"Those of us who depend on our investments for our retirement would like to see the economy doing a little better and I think Gov. Romney can get us moving in the right direction. That is just one of many things I belive that he will do for our country. He certainly has a lot more experience for being a president and has proven himself than the current president had when he took office."
And yet... no person on earth ever enters the White House with any experience at being President of the United States. I would think that a Harvard educated, constitutional law professor with a background in public service just might be able to figure it out. (and a Harvard educated, well-bred venture capitalist and holder of a law degree might be able to figure it out too...)
And yet.... corporate profits are at the highest level in decades, the stock market is back to where it was before the meltdown, the corporate and private tax burden is the lowest in 60 years, all the jobs that were lost at the end of the last administration's term have been added back, millions of jobs were saved in the auto industry, education reforms put in place... and this was our President! All of these things sound more like moderate Republican accomplishments and I haven't mentioned the Republican health care reform first proposed in 1992 as a response to President Clinton's plan that was finally passed and is just now being implemented.
My biggest fear is not Mr. Romney, it is the folks from Bush administration he has installed in finance, foreign policy and national security positions. They are currently only advisors, but indicate the direction that a Romney administration might turn. Here we go back to the future. Tax Cuts, ballooning federal spending, expansion of Defense spending, and a belligerent foreign policy that might lead to yet another unnecessary war. Goodbye social safety net, goodbye public service, goodbye unions... goodby living wages, goodbye gender equality Hello to some very, very lucky corporate CEO's who will stand to profit HUGELY when all of these functions are privatized and profit-ized.
Mr. Romney is a moderate Republican locked in a policy jail with the Right Wing of the party that will lead him ever rightward towards a domestic policy that will look a lot like Austerity. It will lead him towards that aggressive foreign policy that is dangerous for the world and for us both in terms of national security and financially. It will lock him into a strong support position to corporate interests over the interests of citizenry. It's 'trickle down' on steroids.
The conversation continues after the jump:
The conversation continues:
"...after four years it's time to stop blaming the past administration and take responsibility for what he has done or hasn't done. ...if all of your information is correct why is the economy so bad and the unemployment higher than it was when he took office? And why are my parents and other people on fixed incomes feeling pretty hopeless ( and they are Democrats)!!! How can you talk about the past federal spending???? Pres. Obama has spent more than any president in history!!!"
And yet... no president in history has ever fulfilled every campaign promise they've ever made. Mr. Bush famously said in response to that very question, "That was the campaign. We're in charge now."
And yet... those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
And yet... unemployment is finally back to the level it was when Mr. Obama took office, not higher.
And yet... the deficit has gone down along with government spending in the four years of the Obama administration.
And yet... spin is the partisan version of reality designed to portray a point of view in it's most favorable form. Yes I'm guilty, but the facts listed above are just that. You can look them up.
Politicians, including Mr. Obama, are limited in their ability to care for their constituents who are on fixed incomes and helping them actually have a higher quality of life. There is the loyal opposition that must be acknowledged. The compromises that must be reached will not be satisfactory to either side. It's messy, but it's democracy in action.
It is up to us to keep our spirits high and figure out how to negotiate the political, social and financial landscape to care for ourselves and our loved ones. Taking personal responsibility, including doing our best to identify the spin in every political conversation to determine our own self interest is of primary importance.
I'll be hopeful and happy no matter what happens tomorrow.
".....come on!!! The deficit has gone down with government spending the last four years?????? I don't know where you are getting that info, but that is just wrong by anyone's standards!!!! We're not going to change each others minds but please don't expect me to believe that or that unemplyment #'s and people on food stamps are down. I'm sure Pres. Obama has done what he could but deficit and spending down.....NO WAY! BTW can we just let go of what everyone else has done and take responsibility for what is being done presently. Every president has taken on the problems of the previous administration."
The deficit was 1.19 Trillion in January 2009 when Obama was sworn in. It will be 1.09 Trillion at the end of this fiscal year. That's an 8% reduction and is taken from the report of the Congressional Budget Office.
Unemployment in January 2009 was 7.8% and rose dramatically until 2010. By September 2012 it was back to 7.8%
The number of folks on Food Stamps went up by 46% under Mr. Obama.
These facts are as close as I've been able to come to what is actually happening in the non-political arena.
As far as the blame game goes... the funniest ones I've heard are Republicans happily blaming Mr. Obama for the effects of the economic downturn which began two years before he took office. It's a good thing neither of us play... :)
I'm trying to discern the facts and the reality and humbly suggest that the truth is out there to be found. It won't be found on any political blog, or conservative or liberal radio show or mass media outlet. Informed citizens are the best ally of a democracy.
Lot's more work to do!
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