Social mood directs the markets, economy, politics, culture. A president who takes office during improving social mood witnesses a rising stock market and a better economy. Then he is credited for doing a good job. He is likely to get a second term. A president who is in office during a bear market bears the burden of negative social mood. He looses office after first term. Here is how social mood writes the history:

www.tradingstocks.net/html/socionomics.html

Obama is unlucky to be the president now. Obama cannot do much. There is nothing anybody can do to fix the immediate economic problems. They can take action to avoid similar economic collapse in the future. But for now, it is too late. Why?

Because today's problems are not about what we are doing now. But they are about what we have already done for many decades. An entire nation cannot borrow non-stop for decades, inflate the money supply with borrowed money and then hope that all will be fine when the pay back time arrives. Deflation cannot be avoided after credit inflation runs it's course. Great Depression will pale compared to the coming crash. Reforms cannot prevent it. Cause is in place. Effect will follow. Any reform to regulate financial activity will be deflationary and will add fuel to the fire that is already raging. Obama's hands are tied. He will loose the election if the social mood declines into 2012.

And how many foolish Americans borrowed more than they could afford pay back.....or haven't you heard.......it was in the millions of fools.......

ummm, it was the tea party that coined that phrase.

You should know that those "adjusted" unemployment numbers of this week were 399,000 for a reason- because it's less than 400,000. The real (unadjusted number) for this week is actually 614,000+. You'll also note that when next week's "adjusted" number comes in that this week's number will have been "adjusted" again, likely upto 403,000+. It's all a numbers game to temper people's perspective on the economy.

Mikesm- Actually the President DOES have a lot of influence on how things go with the economy. He can provide leadership- both in speeches and in legislative action/executive orders to aid the economy through taxation, show resolve to the international community so that they continue to support our economy, and show businesses (whom provide jobs) that there is and will be stability in the marketplace.

Here's a quickie on how President Obama could have turned the corner- He could have created an executive order capping federal spending and demanding say a 15% cut to all federal agencies. He could have used his podium to tell the American people to hold their representatives accountable for their mis-spending their money, but he chose to blame Republicans only. He could have ordered a freeze to increasing environmental and taxation regulations for a few years to give the markets some stability and breathing room to grow. He could have waited on Obamacare until there was some recovery happening, he chose to grandstand it and the first steps of the program require a lot of new taxdollars and restructuring that has raised premiums in many states by upto 40%- a direct cost to businesses. He could have encouraged new jobs in the US by enhancing our existing energy systems (IE- more efficient distribution systems, new refineries, new drilling using today's technologies), he chose to waste billions paying off his friends who's "green" companies were rapidly being undermined by China's cheap labor and manufacturing (didn't hear that one- the cost to build a solar panel in the use is massively more expensive than buying from another place). Heck, if he had used taxdollars to incentivise buying solar panels we could have not worried about the actual production and literally be offsetting our energy use through INSTALLATION and end use cuts. It would have been a direct government energy offset program. You see, the problem is that he chose to grow the government, increase governmental mis-spending, grow regulation, grow taxation, increase market strain on businesses around the country and take the incentive out of job creation. They aren't making more jobs because they don't know if next year their taxes will go up, their healthcare costs/mandates will go up, their wage requirements will go up, their manufacuring requirements will go up, the value of their investments go down, and they are left with paying more for less. Many businesses are smart enought not to want to participate more when they don't have a stable sense of the future.

john, are you suggesting that before Obama there was no such thing as food stamps? no such thing as unemployment insurance? no such thing as govt assisted health insurance??

if so, then i suggest you go back under that rock you came from for another 50 years or so.

John - free stuff - really. Have you checked you pay stub lately. I've paid into unemployment my whole career and I'm sure the food stamps and other free stuff you elude to also has been paid for by you and me as well. Free stuff - your insinuations are truly insulting to those who have lost their jobs through no fault of there own and those that have had to put their pride in their pocket and ask for help. How assuming and rude can you be. Geez strike that question I think you've answered it!

Joe in NY - do you honestly believe the things you are saying? You seem like a smart guy, somehow I doubt you really do.

Businesses are not holding back on spending due to uncertainty over taxes. They are holding back because of uncertainty in the global economy. Europe is probably already in recession, China looks to be slowing and has a government coming in that is not very reform minded. The US is arguably the one bright spot right now outside of Sotheast asia. So if companies were going to invest anywhwere, it would be here. Investment decisions are based on company projections of ability to make a good return on capital, so are hiring decisions. An increase to fixed overhead costs (health care) would only matter if the investment case were not very good to begin with. Same goes to any increase in taxes, which by the way to my knowledge no on is talking about increasing corporate taxes, just elimination of some loopholes and i believe Obama wants to lower the overal corporate tax rate in conjunction with eliminating loopholes. Those loopholes by the way are essentially government mandating outcomes - if you give tax breaks to the oil and gas industry you have government picking winners and losers instead of letting the free market work. If you believe in free markets you should be for a lower corporate tax rate with no loopholes, end of story. No the lack of investment is not driven by fear of crazy new government policy, it is happening because no one quite believes that this recovery is for real yet, especially with all of the issues cropping up overseas. If companies had confidence in their ability to get a return well in excess of their cost of capital they would be investing - because that is what business does it exploits profitable opportunities in the market place.

On health care - at the end of the day businesses are forced to pay for higher healthcare costs anyway for two reasons: 1. health care costs are a key component of inflation and price inflation leads to wage inflation which is paid by companies to workers. 2. uninsured people seek treatment for free when they get really sick - they go to the emergency room and get really expensive care - that care is paid for implicitly by higher insurance premiums for people who are insured - since the premiums are generally part of a compensation package from your employer - they are footing the bill here. So the goal should be to get overall costs down. Preventative care does that and universal insurance of any sort makes that possible. Remember, "Obamacare" is essentially the republican response to hillary clintons proposal 15 years ago. It is essentially a republican bill. It is not perfect and needs work, but it is a start.

On a 15% cross the board cut to government agencies. government waste can be cut, but a 15% cut in the midst of early phases of an economic recovery is just stupid. remember, government provides services and those services are labor intensive - so the 15% cut would largely be a cut of jobs. government jobs are 8% of the economy. You've just added 1% or more to the unemployment number. cuts to government needt o be phased in and done in a way that does not harm the fragile recovery. entitlement reform is the only way to really balance the budget and that has more of a long-term effect rather than something that will cause government spending to contract overnight.

ideology at the expense of reality is foolish.

All I hear is end of the world from everybody. The economy is growing, that is fact not fiction and then you read that people cannot find enough trained workers. It is absolutely a lie from the republicans who talk about the size of government.

Which republican President actually shrunk the size of government; please do not say Ronald Reagan, he grew government and the debt.

When you get right down to it, what republican president has not grown the size of government or the debt.

The government has gotten smaller under Obama; meaning fewer government jobs then when he walked in and he has not had a tax increase yet.

Mitt Romney? Really? Newt Gingrich? Really? Rick Santorum? Really? - Which one of these big government republicans do you think is really going to lower the debt and give us a balanced buget? The correct answer is none of them.

Which one of these big government Politicians do you think is really going to lower the debt and give us a balanced budget? The correct answer is..............OBAMA??

Aug 14, 2011 – Under Obama, the private sector has shed some 2.9 million jobs while the federal government has grown by 40000

Total government jobs, however, shrank by 357,000 jobs, mainly because of cuts at the state and local levels...Did your "source" mention that?

Free stuff - your insinuations are truly insulting to those who have lost their jobs through no fault of there own and those that have had to put their pride in their pocket and ask for help.

Peg, help is one thing. But 99 weeks of help?? What incentive is there for someone who knows he or she will be receiving unemployment benefits for the next 99 weeks to get a job?? Don't tell me that never happens. I know people receiving unemployment benefits and they told me this exact thing. What they fail to realize is that companies take note of this during the interview process. If someone hasn't worked in 99 weeks, how do you think a company will receive this the next time that same unemployed person tries to find a job? The government needs to get out of the business of creating dependencies and, instead, find more effective ways to empower people who are unfortunate enough to lose their jobs. The turn-around needs to occur faster than 99 weeks.

But who am I to voice my opinion. If you can't beat the system, join it. Give me free stuff too!!

John....earth yo John.....earth to John......WE HAVE BEEN IN THE CLOSEST THING TO A DEPRESSION SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

what do you think will happen to unemployment rolls and and those on food stamps???

And for goodness sakes, let's not forget WHO STARTED THIS ECONOMIC DISASTER.

There is not one of these GOP clowns that is even electable.

President Obama is going to be re-elected in a landslide.

UnitedStates1776: It is a very grim time to be a voter. The choice always comes down to either Tweedle-Dee or Tweedle-Dum.

No, let's not forget... The U.S. Housing Subprime Mortgage Market Debacle.

A gift from our Republican and Democratic pals...

So much for the teabaggers claim of bias from the "left-wing media."

The entire article is spin for consumption by the liberal toadies of Obama.

Obama is responsible for the economy, and we are WORSE off now than before he took office.

And for goodness sakes, let's not forget WHO STARTED THIS ECONOMIC DISASTER.

Irrelevant. And besides, the Federal Reserve played the biggest part in the disaster with its ZIRP policy. Bernanke continues that tradition. Let's also remember how Barney Frank insisted that there were no systemic problems with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This lie was every bit as scandalous as Iraq and WMDs.

Obama has claimed since 2009 that the recession was over. Do you believe him? Have his policies done anything to correct the problem? I would argue no.

The hardest part for me to understand is WHY do we as a nation attach the unemployment numbers to the performance or lack thereof to any President. From my perspective this is all smoke and mirrors for the party out of power, and we the peoiple are suckers in the game. Let me repeat that SUCKERS!!!. Employment is a function of supply and demand and that drives commerce and capacity.

But we as hapless idiots want to select a President based on numbers he can influence, but not control. IMHO the employment figure is not a predictor of whether you are a competent President. Wake the hell up America and stop being suckers for empty rhetoric. The next President you elect with this in mind will be no better at influencing this statistic, THATS YOUR JOB.

IF NOT OBAMA IN 2012 WHOM?

Nice try, Ron, but there have been just too many potential employers who have stated outright that they will not hire because of the Obama policies....both the ones he's implemented, and those he might implement. If the next guy in the whitehouse comes in and presents a clear, logical, and understandable economic policy...one which is not ridiculously pro-union, pro-tax increase,anti-oil, and doesn't reek of redistribution of wealth, it will affect the hell out of the current economic logjam.

Spider

I believe a study conducted by the Commerce Department, which has been at odds with Obama since the passing of the new healthcare legislation, and contributed heavily to TeaPubs during the 2010 debacle (er um election), only 18% of business indicated that regulation was the reason they are not hiring. That leaves a WHOPPING 82%, that say demand for products and services are the biggest factor why they are not hiring.

The truth is that regulations can impact jobs but don't have much effect when it comes to employment. That means that a particular regulation might reduce jobs in one industry but create them in another.

For example, a clean air regulation might reduce jobs at a dirty coal-fired power plant and create new jobs at a clean-burning natural gas plant. But, looking at the big picture, employers report that only 0.3% of layoffs are due to "government regulations/intervention." That's small potatoes compared with the 25% of jobs lost due to reduced demand for products and services in our weak economy.

While they may not have a big impact on jobs, regulations do have a big impact in a lot of other areas, namely in protecting workers, the public and the environment.

The rest is just spin.

Popcorn Spider?

UnitedStates1776 Whatever you are snorting, you better bag it and sell it.

There is human responsibility. People are intelligent. When you buy a car, you should know if you can afford the payments, the maintenance, the insurance, gasoline and all the extra expenses with owning a car.

With the sub-prime loans, people should have anticipated knowing that the loan repayments were going to increase. It's like all the come ons the net. They want your password, your credit card number, address, and the social sites are not there to help you. They are information gatherers. You have the real threat, as all you know of information on the net, being stolen.

People have to take responsibility for their lives and have some sense. When an offer is to good to be true it usually is. It does not take a lot of sense to investigate and look before you buy something or commit to something. One opinion is not enough. Educate yourselves and get real reliable information.

People who run businesses and companies and especially governments are out to take advantage of you.

Clinton refused to eliminate Obama when the Sudan offered their help in removing him. That got us into 9/11 and two wars.

Obama has no work experience. Obama has not had one employee working for him ever!

He knows nothing of managing a business hiring or firing, straightening out an economy or running a business. How could he be expected to run the United States of America?

He was a rebound candidate that knew nothing and knows nothing. You can't ask a carpenter to be a Yale History Professor.

humannomatter. There is no left wing media? Then you better tell the 156,000,000 hits on the net that.

Biased left wing media:

An annoying little imp that runs around with a steaming hot cow brand hunting for people that disagree with them. They tastelessly use the words "racist", "sexist" and "biased" to shame and silence anyone who disagrees with them. It's also very convenient for them to ride you off a racist or a discriminator, because then they don't have to actually discuss the issues with you.

In a survey conducted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1997, 61% of reporters stated that they were members of or shared the beliefs of the Democratic Party. Only 15% say their beliefs were best represented by the Republican Party.

No left wing bias? Try that again.

John-755418

Under Obama, the use of food stamps is at record levels

When you're handed an economy that failed at record levels, the food stamps would be at record levels... not sure what your point is. You saying that McCain would have recovered the economy so quickly that no one would have even gotten hungry?

Unemployement insurance is now offered for up to 99 weeks under Obama. Free stuff!! Is there an exit strategy for this?

When there are enough jobs available to support the workforce, the unemployment extensions will end. "Free Stuff"? This is called third grade math... listen closely and maybe you can get this: When there are fewer jobs available than there are workers, some MUST be unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment cannot be solved by starving the unemployed into remission... lamest argument we've ever heard from the GOP.

Thanks to Obama's healthcare plan, many companies are dropping their private health coverage plans. Sure these benefits have been available for a long time. But reliance on these benefits has only increased under Obama.

GOP originated urban legend. Provide specifics. Many were already dropping retirees and dependents and were capping their liability like Ryan wanted to in his grand Medicare solution... to blame a 10 year trend on the recent health care law is another lame argument.

Got any more talking points?

LMarcT Think before you comment. Obama is unfit to be president. He is and always has been a political hack. He went from law school to a job at a small legal firm specializing in political cases. He then got a political job and then ran almost unopposed for federal Il Senate.

Obama has never worked a day in his life. He has never had to sweat and know what it is to earn a paycheck. Everything was given to him.

"Senior attorneys at the small firm where he worked say he was a strong writer and researcher, but was involved in relatively few cases -- about 30 -- and spent only four years as a full-time lawyer before entering politics."

How can he relate to the average man or woman. He had books ghost written and used his political offices to make himself rich.

He sat through sermons from his Pastor Wright who told the congregation that America was to blame for 9/11 and Jew baited for several sermons. Obama rewarded Pastor Wright with a 1.2 million home and a job in the federal government at taxpayer expense.

He has no experience running a business and never had one employee. How can anyone expect him to run a country with no business or economic experience.

Obama was against Boeing creating a factory in S.C. and being more competitive with Airbus.

Obama sent $500,000,000 to Finland to build competing electric cars.

Obama lost how much at Solyndra and how many more failed solar electric companies. The cost is $3 billion and counting.

Obama is inexperienced and incompetent.

Any no one has dared to explain the sheer stupidity of not taking bin Laden alive! A treasure trove of information and just murdered. The U.S. military must have 100 ways to take a person alive.

And no one has explained why the body was disposed of before definite DNA proof was made available.

No one is going to tell me that bin Laden hearing the gunfire is not going to take up arms and is going to stand there. WHY WAS THIS A KILL OPERATION FROM THE START?

Republicans maybe despicable in many eyes and maybe seem at blame for economic fallout..

The Obama administration abandoned the corporate table from the get go and either have done any much good since.

spite on spite

Ok, ok, ok - anyone who becomes unemployed gets shot. Then they won't need to collect unemployment.

Anyone who needs food stamps also needs to be shot. Then we won't have to feed them.

I'm running for President in 2012. I will get 110% of the Teaparty and Rebulican votes !!! And I will win!!!

This is just proof that the Liberal media can't hide the facts any longer about the economy !!

Things would be little different under McCain/Palin rule given the foundation that President Cheney left us.

Did anyone expect Jobs to help Obama in this coming election is more stupid than they look ..... LOL

But honestly with the GOP campaigning for OBAMA I think he will just slide into HOME PLATE with no effort on his part ....

The truth is if Obama was reelected, people would still blame Bush, or the republicans, or the teabaggers, whatever, for things still being the same. Obama can't spend his way out of this recession( and yes, it is STILL going on) even though he's tried many times with his Cash for clunkers, shovel jobs, etc. I think MSNBC likes to keep printing this crap to give everyone an opinion, that they are a fair news organization. Yet, you notice how all the republican comments are the only ones who are constantly collapsed? It doesn't escape anyone's attention. Really!

Ahhhh PEG #1.15, I have been all over my "pay stub" with a microscope and I can not find where I've been paying into "unemployment"!! Do you think you could tell me where I could find this itemized total, on my "pay stub"?? Thank you!!

BTW; My mother-in-law is dying from cancer and she has been turned down from receiving any of those programs that she has PAID INTO all of her life... Any suggestions?

Mr. Wonderful Would we have had to go to war if Clinton had accepted Sudan's offer to hand over bin Laden?

Under Clinton, at least three opportunities to have Bin Laden handed over to the U.S. were rejected inexplicably.
According to the Sunday Times of London, Clinton himself said his refusal to accept the offer to hand over Bin Laden was the "Biggest Mistake" of his presidency.
According to anonymous sources in the CIA, Clinton did not want Bin Laden arrested.

Obama had no experience with federal politics except for being a two year Federal Senator. McCain had 23 years as a military officer and 26 years in politics at the Federal level.

And you really think that Obama would have been a better choice than McCain?

Obama went from law school to a socialistic law firm to a political job in Il and then ran almost unopposed for Federal Senator where he served two years.

Really ridiculous to put an inexperienced, incompetent man with no military experience and little political experience in that position especially when he had no work experience and never developed a sweat on his brow.

Yeah, theres no real left wing media bias. Only "Vast Right Wing Conspiracies".

That and Bush planning 9/11. Silly Republicans.

For you whom worship the Half Breed Kenyan(community organizer guru) take a shot at this.

Did you notice who Obama threatened when he wasn't getting his way on raising the debt ceiling? He threatened to not pay:

- Social Security Retirees, Military Retirees, Social Security disability and Federal Retirees.-

- Now..let this sink in really good -

- He did not threaten to stop payments to illegal aliens

- He did not threatened to take frivolous benefits such as Internet access away from violent inmates

- He did not offer to fire some of the thousands of unnecessary federal employees that he hired

- He did not offer to cut down on his or his wife's frivolous gallivanting around

- He did not threaten to not pay the senators and representatives or any of their staff

- He did not threaten to take benefits away from welfare recipients

- He did not threaten the food stamp programs

- He did not threaten to not pay foreign aid

- He did not threaten to cut back on anything that involves his base voters the free loaders of the US.

- The list could go on and on and on.

Wilsonaide - and GWB's experience?

Ron is Seattle said:

IF NOT OBAMA IN 2012 WHOM?

Anoyone in the running except Ron Paul. I wouldn't vote as both would be suicidal for America!

spellchecker -

Uhh... Hello!

GWB was governor of Texas. Executive experience as governor is an executive position.

Or didn't you realize that?.

LMarcT

When you're handed an economy that failed at record levels, the food stamps would be at record levels... not sure what your point is. You saying that McCain would have recovered the economy so quickly that no one would have even gotten hungry?

No. I'm saying that Obama based his election platform on fixing this economy. After years of "failed leadership" he was going to fix it. I do not call increasing entitlement spending a step in the right direction. The increased deficits speak for themselves. Fear over sovereign debts are driving the markets today and with good reason. If the interest rates rise even by a percentage point, calculate how that will impact the budget deficit. Also, Obama said he was not elected to bailout "fat cat bankers". Yet, since he took office, he and members of his administration have done nothing but bail them out.

When there are fewer jobs available than there are workers, some MUST be unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment cannot be solved by starving the unemployed into remission... lamest argument we've ever heard from the GOP.

You obviously don't get the point of the argument yet it's quite simple. The issue isn't supporting families. Sure this is necessary from time to time. But what does the government do to retrain people out of work? The answer is to somehow help them get back on their feet and once again provide for themselves. Unemployment, as do most entitlements, create dependencies among the people. What happens when it is no longer feasible to provide these benefits yet the dependencies still exist as is the case with social security, medicare, unemployment, welfare, etc..? I saw a great quote once. It said, "You can't have big entitlements and a big military at the same time." We are slowly realizing this.

GOP originated urban legend. Provide specifics. Many were already dropping retirees and dependents and were capping their liability like Ryan wanted to in his grand Medicare solution... to blame a 10 year trend on the recent health care law is another lame argument.

You miss the point, LMarc. Obamacare was supposed to fix these trends. That was the promise. It will do nothing of the sort. The problem with our medical system is behavioral. Until people stop eating big macs on their way home from work just in time to watch reality tv the rest of the day, the problems will continue. All Obama did was create yet another entitlement program that this country can't afford.

spellchecker2- you asked, you got it...

Yale University graduate- then on the Harvard Business School. He is the only U.S. President to have earned an M.B.A.

Member of the Air Texas National Guard

Owner - independent oil exploration company Bush Exploration, it merged and became Spectrum 7 where he was the Chairman. Then as Chair of HKN.

Worked on his dad's campaign for POTUS

Became the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers

Governor of Texas 1995-2000

POTUS 200-2008

not a bad resume compared to the current occupant of the White House...

You forgot Obama on your list, thought I'd help!

@Wilsonaide , Bin Laden, needed to be dead for just that reason you thought of in your post. He was not turned over to Clinton for the reason you believe in your post. It was a Kill order, start to finish. One only needs to follow the money trail. Just like the money trail that lead to Saddam Hussein. Someone put them in power to deflect a different dictator, and, as is true with all absolute power, It corrupts absolutely. They turned out to be worse dictators than the ones we opposed.

You are absolutely correct, Jandrew. I was just about to post the irony of Republican/Conservative/Tea Party claims that the government does not create jobs -- small businesses do. Yet, they also claim that the Obama Administration is at-fault for the lack of jobs and high unemployment. Despite the fact that the economy was hemorrhaging 700k+ jobs per month BEFORE Obama took office.

Until Obama can be proven to CAUSE a recession and job loss through HIS policies, he will get my vote.

How about when Obama's healthcare policy fails to reduce health care costs by 2015? Of course by then, it'll be too late.

more deregulation (what got us into this mess in the first place)

You may also want to include the fact that the SEC failed to enforce EXISTING law in many cases that might have helped to prevent the financial meltdown.

the Democrat hasn't finished cleaning up after the last one.

That's what we're all afraid of. Define "cleaning up"?

nbc and msnbc.com is not leftist. Then you better tell its president and public relations people.

As MSNBC.com notes in its own report on its rebranding, "With the addition of left-leaning anchors including Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz, the network increasingly became identified with a rising tide of progressive political sentiment. The new branding campaign, while not overtly political, implicitly embraces the network’s progressive identity."

In other words Phil Griffin is guiding nbc towards a leftist/socialist stance. Of course that is a conflict as Phil Griffen, Microsoft and G.E. are headed by 1% ers who work hard with their accountants to keep all their money out of the tax man's hands.

Why is it so hard to find out what the salaries of nbc and msnbc.com employees and what they pay in taxes? It is a public company.

After all they are all in the 1%ers and the public has the right to know what the federal govt is paying for as it helped G.E. out with bailout money. And you do remember G.E. owns nbc.

Pedestrian-in-SF What got us into this mess was 9/11 and Clinton's refusal to take out bin Laden.

Under Clinton, at least three opportunities to have Bin Laden handed over to the U.S. were rejected inexplicably.
According to the Sunday Times of London, Clinton himself said his refusal to accept the offer to hand over Bin Laden was the "Biggest Mistake" of his presidency.
According to anonymous sources in the CIA, Clinton did not want Bin Laden arrested.

Had bin Laden been taken out, then there would not have been the wars to protect the U.S. Or perhaps you would have preferred no action to be taken after 9/11? Instead of protecting your ability to sit confidently in front of your computer screen, we should have done what?

Now Clinton had the experience of the first World Trade Center bombing. He had the intelligence reports but he didn't have the balls or desire to take bin Laden that was being handed to him on a platter. He had the desire to parlay his governorship to become super rich. He had the desire to drive Arkansas to 50th position in child care and health care. He had the desire to make his wife his bagwoman.

You know he lost his first election by 15,000,000 in the popular vote? And if Perot hadn't run in the second election he would have lost the election in the electoral college.

Now we have another awful democrat president. More dangerous than Clinton. If possible more out of touch with the American public than Clinton. At least Clinton didn't sit through anti U.S. sermons.

lol @ wilsonade. Yes, we all understand that George Bush never happened, my dear. It's very convenient for you that way.

Clinton captured and tried the criminals who bombed WTT the first time. He was hampered in his warnings about terrorists by a congress much more interested in his affairs than in national security at the time. Remember "wag the dog"? He made sure that Dubya was appropriately warned and his warnings were laughed off. "Bin Laden determined to strike within US" was the title of the warning, if you recall.

Oh well, that's so much water under the bridge now, isn't it. The facts remain. Bush ushered in a depression. His failed policies saw the growth of the largest disparity in income in history, he lied us into war that had nothing to do with 9/11 or Bin Laden or Al Quada and failed to pay for it. His VP bragged that "deficits don't matter." Oh, wait... he never existed according to you kooks, does he.

Obama, dangerous? Sure, if you consider reducing unemployment from 750,000 a month to 300,000. Sure, if you consider protecting consumers from vampire banking practices, providing millions of Americans with health care they couldn't get before, saving the auto industry and giving them a chance to restructure and become #1 again, etc. He's killed Obama, he's ended the Iraq war and brought our troops home. He's dangerous, all right. Dangerous to the GOTea this November. :)

Oh, yeah - you're half-cracked comment about Rev. Wrights sermons? I see that you've made a decision based on the 15 second sound bites that Fox News plays. If you'd bothered to educate yourself, you'd realize the truth. How embarrassing for you.

Oh yes, but if we allow Obama to stay in office the deficit will continue to grow and the congress, well heck he doesn't need their approval or the senate. Did you miss the article, what is it another 1.2 trillion slapped on?? How much more will be added before we are true slaves in a broken nation?

@ Ped so, when the healthcare plan kicks in and you suddenly cannot see a physician for six months because everyone else can now afford to go, how happy will you be? Or if you need to go to the ER, how happy will you be when the wait times now will seem like a walk in the park? Also, the job flux is based on holiday no matter how much they swing it in the Newsvine. Just wait, a lot of companies are about to do some serious layoffs. Also, Obama was only doing what was put on the table by Bush for the pull out. Oh, you must have forgotten that while you were licking the dirt off your saviors feet, am I right?

They need a Republican President so they can change the Minimum wage laws, they will send American back to the 60's, How's a Dollar sixty cents ($1.60) an hour sound, so you work one whole day just to put gas in your car, does anyone think these people will care .......... GOOD LUCK ..

It's funny how Yahoo had a news story yesterday about unemployment being at the highest rate in two years. Of course they were talking about the seasonal help being laid off which we said when MSNBC ran their article about a week ago that said the rate went down. Now MSNBC says the rate drop won't help Obama. What rate drop? Why do we see a story on Yahoo News that doesn't show up on MSNBC? Could it be because it doesn't look good for somebody?

Jobs might not help, but when fox recaps the NH primaries and doesn't once say the name of the second place finisher, something is helping Obama. That somthing is called unjustifiable media bias against Ron Paul.

with obama we (the middle class) get to work hard and pay taxes so that all the food stamp freeloaders dont have to ever work, but dont worry they get more welfare checks so they can vote this socalled father of our country in again

jandrew,

You remind me of the folks that think the rich and the Corporations should pay more taxes to get us out of the trouble we are in. My reaction to this is why should we charge the rich and Corps. more when the unemployment is so high? Do we want more Corps. to leave the US? Don't we need them to hire people here in the US? I don't think we should punish them with higher taxes just because we think they can afford it.

Also adding taxes to the people who make $250,000 or more. It will hurt the folks that make between $250,000 and about 2 million, and these people hire a lot of people. Don't we think it would probably lose a few jobs because of it? But I suppose the extra taxes can cover the unemployed benefits. The richer of the rich make most of their money through capital gains and personal income comes in at a distant second. Capital gains are taxed at 15% and that is for everybody. Go up on that and it hurts everyone. Personal income of the richest is usually much lower and it is from that they make donations to charity and such. What happens when you give most of your personal income away when it comes to paying taxes? That's right, little gets paid. This is how Buffett makes his money, he offers that we should go up on their personal income taxes. Yah really?

I swear that most of the people on these comment boards don't know much about finance or the tax laws. These are the reasons the rich get richer.

because the people on Yahoo probably are brain damaged and don't realize that they factor in seasonal employment in the unemployment percentage.

Oh, and the media keeps us all tied up on these comment boards while they are becoming bigger corporations and getting richer. As long as they keep us divided they earn more and don't have to worry about us getting together to stop the way this country is going, and they are succeeding! It's these half truth stories that are dividing us. Sometimes I think the media is our worst enemy. They even embed commentators into these boards to keep us divided!

There! My ranting is over.

TSVG, silly goose, President Obama is purposefully killin the middle-class exactly like his predecessor did. Bush I, II, Clinton and President Obama are ALL Agency developed by the Trans National BANKSTERS to create their "New World Order" for the ELITES. LOL!

Wow, a New World Order--your tinfoil hat looks cute on you. Please park my car, safely. Here's a few bucks for you. And, for the adults, this is what we are up against. The kids are rambunctious and easily fooled.

This article should be titled "Fake job numbers and unemployment rate lies may not help Obama'e re-election campaign.

Pedestrian-in-SF Be blind to the facts.

What were the three reasons bin Laden financed and caused 9/11? You don't know.

He stated the following:

1.) Kill Americans.

2.) The embargo on IRAQ.

3.) The U.S. support of Israel.

Now pedestrian as bin Laden was not in a U.S. jail several years before the World Trade Center Attack because CLINTON didn't want him, bin Laden was free to finance and create the plan that lead us to two wars.

The wars and the financial instability were directly related to CLINTON not taking bin Laden.

Meanwhile as the U.S. capitalistic democracy is under attack by socialists such as OBAMA, BILL CLINTON has amassed a fortune of $200,000,000. And his wife has a personal fortune of $30,000,000. Please explain to me how they did that when a hell of a lot of Americans' personal wealth has decreased?

AND while you are at it, explain to me why the SOCIALIST PRESIDENT OBAMA'S Fortune has increased to $8,000,000.

Its great that the creators of this mess are getting filthy rich and the rest of us are feeling the pain!

Here is the problem they dictate what happens with main street yet ask big business what they will do.I wonder if the server tea to the nobles (big business)in the White House meetings

Insouce the jobs with ending NAFTA like he claimed he would if needed during his presidential campaign.well he has been in office who long yet unemployment has not dropped below 8%.REAL sure that NAFTA ending would drop that number down.If that don't work then start pulling work VISA from other countries like Canada ..we have bunch medical nurses that been down here for years on them, a lot longer than would take to teach and train new ones.Hospital been farming out jobs a long time including the VA hospitals, but there again that is big business and it hurts main street

Rick-3608408 I can see you have given the problem of losing jobs to foreign countries because their labor costs are much cheaper and the U.S. can't compete with semi slave labor. It is easy to criticize but do you have any constructive ideas? I have. And I have send email after email to my senators, congressional representative and your hero OBUMMER.

All I get back are form thank yous. And I will be glad to tell you that all four are democrats.

One idea that is not being picked up and can guarantee us energy independence and bring about hundreds of thousands of jobs and the dropping of oil prices to $20 a barrel is using hydrogen to power internal combustion engines.

Norway has built a highway with service stations to refuel cars using hydrogen. Japan is building hydrogen powered cars. England is building buses to run on hydrogen. Where is our leadership, investing and copying this technology instead of fooling with 30 mile electric cars?

You are aware that once the U.S. develops this technology, we will not need oil from foreign sources, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Middle East and the price will be so low, that the U.S. will automatically become again world competitive will low energy prices?

Now why aren't the democrats who are in power pushing for this energy source and the rest of the world is?

http:// www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/category/hydrogen-highways/

Instead of playing golf or listening to his Pastor Wright baiting Jews and telling his congregation that America is responsible for 9/11 he should be looking into proven alternate energy sources.

Hydrogen comes from water and when it burns, the only discharge is water.

TVSG, recommend you take off your Stevie Wonder Glasses. Just this year, the Military can detain civilians, the gov can monitor you on this web site and keep the data legally, they are fixin to control the internet, and lastly, you enjoy flying and havin the TSA fondal your wife's and daughter's genitilia? It didn't happen under Bush. Not to say he didn't want too. Remeber, how terible the original Patriot Act was/ Now it is on steroids. LOL!

Brian-531678 First learn to write the English language. Your hero just went on a tour of South East Asia EXPANDING TARIFF REDUCING Plans with South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Be intelligent for once. The U.S. can not void an international treaty. The other countries will put high tariffs on the goods and services we sell and we are back to square one.

The U.S. has a nurse shortage. Check the immigration sites. A person who is a nurse gets bumped to the head of the immigration list!

Jesus do some research and thinking.

Obama, the Harvard Law School graduate, who studied American Classical Philosophy. Oh, run for the hills boys, this guy is well grounded and educated. Play that mountain banjo, billy-boy.

Indrid-Cold Check on that. The books were ghost written and he used his political position to get the books sold. He defaulted on the first book and kept the advance. Before the first book was released to his publisher's, Obama had never written one article, one short story or any other book.

His own publisher chastises Obama for his work.

And tell the truth, if it was a shoe salesman who wrote the books would you have looked at them or would they have sold? Of course not, gullible people paid $30 for the book because it was written by the president of the U.S. and he was black. If he wasn't black and not a president of the U.S. he would not have made money. He used his political position to enrich himself.

Until Obama can be proven to CAUSE a recession and job loss

The congress inwhich the Democrats blocked all Republican efforts to address problems that were discussed years before they happened, is the primary reason we are in this mess in the 1st place. Are Republican not at fault? probably not, but the Democrates clearly could have helped insteda they refused to, so are definately more at fault!

through HIS policies

Obama was a member of the Democratically controlled Congress whose policies f'ed all of us! Obama is not the solution, he has been part of the problem before day 1 of the financial meltdown. Only thing Democrats are good at is blowing money, taxing people and pointing fingers at Republicans. Especially if they themselves are at fault. So,lets look at Obamas policies, he basically has none, congress does all the work. usually the presidential advisers come up with a plan but Obama doesn't really doesn't do that often. He wanted to create jobs by helping unions get road projects, cost like 2 million per job created. well tons of money was spent and it didn't work. so round two! This time we got BIG IDEAS what will Obama announce? he wants to help unions again with more road work, even though it did nothing the first time. cash for clunkers did nothing, housing rebates have done nothing. he has gone insane on the debt! Spent more than EVERY SINGLE PRESIDENT in the history of the United States from the beginning till he took office, combined. And you have to be convinced Obamas policiess are not working????? Stop watching your brain wash news, and wake up

look at your news, last week Obama gave a speech about how the economy was growing look at the great job growth that's happening, blah blah blah. then a week later the news announces that unemployment was spiking that real job growth didn't happen. (clearly any jobs created were seasonal and now they are gone). Also Obama redefines Unemployment to only people looking for a job, (keeps extending unemployment benefits so that group doesn't need to look)people who still desperately need work but can't find any and have given up and are who knows were know maybe homeless, and will start looking again at some point. they are unemployed but not counted, so the numbers are far worse than they will even let on to. hmm digressing. last week yay I'm awesome look at me (Obama) speach, then news says oops that was wrong, then two days later news says job gains may not help Obama... There were not any job gains, it was a wash, it was reported two days ago do they think we forget? Apparently Democrats do. P.S. I am a independent. I do not vote party line I vote for the person, I would never vote for Obama he is not good for this country. I tried to like him but he has failed us!

The reason "The Rich get Richer" is something called the "TAX CODE".!! With its $1.1TILLION in "breaks", exemptions & "loopholes"; Plus it allows 45% of taxpayers to pay NOTHING!.! There is your "DEFICIT". GOP & especially "Tea Party" people refuse to even consider touching IT?,? Why ?.? The Rich may have to pay a "Fair" share?.? "Tea Party" people, follow your "namesakes", grab your "axes" and "AX THE TAX CODE".

A.P. Headline in "The Record" (N.J.) 1/12/2012 : "Tensions rising over inquality oF wealth". "OWS" wasn't all "deadbeats" & "hippies", they had lots of responsible points & ideas. "AX THE TAX CODE" for starters.

According to the IRS 131 of the richest 400 households in America, about one third of this group, had an effective tax rate of less than 15% in 2008. In 2009 a full 22,000 households that made a million dollars annually paid less than 15% of their income taxes. Buffet is paying less taxes than his secretary, ask him. He told everyone. Hows Obama responsible for that? Its the republican that won't allow him to change that. Its time to vote the teanuts and repubes out and get this country back on track and people back to work. Its Dubya's fault the country is in the mess its in and the teanuts want to continue with his plans of destroying the middle class. Go vote people and check the facts on everything and you'll see you need to vote for Obama again. If its Roomney this country will go down and everyone except the 1%, will go down with it.

TSVG And how does that help the U.S. in need of a military, economic and business leader? Try getting a job as a classical philosopher and see how much that makes you.

Isn't it wonderful how msnbc.com collapses all the conservative comments against Obummer? Aren't we all glad that tillighast msnbc.com president said the following: Tillinghast said msnbc.com was racing to foster a community among its readers and to exploit the power of unmoderated user commentary and ranking of the news.

Then he goes out and hires a bunch of socialists to cut out all the conservative viewpoints.

Freedom of the press and freedom of speech for all but those who state positions opposite to what tillighast wants. Well we have two very rich socialists. Tillignhast and Obama. They made their pile and fuc* the rest of us.

There is no doubt that Obama has failed to clean up the right wing mess created by his predecessor. I have a problem with a number of things Obama has done; he focused too much on healthcare and not enough of jobs and the mortgage crisis, he was too accomodating to right wingers on the debt ceiling etc etc. However the things I had a problem with Obama was that he didn't kick enough right wing a**. I would have announced that the debt ceiling violated the constitution (which it does) and had a good ole ok corral episode with the right wing fascists.

wilsonaide

TSVG And how does that help the U.S. in need of a military, economic and business leader? Try getting a job as a classical philosopher and see how much that makes you.

Isn't it wonderful how msnbc.com collapses all the conservative comments against Obummer? Aren't we all glad that tillighast msnbc.com president said the following: Tillinghast said msnbc.com was racing to foster a community among its readers and to exploit the power of unmoderated user commentary and ranking of the news.

Then he goes out and hires a bunch of socialists to cut out all the conservative viewpoints.

Freedom of the press and freedom of speech for all but those who state positions opposite to what tillighast wants. Well we have two very rich socialists. Tillignhast and Obama. They made their pile and fuc* the rest of us.

Well, well aren't we witty...Obummer....it will really suck when you have Obummer for another 4 years won't it? Unless you have a high six figure salary and 500k in the bank, you're a damn idiot.

"The labor force participation rate - the percent of the population considered part of the workforce - is at the lowest level in nearly 30 years."

What that means is that the REAL Unemployment Rate is much higher than reported.

If we used the same measure for Unemployment as in 2007 (when the Recession started), the TRUE Unemployment Rate is 12.7%.

In any event, it's nice to see some real unbiased reporting from MSNBC instead of the usual liberal talking points from the White House.

In spite of all the charges and counter charges both parties are aiming for pretty much the same end.

Both the President and his Republican detractors want Americans to have more jobs---at $8.50 and hour with no benefits.

Obama and the Republicans plans are to turn the U.S. into a low wage export platform. That's why he has done nothing serious about the unemployment numbers and no Republican president would either.

Both parties are allowing the unemployment numbers to remain high so businesses can continue to drive down wages and benefits.

Remember the main funders of both party's are corporations.

And maybe we can have another war too, based on another lie like Iraq's supposed WMD. How about Iran's "A-bomb project"?

PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury during the Reagan Administration.

JANUARY 12, 2012

Pointless Provocations

The Next War on Washington's Agenda

by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

Only the blind do not see that the US government is preparing to attack Iran. Washington has deployed missiles directed at Iran in its oil emirate puppet states, Oman and the UAE, and little doubt in the other US puppet states in the Middle East. Washington has beefed up Saudi Arabia's jet fighter force. Most recently, Washington has deployed 9,000 US troops to Israel to participate in "war games" designed to test the US/Israeli air defense system. As Iran represents no threat unless attacked, Washington's war preparations signal Washington's intention to attack Iran.

Another signal that Washington has a new war on its agenda is the raised level of Washington's rhetoric and demonization of Iran. Judging by polls Washington's propaganda that Iran is threatening the US by developing a nuclear weapon has met with success. Half of the American public support a military attack on Iran in order to

prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capability. Those of us who are trying to awaken our fellow citizens start from a deficit that the minds of half of the US population are under Big Brother's control.

As the International Atomic Energy Agency's reports from its inspectors on the ground in Iran have made clear for years, there is no evidence that Iran has diverted any enriched uranium from its nuclear energy program. The shrill hype coming from Washington and from the neoconservative media is groundless. it is the same level of lie as Washington's claim that Saddam Hussein in Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Every US soldier who died in that war died in behalf of a lie...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/01/12/the-next-war-on-washington's-agenda/

alexpinca You got that right! It will really suck and you will probably be out of a job if that happens as a horrible depression will happen. I live frugally and have started a new home business at 65 that requires one secretary and myself and have set it up so that I legally avoid all rules and regulations that are drowning other companies. I work for myself and pay my secretary a portion of the profits. Your remember that? Profit sharing plan? We are happy as ducks in a pond.

But I love the U.S. more than you do. I want what the constitution promised a capitalistic democracy. I do not want a socialistic quasi dictatorship.

@John-755418 How do you know his Health care plan will fail? What if you are wrong and look like a total idiot? Will you admit you were wrong for jumping to conclusions? LOL I bet you wont

@John-755418 The financial meltdown happened under JWB's watch.

Pedestrian-in-SF I totally agree. Obama is a very dangerous man... but to the Republicans. He has been able to accomplish many of his promises without congressional approval and those he has not, it is not because he does not want to. It is because Republican Congressmen are determined to make him a one term president with out caring for this Nation they so say they LOVE....

I would like to make another point... Every republican presidential hopeful talk about how thye do not want to raise taxes on the rich (claiming it is raising taxes on the poor and the middle class), but I have not heard them say what is it what they will do for the middle class and the poor! The middle class is the class making this nation to grow in wealth and stability. Why is that the middle class its not in their vocabulary?

One idea that is not being picked up and can guarantee us energy independence and bring about hundreds of thousands of jobs and the dropping of oil prices to $20 a barrel is using hydrogen to power internal combustion engines.

Wilson, I agree that energy independence is the holy grail in the global economy. However, hydrogen will not work. The problem with it is that it's all locked up in the water and you need energy to extract it. Unfortunately, it takes a greater amount of energy to extract the hydrogen than the hyrdogen produces.

@John-755418 How do you know his Health care plan will fail? What if you are wrong and look like a total idiot? Will you admit you were wrong for jumping to conclusions? LOL I bet you wont

Elegante:

That's all fine and good but the head of the CBO already agrees with me (see the links). Will you admit it's a total failure when it is finally realized? I doubt it.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cbo-obamacare-will-kill-800000-jobs-over-decade

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2011/12/26/doctors-say-obamacare-is-no-remedy-for-u-s-health-woes/

ElAgentee, you know Obamacare stinks when ALL the big unions, Pelosie's distric and over 2000 corporations are exempt from it. Congress and the President ALSO exempted themselves from it. If it was any good, wouldn't they ALL want to be included? LOL!

John, Hydrogen is feasible if you make Hydrogen durin off peak times using Nucleur power.

Not a reply to anyone in particular, just the first available reply spot I came to. Question: Why are these news stories about Congress's historically low approval ratings and "half" of them being good-for-nothing Millionaires of the 1% "do-nothings but harm to the 99%" never on a news story page that has postings and comments at the end of it, like this? Why does the Media not want to know what "The People" think and have to say about that?

again, putting down our President....

Mystery Man, The reason they don't cover the millionaires in Congress is that the average congressman increased their net worth 25% in the last 2 years with insider trading. The are just different puppets for the same puppet masters and are playing the good cop/bad cop game, or should I say the Red/Blue game on us. LOL!

Wilson. Read the article. This is very amusing. I read the books President Obama wrote a few years ago, and each read differently, and this seems written in a deferent style also. I'd love to read what a professional writin analysts says about the three works. That aside it is not near as leftist as I would assume it would be. Where are ALL his other works? LOL!

Good night.

Joe-1072601 You have something to shoot for. Just ask those people how they got rich and get the name of their accountants. While you are at it, ask G.E. CEO AND PRESIDENT to report their incomes taxes and names of their accountants. Then ask nbc ceo and president Gillen how much their total income package is and who their accountants are. Then go down to Tillinghast and Dickerson and get their salaries and accountants and how much taxes they paid. The nbc talking heads are paid millions and again, only one place I found a 2008 salary.

Don't you find it odd that after searching on the internet for TWO hours not one of those salaries is found anywhere? These are the 1ers who pay very little tax and you don't complain about them? Is it because they are socialists and you couldn't bear the thought of they betraying you and living in mansions with servants and not sharing the good life with you?????

Oh my god! These people are only supposed to take enough money to live on and share the rest with all the poor and hungry. One of the talking heads who just reads the teleprompter gets over $10,000,000 a year. He doesn't think up ideas or build companies, or employ people, he just reads a television screen! Heavens aren't you shocked! And he calls himself a liberal-socialist! He has betrayed your cause!

ElAgente777 For the record there would have been no recession had Clinton taken out bin Laden when Sudan offered him to Clinton.

Under Clinton, at least three opportunities to have Bin Laden handed over to the U.S. were rejected inexplicably.
According to the Sunday Times of London, Clinton himself said his refusal to accept the offer to hand over Bin Laden was the "Biggest Mistake" of his presidency.
According to anonymous sources in the CIA, Clinton did not want Bin Laden arrested.

Had Clinton taken bin Laden out of circulation, no World Trade Center Bombing, no financial recession, no wars and no Obama.

ElAgente777 All countries that have a national health care plan, give second rate health care to those who cannot afford private health care insurance. You haven't lived in countries with government health care. Try Australia and Canada. They have national health care and private care. If you can afford it, you buy private health care coverage. You do not want to wait three months for what some hack calls optional surgery or what another hack calls optional tests. I have been there and private health care is what 50% of the Australians and Canadians have. The governments count on people buying private health care so they don't have to pay for it out of the health care fund. Everyone is charged for health care even if you don't use it.

ElAgente777 ....(#2.41)

"@John-755418 The financial meltdown happened under JWB's watch."

Who the heck is JWB ???.......Me thinks you are a member of LaRaza.....

A Leader leads by leading......again Obama said yesterday, that people like him that can afford to pay more, Should.....OK SmartyPants.....Then why does he have expert Tax Accountants and Tax Lawyers standing at the ready, doing his personal finances record keeping, with the sharpest pencils in Washington,DC.....Preparing his personal tax returns, taking advantage of every cost saving loophole he rails against.....to turn in the most accurate Tax Return in the country.....and paying to the last penny what he Legally Owes ??

Why does Obama need a change in the tax rate for wealthier earners before he forks over a single penny more than he must ???......Just DO IT "Mr.President"...Yes You Can....

Ahh, you see wilson, I did complain about them too, I didn't pick certain people out of the numbers I put up. I was saying how come they don't pay their fair share of taxes like I think everyone should. How about all the loop holes for them too. They go buy a yatch and they hold one business meeting on it, if you want to call it that and then the boat ends up a right off for them and they're fishing someplace off the coast of Corsica. In the end they paid less for their yatch than I did for my little fishing boat. I don't care about how they made their money or who does their taxes, thats not going to do anything for me. Good for them, I'm happy for them. I seen someplace you said, (at least I think it was you) that you do a profit sharing with your secretary and your both happy as ducks in water. Thats awesome, I salute you, I wish more people were like you, but there isn't. There are more people trying to get out of paying taxes, I do know that and thats what my post was directed at. I also know that Roomney isn't saying anything about creating jobs, he just claims he'll balance the budget, great, how? Cutting social security off for the people that earned it? Myself I don't see anything good coming out of him if he's elected. I also mentioned that. Then there was Clinton and bin laden, he didn't do enough when he had the chance, but what would the consequences of that been, maybe it would of helped with matters and we could of avoided 9/11 but do we know for sure and I can understand his thinking on leaving him be too, but then there was Dubya, he went and did too much with no results, except for haliburton. So its basically the facts about this stuff that I'm commenting on, as far as what is and was. I didn't see one of the repub candidates say anything about the countries economy thats of any importance and is going to make me go camp out to vote for them. Maybe its still too early for them to start with that, they must be waiting on the debates with Obama for that. I do give a little credit for Obama with his stimulus for lab that don't know where the money went? At least he tried. More than I can say about all of congress. Well ok, I better go, this post is getting too long now.

Another thing too, if he combines the fresh water salmon, the salt water salmon and the smoked salmon, fine by me, a little less government and there should be a savings there too. The money that does go out to the company's that get the stimulus like the lab that dosen't know where the money went, well they should be monitored and maybe some of those people that lose their job with the salmon, can keep an eye on the companies that somehow lose the money they get. I think some progress numbers should be posted for everyone to see, its our money thats going out to them. I'm not saying Obama is perfect, but I do give him some credit for the things he's done and is trying to do, with a congress that says "NO". Then another thing before I go, don't go blaming Obama about the money that ended up missing because isn't it congress that gives out the money. How come congress dosen't know what happened to the money? They just give it out and then forget about it, til they hear about it missing on the news? Maybe a closer watch on those kind of things would be a smart thing for all of them to do. Theres a lot of things that need to be looked at, all through government to make it better. I just don't see any of the repubs saying anything they have planned to make it better. Ron Paul was actually the only one that went out on a limb and talked about different things. The other candidates seem like they tried to avoid issues and said as little as possible about their plans.

Joe-1072601...(#2.55)

The Stimulus Bill was written by The Apollo Alliance...look them up.....it was ready when Obama took Office and all it needed was Sponsors in the House and Senate....eagerly Sponsored by Reid and Pelosi....Yes, it is Congress that spends, a Democrat Congress in this case. It was Structured to prop up failing State and local Public Sector Union Workers....and those "shovel ready jobs" were Private Sector Union Only...And designed to disperse a large percentage of the money to pass out for the 2010 elections....that part didn't work out too well for the Dems.....The wailing and gnashing of teeth you are hearing is these same State, City and local governments laying people off because now that all the Stimulus Money is gone....they can't keep their end of the Stipulations that required them to not reduce funding going forward....and they have NO MONEY.

Joe,

Obama is no more responsible for the Tax Code than any other Senator or Rep. The Tax Code is law which is passed by the law makers.

What I was saying is the Tax Code needs to be changed to be able to get more taxes from the rich. Simply adding a higher tax to the rich will accomplish nothing significant. The rich earn their $$ different than we do. Adding a higher tax to their personal income when they make most of their $ through Capital Gains allows them to make their charitable contributions and deduct it from their personal income. Heck, they can make many deductions from their personal income and actually use it to cut their overall taxes to below the 15% they pay in capital gains.

Until there is significant changes to the tax code (and even then I would worry) we will not get much more out of the rich even if we make them pay 50% of their personal income to the IRS. And guess what? Buffett knows this when he make his claims.

Have a real democratic primary with different candidates with real policy statements, would be a start away from trying to anoint a failed on the job trainee.

Wow Wilson that is brilliant. There is a real democratic primary, he is just running essentially unopposed, which would be the potential candidates decision.

While all the liberals and conservatives sit, stand and holler at each other, no one is at the helm of the ship, and it's heading straight at the reef. You don't elect a leader any more, your leaders are bought off by large donors, like your banks, insurance, pharmaceutical and energy companies long before they win the presidency position. Politicians now cater to the voters before the election and cater to their donors after the election. The richer they are the the more they will help their peers. God help America.

What has Obummer done to merit any credit? He had some books ghostwritten. Earned millions. Didn't order bin Laden captured alive. Wasted over 3 billion dollars on failed electric projects. Sent $500,000,000 to a Finish car company in Finland to build electric cars to compete with those produced in the U.S.

Just came back from a South East Asian trip where he signed new agreements to reduce taxes on imported goods to throw more U.S. workers out of jobs.

Yep he sure is doing a great job! That is why his vision for America is opposed by 70% of the U.S. public.

Thats the ultimate investment for the rich pumping up the elections. They get a guarenteed 200% if not up to 500% return on their money, which could never be done with any other type of investment. That has to stop. With that kind of a return on their money they are also almost guarenteed a second term. The republicans are the worst at this kind of, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, policies.

Hell, according to Shilling, there will only be employment and wage diminishment no matter who is elected. Investor economy huh? Unsustainable! Outsourcing work to cheap foreign labor in exchange for their governments buying our sorry debt to prop up our dollar and keep their currencies low, so we can all continue the process isn't working out the way the republican nabobs want us plebs to think is it? Course the wealthy investors are doing just fine. The President is right.

Joe-1072601 You are talking about Clinton and Obama. Obama increased his fortune in this recession to $8 million dollars. Clinton increased his fortune to $200,000,000 and Hilary increased her personal fortune to $30,000,000. They did that in a recession on your democratic back.

Would you please ask them how they did it and share their secrets with us working people.

MacForrester, Remember it was Obama who just reduced import duties on exports from South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. This will cost a few thousand jobs, make imports from those countries less expensive and wasn't it Clinton that expanded Nafta?

Blame your heros Clinton and Obama for not having the appropriate legislation passed to increase jobs and wages. Clinton signed the 1993 version of Canada, U S and Mexico Nafta.

You forget that Clinton was a democrat?

Of course the wealthy investors are doing fine, why do you think they are wealthy? Have you ever heard of poor wealthy investor?

It takes brains to be a wealthy investor or.............political contacts like Clinton who managed to get his wealth up to $200,000,000 in the recession or his wife who got her wealth up to $30,000,000 or Obama who got his wealth up to $8,000,000. Forrester you put the wrong labels on them, they are not republicans, they are Democrats. Put your glasses on!

After forbidding American contracts the opportunity to bid on a job to build American plains and then giving it to a foreign company who has ties to Iran he need not even run. No "President"; if that is what you want to call him, should give away American jobs to the enemy.

I'm sure this will be collasped but come what may. Obama is a JERK

At this point.. The GOP is so busy mud-slinging.. Obama is so far ahead,, jobs can't push him any higher, all the democrats need to do for Obama, is replay Newts ads against Romney.. their greed and bickering is Obama's win

jim420,

".. Obama is so far ahead..."?!! Of whom or what? Good grief.

How about none of them for president!!!!

Yes the only decent man running.

An old, senile man. . .

phil,

Now that is the only suggestion that makes sense.

Heeheehee….Your report of the death of the Republicans is greatly exaggerated. Everyone is predicting more pickups in the House, and they only need 3 seats to take over the Senate with Ben Nelson already gone.

Sorry dude. Buyer's remorse has kicked in and it's all over for the Republican party.

That was four years ago. Now it's Obama remorse. At least, Harry Reid remorse, as Democratic control of the Senate is history, especially if the campaign to stop voting by the most reliably-Democratic constituency in the country, vitality-impaired Americans, continues to succeede. "If the address on your voters' registration is Forest Lawn, you MIGHT be a Democrat."

Its hard to argue with this. The Republican base do not even have enough smarts to understand the folks they support do nothing for them. Zero!!! They represent the elite richy riches and big Corp concerns and although they will promise theyll do many great things for the mainstream they end up doing little to nothing for those that support them. The Republican politicians would rather see the country fall flat on its face than see the opposite party make strides that move the country in the right direction. Its ugly

Which job gains are we talking about? U3 is not an accurate estimate of unemployment. There are many people who have given up and do not get counted. Another way to look at unemployment is to count who is actually employed. Google for "Unemployment Kondratieff Wave" to see another employment chart.

Spartan: Well, why don't you enlighten us all as to which sources you find so reputable. I always find it amusing that liberals will trash Fox, which, by the way, has far more liberal commentators on the air than any other network would dare have conservatives...

But anyway, please tell us what you watch and listen to. What is it?? NBC, CBS, ABC, NPR, PBS, Air America, Huffington Post, Moveon.org, BBC, New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune....or some other left wing pile of dog s#it?? Which one is it??

You see, it's so blatantly transparent as to why liberals will always name Fox, but then conveniently leave out any specific reference as to what they actually watch or listen to. The reason is, of course, that they know as soon as they give a specific source, that it opens them up to the same criticism they so gladly level against Fox. Liberals can't stand it that there is even one source that doesn't spew their left wing BS 24/7, and it especially drives them up the wall that Fox is consistently #1 in the cable news rankings by a large margin.

Liberals can't stand to expose themselves to the same criticism that they are so willing to level at others for watching Fox. But then again, liberals can't stand to be judged by anyone about anything, and yet have no problem themselves, passing judgement on everything.

It's so much easier to pretend that there is some nebulous source out there that is totally objective. A source every liberal seems to know about and have access to, but is conveniently never named. Thus, providing a false facade of being objective, but in reality, is just another lie of the left.

But, I tell ya what, I'm going to give you a great opportunity to prove how wrong I am. Just name your source. And then I'll proceed to be the judge of your source, just as you choose to be the judge of Fox.

So come on spartan, put on your big boy pants and let's get those sources out there that you want everyone else to watch or listen to.

By the way, I can name you a dozen liberal commentators off the top of my head that appear on Fox on a regular basis, and are not current political office holders. I bet you can't name me even 4 conservatives on any other network that appear on a regular, or semi regular basis, and are NOT current political office holders.

If you combine a few of networks.....maybe Buchanan and Scarborough, but beyond that, you'll have to go to some other network to get someone else that appears on a regular basis and does not hold current political office. I bet you can't even get to a third of the number of liberals that appear on Fox all the time.

But I invite you to give it a shot. No one in the last 6 years has been able to meet the challenge. You're welcome to try. You got your big boy pants on spartan?? Or are you just a poser?? Prove it.

Johnny-3621820 you were the one fooled. You voted for the incompetent and he met and exceeded your expectations.

I dont't care if unemployment goes to 350 percent, I will never vote for a reTHUGLICAN..they are liars and cannot be trusted..They will destroy America if they ever get the presidency...

Corp, a village is missing you. Seriously, you have nothing to say, have such a low intelligence that you have to be trash mouthed. I guess that's what the Libs have fallen to. Get a life

...and you have nothing to contribute here except 'lib' bashing. Both of you, get a life.