One thing confuses me about the "stimus"

bigrobbierob

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I keep hearing about "get credit flowing again" and "get the banks lending again"...

:thinking:

...isn't that what got us in the mess? (People getting leans the couldn't pay back, albeit home loans, credit cards, personal loans, etc.)

That's like trying to put a fire out by adding more fuel!! :stupid:


(btw...I know there's more to it than the "credit crisis", I just don't see fixing a problem by adding to it)
 
nemo

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I believe the purpose is ti get the money back into the economy,..
When the govt did the bailouts, that was the wrong way to do it, they should have given the money to taxpaying citizens, then the money would be recirculated. That's kinda what the stimulus package is supposed to do, get taxpayers spending again.
I am no authority on this **** by the way,..
 
bigrobbierob

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Here's some more things...

I just saw an Obama speech where he said we can't spend money if we don't have it.

:thinking:

I didn't know we just had $790 billion laying around.

And he said people spending would stimulate the economy.

:thinking:

Didn't congress just shame the CEO's for their jets and the companies having the time in Vegas, Florida, ect.

Well, jets cost money...people build them...people repair them...people fuel them...people fly them...people work at airports...ect

The get togethers are the same...you spend at the hotels...you spend at the restuarants...you spend at entertainment..ect

So wouldn't the spending be stimulating the economy? Wasn't that the purpose of the money?
 
thesinner

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I keep hearing about "get credit flowing again" and "get the banks lending again"...

:thinking:

...isn't that what got us in the mess? (People getting leans the couldn't pay back, albeit home loans, credit cards, personal loans, etc.)

That's like trying to put a fire out by adding more fuel!! :stupid:


(btw...I know there's more to it than the "credit crisis", I just don't see fixing a problem by adding to it)
Economics works in an equilibrium. Truthfully, I think we will level out in due time, but the government and it's people want it done now, and what some might consider stupid ideas get implemented in attempt to correct things more quickly. It's sort of like the after-school special cliche` of a fat chick who starves herself, only to end up plowing down a triple fudge sundae a day or two later to gain more weight than when she started. Anyhow, with credits and bank loans, we are dealing with a lot inflation and interest rates.

If you take a $100 loan from the bank, with an annual interest rate of 20%, you will pay them back $120 at the end of the year. The bank makes money; they are happy. You were able to spend money you didn't have all at once, you are happy.

Now we factor in the inflation rate. You've paid back the $120 at the end of the year, but the inflation rate was 30%. What this means is the $100 you were loaned is now worth $130. The bank just lost $10. You're happy; you just got paid $10 to borrow $100. The bank is pissed, so they jack up the interest rates to stay on top. Now interest rates are high. This makes people less apt, or sometimes even unable to take out loans because of the large amount of interest they will have to pay in return.

In the credit crisis scandal, "we give any loans, regardless of credit history", the interest was never paid on a lot of loans, which sort of inflated the US dollar. As I said earlier, when inflation rates increase, interest rates follow soon after. People stop taking out loans, and start saving their money. Less things are being bought, especially stuff that needs financing. Companies experiece a surplus in production, so they downsize. Now people are out of jobs. Less things are being made, less things are being bought, inflation is high, Real GDP gets kicked hard in the nuts. After 2 quarters of this economic decline, we call it a recession. People freak out, and the government tries to interfere with the natural flow of economics. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Giving poor people $300 is beyond my level of understanding, but some of us elected these guys into office and if it seems terrible, it makes you wonder if the other guy's plan is any different, any better, or any worse.
 
CopyCat

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I keep hearing about "get credit flowing again" and "get the banks lending again"...

:thinking:

...isn't that what got us in the mess? (People getting leans the couldn't pay back, albeit home loans, credit cards, personal loans, etc.)

That's like trying to put a fire out by adding more fuel!! :stupid:


(btw...I know there's more to it than the "credit crisis", I just don't see fixing a problem by adding to it)

Short response...

No, what got us in the mess was reckless loans. Now, just like estrogen rebounds in the opposite direction after a cycle, the banks and loan agencies became too tight with their loans and causing even more people trouble. The idea of the stimulus regarding the loans is allow the right people to be able to borrow money and begin to even things out.
 
bigrobbierob

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The idea of the stimulus regarding the loans is allow the right people to be able to borrow money and begin to even things out.
Since when is it a "right" to borrow money?
 

briancogs888

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In case you didn't know, these "bailouts" and "stimulus" packages put our country over 10.7 trillion in debt, and thats just the government aspect. If you look at the entire economy, including stocks and bonds (which are debt) our system is pushing 100 trillion in debt.

The basic problem is the people are not educated on how our system works. It is a business and investment system. Not an employee system. Free enterprise means we are to own and grow our own businesses, not work for someone else. With over 80% of the country either employees or by now completely unemployed, our wealth is going backwards. As an employee you will never actually see a "raise". How many people get over a 5% raise each year? And that only covers inflation. People must be taught how to compound their income, and make it residual.

Success is not taught in schools or hardly anywhere else today, and that is our problem.
 
CopyCat

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Since when is it a "right" to borrow money?

Not a "right" as in the constitution, but referring to the right people as in the "appropriate" people.
 
CopyCat

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It's all gravy
 

luclyluciano

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Short response...

No, what got us in the mess was reckless loans. Now, just like estrogen rebounds in the opposite direction after a cycle, the banks and loan agencies became too tight with their loans and causing even more people trouble. The idea of the stimulus regarding the loans is allow the right people to be able to borrow money and begin to even things out.
Good post!

There are alot of responsible people who would like to buy a car, house etc. but lack the confidence in this environment....Responsible people buying things with credit keeps our economy rolling. The world needs confidence, time will tell if it works.
 

luclyluciano

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The basic problem is the people are not educated on how our system works. It is a business and investment system. Not an employee system. Free enterprise means we are to own and grow our own businesses, not work for someone else. With over 80% of the country either employees or by now completely unemployed, our wealth is going backwards. As an employee you will never actually see a "raise". How many people get over a 5% raise each year? And that only covers inflation. People must be taught how to compound their income, and make it residual.

Success is not taught in schools or hardly anywhere else today, and that is our problem.

If everyone owns their own business as you say.....who would work for us?
Someone needs to be an employee!

I'm not sure how $750B and $728B adds up to $10.7T?
 

briancogs888

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10.7 Trillion is the estimated national debt after the stimulus package. Our government has been at a deficit for the last 40 years straight or something. There are businesses in this country that do millions and millions every year that have no employees, however not everyone will ever own their own business, or at least not everone will solely own a business. Becoming a business own requires startup capital, and although sometimes its next to nothing, it still takes money to make money. Plus, many people don't have the mentality to own a business.
 
EasyEJL

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Good post!

There are alot of responsible people who would like to buy a car, house etc. but lack the confidence in this environment....Responsible people buying things with credit keeps our economy rolling. The world needs confidence, time will tell if it works.
the stimulus package won't bring confidence as it is the usual washington morass of bs, 30 million dollars to preserve the habitat of some mouse doesn't provide confidence to anyone but the mouse, and Pelosi's re-election.

Besides you put it there yourself responsible people lack confidence in this environment. and the reason they lack confidence is BECAUSE they are responsible.... The bs line about getting commercial credit flowing because some companies use credit lines for payroll just about drove me nuts. If you have to use credit to make payroll on a regular basis, better for you to give up already
 
thesinner

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including stocks and bonds (which are debt)
Through the corporate method, investment in stock entails partial ownership of a company. You are actually buying and selling ownership of a portion of the companies net worth.

10.7 Trillion is the estimated national debt after the stimulus package. Our government has been at a deficit for the last 40 years straight or something.
What is interest? Do you know how we have this national deficit, or to whom we owe this money to?

There are businesses in this country that do millions and millions every year that have no employees
Name some. Think to yourself what industries they belong to, when you are thinking of these examples.

Becoming a business own requires startup capital, and although sometimes its next to nothing, it still takes money to make money.
Most of the time, we are not selling pet rocks, though. You strike me as someone who's just finished reading a "get rich while working at home" book.
 

briancogs888

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I never said anything about interest, so I don't know what that question was. When expenses are greater than income, it's called a deficit. We have accumulated this, well, really, since the United States inception. The nation debt has increased every year since 1969. When you are buying and selling a part of a companies net worth, the company still is not owning that piece of the net worth. Therefor, the company is in debt to whoever owns that piece of the net worth. Some Trump or Kyosaki books would explain this to you much better than I can. In case you don't know, there is a business model that was developed in the '50s that allows individuals, to "endorse" for some major companies. These companies use what would be their advertising budget to pay people to drive volume thru their stores; giving these people their own endorsing business. I refer you to the book Prosumer Power. These businesses are not pyramid schemes, or panzi schemes, they are completely legal, as long as they are based on the compensation plan of one company in particular that the FTC deemed legal because it simply worked. Some of these companys have some of the highest quality products you can buy, and profit by billions of dollars a year, and pay their endorsers millions of that profit back. Now explain to everyone why a company that does billions and shares back millions, and provides you with a compensation plan in which you can make as much as you work to get, is such a bad company (of course, I'm not saying that all network or social marketing companies are great and truthful, because I know of some that have been shut down for making "outlandish claims").
 

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Hmmm.

I am nervous about the US spending that money.
I am nervous it won't be effective enough.

But, put this into perspective:

fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=3361&issue_id=18,Close to a trillion dollars for a war?

Forget the debate whether those wars were right, wrong or whatever.

Doesnt it make more sense to invest in our own country if you're going to spend money?

Just saying.
Not that I approve either admin spending money they dont have. It just seems to me hypocritical for republicans to blast dems for spending money in light of the turn of the last 8 yrs from surplus to deficit.

Frankly, I think both sides should have played nicer on this. The 3 republicans who got their feet wet with this did some real good, got rid of some bs and added some infrastructure. Thats how it should work, both sides keeping each other in check and coming together for the best ideas.Not Pelosi and Reid hogging the details and house repubs sitting on their hands.

Im starting believe there are no centrists left and thats a shame, because neither one of these political camps has the answers at all!
 

edgebsl

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So you guys believe 700 bil in iraq was a better investment than investing 700 billion dollars here?

Don't get me wrong, im not all crazy "anti iraq", I just dont think it was wise to start the second war before figuring out how the first one was going to be paid for?
Spending money you dont have is hardly ever a wise choice.

And dont get me wrong about this:
most people think the stimulus will be great or it will fail miserably.
I believe the least dramtic of things would happen.
It will help, but only a little bit.
The economy wont fix itself, but this wont work miracles.

I have a bigger problem with the banking bailout than this, despite all the pork the stim has.

I must say, that is awesome to see so many American companies one one board.
This is one industry that I cant see getting overun by foreign competitors (I hope!)

Perhaps there should be an "Economic Stimulants Package". Maybe we can all worker longer days like the Japenese to get ourselves outta this lol!
 
EasyEJL

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So you guys believe 700 bil in iraq was a better investment than investing 700 billion dollars here?
yep. the estimates of the more or less DIRECT costs of the 9/11 attack was around $640 billion. I'm glad we spent the next installment of that making sure we weren't attacked on our soil again.

An additional growth of government as the democrats want and are using the stimulus bill partially for is not in our best interests. The government already eats more than 20% of the GDP to provide less than 18% of the workforce. Remember that the 20% it eats isn't used for anything resembling growth unlike a private or publicly held company. The larger the federal spending grows as a % of GDP, the slower our economy can grow.
 
CopyCat

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So you guys believe 700 bil in iraq was a better investment than investing 700 billion dollars here?

Don't get me wrong, im not all crazy "anti iraq", I just dont think it was wise to start the second war before figuring out how the first one was going to be paid for?
Spending money you dont have is hardly ever a wise choice.

And dont get me wrong about this:
most people think the stimulus will be great or it will fail miserably.
I believe the least dramtic of things would happen.
It will help, but only a little bit.
The economy wont fix itself, but this wont work miracles.

I have a bigger problem with the banking bailout than this, despite all the pork the stim has.

I must say, that is awesome to see so many American companies one one board.
This is one industry that I cant see getting overun by foreign competitors (I hope!)

Perhaps there should be an "Economic Stimulants Package". Maybe we can all worker longer days like the Japenese to get ourselves outta this lol!
1st bold - did you really mean won't? The economy will fix itself, one way or another it will.
2nd bold - Maybe you worded it wron, but it is a stimulus package, oh wait, I think I see what you mean.
3rd bold - The japanese are in a worse slump than we are, so is europe. Everyone talks about this starting in the housing industry/banking industry and with it's lending habits etc, but really (a big portion it very well may be) is still only one portion of the problem. The worlds economy is so intertwined these days that even other continents economic problems have the ability to effect another. Especially if the countries and so forth are closely connected.

As far as the Iraq war, well, man that's a touchy and complicated subject. However, having been over there and having many, many Iraqi's come to me and my teammates and tell us how glad they are for us to help them, even with the whole insurgency I still believe we did a good thing. I won't talk about how well things were always handled, because I will concede that things def could have been done different or better, but in 2003 when Iraqi's came to me and pulled a cross out from under their shirt and thanked me because they had always lived in fear I feel it's a positive. Even in recent deployments when I'm thanked because they now have their own business running because they can unlike before because they were not the right sect i.e. sunni/shia etc. I feel we did right. When I flew in on a mission to retrieve an iraqi from an insurgent torture house with all 4 extremities broken because he voted and was in support of democracy, I feel we've done right.

Ok, I'll just stop there, because that was prolly too much for this thread.
 

edgebsl

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yep. the estimates of the more or less DIRECT costs of the 9/11 attack was around $640 billion. I'm glad we spent the next installment of that making sure we weren't attacked on our soil again.
Going after the Taliban and and Bin Laden...great investment.
Putting troops in Iraq maybe does make us a little more secure from the standpoint that american targets are more accessable now, in the mideast. They dont have to attack us here.
But Al Qaeda has grown in numbers since our precensce there...perhaps making them a bigger eventual threat.

But Saddam was an Evil MF. And Im glad hes gone. I just think it was the right war at the wrong time and for the wrong advertised reasons. And before the job was done in Afghanistan. Saddam had no part in 911. Its like blowing up Iran because you're pissed Kim Jong Il tested a missile. Im still suprised people believe Iraq had something to do with 911.

An additional growth of government as the democrats want and are using the stimulus bill partially for is not in our best interests. The government already eats more than 20% of the GDP to provide less than 18% of the workforce. Remember that the 20% it eats isn't used for anything resembling growth unlike a private or publicly held company. The larger the federal spending grows as a % of GDP, the slower our economy can grow.

This I can agree w to an extent. But I dont think the problems will fix themselves and the only alternative idea you get from house reps are "more tax cuts" or of course do nothing. I dont think either one of those is a better idea.
 
EasyEJL

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Going after the Taliban and and Bin Laden...great investment.
Putting troops in Iraq maybe does make us a little more secure from the standpoint that american targets are more accessable now, in the mideast. They dont have to attack us here.
But Al Qaeda has grown in numbers since our precensce there...perhaps making them a bigger eventual threat.

But Saddam was an Evil MF. And Im glad hes gone. I just think it was the right war at the wrong time and for the wrong advertised reasons. And before the job was done in Afghanistan. Saddam had no part in 911. Its like blowing up Iran because you're pissed Kim Jong Il tested a missile. Im still suprised people believe Iraq had something to do with 911.
Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time even the UN security council BELIEVED that Sadam was building weapons of mass destruction. The fact that the UN took no action for over 10 years of Saddam ignoring their restrictions (well, other than sending him letters), and many countries refused to join us doesn't change that fact. At the time, we operated with the same intelligence as anyone else. Saddam was an unstable influence in that region and given our dependence on foreign oil, I feel it was quite reasonable at the time.



This I can agree w to an extent. But I dont think the problems will fix themselves and the only alternative idea you get from house reps are "more tax cuts" or of course do nothing. I dont think either one of those is a better idea.
Tax cuts to businesses would create far more jobs far faster than this package will. Here's some of what my childrens future income is being pissed away on instead

$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$6 billion for university building projects
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities”
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$30 million for Pelosi's endangered mouse

Do those look like they are crafted to create jobs? economic stimulus? not at all
 

edgebsl

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1st bold - did you really mean won't? The economy will fix itself, one way or another it will.
2nd bold - Maybe you worded it wron, but it is a stimulus package, oh wait, I think I see what you mean.
3rd bold - The japanese are in a worse slump than we are, so is europe. Everyone talks about this starting in the housing industry/banking industry and with it's lending habits etc, but really (a big portion it very well may be) is still only one portion of the problem. The worlds economy is so intertwined these days that even other continents economic problems have the ability to effect another. Especially if the countries and so forth are closely connected.

As far as the Iraq war, well, man that's a touchy and complicated subject. However, having been over there and having many, many Iraqi's come to me and my teammates and tell us how glad they are for us to help them, even with the whole insurgency I still believe we did a good thing. I won't talk about how well things were always handled, because I will concede that things def could have been done different or better, but in 2003 when Iraqi's came to me and pulled a cross out from under their shirt and thanked me because they had always lived in fear I feel it's a positive. Even in recent deployments when I'm thanked because they now have their own business running because they can unlike before because they were not the right sect i.e. sunni/shia etc. I feel we did right. When I flew in on a mission to retrieve an iraqi from an insurgent torture house with all 4 extremities broken because he voted and was in support of democracy, I feel we've done right.

Ok, I'll just stop there, because that was prolly too much for this thread.
Yeah, Im not confident it can rebound on its own...or at least when it does there wont be much american owned business left.

And yeah, the stimulants thing was a joke! As well as the japanese workday. I think that japan being in a slump could mean a good thing for us if we do bounce back becaseu they've held such an edge on us for so long...im so sick of japanese made ****!

I salute you for serving over there! Got a buddy and my wife's brother in law over there too. I think for the Iraqi people, it was a great thing the US did. And the troops did an amazing job.
And I think from that standpoint Bush is right about history eventually vindicating him. What I disagree with, is that it should have been sold on more hard evidence and less as a response to 911. And I think Afghanistan should have been sorted first. I think if it was sold the right way, we could have gotten more global support. But whats done is done.
 
EasyEJL

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wait, heres some more

$150 million for the Smithsonian
$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters
$500 million for improvement projects for National Institutes of Health facilities
$44 million for repairs to Department of Agriculture headquarters
$350 million for Agriculture Department computers
$88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters
$600 million to convert the federal auto fleet to hybrids
$450 million for NASA (carve-out for “climate-research missions”)
$600 million for NOAA (carve-out for “climate modeling”)
$1 billion for the Census Bureau
$89 billion for Medicaid
$30 billion for COBRA insurance extension
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
$20 billion for food stamps
$4.5 billion for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
$850 million for Amtrak
$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship
$1.7 billion for the National Park System
$55 million for Historic Preservation Fund
$7.6 billion for “rural community advancement programs”
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)
$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois
$6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program
$3.5 billion for energy-efficiency and conservation block grants
$3.4 billion for the State Energy Program
$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs
$400 million for hybrid cars for state and local governments
$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries
$1.5 billion for green-technology loan guarantees
$8 billion for innovative-technology loan-guarantee program
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$4.5 billion for electricity grid

$79 billion for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

So as per the usual with democrats, reward the irresponsible. The states that treated rising home values as if they won the lottery themselves and just continued to expand their budgets further and further rather than building any reserves get more than 10% of the stimulus. hooray
 
EasyEJL

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Yeah, Im not confident it can rebound on its own...or at least when it does there wont be much american owned business left.
but it will. I've seen it worse than this in the last 30 years, I don't know why everyone is so "chicken little" about it. these things are cyclical in nature.

There would be plenty of american owned businesses if people didn't expect to have a manufacturing job that paid better than a real estate lawyer like the UAW does.
 

edgebsl

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Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time even the UN security council BELIEVED that Sadam was building weapons of mass destruction. The fact that the UN took no action for over 10 years of Saddam ignoring their restrictions (well, other than sending him letters), and many countries refused to join us doesn't change that fact. At the time, we operated with the same intelligence as anyone else. Saddam was an unstable influence in that region and given our dependence on foreign oil, I feel it was quite reasonable at the time.





Tax cuts to businesses would create far more jobs far faster than this package will. Here's some of what my childrens future income is being pissed away on instead

$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$6 billion for university building projects
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities”
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$30 million for Pelosi's endangered mouse

Do those look like they are crafted to create jobs? economic stimulus? not at all
I agree they dont. The education and job training will make the US more competetive though. Only the last two piss me off.

The tax cuts we have had, have not been creating jobs because companies like Wal Mart will use that to increase their bottom line profits. Tax cuts to small and mid size businesses maybe bot not the bulk of the bush tax cuts.
 

edgebsl

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"$20 billion for food stamps"

Haha

My buddy said that "while most presidents get their face on money, Obama will get his on food stamps".

Now, he's not a rascist guy, nor am I. But I got admit....that's funny!
 
EasyEJL

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I agree they dont. The education and job training will make the US more competetive though. Only the last two piss me off.
Thats ficticious logic. The educational facilities and training resources already exist - but people don't take advantage of them. Also, the liberals have totally infested the university system, making requirements of philosophy, socialism, etc which just lengthens and raises the expense of college while providing dubious benefit. Then there are also all the useless liberal majors as well, who the poor kids graduate with 40k in student loans and a degree in some bullpoop field that there is no careers in.

But beyond that, our problem is really in the elementary schools. We've become a nation of pussification - creating the largest generation of worthless sissies ever. Teachers can't use red ink because it might harm a childs tender psyche. Tag being outlawed during recess because some children might find it stressful to watch another child being chased. Grading of A, B, C, D, and "Needs Improvement". Its ridiculous what the liberals and the special interest group called the teachers union have done to the educational system.
 

edgebsl

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Thats ficticious logic. The educational facilities and training resources already exist - but people don't take advantage of them. Also, the liberals have totally infested the university system, making requirements of philosophy, socialism, etc which just lengthens and raises the expense of college while providing dubious benefit. Then there are also all the useless liberal majors as well, who the poor kids graduate with 40k in student loans and a degree in some bullpoop field that there is no careers in.

But beyond that, our problem is really in the elementary schools. We've become a nation of pussification - creating the largest generation of worthless sissies ever. Teachers can't use red ink because it might harm a childs tender psyche. Tag being outlawed during recess because some children might find it stressful to watch another child being chased. Grading of A, B, C, D, and "Needs Improvement". Its ridiculous what the liberals and the special interest group called the teachers union have done to the educational system.
I could say similar things about the influence of the far religious right in our schools and in government. But the fact is, neither the far left or the far right represent most of our ideals. but unfortuantely that is who is running the congress.

A agree with you about the pussifying. I'll be damned if I let my kid whine about any of that ****!

Great discussion!

I gotta get crackin on some work though.
 
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but it will. I've seen it worse than this in the last 30 years, I don't know why everyone is so "chicken little" about it. these things are cyclical in nature.

There would be plenty of american owned businesses if people didn't expect to have a manufacturing job that paid better than a real estate lawyer like the UAW does.
True. We did the same thing i the 80's with the saving's and loans industry. However, he's prolly too young to remember that. Other than the slight downturn in the 90's he's never experienced a struggling economy.

Capitalism works great, but every once in awhile it does stray a bit of course and it has to correct itself. We've been through worse and we'll see worse again, but as in the past this to shall pass. (ok didn't mean to make that sound corny and ryme like that).
 
EasyEJL

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Yeah, I have to admit that teaching intelligent design is a joke. Teaching abstinence as a part of sex ed isnt tho :)
 

briancogs888

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Thanks Copycat for your service. My buddy, actually one of my lifting buddies, is an Airbourne Ranger, hes supposed to be over right now, but he had to stay back for more training. I've heard some stories. My cousin is set to return in April. Got quite a few other friends over there.

Who cares if there are not bombs there that were supposed to be there to make us look good, or how many uneducated people put "End the War" bumperstickers on their cars? This is called the WAR ON TERROR. If we are going to declare war on terror, as one of the troops on a recent CNN story in Afghanistan stated, we need to combat terror where ever it may be. Remember 9/11.

Now, that doesn't mean that we just go spend all the money in the world. We need to do our part on the home front. We need to get the economy on track. A government in this country will never be the fix, the system is not set up like that. Realize that the US government is the longest lasting unchanged system in the history of the world, even tho our country is not the oldest or longest lasting. This all goes back the foundation- the founding fathers. They set it up to last, and we need to keep that in mind. Obviously things have changed, but we need to keep those founding priciples. Our government will not (or should not) take care of you, you have to take care of you.
 
bigrobbierob

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I see things as a version of a Hegelian Dialectic.

People won't knowingly hand over rights and freedoms, but if:

Someone creates a chaotic event...the populace react emotionally and ask for help...the powers that be offer "solutions" to the problems they created...these solutions quite often involve the loss of rights and freedoms in the name of patriotism.
 
Nabisco

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Now, that doesn't mean that we just go spend all the money in the world. We need to do our part on the home front. We need to get the economy on track. A government in this country will never be the fix, the system is not set up like that. Realize that the US government is the longest lasting unchanged system in the history of the world, even tho our country is not the oldest or longest lasting. This all goes back the foundation- the founding fathers. They set it up to last, and we need to keep that in mind. Obviously things have changed, but we need to keep those founding priciples. Our government will not (or should not) take care of you, you have to take care of you.
I've highlighted the point I want to address. The US economy, namely the stock market, is cyclical in nature. Since records have been kept documenting the stock market, the economy swings up and then swings down, swings up, then down. It repeats itself. And anytime we have a large upswing, there is a resounding bottom out.

Within your time frame let me point out the Tech bubble. Tech stocks became way over-valued and eventually the market had to correct itself. A lot of people lost a lot of money. It was the end of the world as we knew it.

Now to the present. The banks loaned money to people that did not have the means to keep up with the ARM's that they were approved for. And then the banks took these securities and put them in groups or funds. These funds were highly valuated, purchased by many companies banks included. However, the funds themselves weren't actually worth anything. They were drastically overvalued (kind of similar to the tech bubble). Well there was only one possible outcome.

The people who had taken out loans above their means started to foreclose on their homes. It started in a trickle and eventually became a downpour. This is bad for the banking system because they lose money when someone forecloses. But what really tanked the system is that these over-inflated funds were realized for what they were...empty air. This caused the banks to take a drastic write off. People panicked, the media fed the frenzy, and a large sell-off of stocks began similar to the Great Depression. Now there are companies out there who are fairly valued at $200 a share, trading for $50 a share. For no other reason than people panicked.

Now it's been drummed up that we are in a recession, that everyone needs to panic. The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling! seems to be the cry heard daily on the news. So people react emotionally, instead of logically working it through their small skulls. Everyone tightens up the wallets. Stops spending the money that they typically spend. This presents a problem for companies that sell product, because now orders have dropped. They have to cut back, laying off employees. More Panic! It's a vicious circle.

However, companies will lean themselves out. Banks will begin to lend again. People will be forced to be more fiscally responsible. Owning a home will not be a god-given right for everyone anymore, it will be something that you have to save and plan for. Like it was supposed to be. The market will bottom out, the panic will subside, and we will begin the long arduous trek out of the bottom of the cycle we are currently in and five years from now it will be a thing of the past, long forgotten by most, and the economy will once again be on the rise to the crest. And eventually it will return to a bottom.

It's the nature of capitalism and our market. :usa2:
 

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By "We" I was refering to the government, not we as the people. We as the people need to learn how to compound our income, and be able to spend more, as you said. I should have cleared that up I guess.

We, as the people, need to get rid of this entitlement mentality. Like this 'free government money' ad thats staring at me as I type this. This is America, the land of opportunity, not the land of 'we will give you whatever you want'. You get what you work for, you are entitled to nothing. So take care of yourself.
 
EasyEJL

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By "We" I was refering to the government, not we as the people. We as the people need to learn how to compound our income, and be able to spend more, as you said. I should have cleared that up I guess.

We, as the people, need to get rid of this entitlement mentality. Like this 'free government money' ad thats staring at me as I type this. This is America, the land of opportunity, not the land of 'we will give you whatever you want'. You get what you work for, you are entitled to nothing. So take care of yourself.
 

briancogs888

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Hahahaha. Hes got it worse than anyone. Eeyyy, might as well throw in another half billion plus for a new marine 1. haha
 
EasyEJL

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$50 billion extra in food stamps will create new jobs right?
 

briancogs888

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Hey its worth a shot, haha. I can hear him now, "well if they have more food stamps they will have more food. If they have more food they will have more energy and ambition to go out and get a good paying job."
 
EasyEJL

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hahahahaha I know. Its so totally retarded. the more comfortable you make people without them having to put out any effort, the less likely they are to put out effort. Its the issue with marginal tax rates. Does the person living in section 8 housing, on food stamps with welfare going to live significantly better taking an $8/hr job? no, so there is no incentive for them to take it.
 
CopyCat

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Hahahaha. Hes got it worse than anyone. Eeyyy, might as well throw in another half billion plus for a new marine 1. haha
New Marine 1? Hell, he's got 5 of them already and those are just the one's that work White side. I work next door to those guys.
 

briancogs888

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I think its sad, but many people like to brag about the fact that our welfare system puts people in better living conditions, on average, than what the middle class of Europe lives in. Based on standard of livings and so on.
 

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Interesting ad.
I live in WIlliamsport PA lol!

Here, a good paying job is considered in the 20,000 per year range.
We have 4 close family members laid off, and I have four friends in the region who were laid off in the last 4 months. Its a pretty depressing area.

I was told that mayor used to try to sell the fact that our area is used to working for small wages to try and persuade new companies to come here. The cost of living is reasonable, but most people I know who work an honest living have an incredibly tough time keeping up with expenses. The average pay for a hard days work has stayed the same for so many years and the cost of everything has gone up.

I know people who are working who are getting assistance. Some people really do need it. It does piss me off all the people living in govt housing though with 3 kids and who will not work. How do you seperate getting help to those who really need it and those too lazy to help themselves.

Fortunately, I am self employed , partner an llc a new business with 3 others and look to make about $30,000 this year. Only my wife is stuck underpaid and underappreciated and overworked with horrible benefits. As we speak we are a month behind on everything except our mortgage. had a furnace break and pipes froze and burst setting us back.

So I think "The sky is falling" perception is from the perspective of where you are standing and how you see it affect family and friends. If you're doing alright, then I guess its easy to say "Calm down, everything cycles". I ,personally know a lot of people who feel like they are in deep **** and they dont even have to watch the news.

The grant that ad is talking about has been around...forever. Its about the grants govt will give you for starting a small business in an underserved area to try and get the areas to grow. From what I understand, the criteria is pretty steep and you have to have a badass business plan to even be considered and only a select few are given out.
That Ad capatilizes in public interest over the headlines. And in doing so, probably gets people worked up too, about things that are rare and nothing to get worked up about.
 
ABNRanger

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"$20 billion for food stamps"

Haha

My buddy said that "while most presidents get their face on money, Obama will get his on food stamps".

Now, he's not a rascist guy, nor am I. But I got admit....that's funny![/QUOTE]

Not to start a racial dispute, but would he have said something to that effect if the president was white. I think you yourself felt it seemed racist, hence your statement of defence. I am one for good comedy, and don't usually read into things, but that comment did spark my interest. Now as I digress, I think the thought that the stimulus would create jobs (especially in the auto industry) is misguided. With the economy as it is now, and so many auto workers laid off, the inventory will still be full when this gets resolved. Do you think they will make more cars with so much still sitting on the lot?
As a military minded person, and a long military career, I say we needed to make a stand for what happened on 911. War will always spark a lot of negative response, whether economically or morally other for whatever people feel is the wrong reason for it. Now I do believe it is time to come home. I have seen enough of my buddies killed (remember somalia). Casuality of war is iminent, but once again, I feel it is time to come home.
 
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