The Stimulus Package
Submitted by kpaul.mallasch on Mon, 02/09/2009 - 3:35pm.
By Martha Randolph Carr
The hallmark of candidate Obama’s race to the presidency was his clarity. He had a message of change and was so on point that at every turn he was able to steer the populace back to his conversation. It didn’t matter how much McCain’s team tried to muddle the message. Obama knew why he was there and believed in what he had to say. We quickly came around and believed in Obama.
It all worked like a textbook campaign and even had old school Republicans admiring his success. However, President Obama and his new administration seem to already be getting lost within the complexity of the new role.
There were a few early missteps with cabinet appointments such as Daschle and Geithner and their tax problems. But those can be expected because candidates for jobs don’t always tell their future employer everything in the hopes that no one will notice. Geithner, though, still has a job in the administration while Daschle was sent packing. While there may have been a plausible explanation for why both men made the same error in judgment but only one is suffering the consequence, no one is talking.
It’s a rather tired dose of American irony that Geithner has been confirmed as Treasury Secretary and as one of his duties will oversee the IRS.
The other bit of déjà vu is the contents of the stimulus package. Perhaps it was too much to really believe that it was possible to come up with an economic bill that would be streamlined and on point. While less than 1 percent appears frivolous, it’s still in there and gives the impression that some deals had to be made in order to get the votes needed to pass the entire package.
However, another option could have been to hold the line and put forward only those projects which would have helped rebuild America’s infrastructure, preserve health care at a time when more Americans are losing their coverage, protect school budgets, stimulate lending by the banks and create jobs. Then we could have all watched the vote.
Those who chose to vote against the bill would have been held accountable and wouldn’t have the rallying cry of ‘pork barrel spending’ to hide behind. Instead, we’re left with the task of pointing out that the Republicans who are standing up in front of the cameras with charts of money being stacked around the planet were gung ho when their man, Bush was looking to do the same thing. Then it was patriotic and now it’s a paper belt around the Earth.
In either case, it’s the same old song with the parties standing on opposite sides this time. In other words, so far not much actually changed. That would be the biggest disappointment.
President Obama sets out this week to campaign for the stimulus bill during town meetings across America. It’s an effort to pressure Congress to hurry up and say yes to the package. But Obama already won over American voters. We even agree that the country’s infrastructure such as bridge, roads and school buildings need to be revamped. Or that new energy sources have to be pursued for both environmental and geopolitical reasons. And both of those will take time before real jobs are created but they’ll come and the economic mess we’re in is going to require time before we successfully emerge.
But what about what’s still missing in the bill. There is no solid plan to keep Americans in their homes, help others get in a new home or deal with the glut of homes choking the market. It’s as if the middle class was once again forgotten.
If topics that solely benefit the middle of America such as housing, affordable higher education or decent health care aren’t included in this package then we really are back to the old business as usual.
We are in the biggest economic downturn since the 1930’s and yet we still can’t get either side to trumpet the average American’s needs or concerns. Instead we’re watching cartoons of dollar bills stacked toward the moon.
The 2009 America Challenge is underway and you can get involved and help out your local community. Email Martha for more info. Martha Randolph Carr’s latest book, A Place to Call Home, a memoir about the reemergence of U.S. orphanages is available wherever books are sold. If you’d like Martha to come and speak to your group visit: www.newvoicespeakers.com. Martha’s Big Adventure coming soon to World Talk Radio and Voice America. Email Martha at: Martha@caglecartoons.com or visit www.martharandolphcarr.com.
©2009 Martha Randolph Carr.
Area: National Topics: Business, Politics, Government Types: Opinion
The hallmark of candidate Obama’s race to the presidency was his clarity. He had a message of change and was so on point that at every turn he was able to steer the populace back to his conversation. It didn’t matter how much McCain’s team tried to muddle the message. Obama knew why he was there and believed in what he had to say. We quickly came around and believed in Obama.
It all worked like a textbook campaign and even had old school Republicans admiring his success. However, President Obama and his new administration seem to already be getting lost within the complexity of the new role.
There were a few early missteps with cabinet appointments such as Daschle and Geithner and their tax problems. But those can be expected because candidates for jobs don’t always tell their future employer everything in the hopes that no one will notice. Geithner, though, still has a job in the administration while Daschle was sent packing. While there may have been a plausible explanation for why both men made the same error in judgment but only one is suffering the consequence, no one is talking.
It’s a rather tired dose of American irony that Geithner has been confirmed as Treasury Secretary and as one of his duties will oversee the IRS.
The other bit of déjà vu is the contents of the stimulus package. Perhaps it was too much to really believe that it was possible to come up with an economic bill that would be streamlined and on point. While less than 1 percent appears frivolous, it’s still in there and gives the impression that some deals had to be made in order to get the votes needed to pass the entire package.
However, another option could have been to hold the line and put forward only those projects which would have helped rebuild America’s infrastructure, preserve health care at a time when more Americans are losing their coverage, protect school budgets, stimulate lending by the banks and create jobs. Then we could have all watched the vote.
Those who chose to vote against the bill would have been held accountable and wouldn’t have the rallying cry of ‘pork barrel spending’ to hide behind. Instead, we’re left with the task of pointing out that the Republicans who are standing up in front of the cameras with charts of money being stacked around the planet were gung ho when their man, Bush was looking to do the same thing. Then it was patriotic and now it’s a paper belt around the Earth.
In either case, it’s the same old song with the parties standing on opposite sides this time. In other words, so far not much actually changed. That would be the biggest disappointment.
President Obama sets out this week to campaign for the stimulus bill during town meetings across America. It’s an effort to pressure Congress to hurry up and say yes to the package. But Obama already won over American voters. We even agree that the country’s infrastructure such as bridge, roads and school buildings need to be revamped. Or that new energy sources have to be pursued for both environmental and geopolitical reasons. And both of those will take time before real jobs are created but they’ll come and the economic mess we’re in is going to require time before we successfully emerge.
But what about what’s still missing in the bill. There is no solid plan to keep Americans in their homes, help others get in a new home or deal with the glut of homes choking the market. It’s as if the middle class was once again forgotten.
If topics that solely benefit the middle of America such as housing, affordable higher education or decent health care aren’t included in this package then we really are back to the old business as usual.
We are in the biggest economic downturn since the 1930’s and yet we still can’t get either side to trumpet the average American’s needs or concerns. Instead we’re watching cartoons of dollar bills stacked toward the moon.
The 2009 America Challenge is underway and you can get involved and help out your local community. Email Martha for more info. Martha Randolph Carr’s latest book, A Place to Call Home, a memoir about the reemergence of U.S. orphanages is available wherever books are sold. If you’d like Martha to come and speak to your group visit: www.newvoicespeakers.com. Martha’s Big Adventure coming soon to World Talk Radio and Voice America. Email Martha at: Martha@caglecartoons.com or visit www.martharandolphcarr.com.
©2009 Martha Randolph Carr.
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The moronic investors on wallstreet don't give anything a chance to work. One day they are excited about the stimulus, then when it is passed they are worried about it, good god.
The economic stimulus bill as “explained” by an astute economics professor:
Great comment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped nearly 1,700 points and continues since the moment Obama was sworn in as president. Apparently the market doesn't like the trillion dollars in IOUs the Feds have been passing to the Treasury Department.
Believe me I am not sticking up for Obama, but what do you think needs to be done about wall street and all their bad decisions of late? Guess need to also talk about others that have taken money then plan these very expensive trips on taxpayers money.
Sometime I think they should just close wall street,and conduct business without it.
Preident Bush warned the Congress in 2001 and again in 2003 about Freddie and Fannie, however Barney Frank along with many Democrats, in the Congress they have controled since 2006, ignored the warning. Evenially the reckless and felonious actions came to an end when China stopped buying the bad paper (mortgages) from Freddie and Fannie. Having stated these facts, I think we need to realize the majority of the crooks who need to be held accountable for our recession but never will, resided in DC.
Capitalism works well until government steps in, as proven by their actions in Fannie and Freddie and most recently with our Big 3. We need to compete in a global economy and until GM, Ford and Chrysler begin to pay wages comparable to other manufacturers they can not compete and are doomed to fail. Every sucessful business needs to show a profit, especially when their function in it's purest form is to make their investors (stock holders) money. It sounds terrible, but the workers can't come before the people who own the company. We've seen greed first hand here in Anderson, by both labor and management, and we all know how that turned out. To date GM is seeking another 30 million in bailout funds which would bring their total near 50 and they have done or promised anything in the business plan they submitted last Tuesday to lead anyone with 2 IQ digits to think they are a profitable company.
Now Obama is going to pledge 75 billion to help people who are in foreclosure. Again the facts tell us that 91% of the people in this county are paying their mortgages. So this leaves 9%, many, not all of which in addition to being behind in their mortgages, have thousands of dollars in credit card debt as well as car payment. I guess once again the minority rules the majority. We've bailed out banks who still have stagnet assets on their books. Obama's administration recently hinted today about a possible national bank.....look at the market's reaction.
I guess I don't have the answers but I do know that the liberal path Obama is leading our country is NOT it.
In closing, people need to take personal and financial accountablility. Under the Obama plan I guess we could all go out and buy more house we can afford and just miss a few payments and let our great grandchildren pick up the tab.
I'll leave you with a quote from 1802 by a wise man named Thomas Jefferson...
'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than
standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control
the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and
corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all
property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers
conquered.'
I hope you aren't trying to pretend the market crash didn't start until after Obama took office. He walked into a mess.
And bush was president for the last 8 years. He isn't innocent, he shares the blame along with the democratic congress and senate.
My guess is our problem started at the beginning of the industrial revolution. Our greed and corruption just hastend its arrival.