Quote:
Originally posted by apechild
The question is, will you simply blame the President for their hardship, or will you rise above this petty criticism and offer a solution?
What, in your opinion, should President Bush do?
|
I'm of the school that the President actually has relatively little power to influence the economy one way or another, at least in the short term. He can set the tone, and set the agenda, but without the complicity/support of Congress and the Fed, he's just a figurehead. I'm less concerned about what President Bush is doing to influence job creation right now than I am about the ginormous deficit he's running up - that's gonna hurt in a while, and if you think the economy is twitchy now, wait 15 years.
If there was anything to be done about the job market now, legislatively, I would say adopt stricter laws about exporting jobs overseas or allowing guest workers. And the problem is not entirely in the manufacturing sector - it's becoming more and more a problem of the mid-level white-collar sector as well. I would also extend unemployment benefits even further, and raise the income limits on temporary benefits like food stamps, travel vouchers, child care, etc. so people can work the shit jobs that are available and still support their families. In a lot of cases, it's simply not worth it to work because you lose benefits that you would otherwise be unable to afford.