Have No Fear, Big (Spending) Government Will Be Here

What could we expect when our "new" leadership all comes from Congress, which could not even aspire to President Bush's anemic approval rating? You get what you deserve when you elect proven incompetents. That, by the way, is not meant as a partisan statement. The choices were equally bad.

so the plan is to tax more and government to spend more. that is change you can believe in.

This coming from a person who was part of a legal team that sued banks for not giving out enough "sub-prime mortgage loans," a practice blamed as being a significant aspect of our current economic crisis. Carter started this, and Clinton finished it by forcing credit to be issued to low-income families for housing. Obama sued to get it executed. We have the same folks in Congress, and now in the White House, that created this mess. The American people are ignorant, blind, etc ... We got what we deserved by Obama getting "elected" (which is a fraudulant joke, not to mention his lack of "natural-borne citizenship" status). One compliment to Obama: I'm shocked the term "tax cut" was uttered from his lips. That's a push in the right direction. Let me have my money!

My prediction for 2009 is that the government will continue to devalue to the dollar and as the national debt climbs higher into the trillions, the world will drop the dollar as the reserve currency and adopt the yuan. We have an inept government that cannot think outside the Keynesian box and they will bankrupt the country.

Well, here we go. Though I plan to stand by our newly elected officials until they prove me wrong, I find it difficult to imagine a president with NO real political experience being able to guide our country in the right direction. I pray that I am wrong, but it is a bit frightening when you realize the enormity of the situation placed into the hands of one with no background in anything that has to do with running a country.

Did I hear Obama say "the government at every level will have to tighten its belt?" All I can say is "Put your money where your mouth is, Obama" It will take a LOT of SHOW AND TELL for Americans to believe this crap. How many times will we be sucker-punched by the politicians saying they "feel our pain" as Pelosi is quoted as saying. NO, she doesn't. Congress has a real sweet retirement plan certainly not the average good ole Joe's run of the mill Social Security Plan that we've been forced to contribute to all these years. It seems like a huge conflict of interest that the Washington Elite can steal my Social Security earnings to shore up the BIG retirement plan that Federal Governemnt is covered under. Wake up Washington, Americans no longer respect or support the crap you push on us. After all, we are just the schmucks paying the bills and footing your salaries.

Less and less jobs means less taxes. Higher gas prices mean less driving, means less gas tax revenue. Less jobs means less Suta, Futa and Fico taxes as well as less medicare and medicaid tax contributions. There are rural Volunteer Fire Departments and First Responder services that are about to have serious financial problems due primarily to the fact that less jobs means less available cash to have donated to these departments. What is Obama's plan to bailout all the Volunteer Fire departments that have continually saved about 37 BILLION a year in fire services across the country? Where is OUR bailout for even gas to operate the fire trucks? When gas goes up; these fire departments cannot simply request funds from the local municipality; there isn't one around. These departments rely upon donations for the vast financial basis to operate regardless of gas prices. As a VOLUNTEER FIREMAN and VOLUNTEER EMT... cash resources are needed for these departments. Ours is NOT about JOBS; it is about service to others. Where is our cut of the pie that is being handed out? Our departments need it as much as anyone at any of the other bailed out companies. I hear continually Help the poor, unemployed, less fortunate and all the other "help needed categories"; what about those of us to do ALL we can to HELP OTHERS at our OWN expense in time, energy and many times our own dollars. No... it is not for glory, it is what we get by giving to others.... still many $$ NEEDED.

Those waiting in line have already started programs; a new battle is beginning against methamphetamine in my state. Just new funding of a continued battle. Highlight education, prevention, recovery and hope. This program seems far to familiar to be called a new battle. One thing my father always said was that over educated people psycho analyze and put on stage those less fortunate to justify the evil in themselves.

Brian ? Are you saying you think TARP was wrong ? or that Big Government spending WON'T WORK ? What then of TARP ? Or are you saying you don't support TARP - but ? as I used to gripe in financial forums on capitalism, most common response was 'do I have a better model ? ' enjoy your successes as you seek to denote challenges Brian But let's remember, the US dollar is given value by PLENTY - MORE - OUTSIDE the nation state. NON citizens. I just realized this out of the blue. Why not though, makes sense, more people that are NOT Americans prop up the dollar - but not so much anymore I read. I read you can go to France, and have the USD turned down - parts of NYC, Asian Pacific. Either way - MORE non Americans prop up the USD - for whatever it's worth. OPEC ? for how long. Then again, I really DO see a settling at 1.33 ish for the year on the Dollar to the Euro. So, no real big reason to jump the gun and further movement to the Euro from Saudi's heh. I suggest you watch the movie Motorama - GOOD gas station job scene in there, at the beginning- or near it, Phil, and the end. I'd join ya. Frankly, it's amazing a major organ in our body doesn't blow out sooner than they do. People have traded far too much away for that plastic molded dream from China. Materialistic consumerism is dead as a lead laced nail from china.

Brian, remember, China's rates won't drop forever. They were planned. All priced in. China chokes down on that chicken man, US currency will weaken again, and we'll go upstream on the euro - I sat 1.33 - maybe 1.35

I think since everything else is shrinking, the one thing we as Americans must try to do is: SHRINK THE GOVERNMENT TOO, do not let the government grow. It is difficult to do this because our government thinks it should respond to every individual whimper from every citizen, with a plan to attend to the problem identified by that whimper. As much as I believe you have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, the government has to enable behavior that is stimulative to the economy, as opposed to actually injecting money into the economy to stimulate it. I can blow air into a balloon, but as soon as I stop blowing air into the balloon, it will deflate, and that is what our government recently experienced when it sent out stimulus checks, in fact, it barely experienced any increase in the economy, because by the time the checks actually reached individuals, most of the money was used to pay off debt. Make no mistake: it is a good thing when Americans start saving and stop spending. It is the first step to a major improvement in the lives of individuals and families. It is possible that there will be a lot of pain during this conversion to an economy of savers, but think about how much better every individual and family will feel about spending money when that expense is determined by how much of a dent it will make in the family savings plan rather than how much needs to be paid per month to a credit agency. SAVE SAVE SAVE, stop CREDIT SPENDING!

Brian I think you're WAY off base to say Big spending is here ? or coming ? why not paste big spending where it is record deficit record spending and for what ? Wonder why Madoff though opted to give in and just say - it's all props. Worst thing is when you're watching the Truman Show and you realize with him "Who are you talking to ? " Once you entertain our entire global culture is the Truman Show to some regard abstract symbols everywhere what are we to make of them ? some of the butter or some margarine symbols who knows the blue bonnet symbol to lord only knows the thousands of symbols we manage. and for what ? nightmare if you weigh in the subjective there real nightmare - best just not to zoom in on THAT horizon if you ask me. Just buy the butter and leave it at that. Don't ASK - well- short of china, I would avoid any dairy from China why not and why even seek it - augh ! ah HA - shipped across the seas to you ! what you could NOT get locally ? right. walmart model MAYBE gotta watch out in the grocery these days - watch where its made. you'd be surprised how GLOBAL that is not good. I want my california carrots well high in methyl-mercury from china's mercury dump - after the carrots convert it.

Yes, we are and will be in the hands of complete fools! The jobs Obama is talking about creating will be for the illegals and the uneducated. They will never be able to change the economic situation. If anybody thinks that our jobs will survive this insanity, they better think again. The silver tongued one has arrived and with him he brought back all of the evil ones that we voted out of office in the past because of their incompetence. Their only contributions (based on their past) will be complete insecurity, fear mongering and stealing from us and our kids in unimagined levels of spending and debt. In the early 1900’s this was the embodiment of a thing called Communism! Wake up America; we are in for serious trouble as a free society! The world owns a good part of us now; by the time these folks get going they will own all of us. Then it will be a matter of time before THEY are telling us what we can and cannot do. Overspending and false speculating got us into this situation and more of it WILL NOT get us out of it! Change, HA!

Renter are being thrown into the streets by the thousands accross America; deputies have no way of knowing if the eviction notices they’re serving to residents are justified. He suspects that most people may have been paying their rent on time, but are being served eviction notices that are due to the landlord not paying the mortgage on the property. Pay your bills ontime, and become homeless anyway and loose a months rent and security deposit all in the same day. No Fear!

Oh the humanity. Thats a statement on the footage of the hindiburge when it blew up in NYC while landing. Well folks, Oh the humanity. We are watching the explosion of everything we know and believe. We have heard every excuse in the world why things are the way they are except for the real reasons. Corporate greed, lousy leadership on both sides, the belief that we are owed a certain way of living, Illegal immigration ( Which is a bigger problem I think than anyone will admit). While its hard sometimes to find certain items made in the USA, Just take time and look. When you buy something even if it cost more look for the MADE IN USA tag. That is the first step we need to take. Less wallmart and more mom and pop shops is a good indicator of the the right direction.

Just to add, remember any quick recovery will only be a bandaid on and amputated limb. It took 20 plus years to get here, it will take a long time to get back if that is even possible now

Easy solution - Give the money back TO THE PEOPLE IN THERE PAYCHECKS!!! Give a 1 or a 2 year Federal Tax holiday! Enough giving OUR tax dollars to the Corporate criminals.

I've said it more than once,"PE Obama, is all Fluff"! He's incapsulated himself with the same baggage(Clinton's past aministration cabinet)that got us in the same mess in the beginning. His speech-writer is fast running out of "orbiting/circling bullet sound-bites" that are coming close to shooting (Obama) him in the foot! The markets need to take their medicine? Simply said,capitalism,and government can't integrate without jeopardizing the collapse of our Democracy! There's to much emphasis put on the "Great Depression", and his latest "Scare Tactic Speech" ,premised on the parallels of Paulson/Bush financial doomsday rhetoric,are unwarranted! This daily/ continuous barage of unnecesarily alarmist undertones is uncharacteristic of a true leader? I truly believe, he's only a four years president,...?

I agree, CHANGE, HA! there is not going to be any change unless the idea of using money the government does not have, to create jobs it cannot sustain, is completely forgotten about. The only government jobs that are worth creating more of are military jobs and intelligence jobs. All the branches of the military as well as the branches of the intelligence services of this country require smart people to do difficult jobs. I think our young people would be served well by being involved in these type of jobs. I am sick of hearing about lazy students, and stupid Americans. Not only are we not helped by this perception, but we are hurt by this perception. To begin to change it we can do all kinds of things, but as long as the President-Elect is committed to creating jobs, why not create a stronger military too, with all the good training that comes with being in the military and bigger intelligence agency's, with all the good training that comes with those jobs.

His policies and philosophy about government are totally wrong. When the campaign last year began to turn its emphasis over to the economy, it was obvious that Obama was perhaps a nice guy but didn't know what he was talking about. Still, the people voted for style over substance. He isn't even president yet and the lack of substance painfully shows. Ironic how Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who stated a clear and against the grain philosophy, continued to gain support as the campaign went on, and even afterwards. My only hope is in a comparison to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln didn't know how to fight a war, but his instincts were right, he learned along the way, and eventually became perhaps our greatest Commander-In-Chief. Obama seems to be willing to listen to other sides, although he is quickly developing an arrogance that may soon become dangerous. Obama just may be willing to throw out the big government BS he learned during his life when he finds out in the very near future that it doesn't work. The problem is, can we afford to wait? When FDR said we had nothing to fear but fear itself, he may have used a play on words, but with those words he gave the people hope and got them to believe that their destiny, regardless of how difficult, was still in their hands. Nothing Obama has said or done these few days has been reassuring and the people are becoming more fearful daily. He will have to learn fast and change his philosophy soon or we are in for an unprecedented crisis

If you borrowed a million dollars from me and went out and spent it, you would feel rich. But when the money runs out and you have to pay it back, you will actually be poorer than when you started. The national debt is approaching $12 trillion. I've read estimates that our total indebtedness as a people, government (at all levels), corporate, private, and, yes, entitlements (which are another form of debt) total in the range of $50 trillion. This debt is now due. When the world will no longer lend us anymore because they see the futility in supported the dollar as the world's reserve currency, it will be over. Simply put, up to $50 trillion in wealth will have to be given up to pay off our debt. As a nation and as a people, we will have to become $50 trillion poorer. Borrowing more won't work. Merely cutting back won't work. Anyone who ever lost their job or a portion of their income knows that you don't cut back - you have to CUT OUT. More to come.

So what do you cut? Here are a few suggestions and, I fear, many will be inevitable. The entire department of energy. The entire department of education. NASA. All support of local mass transit. Social Security will become a pay-as-you-go system - no guaranteed benefits. Same for medicare. Public employee pensions to be reduced by 40-50%. No more troops in Japan, Korea, or Europe. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to immediately end - we go after Bin Laden covertly, which is what we should have done all along. All economic or military support, real or implied, for Taiwan, South Korea, and NATO ends. No fannie or freddie or whoever. No urban redevelopment authorities. No FDIC - you want to invest, you take the risk. Forget farm subsidies, student loans, FHA loans. No more building of convention centers, science centers, football and baseball fields. No welfare. No more prisons - execution or restitution, take your pick - no other punishments - too expensive. You sue in court and lose, then you pay full court costs - same thing if you are sued and you lose. Post Office is terminated. Public schools come to an end - entirely privatized. Rent subsidies, Section 8 - gone. And no more Byrds or Kennedy's in office - too expensive.

I think many of you missed the point, which is this: That if Obama wanted to to fix this problem he woulf say so in a convincing positive way. Which he has not. He encourages me not to spend when I can , he delaying me from closing on a home purchase because I fear to part with cash. He hasn't done musch and he hasm't done much right.

The thing is these guys need the country to be in crisis mode because we the people will accept ideas and spending that we would never even consider if we felt comfortable...so In my opinion Obama does not really want the major issues solved until he can pass many of the projects and then they will be ready to declare we are saved.