wasted on green projects because as a venture capitalist, Romney knows that sometimes the investments don't pay out. An investment that doesn't pan out is not a waste, it is a cost of doing business. If you want to look at a source for hiring teacher, fire, and police, then look to the sacred cows of the Defense Dept,, Dept of Homeland Security, the the black box budgets of the CIA, NSA, and other covert lying and spying agencies.
There is no such thing as a "living profit." Profit is what is left over after living expenses have been paid. A company that pays a living wage doesn't pay the wage out of profits, the profits are what are left over AFTER the wages have been paid. The idea of a "living profit" is the phony voodoo economic theory that gave us the big lie of "trickle down that will lift all boats."
I talk to ordinary Republicans every day online, and they are in an incredible state of mind. They tend to be fierce, xenophobic, irrational, and robotic. They have no idea that they are screwing themselves and the republic they claim to solely represent. Since I was one of them, I find this very disturbing. It's like walking into a mine field, because they will gang up and denigrate. Are we in Germany in the '30s?
I thought Obama's performance was a bit strange and uncharacteristic. He's been dropping hints this year that he will morph when he is reelected; but will he? Is the Rove/Koch Machine too much? Yes, it is not only a crock of lies and supremely dangerous, but it is as crooked as a bent nail. I've been reading Palast's account of the massive, secret ballot destruction that the media tends to ignore.
The GOP knows it has lost the democracy game. The few can't take over the commons without resorting to crime, propaganda, and every parlor trick they can think up. We are watching, almost hapless, as barbarians dressed as saints are running roughshod over what democracy we had for a pittance. Traitors dressed as patriots.
Why not tell the truth? The Jobs Bill didn't get through the Senate because the Republicans filibustered and so instead of 51 votes it needed 60 votes and the Republicans all voted NO.
People need to remember that this is a faux debate where the private corporation that runs the debate is financed by Anheuser Busch, so much so that the Anheuser Busch eagle logo was used as the logo for the debate in what is probably the most successful non-fiction product placement ever. The private corporation is the Commission on Presidential Debates and its two co-chairs are ex-functionaries of the Republican and Democratic parties.and both currently have day jobs as corporate lobbyists. The two parties decide between themselves how the debates will take place, who the moderators will be, and what areas of questions will be allowed and then they dictate thier agreement on the Commission which accepts this because they are tools of the two parties. And generally we the people accept this hijacking of our presidential debates by the private corporations that are largely in control of the two parties. It is a closed circle in which the leadership of the two parties agree to keep any other party out of the debate and the corporations are allowed to pay for it so that the people will have no say in the process or be able to demand fairness.
I have learned that you can not have a debate of substance when it is clocked. Was there any time for calling out lies, further explanations, covering other serious topics? No. It is exasperating to watch these debates. Is this the best we can do? Last nights debate was about image management. Disgusting.
When I first looked up Romney on Wikipedia and other sites, and basically got his history at refining and perfecting "Vulture Capitalism" I thought what a pushover for Democrats. Well nothing happened in the Republican debates until Newt Gingrich did the Dems work for them, and claimed "Vulture-Capitalist."
Now, we are into the pablum muck of drivil-politics, babbling words and phrases back and forth, tip-towing around all issues of substance --saying and signifying NOTHING.
WHEN is someboddy gonna start callin-it as it is, holding anyone accountable and kicking-ass?
By the way, the Obama jobs bill did not even get through the democrat senate.
Gouverneur Morris was renowned among his fellow Federal Convention colleagues. He authored the words of the final version of the Constitution. He made a strong case for the establishment of a strong chief executive. He contended that the executive should act as “the guardian of the people, even of the lower classes, against legislative tyranny, against the great and the wealthy who in the course of things will necessarily compose the legislative body.”
President Obama did not look like the guardian of the people last night. In order to play it safe he looked like a guy that did not want to hurt the feelings of the plutocrats that have purchased our republic, put much of the middle class in poverty, and the poor into abject poverty.
Obama needed a Bobby Kennedy telling him to kick him in the balls last night instead of a wimpy staff doing everything they could to make him play it safe. Don’t Obama’s people understand the American people are hurting, and our very democracy is being threatened? They need to act like they get it and fight for “We the People” and our democracy.
Always the progressive solution is to spend money you don't have and steal money from who has it. Do you realize that printing more fake money deflates the value of the dollar and you will wake up ten years from now and wonder why your standard of living has been crushed. Inflation destroys the middle class, the one percent gang will be unfazed. You can't spend yourself out of this recession, if you want to stimulate the economy cut taxes for everybody and let us spend our own money on what we want. As Romney was saying -- we have to grow the GDP not temporary government work jobs.
It was disturbing that everyone with an opinion was racing to get it online before everyone else; here at home we were still shaking our heads at how many Huge lies we'd just been subjected to. Maybe its common practice to lie or embellish during job interviews but most people know about the Internet and how easy it is to look up the facts! Mr Romney just mowed down Jim Lehrer...he kept interrupting the President like he had a right to bully people-in Public! Right there on the TV he was this big jerk and we're supposed to what? Swallow his phony math and just roll over again like we did in the Bush years? Well I don't think so!
We thought we had lost everything when the stock market and housing prices crashed, now back on track and we can only hope and pray that RWNJ isn't elected. And I might add: When I first looked into Mitt Romney before the primaries got going I said it wouldn't be that different from Obama! Boy was that wrong!
Gordon Gekko for President - Greed is Good! Screw the 47%. Hell, screw the 99%!
I'd like to point out, completely off topic, that any reference to the "average" American is misleading. The average American in terms of wealth is at about the 83rd percentile (from the bottom). That's not middle class. The median American in terms of wealth has about 10% of the average. All of this is due mostly to the unbelievable amount of wealth accreted by those in the top 1%. I don't have data on annual income, but it's probably similar.
So beware when a political ad says a tax law has a certain cost or benefit for the average American (with no modifier). If they talk specifically about seniors or college graduates or something like that, it can be taken as somewhat more accurate.
Global,
Why don't you ask the republican congress who blocked the Presidents Jobs Bill your question about our current unemployment rate? All republicans do is obstruct. They don't have solutions. If you think that the Ryan budget plan is good for this country then you need to pull your head out and get a clue.
Yes Thom -- I agree "boy" was racist: catch Rachel Maddow clip at her website for the "Previous" show of Oct. 2nd entitled "Republicans Resurrect Wright Racist Panic". Therein witness an excellent dissection of Newt G. using the racially toned references of: Rhythm, basketball, performer, and references to being lazy -- very artfully. According to Rachel he recommended this approach to Romney's people.
Bob Woodward has it right, also, I believe. I will add that I have no doubt that is it entirely possible that some situation to deprive Obama of his sleep and/or concentration was concocted as very typical sort of "preemptive" dirty trick strike. A false security alarm, international or personal. Obama was so not himself, so far off his game, that there must be some backstory. He knew how important this was. He is not careless in his preparations for anything. Something else was up....
I could not improve upon that! lets drug test the bum!
You know there's only one thing to be said for Romney, what a poser. This guy is nothing more than a suit filled with hot air. There is no substance or no relevance to what he says. When you check the facts , Romney is a liar, and for him to stand up on that stage using protected speech to accuse the President of the United States of lying. This is a sad state of affairs,Romney actually thinks he's a real man, mind you. Ted Nugent is a real man that guy actually stinks. If I were Romney's child I would be embarrassed for him. A man who would verbally Flail in front of 50 million people for political gain or any other reason, is an embarrassment!.
YES I agree - after all his years as a corporate raider - maximizing profits for himself and his 1% investors - how is he now gonna do a 180 degree mental reverse and care about the poor, working, and middle classes
We saw CEO-style bullying. It's how Romney got rich. Lie with a straight face, interrupt and discount everyone as beneath you. Demand the last word on everything. Act like you know what you're talking about even when you don't. Change opinions at will. CEOs can get away with that stuff because "The boss ain't always right, but he's always boss." It's also why CEOs make terrible Presidents.
How to deal with a CEO bully? Interrupt him, stand up to every lie when spoken. Don't back down. A CEO is used to talking down to staff. Let them know early on that YOU are not staff. Government can't be operated like a for-profit fiefdom.
It's not surprising that gentleman Obama was taken aback for awhile by the CEO bullying. He expected a real debate, rather than a monologue of lies from Romney. But Jim Lehrer was most to blame for leaving the CEO bully free. He's the real loser of the debate.
We tend to rate debates like sports events, awarding the "win" to the dominant participant who "scored the most points," regardless of the merit or veracity of their argument. In real debating, it is the merit of the arguments that carries the day. And for President of the United States, the people, at the end of the debate should ask themselves "Which one of these cares about me and will act in my interests." That's still, hands-down, President Obama.
So did any body else catch mitt admit to outsourcing jobs in the debate. After Persident Obama stated we should stop corporate loop holes and incentives to offshore jobs, Romney slipped and said," there are no incentives, or I should fire my accountant, inmy twenty years of business, I have not seen those breaks!" i have not heard any of the talking heads run with this. WHY NOT?
"was Romney high or something" Russell, he is a mormon they don't even drink. MDMAN, companies can't give you "living wage" if they are not making a "living profit".
Finally Romney brought up how much hard earned tax money (or borrowed from China money) has been wasted on green projects. Almost 100 billion, as I said here many times how many teachers, fire and police could have been hired instead. None of it has changed the climate at all.
Obama wants to put more money into education, why so they can stand in the unempolyment line the the rest of the students that graduated while Obama was president are. jobs jobs jobs that is whats needed.