:
....and the Republican Beef is?
The Republicans have been on a continued warpath to circumvent Barack Obama's agenda at every turn. The healthcare debate has shown that all they are interested in an outright power grab to implement their narrow idelogical vision on the country. They are opposed to anything that remotely insures that the average person has a fighting chance. Paul Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with vouchers is just one of those extreme examples.
While the Republicans have continued to dominate the airwaves and win the public relations war, the real world goes on. There was a spike in unemployment not withstanding the 51,000 hires for the Census temporary jobs. The "real" unemployment rate stands at 16.8 Percent, on par with Spain. What Republicans should take notice of is a speech by the US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue. He spoke and made five key points:
* First, we can create jobs by doubling U.S. exports in five years.
* SecondÃÂwe can create jobs by rebuilding AmericaÃÂs infrastructure.
* ThirdÃÂwe can create jobs with major investments and breakthroughs in energy.
* FourthÃÂwe can create jobs by expanding credit across our economy.
* FifthÃÂto create jobs we must ease the uncertainty over tax increases as well as health, environmental, labor, legal, and fiscal policies.
What the stimulus did was to insure that all items were addressed. What he also noted was that the US Infrastructure is "running out of capacity" and has to be rebuilt to deal with 21st Century challenges. This is as China came out with growth anticipated to be around 8 percent per year because it has undertaken a massive investment to continue on the cutting edge on all fronts. The full speech can be accesssed at: Really Long Link
Mr. Pence called the current path by the Adminstration "a failure". I hope that Mr. Pence (who apparently has Presidential aspirations) to take the time to review the Chamber's recommendations and not merely hold on to the old ways of just tax cuts and more tax cuts. There needs to be a concerted effort to actually invest too. There should absolutely be a concerted effort to make sure that we deploy resources in a smart and responsible way. This should not be at the expense of creating a society of haves and have nots.
The world is right now fascinated with Davos. The rich, the famous and the powerful are all there in paradise talking about the world and all the problems. There is enough being said by all pundits which will speak for itself on Davos. But, two key things occured which I wanted to note:
1) Turkey's Prime Minister Edrogan stormed out of a discussion with Shimon Peres during discusisons on Gaza. Edrogan was given a minute by David Ignathius of the Washington Post to rebute a lengthy comment by Shimon Peres. I think the gesture by Mr. Edrogan must be taken seriously by Israel. It shows the frustration with Israel and the fact that as Amr Mousa said, Israel "does not listen". I was quite disappointed by David Ignathius when he did not grant equal time during the discussions. It seems to me that Dinner could have waited.
2) The Prime Ministers of China and Russia spoke at Davos, blasting the West. I think both men had excellent points. But, both men have a lot of problems of their own and their crediblity is suspect at best. I think Wen Jinbao has been at the forefront of changing China. I think his efforts during the earthquake surprised me. But, the Chinese are undergoing changes that the Government cannot truly contend with and blasting the West is not going to solve it. As for Russia, Tsar Putin can say whatever he wants. The fact is that he is a dictator in a 1000-Dollar Suit speaking about responsbility when his country has profound challenges.
China and Russia have to be watched. They are powerful, they are emergent and they should not be discounted. But, lecturing the rest of the world is disingenious at best. The Davos Alternative, though, also has convened. I am quite interested to see what it achieves. Everyone is still talking, talking and talking. But there is no action at all.
:
Haven't they done enough damage?
The daily barrage of polls and analysis continues. History can be a harbinger of things to come. It is important to note that some of the poll analysis noted that in 1980, 2000 & 2004, the Republicans candidates were down in the polls. Yet, the same candidates went on to win. So, who knows frankly what is going to happen. If the Democrats think they have it in the bag, they are frankly smoking crack or something!!??!! They have to work as hard as they can to earn every vote. Because the Republicans will be just as aggressive in their attacks.
Governor Palin continues his "culture war" against the Democrats. As I caught a brief glimpse of her on CNN, she talked about how "unpatrotic" Barack Obama is. I continue to be sickened by the ugly tone of the McCain campaign. John McCain and Sarah Palin have perpetuated a lynch mob mentality that in my view does a profound sense of disservice to the country. They are trying to be able to perpetuate a case of trumped up charges of voter fraud and the supposed alleged ties to ACORN. Interestingly enough, the Atlantic Monthly reports that John McCain spoke at an ACORN rally two years ago. The diversion being done is simply sickening. The fact that even one person is calling for Senator Obama to be killed is absolutely wrong. Senator McCain claimed that the same crap being said at his campaign is being said at Obama rallies. That's an absolute lie. Senator McCain simply makes himself look like an idiot by trying to shift the debate. The McCain campaign is all over the map. One day Senator Obama is a family man. One day Senator Obama is a risk. I am trying to figure out which is it
[ Click here to read more ]
:
"Interesting Times Indeed....."
Right now, I am listening to a live feed of C-SPAN as the Senate is gearing up to vote on the bailout package. There seems to be consesus that something has to be done. Supposedly, there are provisions to take care of "Main Street". I find that to be a good thing. Let's see what happens. We are in the midst of a profound storm. I trust that our leaders are wise enough and courageous enough to do the right thing. Blaming each other for partisanship is simply not going to cut it. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is having his say. I always enjoy hearing him speak. He is the only declared socialist. I pray that voices like Bernie Sanders are not silenced. Our democracy is better for it. As I write, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate Leaders, are speaking.
The Senate is gearing up to vote on it. Whatever the Senate does, the House still has to vote tomorrow and then there has to be a conference committee. So, we're not out of the woods just yet. But, signifcant progress has been made. What I am particularly pleased about is the fact that the only amount to be released immediately is 250 Billion Dollars. In addition, the deposit limit is being raised. They have just fixed the AMT, among other things. There are also so-called "payment in lieu of land" for Federally Owned Land. I did not know a signicant percentage of the State of Nevada was owned by the Federal Government and they are yet to receive any payment for the expected income. I find these to be really great ideas. One thing that has to be also understood is that the balance of the $ 700 Billion is subject to further approval. The balance is subject to further approval
[ Click here to read more ]
September 29th 2008 22:26
:
The Question is Now What?
The U.S. House of Representatives has bailed on the bailout. What was laughable was the reason given by the House Republican Leader about how Republicans were offended by the House Speaker's speech. I briefly caught Senator McCain later when he lambasted "Senator Obama and his allies" for being partisan. As I listened to it, I just sighed. This inaction caused the dow jones to lose almost 800 points. I can only imagine what other markets will do when they open in about 8 hours or so. I just can't believe how broken and irresponsible our leaders are. I found Barney Frank's comments funny, yet sad at the same time:
[ Click here to read more ]
September 25th 2008 07:46
:
Can The Leaders Truly Come Through?
President Bush spoke late Wednesday to the country and the world. He underscored how tough things are. He has called for a bipartisan meeting at the White House later on today to discuss the bailout package and the way forward. I think the President has risen up to the challenge to bring all parties together. Although I wish he would have governed in this fashion, better late than never!!!
I view this event as quite significant. I also am heartened by the joint statement issue by Senators Obama and McCain. There is no question that we have arrived at the moment of reckoning. The President was absolutely right on when he said that in times of crisis throughout history, everyone has risen up to the challenge. I am confident that the leaders will do so yet again. The people expect no less
[ Click here to read more ]
September 24th 2008 09:14
:
I am worried stiff!!!!!
The U.S. is in debt to the tune of 9 trillion dollars. It is soon to be almost 12 trillion. As I was reading on the analysis of the plan and the reaction from U.S. Political leaders yesterday, I have come to the simple conclusion: the U.S. is broke. The plan to bail out the banks means an average family will have to pay out $ 10,000. This means that proposals do something about healthcare and infrastructure will either have to be put on hold or cancelled all together. There will be painful budget cuts. We have started down a road that may indeed lead to nowhere. There is word that somehow main street may be helped. Whether in fact it happens or not is another question. Markets are nervous and rightly so.
FBI has begun an investigation of the companies involved, though. I am glad that the government is looking at it. Some people may end up going to jail. I don't know how that will help the average guy on main street, though
[ Click here to read more ]
September 23rd 2008 07:46
:
Should we rush into it?
The Political Candidates, The Pundits and Government Officials have been at it. The proposed 700 Billion Dollars bailout is now before the Congress. Although there is enough information and analysis out there right now, what Robert Scheer noted was worth mentioning: President Bush vetoed S-Chip becuase it cost too much money. Yet, somehow, the country can come up with 700 Billion Dollars to bailout Wall Street. An interesting idea HIllary Clinton had was to have the bank to freeze the foreclosures to avoid the spike while allowing banks to work through the challenges?
Let's not rush to judgement and truly insure that all ordinary folks interests are indeed protected. Some decisions needs to be made soon, though. So far, the markets seem to have given a big thumbs down to what has been proposed. As I write this, markets in Asia are falling after the big fall on Wall Street. When will this all end
[ Click here to read more ]
Mike Pouraryan
Add Comments
Comments (10)
Read More
