State of the Union Address

[LuciferSam]

It may look like we're on the path to Hell right now. I'm not blaming Bush, he just cleared the brush.

 

[Just Curious]

thanks for your post mangy. you are so right - the problems are many, complex and long term and are going to take his first and second term to address. I just hope that leaves time for other issues and progress. I hope we do see change for the better in America, and in American politics - seems like the political arena is changing for the worse right now. Hopefully its one of those "it gets worse before it gets better"situations? where is the professionalism among senators, congress, leaders, media? its time for citizens concerned with advancing this country to expect and demand more. citizens spoke loud and clear when electing this President. I just hope he continues to have the support he needs to make a difference. and he will if he's able to effectively lead. that is the question. effective leadership.

yes, I said second term. he may not have the opportunity but if he does then I would imagine economy and health care issues will be just as pressing as it is today, if not more so.

Change is defined very differently by many people. I personally disagree with what the President wants to change about our nation. As long as I have fundamental differences with the President, and any other elected official, I am not going to "support" them for the sake of "unity". We think that argument and debate is bad. Our government was designed to function with those built in. I don't agree with saying no for the sake of saying no, but in most cases when it comes to this administration I find myself saying no to what they want to do. I honestly disagree with their agenda, and unless their agenda changes I will continue to disagree with them. It is pretty simple math.

How much more support can he get. He had a super majority for a year and didn't get health care reform passed. You can't blame the political minority for stopping that. At any point they could have passed that bill.

 

[scooterbug44]

What specifically is it that he is advocating that you think is a bad idea?

What is he not doing that you think could make a huge difference in the current economic climate?

I thought that encouraging small businesses and setting the goal of doubling or exports in the next 5 years were both good.

 

[30ashopper]

thanks for your post mangy. you are so right - the problems are many, complex and long term and are going to take his first and second term to address. I just hope that leaves time for other issues and progress. I hope we do see change for the better in America, and in American politics - seems like the political arena is changing for the worse right now. Hopefully its one of those "it gets worse before it gets better"situations? where is the professionalism among senators, congress, leaders, media? its time for citizens concerned with advancing this country to expect and demand more. citizens spoke loud and clear when electing this President. I just hope he continues to have the support he needs to make a difference. and he will if he's able to effectively lead. that is the question. effective leadership.

yes, I said second term. he may not have the opportunity but if he does then I would imagine economy and health care issues will be just as pressing as it is today, if not more so.

If we have a republican majority in place, I'll have high hopes for a second term with Obama (and I'd consider voting for him if things look promising in 2012). But right now this lobsided mess we have (which is no different in my opinion than the lobsided mess we had six years ago) is just a disaster. About the only regret I think I'd have with Obama at the healm for a second term would be SCOTUS nominations. (But if the reps can snag 50, they're always free to pull a Bork if they want to.) November can't come soon enough in my opinion, things need another rebalancing.

 

[Lake View Too]

30-A shopper: Why are you talking about rebalancing? The Republicans were in power for eight years and, after 12 months of relative inertia, you are full-bore willing to give the reins to the gluttonous idiots that got us here??? Give the current administration another two years, and stop sounding like such a whiner.

 

[ninahorn]

I find it insane that you think the banks should adjust your mortgage because your home's "value" has decreased. You looked at the price tag and your finances and decided to borrow that sum of money at that rate.

If you borrow money to buy a car, your loan payments do not go down as your car ages/leaves the lot and has a lower resale value.

If I buy a stock and it loses value, I don't expect a check in the mail for the difference.

Some people chose to "invest" in real estate. Investments can go up or down in value. 10% a year is not realistic - especially given the inflated prices of the last couple of years.

While I certainly don't think the banks are blameless and that we need to make major changes in how they do things, it was impossible for this current crisis to have happened without MANY people making financial decisions that were less than stellar.

Just as noone forced banks to get involved in subprime lending, noone forced anyone to buy a house or land and take out a loan to do so.

Now if you have lost your job/been cut back, were a victim of fraud, have a ballooning ARM, are facing foreclosure, etc. I think a great use of my tax dollars would be to help you refinance for a better rate.

But not because of a loss of paper "value," because I want you to stay in your home.

ARE YOU A MORTGAGE BANKER? There are more people in our area that are permanent residents (not just 2nd home owners) that have purchased during this anomoly priced bubble; not aware that their property values were going to decline immediately and now unable to
suffice their staying in that situation.....just paying on a monthly note
for an over-exagerated value that they initially bought. My point is that
the Banking institutions could and should re-evaluate their assessed
values on today's current market and adjust their indebtedness to help in this national crisis. This may be my wishful thinking, but I do have many acquaintances that work and play here full time that are struggling.

 

[ninahorn]

30-A shopper: Why are you talking about rebalancing? The Republicans were in power for eight years and, after 12 months of relative inertia, you are full-bore willing to give the reins to the gluttonous idiots that got us here??? Give the current administration another two years, and stop sounding like such a whiner.

Slow down Lake View! This is not a war about Repulicans and Democrats positions on politics.........it should be a survival mode for our
future to exsist in a free world! Critisizing our President is not going to
fix anything either........we should all be praying for "God's" help in this time of need!

 

[Yarmap]

I did not watch the speech. What did the telepromter tell him to say?

 

[futurebeachbum]

I dunno. I'm just parroting what hubby (who has a Ph.D. in engineering, an MBA from UVA, another MBA from UNC, and has been an executive at a major textile corporation) said. It made sense to me.

Not so! Big business accounts for a dismally small amount of the net new jobs in America.

Here is a quote directly from the Small Business Administration (http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf)

Firms with fewer than 500 employees accounted for 64 percent (or 14.5 million) of the 22.5 million net new jobs (gains minus losses) between 1993 and the third quarter of 2008. Continuing firms accounted for 68 percent of net new jobs, and the other 32 percent reflect net new jobs from firm births minus those lost in firm closures (1993 to 2007).​

Sadly, this Administration and this Congress are the most anti-small business (pro labor, pro Wall St/Big Business) administration in my lifetime. Basically nothing in the stimulus packages is truly aimed at helping the small businesses that drive our economy.

 

[30ashopper]

30-A shopper: Why are you talking about rebalancing? The Republicans were in power for eight years and, after 12 months of relative inertia, you are full-bore willing to give the reins to the gluttonous idiots that got us here??? Give the current administration another two years, and stop sounding like such a whiner.

Eight years? Are you sure about that?

Senate:
2001 - 2002 : democrat (Afghanistan, Tax cuts for the rich! Oh my!)
2003 - 2004 : republican
2005 - 2006 : republican
2007 - 2010 : democrat (Bank bailouts, TARP, AIG, F&F, Oh my!)

dems: 6 years
reps: 4 years

House:
2001 - 2002 : republican
2003 - 2004 : republican
2005 - 2006 : republican
2007 - 2010 : democrat

reps: 6 years
dems: 4 years