A.I.G....unfreakinreal

[Riot]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

Let's try and go slow so we only have to do this once.

Sarah: "I'm only accepting a little over 50% of the bailout!"

Aid: "Psst Gov - no, no, we WANT that 128 mil in Medicare, too".

Sarah: "I'm only accepting 69% of the bailout!"


Palin, the "responsible fiscal conservative"? - what has happened to the state budget in Alaska since she's been Gov?

"The former vice presidential candidate says she will accept only money without strings that will bind the state later."

Then I'll eagerly be waiting to see her veto the rest, after her legislature accepts it.

Yes - Palin wants the unexpected free federal money winfall, but just like AIG, she doesn't want to be held accountable to the Feds for what she does with it.

[Danzig]

no money as yet has been distributed, correct? but the last two weeks the market has done better than in months.

i think they should rescind the vote, the money-we can't afford the cure for what ails us. in this case, the cure is worse than the disease. trillion dollar deficits for years-how exactly does that help us long term? or even short term for that matter????

how exactly did we recover from every other recession, as i don't recall votes or hysteria like this in the past?

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Danzig

no money as yet has been distributed, correct? but the last two weeks the market has done better than in months.

i think they should rescind the vote, the money-we can't afford the cure for what ails us. in this case, the cure is worse than the disease. trillion dollar deficits for years-how exactly does that help us long term? or even short term for that matter????

how exactly did we recover from every other recession, as i don't recall votes or hysteria like this in the past?

Some of the companies eligible for bailout money have now said they don't need it; and several have said they will have it paid back quickly.

Trillion dollar deficit for years - our deficit doubled during the last eight years. Doubled.

Nobody knows for sure if the additional money will help or not. We just have to see. Yeah, that sucks.

This recession involves the banking failures. That is what makes it different than previous recessions, and the potential affect on the country, and world, much different.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Riot

Some of the companies eligible for bailout money have now said they don't need it; and several have said they will have it paid back quickly.

Trillion dollar deficit for years - our deficit doubled during the last eight years. Doubled.
Nobody knows for sure if the additional money will help or not. We just have to see. Yeah, that sucks.

This recession involves the banking failures. That is what makes it different than previous recessions, and the potential affect on the country, and world, much different.

thing is, what's happened already can't be changed. doesn't mean we have to continue down the same path that's gotten us where we are now. eight percent across the board budget increases (for example)won't get us out of this morass. stockpiling untold funds into a 'trust fund' for future health care isn't a priority right now either-at least it shouldn't be.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Danzig

thing is, what's happened already can't be changed. doesn't mean we have to continue down the same path that's gotten us where we are now. eight percent across the board budget increases (for example)won't get us out of this morass. stockpiling untold funds into a 'trust fund' for future health care isn't a priority right now either-at least it shouldn't be.

?? How is the bailout like what got us here?

The stimulus package isn't "across the board" budget increases, so I don't know why you are using that as a "for example"?

Do you agree that spending is what ends recessionary times?

I think our healthcare system is an overpriced disaster run by insurance companies and having little to nothing to do with medicine, I think sometimes receiving medical care in the US can be dangerous to the patient, and I am not that thrilled with Obama's plan.

I remember when the Dow first got over 1000, then again when it got over 5000. When it hit 5000, all anyone could talk about was how unbelievably artificially inflated it was, and how desperately it needed to fall and correct to reality.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Riot[B

]?? How is the bailout like what got us here? [/b]

The stimulus package isn't "across the board" budget increases, so I don't know why you are using that as a "for example"?

Do you agree that spending is what ends recessionary times?

I think our healthcare system is an overpriced disaster run by insurance companies and having little to nothing to do with medicine, I think sometimes receiving medical care in the US can be dangerous to the patient, and I am not that thrilled with Obama's plan.

I remember when the Dow first got over 1000, then again when it got over 5000. When it hit 5000, all anyone could talk about was how unbelievably artificially inflated it was, and how desperately it needed to fall and correct to reality.

it's not insofar as bailouts are concerned-i'm thinking of the entire increase in spending as the reason we are where we are. we can't keep operating under deficits, and from what i've read, our horrible debt is the biggest reason our economy is in a shambles. facing future record deficits doesn't help the situation one bit, if anything it only will prolong the pain, and cause further problems down the road.
the adding towards budgets, in a time of lower tax revenue, and running ahead of cost of living increases, imo is yet another recipe for disaster. now is a time for govt to tighten up, not unilaterally increase spending.

and anyone who thinks the market has just been going thru corrections imo should agree that a stimulus package is no way to 'fix' that. you can't fix what is essentially already broken.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by Riot

Some of the companies eligible for bailout money have now said they don't need it; and several have said they will have it paid back quickly.

Trillion dollar deficit for years - our deficit doubled during the last eight years. Doubled.
Nobody knows for sure if the additional money will help or not. We just have to see. Yeah, that sucks.

This recession involves the banking failures. That is what makes it different than previous recessions, and the potential affect on the country, and world, much different.

if you're concerned that it doubled in eight years to $400 billion aren't you the least bit concerned that this year it will quadruple to $1.8 trillion?
QUADRUPLE

[Riot]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

if you're concerned that it doubled in eight years to $400 billion aren't you the least bit concerned that this year it will quadruple to $1.8 trillion?
QUADRUPLE

Of course I'm seriously, desperately concerned. But all Bush had to do was hold onto what Clinton started, and our deficit would have started to go down. Instead, he spent. And the deficit DOUBLED. Up into trillion-land.

When you look at recent times (the last 40-50 years), turns out the GOP have not been the financial conservatives when in the White House. I didn't know that.

The spending under Bush and under Obama - what they are spending it upon - are different, don't you agree?

What do you think should be done instead, regarding the current US financial situation?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Riot

Of course I'm seriously, desperately concerned. But all Bush had to do was hold onto what Clinton started, and our deficit would have started to go down. Instead, he spent. And the deficit DOUBLED. Up into trillion-land.

When you look at recent times (the last 40-50 years), turns out the GOP have not been the financial conservatives when in the White House. I didn't know that.

The spending under Bush and under Obama - what they are spending it upon - are different, don't you agree?
What do you think should be done instead, regarding the current US financial situation?

no
obama is using the same approach bush used back when he wanted his war. ramp up hysteria, make everyone think the sky is falling, so that you can push your agenda thru with barely a whimper of protest. obama preached public works as a way to increase jobs, but only a small portion of his total budget will go towards that. the rest is just bigger govt. bigger govt only means a bigger expense in the end, and we can't afford that. govt is an expense only-and that expense grows every day.

[Riot]

obama is using the same approach bush used back when he wanted his war. ramp up hysteria, make everyone think the sky is falling, so that you can push your agenda thru with barely a whimper of protest.

I don't think the financial crisis is exaggerated or the extent and severity is being lied about by the Obama administration.

Obama's agenda (education, health care, etc) is why he was elected. I better see changes there, that's why I voted for him as President

What Obama wants to do with that (platform, campaign promises type of stuff) has been readily separatable from what the administration is doing with the financial crisis as far as I can see - I can separate them out, see which is which.

The administrations answer to the financial crisis is far more than healthcare, education, other platform promises.

But when you have thousands of unemployed people (California just went over 10%), and many are highly educated and successful in technology and business, putting them back to work, and the government putting money into, the grossly underfunded and understaffed area of education is terrific in my view.

The US is not the brightest bulb in the world box regarding education. We should die of embarassment over that, with our potential resources. That must change, asap. Getting all of our children a great education should be number one. We are not first on the "quality education" list when compared to other countries. It's embarassing, that 18-year-olds can't read n thy rite lyk this cuz thy txt Seriously - I remember when I tried to hire receptionists when I had my private practice, I was appalled at the void between some of their ears.

The health care industry is fairly financially sound, but you bet, I think there needs to be major shakeups (although I'm not convinced any national healthcare system can work in the US within the next 20 years), so I don't mind that getting serious attention, either.

obama preached public works as a way to increase jobs, but only a small portion of his total budget will go towards that.

Yes, but that portion will create jobs, no? And our crumbling infrastructure is getting to lethal threat (to the public) level.

Do you think public works (infrastructure improvement) should be a more major focus, receive major $$ of government anti-recessionary funding?

(If so, tell the govs who are refusing bailout money because the feds are telling them they must spend it on infrastructure in their states to stick it)

the rest is just bigger govt. bigger govt only means a bigger expense in the end, and we can't afford that. govt is an expense only-and that expense grows every day

I agree with you, I prefer less government control, smaller government when the choice is there. I think the Peoples Republic of California is the perfect smaller example of what should be feared in that regard - across the board.

But I won't choose smaller or less "just because" - that depends what we are talking about.

I think we have to look at exactly what that "rest" entails if we want to start cherry picking what is good and beneficial given the economy, consideration for the future of the country, and what isn't.