Explain to me how you'd create jobs with what Bush/Republicans left you? I'd love to see how. Maybe more tax cuts for millionaires, trickle-down effect? Yeah! Or maybe start a euthanasia program for the elderly since they are such a drag with their health care?
Well, I would make job creation my #1 priority. That's more than Obama has done. I don't believe the government should be creating jobs or stimulating the economy, it has to be done on its own with as little intervention as possible. You do that by lowering the barriers to create a business, build a factory, etc.
The crash was on the horizon when he took office. It was unavoidable. Creating jobs with that isn't possible regardless if it were a "#1 priority"
So you'll give him a free pass because he didn't do anything? So he could have jerked off in the bathroom for 4 years and you'd still vote for him. great.
the crash is still on the horizon. sorry to be the breaker of bad news. the US economy is basically in a HUGE bubble right now, it will pop when we stop relying on FED stimulus or raise interest rates. basically what home buyers were doing with Interest only ARMs, the US government is doing with everything.
I don't think this is about Bush anymore. The economy is struggling and although I won't pretend to understand how much the president can effect the economy, I will say you got to look at the top and put it on him (it goes with the job). To me, this comes down to Obama, who I am not excited about and Romney, who i just can't see myself voting for. I may be completely wrong but Romney looks he is cut right from the good old boy's club. If I was an upper class white mormon male, I think I could relate with Romney, but as it stands I feel like I got nothing in common with him and he could give a rat's ass about my life. So go Obama?
What exactly did Bush do to the country? He ran up less debt in 8 years than Obama in 3, so that can't be it. The wars? The economy didn't tank for 5 years of those, and it's not like it got steadily worse for those 5 years. Seems like W saved us from the Dot Bomb bubble bursting, which cost main street $7.1T in wealth, compared to the ~$5T in wealth lost to the housing bubble bursting. We managed to spend many $billions on NYC and other things in the aftermath of 9/11, and we didn't slide into back into recession after that devastating hit to the heart of our financial center. I suppose you could blame him for Katrina - that cost us $200B. But you know what? I remember things were going far better than I expected they would at the time of the 2000 election. Until 2006, when you know who took over the house and senate. In fact, there's the common theme with those republican presidents you named. All had Democratic Party congresses. And if you think the republicans were obstructionist toward Obama's agenda, those other congresses were equally so toward the republicans. But hey, Democratic Party congress with Carter and 2 years of Clinton, too. And those were debacles. Same for Obama - he's claiming credit for a lot of job growth since the house went republican, go figure. I'm not at all happy with much of what Bush did. He spent a lot more than he should. He grew government (gasp!) faster than inflation dictated it should.
Bush saved the airline industry, too. With a $15B bailout, bankruptcy proceedings for American Airlines, etc. And he kept Boeing from going under, too. The stock market crashed, as well.
I don't know where you are going with all this. Bush Jr. was a terrible president both domestically and especially with foreign affairs.
Well, I'm playing devil's advocate. And pointing out the "blame bush" and "I inherited a mess" arguments are specious.
Oh ok. Well strangely enough we are somewhat in agreement. I don't know how bad a mess Obama inherited, but that doesn't give him a free pass when it comes to the current state of the US economics. FWIW-I don't find the economy to be as dire as this board (and some reports posted) make it out to be, so I'm not up in arms with Obama over the economy as others seem to be.
With ~50M people on food stamps, there sure are a lot of people hurting out there. I don't expect they could afford Internet or to spend time posting on S2. The house I put 25% down payment on in 2004 is so underwater it'd cost me $75K to sell it. I thought I was doing the right things. I never missed a mortgage payment (never late), had better than 80% LTV, etc. Enough of my neighbors bailed on their homes and drove down the prices of everything in the neighborhood. When the president gets $1.2T (half of TARP, $800B stimulus) to spend, he didn't spend it in any way that helped me. Instead, the bank I pay my mortgage to got $billions and ended up buying Merrill Lynch and some other banks. And the Debt he's run up is going to cause us some serious pain. It's not a matter of "if" but "when." It's not going to be pretty. I don't see any way the govt. can make the interest payments and keep its other obligations without raising taxes so much the people will revolt. I'm not talking about a 3% hike on the rich, but something like to 80% for EVERYONE.
Two tax cuts, one before invading Iraq, and one later, two military conflicts that cost much more in dollars and lives than anyone had thought possible, would you like me to continue?
Funny. The stuff we know about has already been documented on this board on a daily basis over the last 11 years. No need to repeat what is readily available for your perusal.
It's amazing that some truck drivers have become so pathetic that they think me keeping my earned money, while he pays no income tax, is a government cost. Fyi... Obama extended those tax cuts.
