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Originally Posted by flstf
I know it is early and he hasn't had much time to deal with the economic crisis but based on his campaign promises I would have expected him to at least try to be true to his word in the beginning of his administration.
- On raising taxes of the middle class and lower income groups:
He could have said "I know expanding SCHIP is a good thing, but go back to the drawing board and come up with funding that is not mostly taken from the lower income groups".
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The beneficiary of the SCHIP program are the lower and middle class income groups, even more so with 2 million jobs lost last year. The program's approval level is among the highest of any government program. The overwhelming majority of the public wanted it expanded after two Bush vetoes. And 4 million additional kids (one fifth of whose parents are probably smokers, using the general population stats on smokers) will be eligible for health coverage.
Its easy for anyone at any income level to avoid this tax "increase".....QUIT SMOKING. It will even have the side benefit of improving your health.
And the vast majority of tax relief in the stimulus bill is targeted to the lower and middle class income groups.
Quote:
- On Ethics
He should say "anyone who has cheated on their taxes will not be a part of my administration, no exceptions". The fact that one of them is now head of the IRS borders on the ridiculous.
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I think you're are nitpicking here....sloppy vetting does not demonstrate a lack of ethics.
Quote:
- On the Stimulus Package
I don't know what to make of this bill. It seems to have a lot of earmark type special interest items but I guess an argument can be made that even a bridge to nowhere creates some jobs.
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No one likes the idea of a $800+ billion dollar stimulus bill.....the options are to do nothing, return to the failed supply side policy of creating stimulus through tax cuts favoring the wealthiest or attempting to stimulate the economy by spending on job creation. When you spend on job creation..that money is an earmark to a city/state or an industry.
Absolutely, there are questionable projects included...a very small percentage. And I agree that they should be removed. But again, nitpicking, IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ratbastid
The reality is, Obama is testing keynesian economics for the very first time ever. Not even the post "great depression" war-economy boost was true Keynes--it was the boom AFTER the war that brought us out, the war-economy numbers were artificially high, and didn't reflect any real economic relief for the people.
This is a MASSIVE change in how economies are run. It can't possibly be overstated how huge a sea change this is. Not everyone agrees with it, I suppose, but that's politics. You can't accuse the guy of "not change".
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I think the fact that he was open to restructuring the stimulus bill so that it is now about 60% spending/40% tax cuts was a sincere attempt at bi-partisanship.....another change from the last administration.
I was also pleased to see:
the FOIA policy reversed with a return to a presumption for releasing documents rather than searching for any legal justification to withhold documents from the public.
the cancellation of Bush's recent "fire sale" of oil/gas exploration leases in proximity to national parks
the cancellation of the Mexico City gag rule on restricting health care aid through USAID
the signing of an equal pay protection law for women to "fix" a bad Supreme Court decision, a bill that Bush had threatened to veto if it came to his desk in his last days in office
stricter ethics rules for the revolving door between government and industry
the intent to close Gitmo and to hold the CIA more accountable for renditions....
But to make any judgement of the Administration after three weeks is premature.