D’oh! Caterpillar CEO Contradicts President on Whether Stimulus Will Allow Him to Re-Hire Laid Off Workers

I’m sure the President meant well and just mis-spoke.

Another Obamalie?

With every leading economist saying infrastucture projects would do a faster, better job of stimulating the economy, this comes as no surprise.
Too bad they had to put in all those tax cuts to get the GOP on board…oh wait…

There appears to be a growing number of people with knives drawn and ready for Obama’s back.

Hells bells. Whole Presidential junket wasted. Oh well, it’s other people’s money.

Can Obama get anything right? I think all this bad news is from the bad karma he’s getting for ramming his Socialist “stimulus” through using anti-bipartisan tactics and for trying to politicize the U.S. Census and skew its results for partisan political gain.

American corporations need to have some guts and say NO to this ridiculous debt all of will pay for. Job losses are going to happen no matter what. The only winning party will be Nancy Pelosi’s mice project receiving $30 mil

He revs his diesel
Roaring, pouring out black smoke.
O, the fabulist.
==================================

What is this, 5 cabinet-level nominees withdrawn already?

Obama is a pathological liar, who will say ANYTHING to advance his radical agenda. Hate to say we told ya so, but…

Hard to imagine, but this guy is even starting to make Jimmy Carter look good! LOL.

It’s only a matter of time….just IMPEACH OBAMA NOW!!!…………..

Obama is doing his best to make the U.S. look like a third world country. This is going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride. All I know is I want off.

Nice Haiku Kim

More from the Amateur Hour that keeps on giving – 1.20.13 can’t get here fast enough.

D’oh!

Jake: Kudos for asking the questions that need to be answered. I am counting on the your agency to force this administration to answer tough questions like: Why aren’t they limiting the bill to job-creating provisions and tax cuts that enable companies to start hiring? The budget-type spending is nonsensical and misleading under the guise of “economic stimulus and recovery.”

Owens of course has a PhD in economics. This is one of the very few times that the media has given us the opinion of an economist on the recovery bill. ABC News is better than most, having one or two (about 5% of their commentary), but generally the media has preferred to give us ‘pundits’ and political operatives instead.

And he hasn’t even been a month….

‘after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite”
“Wow” is right. The roving reality-fudger says whatever he thinks of to elicit squeals of “hurrah” for the nightly news, then rolls out of town, leaving the local yokels to straighten out His info-messes.
Too bad CEO Jim Owens couldn’t breach “host” protocol to correct the naked emperor’s fairy tale when He first told it, since it seems likely there were people there who were misled into believing they WOULD get their jobs back.
But the IMPORTANT thing, of course, is that this flaky political Elvis should get the short-term adulation He requires.
We used to call Bush the “Misleader”, but Obama’s swiftly closing any credibility-gap gap with the Bush administration.

I am still absolutely giddy with joy that George Bush is gone and we now have an intelligent, articulate, coherent president. Considering we had to suffer through two wars (one unnecessary), a financial meltdown, a lost city, loss of constitutional rights, it is only fair to give this president some time to clean up after his predecessor before judging him each and every day on one tiny news item or other.
Grow up.

O’Bummer! How’s that hope and change working out so far? At least Sen. Gregg finally realized what this clowns motives are and… got out! And, just where are those 87,000 “lost” weapons in Afghanistan, Mr. Commander in Chief?

Hey Republican losers, what’s the weather like out there in the wilderness? Bet its cold with 70% chance of irrelevance. 70% being Obama’s current approval rating, dontcha know?

siptfire (did you mean “spitfire”?) murphy –
I do believe the jobs will be created. I certainly don’t know exactly how many, but I’m sure they will be created.
You see, if for example — 10 people are building a school or road, then it takes 3 or 4 to drive the “catering/food truck” to feed them on the job and they have to but the food and it goes on.
Point: One job created by this has the potential of creating many more ancillary jobs.
That’s pretty much simple economics.
I’m sure you like Tapper because he puts these kinds of “headlines” out and you get to stoke your dislike of President Obama with them.
I don’t dislike Tapper, I don’t know him. I do however dislike distortion-to-sell-opinion.

I love how Democrats love to rewrite history. Democrats were in charge the last tow years, not the last month. Ask yourself were you better off in 2005 then today. Put the blame where it belongs. Now after the most corrupt election in US history you still want to blame Bush. Get over it, the worse is yet to come and even the most die hard Dems will be jumping off this sinking ship

What Obama and his drones lied to get what he wants. Gee sounds like Pelosi promising to post the stimulus bill on the net for 48 hours. Both seem to have a very serious problem with integrity. Oh well, no surprise they are both democrats and their motto is agenda over integrity. It appears at least that the people are having a sever case of buyers remorse. Maybe they will begin to understand that elections have consequences.

marie:
Name one constitutional right you lost while George Bush was president.
And as far as being articulate goes, Obama off teleprompter says “uhhh” more than Ted Kennedy and that is no small feat. Not to mention the “eees.”

Obama is Bush times ten. He makes Bush sound like a poet laureate. Articulate? Please! The only time Obama is articulate is when he is reading someone else’s words off a teleprompter.

Wow. President Obama has been President for three weeks and some on this board think that he is responsible for our 11 trillion dollar debt (5 trillion rung up in the last 8 years), our economic crisis (when Behr Sterns crumbled LAST March–2008), and I suppose even for the fact that it may (or may not) be raining.
Please. I do hope that this does not reflect ditto-head mentality. I also hope that all of you understand that President Obama IS the President (and the only we will have for 4 years) so try and give the man a chance before you blame him for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Add “proven liar” to Obama’s resume.

OMG. ANOTHER Obama lie?! Can this liar tell the truth? Can he distinguish fantasy from reality? No wonder Obama’s approval ratings are TANKING

“Name one constitutional right you lost while George Bush was president.”
Lost or violated?
For more than five years, President Bush authorized government spying on phone calls and e-mail to and from the United States without warrants. He rejected offers from Congress to update the electronic eavesdropping law, and stonewalled every attempt to investigate his spying program.

Obama is our first shovel ready President.

Why is Oblama still on the campaign trail?

W. took our country into war, drove up debt and all you people can do is say nasty things about an honest President. Like you did to Pres. Carter. You people are foolish and should not write your opinions because they are filled with hate.

Obama is not too swift. The crowd around him is not too swift either. If you need proof, just watch one of them on TV. They keep telling us how smart they are, but in reality, they aren’t. T

Protect your family and save your money. This guy at best does not know what he is doing and at worst is sinister.

For the last 8 years everything bad that happened was blamed on Bush.
Now everything bad that happens will be blamed on Obama.
If we are attacked again it will be a inside job done by Obama.
O yeah Obama’s not really in charge either. He’s far to stupid for that
biden is the one that pulls his string
Now its my turn To throw spit balls!

I think people (Tapper that includes you) should become more familiar with the definition of “contradiction.”
Owens DID NOT say “the exact opposite” of what Obama said.
Obama said that the stimulus would allow Caterpillar to rehire some people who have been laid off. Owens pretty much confirmed the same thing. People seem to be confused about Owens saying that layoffs would come before rehiring starts. But, that’s consistent with what Obama has been saying all along — that things will likely get worse before they get better. Owens is saying the same thing, just in a different way.
The bottom line is that the stimulus will help put Caterpillar (and other companies) in a better position to start rehiring sooner. I think that’s all Obama was saying.
Does anyone realistically think that Obama was saying that the passage of the stimulus bill will allow companies to start hiring tomorrow or the day immediately after he signs the bill?? If so, maybe you don’t understand how this process/government works; it will take a few months before the distribution of funds even starts.

The old big mantra on the left was “Bush lied,people died”
The Obama mantra should be “Obama lied,the USA will die.
Andrew

Get a grip folks. No contradiction. No lie. Obama says stimulus will allow caterpillar to rehire workers. Caterpillar guy says it will take time to do so.

Giving taxpayers stimulus checks is a brilliant move. This money will help them pay their taxes.

Thank you TruthSeekr…
Your point is astute and the truth.

6 of the last 7 US recessions occurred under a republican president. GOP = Recessions
Posted by: jon | Feb 12, 2009 7:10:39 PM
=======
Lets see, last 7 recessions are:
1957-1958 Democrat Congress
1960-1961 Democrat Congress
1973-1975 Democrat Congress
1980-1982 Democrat Congress
1990-1991 Democrat Congress
2001-2003 Republican Congress
2007-Now Democrat Congress
Interesting. Looks like the DNC=Recession to me.

We are sooooooooooooo screwed!

Why can’t the Republicans be bi-partisan and just do everything Obama says? I mean, that IS what bi-partisan means, right?

Now that the Obama administration has almost completely imploded it looks like it’s time for another ‘date night’ with Michelle.

“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson

I miss President Bush!

What amazes me about the MSM is that when Obama gives a new conference and takes 15 minutes to answer a simple yes/no question (and never actually answers it), they call this “being thoughtful” and “carefully considering his words”.
In other words, the very fact that he seems like he has no idea what to say is actually proof that what he is saying is so brilliant it can’t be expressed in mere mortal language. It’s kind of like record low temps proving global warming.
It’s “opposite day” in liberal world.

I’m just wondering if the press is EVER going to get the disconnect between what Obama says from a teleprompter and what he says off the cuff. WHO IS REALLY RUNNING THIS COUNTRY? This is downright scary! A fawning adoring press, a POTUS who has no clue and a stimulus bill taking us all off the cliff. Bank up on rice and beans we’re going to need it

WOW!

W. took our country into war, drove up debt and all you people can do is say nasty things about an honest President. Like you did to Pres. Carter. You people are foolish and should not write your opinions because they are filled with hate.
Pricilla, Fontana, Ca. 7:17:02 PM
______________________________________
Now THAT is comedy gold!

All of the negativity is causing this recession to gain negative momentum. Please refer back to history: In December 1982 the US had 10.6% unemployment, 9.6% inflation and 14-16% interest rates and the manufacturing jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. We have 7.6% unemployment, 0% inflation, 5% interest rates. The key indicating credit spreads are falling and leading indicators are rising notably commodity dry shipping prices. Our trade deficit is at 6 year lows, oil prices are project to fall more. The only negative is our credit markets were concentrated on the hand of a few and our media and leadership is scaring the population. Obama show some leadership and confidence in America. We have tremendous productivity much greater than in ’82 so Obama stop with this negative garbage. It is not presidential. Did you already forget Yes We Can? Or was that used just to get elected? Very disappointed thus far with Obama.

“Is it too early to start thinking that Obama is an idiot?”
Au contraire: it’s kind of LATE in the game to START thinking He’s an idiot.
It’s early, but not TOO early, to start laying bets on how long He’ll last if office, and on whether He’ll jump or be pushed.

Obama is just one big lie – after lie – after lie…
We should have put McCain in office..

Tapper is one of the few national reporters who is asking legitimate questions and reporting on issues that are being avoided by others. I don’t see a “talking point” in this article. What would that be?

“WHO IS REALLY RUNNING THE COUNTRY?”
George Soros.

Not cool, for the poor people that thought they were going to get re-hired. Obama is pushing this plan hard, like a salesman trying to get someone to sign a contract but they are not allowed to know what is on said contract. Ever get the feeling you’ve been swindled?

Lee:
Lets chat in 2010, ok?

The President has had a rough day. Is he forcing Caterpillar to go green?

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

“Save or create 3.5 million jobs.”
This is a clever way for Obama to claim success no matter what happens. Heads, I win, Tails, you lose. He can claim a win either way. No jobs created – he saved millions. Lose 10 million, he’ll say – “could have been 15 million”….etc

Some of us knew he was lying a long time ago.
Hey libs and blind Obama followers: Your chickens are coming home to roost, and roost, and roost…
Hmmm… Guess who will have the last laugh?

Not vetted – not ready.

We should have elected McCain….

Obama is so below his own pay grade. He may have graduated from Harvatd, but he is still one dumb man. History will show he was not up for the game. Just too unable to pull it off. It sad that we all will suffer for it.

Has anyone noticed that the President of the United States is a charlatan?

“If Bush’s tax cuts were so wonderful…”
Bush cut tax rates across the board. The economy responded and we had 6 years of growth and 4-5% unemployment. You are paying lower taxes than under Clinton. You are going to pay a lot more under Obama. If you pay taxes and want to pay more, feel free to send more money to the government.

Some posters here have it right. Obama is a suit who has a good voice and reads teleprompters well. His impromptu speaking is much, much poorer. He can’t really think on his feet. However, worse than that, he’s got no clue about what to do! You know, actions! I think he’s a front man for Pelosi and Reid. They determine policy and Obama gets wheeled out like a puppet to announce what they’ve decided! So much for the savior. The American voters can blame themselves. Their judgement of presidential material is too shallow, too superficial. They are overly impressed by someone who speaks well on TV? Clinton was the same, good on TV but useless in deeds. Obama is just another face and voice. His real influence is minimal because he just lacks the experience. He listens to his advisers but Pansy Pelosi and Harry “The war is lost” Reid carry the real clout. Amazing. And fatal for America’s future.

Good Job Jake Tapper. It’s rare to find anyone in the MSM that reports factually. Thank you.

Obama has screwed up things more in 23 days than the last four presidents did during ther full terms.

“Reagan “fixed” things by ballooning the deficit. ”
Reagan not only fixed Carter’s mess, he also made liberals proud to be Americans again.

“President Obama, you have said repeatedly that your efforts will save or preserve Four Million jobs. What baseline are you using to calculate this figure?”
How many are “saved”, and how many “created”?
Of jobs “saved”, how many are upper-level bureaucratic jobs in California?

Wow….Has Obama lost his luster with this crowd. What is happening really should not be that surprising especially since the KneeJerk Liberal Clowns run the show now. The GOP has no one to blame but themselves. Let’s hope they get it in gear.

>Reagan not only fixed Carter’s mess, he also made liberals proud to be Americans again.
Again, he “fixed” the mess Carter had because the credit card bill came due for Vietnam by doubling down with another credit card (read: deficit). Again, give me a no-limit credit card and I’ll “fix” everything (until the bill comes due). Really!

Kim said: “Wow. President Obama has been President for three weeks and some on this board think that he is responsible for our 11 trillion dollar debt (5 trillion rung up in the last 8 years), our economic crisis (when Behr Sterns crumbled LAST March–2008)”
I will always remember in March 2001, after about 6 weeks into Bush’s first term, Democrats blamed him for the recession. Martin Feldstein, former chairman of the NBER, acknowledged that the recession started n 2000. Nonetheless, Democrats set the standard for idiocy. Bush had nothing to do with the recession he inherited after the implosion of the stock market bubble. The idiotic expansion of the CRA and Fannie Mae’s policy of actually buting and holding hundreds of billions of dollars of regular and sub-prime mortgages had already begun. The legislation that excluded the derivatives market from regulation was signed by Clinton. He inherited a metasticizing terrorist problem where Atta, Hanjour and the other 9/11 pilots were in the US and had already completed their pilot training. Etc., etc.
Nontheless, everything that happened when Bush was in office was blamed on Bush. Democrats set the standard and now they don’t like to be on the receiving end.
That being said, there is a real difference. Obama’s critics aren’t accusing him of causing this mess. they are criticizing him for this horrible “stimulus” bill which is nothing more than an attempt to take advantage of the crisis to increase the power of the government and the Democrat party. Obama is thinking primarliy about his political advantage, otherwise he would be pushing for policies that would actually stimulate the economy (e.g. a payrol tax holiday).
Bush was wrong to increase the long term federal debt by $5 trillion (approx. a 100% increase in 8 years). Clinton was wrong to increase the long term debt almost $2 trillion (approx. 60%). And now, Obama is continuing “the same failed policies” that got us into this mess. Massive government borrowing and spending, debt fueled GDP growth, Fannie Mae’s criminality and incompetence, etc., etc. got us into this mess and Obama wants to do more of the same. That is why the stock market is tanking even further. That is why we are continuing to lose jobs. Obama actually deserves criticism for advocating more of the same, big government policies that will only make the problem worse.

To all the haters:
Please make sure you send back or do not take anything from the Stimulus since you have so little faith in the President. PO could walk on water and you’d never be satisfied as you hate him.
As to the Caterpillar CEO-this man told the President this and now HE is backtracking-but your putting blame on the President? It’s the CEO, not PO

I didn’t vote for him:-)

“Bush cut tax rates across the board.”
Which means that the more money you made the much greater you tax cut was.
“The economy responded and we had 6 years of growth and 4-5% unemployment.”
Unemployment did not get to 4%. The lowest was 4.4% Oct of 2007.
It shot up in 2002 (post tax cut) and stayed near 6% thru 2003. In 2004 in dropped to around 5.5% and did not dip below 5% until Dec 2005.
So even accepting your claim that tax cuts caused unemployment to drop it happened nearly 4 years after the tax cuts were enacted.
Which means the whole GOP argument about the instant stimulus power of tax cuts is BS.
Oh that’s right tax cuts are the Republican solution to everything regardless of it actually working or being true.

There is no contradiction here!
Obama says “you will be able to hire back SOME workers”
The reporter asks “will you IMMEDIATELY STOP laying off ALL workers”
It’s shoddy reporting regardless of your feelings about Obama

“Wealth is created by ingenuity and effort.”
Yes. Productivity is the key. Reducing marginal rates for everyone, including business is what works.

Remember the great “Tax cut for 95% of the American people” well here you go America. Hope you don’t spend it all in one place. $8.00 per week now that is what we call a tax break!
Below if from the AP!
The $500-per-worker credit for lower- and middle-income taxpayers that Obama outlined during his presidential campaign was scaled back to $400 during bargaining by the Democratic-controlled Congress and White House. Couples would receive $800 instead of $1,000. Over two years, that move would pump about $25 billion less into the economy than had been previously planned.
Officials estimated it would mean about $13 a week more in people’s paychecks this year when withholding tables are adjusted in late spring. Next year, the measure could yield workers about $8 a week. Critics say that’s unlikely to do much to boost consumption.
“The most highly touted tax cut in the original proposal now translates into $7.70 a week for middle-class workers,”

First of all if you read this report RUSHPUBLICANS! This CEO waited till after Obama left and then said this. Which he is probably a rushpublican any damn way.
And as far as Reagan is concerned all he did was allow the POOR TO STAY POOR AND THE RICH TO STAY RICH he’s where he needs to be six feet under. At least the CEO of Caterpillar could have been Man enough to BE HONEST!
You can only be responsible for what is said in FRONT of you not what is said BEHIND your back!

“your great one was a sitting Senator but did he sound the alarm? Did he try to fix Fannie and Freddie?”
The implosion of the subprime lending industry threatens to bring foreclosure to over two million households, including many families with children. Barack Obama has been closely monitoring this situation for years, and introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama’s STOP FRAUD Act provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity. This bill also provides counseling to homeowners and tenants to avoid foreclosures. Finally, Obama’s bill requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report to Congress on various state lending practices so that state regulations that undermine consumer’s rights can be identified and hopefully eliminated.
The STOP Fraud Act did not go farther than Committee.
“Did he question the SEC about their goings on?”
He was not on that committee as Senator

I think Obama should sign a law that allows all Republicon voters to pay off this debt and go serve in Iraq. Isn’t it time to have some personal accountability?

Posted by: Jeanie | Feb 12, 2009 8:07:00 PM -
Jeanie – Great points. That is exactly the way I remember it when the media was decrying Mr.Bush, prior to and when taking office in 2001, for talking down the economy, when it was obvious the economy was already deteriorating. Now we have the rush for a totally non-stimulative, ‘spendulus or stupidus’ package which will only exacerbate the problems for our children and grand-children ( and our great grandchildren.). And the President resorts to fear if we don’t act.
However, based on the many comments on various blogs I have read, I have faith in American people to respond appropriately. Thks

“We got the change alright, seems to be about $13.00.”
Be thankful. That $13.00 will help you pay your taxes…lol

we were told that he would run as a centrist,rather than the extreme leftist he is. that is why i thought, ok i dont beleive in all democrat policy (kinda like when Rush was saying “i hope he fails=i hope his POLICES fails)i will wait and see how he does. he lost my respect when he closed Guantamano Bay without a clear plan, it was as if he did this to please the leftys (it will backfire big time), make us pay for abortion-especially overseas and all these tax cheats,lobbyist (18 and counting) he keep nominating.
the stimulus bill- we have to pay for Pelosi’s little salt marsh mouse (30 million) 300 for “green” golf carts, Global warming, 600 for new govt cars (why dont they take amtrak after we are giving amtrak alot of money) and on.
his stumbling and “ahh, ummm” is annoying.
i hope Jake will not every back off from challenging Gibbs and Obama on everything they do, no softball questions!
2012 can’t come soon enough!

it takes 9 months to have a baby, 1 year to say ooobbbbaaa mmmaaaa, and it still cant walk, at this stage, give him a chance afterall where are the competent americans ? Not in politics, not in the financial world, so who is going to fix this ? Maybe the military with a coup d’etat ? They cant even win wars or get Osama !! I am worried, very worried,but they are all trying to do something to fix this, when you experiment you make mistakes, who wants to be the president ? Heard of the 100 days, wait a while and then audit the results, nobody is accountable anyway so why worry. You still have the option of waiting 3 years and elen months.

“Heard of the 100 days, wait a while and then audit the results, nobody is accountable anyway so why worry.”
How do you audit results when the standard of success is “save or create 3.5 million jobs”.
How do you prove if you have saved 3.5 million jobs?
Does this mean if 5 million are lost, Obama can still claim success? “See, my stimulus worked, if we had not done it we would have lost 8.5 million instead… see, I saved 3.5 as planned!”

It will be long 4 years. He’s almost as incompetent as the last one.
Isn’t there anyone in the US that is more qualified to be President?

No, I don’t think the President mis-spoke. Everything he has done has been calculated. His failures keep getting better.
We are still aways off of preventing this great country from turning into the
American Union Of Socialists.
Notice how we are not hearing how bad the war is on a daily basis now? It’s not because of the economy.

i remember screaming at the MSM (if the fairness doctine comes back it has to include MSM!!)
whenever they threw softball questions at Obama “how are you feeling tonight” “those mean republicans keep attacking you, are you ok? are you comfortable?” when he was actually challenged it was like a curve ball(fast at him but allowing him to dodge the swing by giving him the answers along the way). America was given a false sense of illusion of this guy. look the town hall meeting in FLA, the people question, it was sad, he is not their savior he is a man that has nooooo clue on what to do and how to lead us.

Mark wrote: “Please make sure you send back or do not take anything from the Stimulus..”
please Mark, let me keep my $13 per week! I need that $13/ week to pay my mortgage and pay my 200 employees a living wage! If I don’t get it, this disaster will turn into a catastrophe. I need $13/week now or we’ll have a depression and 10% unemployment! If I get that $13/week, Caterpillar will start hiring again!
Just taking a cue from Fearmonger-in-Chief Obama. That Hope and Change bull didn’t last long did it?

I didn’t write that! I was quoting it!

Congratulations, Obama supporters! You voted an unqualified incompetent into the White House and it’s paying off dividends for you.

”
Hope and Change? I’m sure Hoping this Changes real soon!!!
Is this really what you people voted for?”
_________________________________
Not those of us who read history. or those of us who remember Reagan, and what he did for this country and the world.

Ryan C: You accused Reagan of paying off the Iranians. I challenged you to present evidence.
Well, I’m waiting…

“The end point is the crowding out of private Health Care Insurers to create a single payor program”
This is the Kucinich plan. Obama’s plan may get there but Kucinich’s plan was the one to really put the screws to private insurance by making them compete with public insurance.

Now Caterpillar has a different view of what the facts are. If this nonsense keeps up, President Obama is going to end up with less political capital than he had three weeks ago, AND A HECK OF A LOT LESS CREDIBILITY! JUST BECAUSE HE SAYS SOMETHING DOES NOT MAKE IT SO — (REMEMBER NIXON!!)
SO far, the new administration — NOT ONLY GEITHNER — has been nothing but words. It seemed to have started with the nomination of Bill Richardson for Commerce. Their vetting system was either not working — or, NON EXISTENT! For those in the party who were overjoyed with Hillary becoming Secretary of State, she has essentially been NEUTERED as a result of Brian Ross, Mitchell, Jones and Holbrooke reporting directly to the president — EVEN THE AMBASSADOR TO THE UN! Then, there have been the tax cheaters nominated for cabinet positions (again suggesting that either the new occupants of the Whitehouse are just plain arrogant, or their vetting process is nonexistent). Then, on Feb 12, Judd Gregg withdraws his name from Commerce. While not mentioned in Gregg’s withdrawal comments, the withdrawal of the census responsibility from Commerce had to cause questions in Gregg’s mind if he was being maneuvered out of the senate into a nothing job — NEUTERED like Hillary!! The pork and pet projects in the stimulus bill are going to cause even more serious credibility problems for the president. Either he has not yet put on his running shoes, or he has been caught doing things he promised he would not do. Either way, NOT IMPRESSIVE!

Dear obama the second coming, if you believe what you wrote in your response, I have a million dollars that I’m saving just for you. You, too, are dangerously nieve. As evidenced from the video in this post, you can’t believe anything obama or his cronies say. They are gunning for nationalized healthcare and socialism. Perhaps you should read Daschle’s book. It’s all laid out for you. An overview (be sure and read the last few words carefully):
The goal that animates him is universal coverage, and he distrusts market forces and financial incentives in the health sector. Consequently, the toolbox he is looking through is the same one other Democrats are also reaching for: mandates on individuals and businesses to buy or offer coverage; new government-run insurance options for the under-65 population; a national governmental agency offering anyone who wants it to sign up for insurance outside of work; large new subsidy programs; and much more government involvement in determining what is and is not effective medical care.

“Caterpillar” will never become a butterfly!

you people are shameful. this country is a mess. i’ll refrain from placing blame here but we finally have a president who is proactive and who is actually trying to fix this. economists agree that we are in uncharted waters yet you limbaugh/coulter/hannity fans are actually rooting for the president of the united states to fail. it really is about power, isn’t it? and is there a single one of you that makes under $100k that can HONESTLY say that your life is better now than it was 8 years ago? AND what is this nonsense that i’ve been seeing on the “conservative” blogs implying that president obama is somehow trying to consolidate power in an emperor like fashion? are you guys kidding me? after the constitution trampling that just ended and that we just barely survived?
the guy is coming out swinging and he’s making some mistakes. so far, no harm/no foul as far as i’m concerned. what about your guys? what are they doing? what are they standing for? obama has actually made an attempt to involve the other party and they will have no part of it. are they actually looking out for your interests? or is it because they too want him to fail so that in 2 years they can stand on that noble platform? and for the record, there are plenty of tax cuts in this thing.
in case you haven’t noticed, jobs have hemorrhaged from this country over the last 25 years. corporations have boosted profits by cutting labor costs. in the 80′s and 90′s the manufacturing jobs left and people retrained (often by state funding) into service jobs. now that they are going, what will people do?
here’s a thought: y’know that money that was taken out of the stimulus bill that was to make federal buildings “green”? what if it stays and contractors all over the US get to bid on putting solar panels and solar heaters and such in all of these buildings. and what if all the US tech companies that specialize in green technologies now get this big increase in business and the price of these technologies drops and they start competing and making more efficient cells and it becomes cheaper to fit your house with these things than to buy heating oil and electricity?
aren’t there countless government funded mandates and technologies that went on to boost the private sector? like when the epa (one of those evil government agencies) mandated that asbestos must be disposed of properly so a whole new subcategory of the construction industry was founded to deal with asbestos, or the invention of the gps system and it’s subsequent marketing to consumers and drop in price.
but what do i know,,,,,,,i don’t speak with 1/2 of my brain tied behind my back.

I’m sure the President will issue a correction soon.

Sorry, but talk of contradiction is greatly exaggerated here. The statement from the Pres. is that with the passing of the Stim., CAT “will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off.” This regards future prospects of hiring in the wake of expanded spending following the stimulus. It also refers only to “some of the folks”.
The question that you asked of the CEO is “if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not”. This concerns the immediate before the Stim is given a chance to affect the business environment for companies like CAT. And it also refers to the entire 22,000 layoffs.
A careful reading of the two leaves no doubt that the CEO can answer “yes” to the first and “no” to the second without the slightest hint of contradiction on anyone’s part. Different issues, different responses. I am afraid this is an example of criticism without critical thinking.

That’s right red, we’ll treat them the same way they treated Bush

“Actually, banks decided these citizens were “uncredit worthy” based on the fact that they don’t pay their bills – as if we needed more proof of that now. Banks were forced to loan to deadbeats, and now your 401K is in the toilet.”
More of that minorities caused your financial problems bs from the right wing.

“Glad to see Rush is on this too”
Good save…roflmao
“…read the bill (or at least the bill as it sat in the Senate), read the book.”
Why don’t you actually read the bill instead of the Bloomberg oped.

President Obama hasn’t been able to even appoint a cabinet without fumbling the ball over and over again. As the leader of his party, and as a star in the party that runs Illinois, he couldn’t even name his succssor in the senate. How in the world will he be able to negotiate with Iran if he couldn’t win a fight with Blagovitch in Illinois? (Oh yea, I know Blago is gone, but he got his way with the appointment and President Obama didn’t even stand a chance of getting his nominee appointed).

The American people elected an inexperienced politician with ideas and an agenda which can only be described as socialism.
They will get what these ideas have always produced: unemployment, economic stagnation, general misery.
The American people thought that if they just close their eyes and really concentrate, Santa will come and bring them all they hoped for. Instead, reality will come, and make it plenty clear that his buddies the facts and the truth don’t care about our hopes and dreams, they only care about our actions.
If our actions are to take from those who think and create, and give to those who wish and rely on handouts, we will lose those who create, and gain more needy. And after a while we’ll only have wishing and need, and no one to take from to answer it. Welcome to the morality of altruism and force.

And yet ALL income classes did great with the Reagan tax cuts. And tax revenues exploded (increased for you liberals) Unfortunately we had liberals in Congress then and for new every dollar that came in they spent two.
You liberals just hate to read history.
Just curious, why didn’t Reagan use his veto power? Yah, keep telling yourself that facts don’t count. You don’t have any sources, just empty rhetoric. Now go back to your losing ways.
The higher up you go on the income ladder, in other words, the sweeter the Reagan era.
Between 1979 and 2005, the bottom half of the top 1 percent saw their average incomes only double, after inflation. These incomes increased 105 percent. The next highest four-tenths of the top 1 percent somewhat raised the income bar. Their average incomes, after inflation, rose 161 percent.
That brings us to the top 0.1 percent of Americans. Their incomes, from 1979 to 2005, rose a staggering 294 percent after taking inflation into account. Not bad at all. But the top 0.01 percent did even better. The 11,000 households in this rarified air took home an average $35.5 million in 2005, a 384 percent increase over average top 0.01 percent incomes in 1979.
Need some perspective here? Let’s compare Americans at the top to Americans in the middle. Between 1979 and 2005, the average income of America’s statistical middle class — the 20 percent of Americans in the exact middle of the U.S. income distribution — rose, according to the CBO figures, a mere 15 percent. That’s less than 1 percent a year.
But many average Americans never actually saw that less than 1 percent. That’s because the CBO takes a kitchen-sink approach to defining income. CBO researchers include in their “comprehensive income” calculations all the standard household revenue streams — wages, dividends, interest, and the like — and lots more, too, from food stamps and Social Security to employer-paid health benefits.
All these add-ins tend to inflate average household “incomes.” If your employer’s health insurance company jacks up prices, for instance, the extra dollars in premiums that your employer has to pay count as income to you, at least in the CBO calculations.
The CBO actually has a good reason to take this “kitchen-sink” approach to defining income. Conservative cheerleaders for the Reagan era have been arguing for years that the United States isn’t growing that much more unequal, not when you calculate in the various benefits that poor and average Americans get from government and their employers.
But the CBO figures, by adding in all those benefits, neatly expose the flim-flam behind this cheerleading. The United States definitely has become substantially more unequal. Overall, after taxes, the very rich — the top 0.01 percent — have nearly quadrupled their share of the nation’s income since 1979.
These super-rich Americans in the top 0.01 percent, even more amazingly, now pay a lower share of their incomes in federal tax than the merely rich.
The overall top 1 percent paid federal income tax at an average 19.4 percent rate in 2005. The top 0.01 percent paid at just a 17 percent rate, mainly because the richest of the rich get nearly half their income from capital gains — and capital gains enjoy preferential tax treatment.
Under George W. Bush, the tax rate on capital gains income — income from the sale of stocks, bonds, and other assets — dropped to 15 percent, less than half the current top 35 percent tax rate on “ordinary” income from paychecks.
subplug [3]And that brings us to about the only hopeful news we can take, of late, from the Congressional Budget Office. No one on Capitol Hill has spoken out more clearly on the noxious consequences of preferential treatment for capital gains income than Peter Orszag, the CBO director until last month.
Taxing capital gains at a lower rate than other forms of income, as Orszag has testified [4] to Congress, “creates opportunities for tax avoidance and complicates the tax system.”
As CBO director, Orszag couldn’t do much about capital gains tax breaks for mega millionaires. Now he can. President-Elect Barack Obama last month named Orszag his choice to direct the Office of Management and Budget, the federal government’s most powerful fiscal agency.
Sam Pizzigati edits Too Much [5], the online weekly on excess and inequality.

“Overhead??? Huh?”
Its costs much less in terms of bureaucracy to run public vs private insurance.
“Ummm….no, they lose because they can’t write retrictive reglatory laws and they can’t pass punitive tax legislation.”
No they lose because they have overhead costs inherent to their being private such as marketing.

This president is dangerously naive and incompetent. He is so far over his head it is terrifying. This administration may well go down as the most inept and corrupt admin ever.

“All of us are fortunate G.W. Bush was the man in office after 9/11.”
We were unfortunate that he was the man in office on 9/11
“At the very least he was able to successfully rally the support of our allies with leadership and statesmanship”
ROFLMAO!
That has to be the funniest thing said today!

ANOTHER O’BLUNDER FROM O’BAMA. HE’S A ROOKIE MAKING MISTAKE AFTER MISTAKE AFTER MISTAKE. IMPEACHMENT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

RIP American media, died 2008.

I’m so weary of people screaming “racist!” when an anti-obama sentiment is expressed.
Black or white, the fact is that our 44th president is a liar, hypocritical, inexperienced, crooked politician. I fear he will bring this country to its financial knees.
My opinion of his utter lack of morals, experience and character has nothing to do with his race or mine.

“Do actually live in the US?”
Yes and while I am lucky enough to have insurance, I know quite a few people with medical needs who have various insurance troubles.
And it makes me sad that we are the richest most prosperous nation on the planet and perhaps in history and we cannot afford healthcare for our citizenry.
The boom to business alone from not having to struggle under healthcare costs would be worth it.

Excellent reporting as always, Mr. Tapper.

What an empty suit B. Hussein is. Gets caught red-handed with his bogus rhetoric three weeks into his term. What’s that, three, now of his cabinet picks have had to withdraw or withdrew themselves. All for dishonorable reasons except the Repub Gregg who withdrew on principle — guess he didn’t like B. Hussein taking control of the 2010 census for blatant political purposes. What a surprise — I guess B. Hussein’s “associations” with American-haters, white-haters, terrorists and convicted felons do matter. All the foolish and ignorant who voted for him — wait till next year when hyperinflation hits and your taxes soar. This is the change we have beenw waiting for!

Ummm… yeah 12% to 18%… the same uninformed slack jawed cretins that voted for him because he is going to get them all kinds of new benefits at the expense of others.
Nice $2+ trillion hole he is digging us in .. for what saving Nancy Pelousy’s gray marsh mice?
You get the elected officials deserve.. it’s to bad the rest of us have to suffer for your ignorance.

My kids came home today from school and said “liar liar Obama on fire”. Even the school children are starting to mock him.

Caterpiller will start hiring soon — President Obama said so! What does that silly CEO know? All CEOs are just greedy and evil men. BTW, when does the guvment start paying my car gas and rent? Save me, President Obama, save me!!!!

Is that you Jimmmaahhh Caahhhtahhh?

I think it is becomming obvious already that Obama will be the worst President in our lifetime.
What was America thinking electing the most liberal, least experienced candidate? Was it for the handouts? Was it for the abortions? Or was it to remove the terrorist safeguards so we could be attacked again?
America, you are going to get what you deserve from Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, et al running the country.
God Help Us!

remember the Dems had a hand in this housing bust that led us into this mees but all they’ll say is Bush. I say Bull****

Universal health care… paid for by?

“Wow, Bush did all those things?”
He sure did-
The Dow was close to 11,000 when he took office, 8,000 when he left, down 30%.
Unemployment was 4.2% in Jan 2001, 7.6% in Jan 2009.
National debt was doubled, up by $5 trillion and counting.
And the financial system was sound and not clamoring for hundreds of billions in bailout money.
None of this happened under Clinton, 100% Bush.

Ryan C,
Yes, Bush demonstrated superior leadership, management, and rallying skills. Plus he is a better statesman as compared to Obama.
Obama has a better smile. But that’s all. And where, pray tell, has the million dollar smile gone? Hmm?
Your guy won. And you still are po’d off at the world. Good grief. Now I am LOL.

“Do you have any idea how that “ranking” is calculated?”
Per CNN, The rankings are based on general health of the population, access, patient satisfaction and how the care’s paid for.
“Obviously not, as only an ignoramus would use such nonsense in argument.”
Its the World Health Organization’s figures.
As opposed to made up stuff by Rush and FoxNews.
“This fool gets his information from mental midgets like Mike Moore…”
While I am sure that Moore used that stat in Sicko (I did not see it), it had been bandied about by those seeking single payer for years.

It is very apparent, that many Obama supporters have no qualms, or issues about this country going into Socialism/Communism.
Please name me one country, where this has been a success story? Venezuela’s broke, and in shambles. Cuba’s people are dirt poor. France has massive unemployment. Britain is going down economically. Germany isn’t fairing much better.
Just one.
I love my country, and to throw it into socialism, something for 200 years we fought against….and to just throw all that away, makes a mockery of all the lives that were given up, to make the U.S. unique from every other natioin on earth, and the place where many dream of coming, to make their success in life. Sad days ahead, I’m afraid.
There are no success stories in socialism. There won’t be rainbows, and all of us dancing in meadows and singing. There will be hunger, and sadness, no work, and what little we do get, we’ll have to be very grateful for.
And remember, it won’t be the America you know now. A few months ago, a young man in Venezuela dared to speak out against Chavez. On his walk home, he was gunned down. They never caught his killers. Any guesses?

Oh Yes, I’m quite sure the President meant well and just mis spoke. Right….that’s what I thought all along. Of course, there’s misspeak and then there’ doublespeak…..hmmmmm!

Wow, I never in my life believed that our country would experience an attack we could survive. But the attack from within will destroy it. I will end up on the right side of whatever happens. Obama and his ilk will go down in history as destroying America. Let the red states unite an let the blue implode.
His first 3 weeks in office are a complete disaster and he can thank is ilk in congress for this mess. He has been and always will be a puppet of the hard core extremeist who run the modern democratic party.

Ok my my we all have short memories don’t we! I am an independent and if you want to lay blame for the housing crisis lay it at the feet of congress!! They created the fair mortgage act that led to the sub prime market. Then greed (banks and Mortgage companies) and stupidity (homeowners making 25k per year buying homes they could not afford). Yes part of the problem was the banks and mortgage companies going wild and giving mortgages to people that could never afford to keep up payments, unless they won the lottery! Now congress is giving a whopping $13 extra a week in tax credits to the average american! Wow!! While taking care of their pet projects that will not create jobs! Oh what a sad country this has become! I am a veteran so any one not liking what I say I fought for the right to say it!
thanks

What legislation did Democrats pass in 2006 that led to this crisis? Please cite specifics. Meanwhile, there isn’t enough room in this box to catalog the Republicans removal of financial safeguards and regulations that actually led to this mess. And the idea that Republicans are calling OBAMA unprepared and out of his depth….HA! After what we’ve seen the last 8 years?! Hell, I’m just impressed we have a President who can use complete sentences, that’s how low Bush set the bar.

“Per CNN, The rankings are based on general health of the population, access, patient satisfaction and how the care’s paid for.
Its the World Health Organization’s figures.”
Yes, that’s exactly the point. A large component of the calculation is based on how care is paid for, which is why the U.S. drops down. Take that component out, and the U.S. is near the top.
“As opposed to made up stuff by Rush and FoxNews.”
This old “Foxnews” canard is beyond absurd. So Fox news “makes up stuff”? Care to cite examples? The only example of a news agency blatantly manufacturing news that I can think of is Rather’s Bush national guard debacle…

“Our enemies FEARED him”
ROFLMAO.
Al Queda loved what Bush did.
He almost brought about their dream of a world war of Islam vs
They are fanatics. They want the ham fisted not thought out violent response.
Bush being a checker player vs chess obliged them.
“and our allys WALKED with him.”
You mean the hand holding with the Saudis?

Gary, sorry to see you’re still hoodwinked by claims that Iraq had something to do with 9/11.
No matter what the Republicans’ reasons for the tax cuts, the fact is the war has been paid for by deficit spending. No attempt was made to “pay as you go.”

“Unbiased” does not mean “rips on both sides.” Has Fox made everyone forget what journalism is? Reporters are not supposed to have an opinion. I shouldn’t be able to read a headline and know it’s from Fox, but I can without any trouble at all.

“Yes, that’s exactly the point. A large component of the calculation is based on how care is paid for, which is why the U.S. drops down. Take that component out, and the U.S. is near the top.”
The US still doesn’t crack the top 15 in other measures.
“This old “Foxnews” canard is beyond absurd. So Fox news “makes up stuff”? Care to cite examples?”
Off the top of my head, Steve Doocey was the 1st to report the made up Obama went to a madrassa bs.
And just this week a FoxNews idiot repeated word for word the Republican talking points including the typo.
I guess you realized defending Rush as making things up would be too difficult.

“I shouldn’t be able to read a headline and know it’s from Fox, but I can without any trouble at all.”
As I can from the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, etc, etc…

“Are you stupid? Look at blue states like California, which is going bankrupt.”
And why is CA going bankrupt?
Because it refuses to raise taxes and cut spending.

The GAO released a study the other day (Quietly of course) that projects that the economy would fair better if Congress does nothing. Isn’t “Con”gress the opposite of “Pro”gress?

“The US still doesn’t crack the top 15 in other measures.”
Wrong.
“And just this week a FoxNews idiot repeated word for word the Republican talking points including the typo.”
How is that “making up news”? Do not the major networks constantly report democrat talking points? You seem a bit confused here.
“I guess you realized defending Rush as making things up would be too difficult.”
What does Rush have to do with Fox News? Lumping the two together is another example of ignorance. Rush is no different than Hannity, Olbermann, Mathews and any other obviously biased source.

“It kills me how some people here consider Jake as “right wing.” ”
This I actually agree with.
Jake asks tough questions but he’s not ideological.

“With every leading economist saying infrastucture projects would do a faster, better job of stimulating the economy, this comes as no surprise.”
Except less then a third of the bill will deal with infrastructure. At least that was before 7 billion of DoD construction was cut (and VA construction was also cut by 2.8 bil) and most of what is considered “infrastructure” in the bill is NOT construction which is what said economists mean. For instance environmental management falls under infrastructure, somehow I don’t see that created hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Also since these jobs will be created with federal funding and are not extremely successful they will be finite meaning construction companies will go with younger, cheaper workers who with the zilch tax break they’ll get won’t have extra money to pour into the economy.
Hardly anyone said the entire thing was a waste (except the CBO saying the recession would end this year without it), but that there is too much waste in the bill which is why the GOP offered 2 other plans. Neither of which got heard.

“What does Rush have to do with Fox News?”
They are both part of the right wing noise machine.
“Lumping the two together is another example of ignorance. Rush is no different than Hannity,”
Yes Bund Leader Hannity and Rush are no different.
That I will agree with.

“0bama DID attend a madrassa.
“Madrasah (Arabic: مدرسة‎, madrasa pl. مدارس, madāris) is the Arabic word for any type of school”.”
He went to a Catholic school for international students.
The intonation of the madrassa was that Obama was educated in Whabbism or some other type of militant Islam.
Once again the right wing lied.

“Each and every citizen should take pride in the well documented and rightly accepted idea of American Exceptionalism…while I know it pains the “Blame America First” crowd to no end, it is an ideal borne out by the facts.”
Jingoist nationalism…..that road seems a perilous one based on history.
“Only because you view the problem from the perspective of the Centralized Welfare State…..health care is not a right…it is not a National issue (at least according to that silly little document called the Constitution),”
No, I view from a societal perspective and maybe even a little religious.
You obviously could care less and the way you thump you chest about that I am willing to bet that you lived off your parents.
“it’s a Red Herring tossed around bypower hungry liberals in an effort to buy votes and create yet another “crises” to exploit.”
Yes imagine that. By giving the people services they want you remain popular.

There is an evil presence in this world and his name is George Soros, he takes pleasure in destroying his enemies, George Bush is one of his enemies, also capitalism is despised by this man,He is the sugar daddy that financed Obama, In september there was a massive sellout of mutal funds, soros made millions in a scam that he has been planning for years for the purpose of destroying this country, time to kill the evil

Can’t believe such a well respected company would go this low. Taking unconstitutional government welfare is as low as it gets. I will no longer support Cat.

The liberals are blind to Obama’s errors as Bush supporters were to his.
Obama CLEARLY said the CEO SAID he would rehire some of those people they layed off when the stimulus passed.
The CEO came out and said NO….we are laying more people off before we rehire.
I guess all that fancy schooling and those big fat books you Liberals all read have your little brains mixed up. You can’t see the obvious.
Give it a couple more months….after a few more LIES and MISSTATEMENTS and you will see there really is LITTLE difference between Obama and Bush. They are both politicians with pet projects and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.
by the way…how many people saw the picture of Obama trying to go in a window in the white house……I guess it looked a lot like the door. Oh yeah, and he popped his head on airforce one….he’s an idiot for all to see. And he’s dumb too. And don’t get me started on that nasty thing he calls his wife…at least Laura had class and grace.

Southern said: There is an evil presence in this world and his name is George Soros, he takes pleasure in destroying his enemies, George Bush is one of his enemies, also capitalism is despised by this man,He is the sugar daddy that financed Obama, In september there was a massive sellout of mutal funds, soros made millions in a scam that he has been planning for years for the purpose of destroying this country, time to kill the evil
Amen!!! He was exiled from an Asian nation for almost destroying their markets.

Ca is going bankrupt because we got a bunch of lame liberals running this state…don’t you dare think Arnold is a true Conservative or Republican…Liberals suck! Raising our taxes now??? That will help CA??? Raise our sales tax, car tax….are you nuts! Why don’t they just lay off a bunch of union state workers! The Unions Bankrupt the Car Companies and now they are bankrupting CA!

this guy obama is a great talker, but not that bright. as long as the teleprompter is working he has the sheeple going along with him. trust me, i have dealt with businessmen like him all my life, when they stop talking no one knows what the hell they said, but they sounded good!. obama is underwhelming so far, and may resign when the real hard stuff happens.

“Even Aunt Bee tried it in Mayberry, Howard Sprague won in a landslide.”
HAHAHAH! Best line of the night!

Ryan C. .. umm you obviously have never lived in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia.
They aren’t in trouble because they aren’t raising taxes.. the taxes are already sky high!!.. It’s the union’s and other special interests that refuse to let them cut the budget, the huge drain on the entitlement systems by illegals, and last but not least their refusal to access the natural resources on their own land that would provide them with revenue out of misplaced anxiety about evil oil.
Winston Churchill said it best…
“We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying
to lift himself up by the handle.”
raise taxes indeed…

“I noticed RyanC, that you neglected to answer to the rest of my post.”
Sorry Jeanie I try and answer as many questions as possible.
“Also, if there is no biased, why is the MRC asking questions about Stephenopoulos”
ROFLMAO.
Brent Bozell is a clown and toadie.

Don’t ever expect to be called upon by Obama ever again, Tapper. There is no room for real journalists in the Age of Obama.

Obama = Liar liar pants on fire.. No, there is NO pork in the stimulus bill. What a moron..

barack is proving that he has a very limited understanding of the public markets. the ceo of caterpillar has a very different constituency, including public equity holders which require per the sec that material statements be disclosed etc…

Curious George and the Apple Dumpling Gang. The most difficult thing this guy has ever done is to select which color the balloons should be for the neighborhood parties in Chicago. All talk,no walk.

“Newsflash – - for those of you who slept through or otherwise never had Economics 101: As products sell, companies hire more workers to create more products. Companies DO NOT hire more workers willy-nilly, just because they got an infusion of cash. They may use that cash to invest in something, but it ain’t going to be more employees. Employees are a company’s largest overhead, hands down. Unless and until products are selling, companies will divest themselves of employees to save cash.”
So who buys the products if people are out of work?

“I know you mean this as an insult for people, but don’t you realize there are many children of rich left-wingers who rely on their parents spoiling too?”
Oh I have not doubt there are many left wingers living off their parents.
But they’re not telling the poor to screw themselves.

“Curious George and the Apple Dumpling Gang. The most difficult thing this guy has ever done is to select which color the balloons should be for the neighborhood parties in Chicago.”
Now wizard4, you’re being unfair. After all, it’s common knowledge that Obama had to help his daughters select a new puppy for the White House. That took WEEKS, and endless mainstream media stories detailing the difficulty in making the selection, before it was all over.
So I think you’re a bit out of line to suggest that balloon color selection is the limit of his abilities. He can now add “Puppy-Picker-in-Chief” to his growing list of non-accomplishments.

“But they’re not telling the poor to screw themselves.”
If the poor are screwing themselves it’s by choice….that’s Capitalism.
Not to mention the fact that those living in “poverty” in the US have a higher standard of living then most of the middle class in the rest of the developed world.

Yes, I’m sure the president just blatently said that if he gets his way that the company would be hiring again. That’s pretty bad. He promised stuff, a lot of stuff in his election bid. I can’t understand how a first term senator becomes president and is praised this much.
Hell, Clinton didn’t get this much applause. Not even close, and he was real popular. Everything about this ‘Change’ seems fake. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. I don’t care how good he is at making speeches, History isn’t that glossy.

President Reagan not only fixed Carter’s mess and made liberals feel proud to be Americans, he now is considered by Gallup polling as America’s greatest president. Liberals are still in awe of him.

“I noticed that people that cannot explain this , bring up GWB.”
That’s because the vast majority of the right wing that’s compalining now, sat silent of defended Bush.
“I didn’t vote for GWB and it has nothing to with him”
In a few years no one will admit voting for Bush.

Can anyone say Voters Remorse?
I am officially changing my political party to Republican! I DO NOT want my grand kids paying for all of this BS Spending!
If I hear Obama say, “It will help in the future, we need to plan for the future” one more time I will scream! Sure – set up projects for the future but DO NOT put it in a stimulus bill!

I feel cheated in voting for Obama, same crap just a different person (or in his administration, mostly the same person).

What’s the deal with so may ignorant wingnuts hanging out at ABCnews.com? Posts like this I guess, where Obama says Owens told him he may be able to eventually re-hire some workers when the stimulus gets going, and Owens says, well, no we may be able to re-hire some workers when the stimulus gets going. Then some idiot makes out that Obama said Owens would immediately rehire all workers the minute the stimulus passed. the only story here is that ABC tolerates bad journalism.

“So who buys the products if people are out of work?”
A more pressing question, Ryan C, would be: “Who funds the government if people are out of work?”.
Oh that’s right. The government will just print fiat money, and everyone will be happy and birds will chirp and rainbows will appear and everyone will be singing.
“We’re in the money,
We’re in the money
We got a lot of what it takes to get along!
We’re in the money,
C’mon, my honey
Let’s lend it, spend it send it rollllllin’ alonnnnggg!”
PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCES
GOVERNMENT CONSUMES

“What’s the deal with so may ignorant wingnuts hanging out at ABCnews.com?”
Drudge linked to this post.
That’s why you see all the hit and run right wingers and new faces.
They will be gone soon as Drudge will tell them what to do tomorrow.

I wonder what Obama is going to say in 6-10 months from now after this bill passes and unemployment is at 20% and inflation is sky high.
Anyone care to guess how much more money he’ll print up for the next go round?

“A very unhappy, unpleasant lot. Reagan made them feel good about being Americans, though. History shows that to be true.”
You claimed the poll showed that.
You were lying.

“Sheesh….really, it’s not like anyone ever coined the phrase Reagan Democrats. Or as if he carried huge percentages (60+%) of Dem Voters in staunchly Dem precincts in both ’80 and ’84.”
Pssst we’re discussing the Gallup poll which showed 10% Democrat support for Reagan for greatest President.
Catch up would you.

Gallup Poll 2/11/2009
Given a list of five presidents to choose from, Americans are as likely to name John Kennedy as Lincoln (22% each), while 24% choose Ronald Reagan.

“So the 6 trillion Bush and the Republicans added didn’t bother you?”
Actually that was its own Obamanation, and the Republicans paid dearly for it in the last two elections…but it aint $1 Trillion in one month…with no evidence at all that it will do anything but make the matter worse in three to five years.

“FDR proved for 10 years government intervention doesn’t work. Will someone please read a history book to King Obama?”
Good point. But just make sure the history book doesn’t come from a public school. You’ll never find anything but endless praise for FDR in government-funded, public school books.

“Pssst we’re discussing the Gallup poll which showed 10% Democrat support for Reagan for greatest President.”
Yes of course…because all the Dems who elected him by 60% majorities in 49 states….twice….are all dead. But certainly a goofy poll is more accurate than the results of two relatively recent elections.

Gee, what a surprise. Obama lies with the drive-by liberal press for everyone to hear. Then in teeny weeny little print in a local newspaper, there is a correction to the story. Obama is starting to sound like Blago – and I actually thinks he believes himself just like the ex-governor does.

“So the 6 trillion Bush and the Republicans added didn’t bother you?”
Um, get your facts straight. All Budgets start in the House, and the Democrats have controlled the House for the last 60 years. By definition, those budgets were bipartisan. Yeah, they bothered the heck out of me, but it wasn’t “Bush and the Republicans”, it was “Bush, the Democrats and the Republicans”.

I knew Obama was lying the moment he said it. Unlike government these companies cannot hire people based on dreams.

Obama is so desperate to convince us “the people” that he lies about what the CEO of Caterpillar said. What a joke he his! I thought Bush was a laughing stock. The rest of the world must be laughing their butts off at Obama – how can you not? The man is in way over his head and it shows! His experience is showing and he’s looking like a fool!

“Or you can just wait for Rush to tell you the historical context and repeat it.”
Clearly, Limbaugh has achieved more and has a better understanding of history than you. What have you achieved and what makes you an expert in history that compares to Limbaugh?

People need to wake up and get off of party politics.. Both parties have spent money like Pacman Jones at a strip club.. Bottom line is our government is bankrupt and printing fiat dollars is only going to make it that much worse in the long run.. hyperinflation in less than a year!! gold, silver, and oil will be the future currencies

Understanding Economics in One Lesson
A young hoodlum, say, heaves a brick through the window of a baker’s shop. The shopkeeper runs out furious, but the boy is gone.
A crowd gathers, and begins to stare with quiet satisfaction at the gaping hole in the window and the shattered glass over the bread and pies. After a while the crowd feels the need for philosophic reflection. And several of its members are almost certain to remind each other or the baker that, after all, the misfortune has its bright side. It will make business for some glazier. As they begin to think of this they elaborate upon it. How much does a new plate glass window cost? Two hundred and fifty dollars? That will be quite a sun. After all, if windows were never broken, what would happen to the glass business?
Then, of course, the thing is endless. The glazier will have $250 more to spend with other merchants, and these in turn will have $250 more to spend with still other merchants, and so ad infinitum. The smashed window will go on providing money and employment in ever-widening circles. The logical conclusion from all this would be, if the crowd drew it, that the little hoodlum who threw the brick, far from being a public menace, was a public benefactor.
Now let us take another look. The crowd is at least right in its first conclusion. This little act of vandalism will in the first instance mean more business for some glazier. The glazier will be no more unhappy to learn of the incident than an undertaker to learn of a death. But the shopkeeper will be out $250 that he was planning to spend for a new suit. Because he has had to replace the window, he will have to go without the suit (or some equivalent need or luxury). Instead of having a window and $250 he now has merely a window. Or, as he was planning to buy the suit that very afternoon, instead of having both a window and a suit he must be content with the window and no suit. If we think of him as part of the community, the community has lost a new suit that might otherwise have come into being, and is just that much poorer.
The glazier’s gain of business, in short, is merely the tailor’s loss of business. No new “employment” has been added. The people in the crowd were thinking only of two parties to the transaction, the baker and the glazier. They had forgotten the potential third party involved, the tailor. They forgot him precisely because he will not now enter the scene. They will see the new window in the next day or two. They will never see the extra suit, precisely because it will never be made. They see only what is immediately visible to the eye.*

Last thought for me….
Our President is a fraud.
“Children and thoughtless people like exaggerated event and activity ; like to run to a house on fire, to a fight, to an execution ; like to talk of a marriage, of a bankruptcy, of a debt, of a crime. The wise man shims all this.
The firmest and noblest ground on which people can live is truth ; the real with the real ; a ground on which nothing is assumed, but where they speak and think and do what they must, because they are so and not otherwise.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

In keeping with the article>
This country is in more danger than I could ever had imagined. He can not be trusted at all. The president tried to twist the words of Jim Owens to cover his “stimulus” Bill. Then today, after Senator Gregg withdrew his cabinet nomination ‘from” President Obama, the president later in the day, at a Linclon celebration dinner, made a joke implying that Senator Gregg had called him for the position. Some one is lying, or at best, purposely mis-stating events. Is it the other two men or is it the president? I suspect that it is the president which puts us all in grave danger.
The lie is not a campaign promise hype. It is a conscious, purposely directed lie. I suspect this is a bad character flaw of this president. What it means is that we should not have any confidence in any statement from this man.

Why is the last sentence of this article being overlooked?
“Owens supports the stimulus plan, but said it would take some time to have an impact on his industry and “is a little light on the heavy construction.”
Yeah… he probably will have to hold off until the building starts. THAT’S WHAT HIS COMPANY DOES. Will it start tomorrow. nope. But… it will start.

In keeping with the article>
This country is in more danger than I could ever had imagined. He can not be trusted at all. The president tried to twist the words of Jim Owens to cover his “stimulus” Bill. Then today, after Senator Gregg withdrew his cabinet nomination ‘from” President Obama, the president later in the day, at a Linclon celebration dinner, made a joke implying that Senator Gregg had called him for the position. Some one is lying, or at best, purposely mis-stating events. Is it the other two men or is it the president? I suspect that it is the president which puts us all in grave danger.
The lie is not a campaign promise hype. It is a conscious, purposely directed lie. I suspect this is a bad character flaw of this president. What it means is that we should not have any confidence in any statement from this man.

I have never seen a President stumble
out of the gate with so many bad calls:
Gregg is the third cabinet appointment
to back out, India not so politely told the
U.S. to stay out of the Kasmir process
(after Obama called the Pakistani leader
when elected but did not show the same
respect to the Indian president, and now he is publicly ontradicted by the CEO of one of the country’s most-powerful corporations about
the immediate effect of the stimulus–and the guy’s only been in office a month.
He’s making Carter look like John Adams.

No one in D.C. seems to understand you can not solve the problem from the top down, it has to be from the bottom up .
John-q- public is who makes the economy go. A GM bail-out does no good if John q
has no money to buy Banks will not loan mmoney to john q with no job. The consumer makes the economy go not the goods supplier. We are giving the money to the same jerk who got us in this mess.

If you’re referring to Hoover Dam (which is truly an engineering marvel) that was championed and enacted by Herbert Hoover (hence the name, Hoover Dam). It began construction in 1931, while he was president, but was completed in 1935, when FDR was in office.
If you’re referring to the Tennessee Valley Authority series of dams, that was, indeed, a project hatched by FDR. However, it has been controversial since its inception, and has been criticized as big government gone amok. Its benefits have been little, and these days, only a tiny portion of people obtain their power from the TVA. Ronald Reagan was fired from the “General Electric Theater” for daring to criticize the project. Oh well. Speaking the truth about it eventually helped him win the California governorship and the presidency.
I agree with you about Obama, however. He’s a putz and will certainly go down as one of the worst, most ineffective presidents. Definitely a one-termer, if he doesn’t have a breakdown first.
Posted by: BlofeldBuildings | Feb 12, 2009 11:43:45 PM
___________________________________
Thanks for the history lesson on the Hoover damn! Duh! Forgive me my brain fart!
I guess my overall point was FDR was at least genuine in his concern for people, and was trying things that – at the time – were untested in the United States. And to be fair to him, things were FAR FAR worse at the time then they are today. My God, today isn’t even as bad as the Carter administration (something Obama and his cohorts seem to overlook!).
To the greater point, I think we look back at FDR w/ awe because of his leadership in WWII. He really rose to the occasion there. That alone makes him a great President.
Who knows, w/out WWII, he might be considered a failure? Well, at least he knew what to do when it happened. Our current President? He’d probably apologize to the Japanese, and offer them Hawaii as a reward!

In keeping with the article.
This country is in more danger than I could ever had imagined. He, the president, can not be trusted at all. The president tried to twist the words of Jim Owens to cover his “stimulus” Bill. Then today, after Senator Gregg withdrew his cabinet nomination ‘from” President Obama, the president later in the day, at a Lincoln celebration dinner, made a joke implying that Senator Gregg had called him for the position. Some one is lying, or at best, purposely mis-stating events. Is it the other two men or is it the president? I suspect that it is the president which puts us all in grave danger.
The lie is not a campaign promise hype. It is a conscious, purposely directed lie. I suspect this is a bad character flaw of this president. What it means is that we should not have any confidence in any statement from this man.

Here is an idea.. Lets give companies who have wasted millions… billions so that they can fix the millions they lost…
In the meantime let’s get as many people laid off as possible, and I mean RECORD LEVELS…. so that they have no money to spend on what the companies (you remember them… Trips to Vegas, Multi-million dollar severance packages as their workers struggle)make.
So we will have lots of cars no one can afford, the banks can continue to offer new ways to adjust mortgage rates to people who have already lost a house or can no longer afford one because they were laid off.
The problem with this plan is it is the same thing by the same people no matter what is in it. Take those billions; Give billions to the school systems in states hit hardest by disaster, budget issues, so they can produce our future.
Give another 40 billion to create a health care system that works for the patients’ best bottom line, that way we live longer and healthier.
Give another 40 billion and split it among the taxpayers, you know those 300 to 600 rebates we got? Yeah, thank you for paying my car for one month or two, you can give billions to Iraq but the taxpayers get five bucks? No, give us the billions, as though each person were single (sorry but no claiming kids or there will be war in family court, on the street, and that woman with six at home and wanting money for us to see her new 8 are only some of the reasons).
We in turn, I promise you as an American will stimulate the economy hardcore. Hopefully commercials promoting savings accounts, will keep us from stimulating it to death, but you get the drift.
Then give billions to the Fire, Police, K-9 units. For training and continuation of their programs with updated equipment and staffing. There should also be proper retirement matching showing our vast appreciation for their willingness to serve and protect even if we do not deserve it.
The Army gets billions, they spend billions on jets and boats but our troops being shot at are not in proper equipment? After a full auditing and approving a budget that considers the protection over our troops (as we already out gun –maybe minus nukes not sure – pretty much the world.) Then every child who had a parent die in any form of whatever the Army decides to call it in whatever country in the past 8 years will have a fully paid, housing allowance, books you name it, fund available for when they apply to school.
Then and this is big… There should not be any empty lots in New Orleans. Residents who had homes there should not be in trailers waiting for aid or arguing with insurance companies. Billions for having a logical, well-planned disaster coordination agency. For coordination with rescue efforts, FEMA, Red Cross, whatever you call it. A team that will be there with tubs filled with food and personal hygiene, intelligent temporary housing (big money for the guys who did the house in a box). At the same time those cities so let down in their own time of need will be rebuilt. If I as a taxpayer am getting into debt I want someone in NOLA back in their fully rebuilt covered by insurance house. I do not want it going to Vegas…..
Have I spent 700 billion yet?
With my package the banking, auto, etc all still get their bail out’s. I swear if I get a check to pay off my negative overdraft fee’s, pay off and update my car, and pay back my hospital bills from being uninsured.
Please excuse my rant, I need to go file my unemployment.

OBOMA LIED TO US! HE PLAYED UPON OUR FEARS to get his bogus stimulus bill thru. His bill is nothing more than a big Christmas party for the Democrats to fund all their socialist project. OBAMA LIED AND THE ECONOMY DIED!!!! IMPEACH THE CLOWN!!!

I have never seen a President stumble
out of the gate with so many bad calls:
Gregg is the third cabinet appointment
to back out, India not so politely told the
U.S. to stay out of the Kasmir process
(after Obama called the Pakistani leader
when elected but did not show the same
respect to the Indian president, and now he is publicly ontradicted by the CEO of one of the country’s most-powerful corporations about
the immediate effect of the stimulus–and the guy’s only been in office a month.
He’s making Carter look like John Adams.

Who misinformed whom; who betrayed whom? For 8 years we lived with an idiot, so we are still roiling in that wake. The pecadilloes that removed his cabinet choices are nothing compared to the crimes that will soon be prosecuted against the Bush administration. All of you so rabid and angry at Obama should reflect on what he was handed in this deal. You should pray he succeeds as you will soon find out if he fails.

So far, this is going exactly as I would have expected. Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait till he tries to get involved internationally, they’ll realize how green he is and make a complete fool out of him. For certain, we’re in for a very interesting 4 years. We were warned about him by none other than his running mate Joe Biden “This is no place for on the job training”. . . . the most accurate piece of advice anyone has offered.

“Bush left us with 7.6% and rising.”
If the unemployment rate goes up to 10% in the next year, will that be Bush’s fault or Obama’s?

Obama and the Dem co-conspirators are traitors. God help us all.

Three weeks into this presidency and its already looking like a disaster of biblical proportions….Dumbobama actually thinks you can “borrow” to get out of debt and create prosperity. It won’t work. Don’t believe me??? Try running up and maxing all your credit cards, then try and get a loan…see how it works for you.

Can anyone say “term limits” for these people in congress? Then they would have no reason for all the pork-projects to get themselves re-elected.

“If the unemployment rate goes up to 10% in the next year, will that be Bush’s fault or Obama’s?”
It is generally accepted that events in the first year of any presidency is the trailing effect of the previous administration.
The 10.8% unemployment rate was after TWO years into Reagan’s administration. But as I’ve explained, that was deliberately because of Paul Volcker’s strategies.
Obama and the Feds don’t not have these monetary instruments at their disposal: interest rates are virtual zero. Rising the interest rate now (and decrease money supply) will push US economy over the edge.
The only option available is Government spending. Praying won’t help. Tax cuts will only increase the deficit and will not increase private spending. Nobody is going to invest in this economy when even the government doesn’t dare to invest in it.

It only only going to gets worse bfore it gets good again!

AMEN Paul Revere. I am so sick of the finger-pointing and partisan bickering. The problem is that people want to get re-elected, and so will tell people what they want to hear. An uniformed electorate will vote based on emotion.
TERM LIMITS!!!

Paul Revere,
We shall hope that the whole bill is about all of your suggestions! But you forgot to mention history which repeats itself especially if the ones in charge know history and the population doesnt!

Japan is an example where government spending actually worked.

You all are right. What we need is a good ole fashioned right wing republican to be in charge so we can lower taxes on the rich, privatize social security and blame our societal woes on the poor. That’ll fix everything. I’m sorry, I’ve got to laugh at all of these posts blaming Obama for the situation we’re in. This country is on the verge of collapse because of eight years of supply side economics and irresponsible debt spending (spare me the Barney Frank comments, dittoheads). Bush came into office with a 5.6 trillion projected surplus and he blew it. He left us less secure and on the brink of financial collapse. Sorry guys, tax cuts alone won’t do it. And, Jake, yes, we get it, you sure are tough journalist. Question: where were you over the last eight years?

Hate to break it to you John Carpenter but Bill Clinton stumbles far more out of the gate. He lost two AG nominees, he had the Vince Foster suicide, the Paula Jones lawsuit, a failed health care plan, Bobby Ray Inman, the Travel occise scandal, Somalia, and a failed stimulus, all in his first six months. plus the GOP was sniping about Whitewater.
Obama has far more room to play. He won by 9.5 million votes. Clinton only got 43% of the vote.
You people really are sickening. You want Obama to fail. If it means another great depression, you want him to fail. To people like you it is about the Republican Party first, America second.

“Japan is an example where government spending actually worked.”
lol…Sure. When has it worked?
Financial Times: “The Japanese government is proposing record spending in 2009 and raising bond issuance by a third in its draft budget as it attempts to prevent the economy from falling further into recession.”

Hate to break it to you John Carpenter but Bill Clinton stumbled far more out of the gate. He lost two AG nominees, he had the Vince Foster suicide, the Paula Jones lawsuit, a failed health care plan, Bobby Ray Inman, the Travel occise scandal, Somalia, and a failed stimulus, all in his first six months. plus the GOP was sniping about Whitewater.
Obama has far more room to play. He won by 9.5 million votes. Clinton only got 43% of the vote. Clinton was still re-elected.
You people really are sickening. You want Obama to fail. If it means another great depression, you want him to fail. To people like you it is about the Republican Party first, America second.

“Carter was a visionary. It is a shame that the US does not recognize this.”
That’s like saying Neville Chamberlain was a hero. It is a shame the Brits do not recognize this.

“After bringing this country to its knees, the most you Republicans can offer is the hope that your country fails…”
Education is not fatal, try some. The housing bubble was started under Clinton, when his administration PRESSURED financial institutions to make unsound business loans for social engineering. They continued to support Mac/May’s hyper-leveraging. Clinton broke down a barrier that stood since the Depression that lead directly to this problem. Republicans tried to stop this 12 — 12 — times and were rebuked by democrats who excoriated the auditor who brought to light the over-leveraging at Freddie/Fannie (watch the video, it’s posted to the ‘net and is *repugnant*).
This current problem lay squarely at the feet of democrats and social-engineering by corrupting business. Sure, greed played a part, but the wall that created the beast was broken down by Democrats and the attempts to stop and fix the problem were also blocked by the Democrats.
Democrats and Liberals own this lock, stock, and barrel.
Not content to stop there, this “stimulous” package reads more like the “Sociaist Wishlist” rather than doing much (if anything) for the economy which the CBO itself projects ending in 2009. This “we much rush now!” is all about not telling the people how much socialism and reduction of rights are contained in it. When you fear the light of day on your legislation it’s obvious you aren’t working in the people’s best interests. NO LEGISLATION SHOULD BE PASSED WITHOUT COMPLETE REVIEW and nothing of this size or import should be passed without strong PUBLIC REVIEW. One week won’t mean much to to the economics in the bill since MOST OF THEM DO NOT HAPPEN UNTIL 2010.
I’m not beholden to republicans but I am beholden to the truth of history.

This case reminds one of Hawthorne’s “Mr. Higginbotham’s Death”. A story that has no leg to stand on quickly develops supersonic wings. The rest is hysteria…
Folks, stop and take a good long breath. Too much hyperventilation for a world already blighted by too much hot air and global warming.
Sorry, but folks seem to be chasing their own tail as there is really no contradiction here.
The statement from the Pres. with which the CEO agreed is one which claimed that, with the passing of the Stimulus and the environment of expanded business activities that it would engender, Caterpillar “will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off.”
This is not such an outlandish claim to make, is it? The statement regards:
1. Future prospects of hiring in the wake of expanded spending that the stimulus is designed to make possible. 2. rehiring and not stopping layoffs. 3. refers only to “some of the folks” and not the entire 22,000 workers that are being laid off.
Now, the question that CEO was later asked and answered is “if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not”. This concerns:
1. The immediate environment of the layoffs before the Stimulus is given a chance to reinvigorate the business hiring environment.
2. The stopping the layoff now, but not about rehiring at some future date.
3. Stopping the layoff of the entire 22,000 employees, not just “some of the folks.”
Really, a company may find that it cannot avoid laying off its workers under the existing adverse business conditions. But it can still resort to rehiring once these conditions are altered for the better. And altering the current business conditions for the better is what the stimulus is all about.
Do you see the argument? A careful reading of the alternative scenarios to which the different responses apply leaves no evidence of contradictions. The CEO can answer “yes” to the ‘will you be able to rehire’ (future) question and still be able to answer “no” to the can you “stop layoffs” (now)question. Two different decisions, two different time periods. There is not the slightest hint of contradiction on anyone’s part. Different issues, different responses.
As a public official, the president should be subjected to criticism when his conduct merits one. That is not the case here. There is something sad and offensive about a wanton and way overblown criticism of a uniquely gifted and extremely promising president. It is a criticism that does not stand the test of critical thinking.

Sigmonde, be glad you haven’t been accused of being a traitor.
I’ve been accused of that thousands of time in the last 7 years.

Republicans only want the Republican party to succeed and not the country? What do you think the Democrats have been doing for the last eight years?
The porkulus bill is the very height of Democrat self-interest, it gives free money to all their pet causes while causing the deficit to balloon us right into a depression. So which party is self-centered again?

Anybody wonder why Germany was the first country that really ended it’s own Great Depression in the 1930s?
Massive public works funded by large budget deficits (see for instance the German Autobahns, Olympic Stadium, Zeppelinfield). The consequence was an extremely rapid decline in unemployment (from 30% to full employment in just a couple of years), the most rapid decline in unemployment in any country during the Great Depression.

“Caterpillar, Inc” employees are concerned about “Caterpillar, Inc” employees,nothing more,nothing less.
“Caterpillar, Inc`s” CEO is all for the stimulus plan..that`s shows just how smart he is…he ain`t!
Most,if not all Americans,are worried about their own jobs.They don`t really give a dam about the American down the road..just themselves,that`s all.
If one looks real close at Obama,one will see the strings of a “Marionette” attached to his brain,and,or,hear the Organ Grinder in the back round.

Lefties- Enjoy it now, because you won’t fair so well under the coming Fascist regime.

This message is for Willem van Oranje who stated that the “Germany was the first country that really ended it’s own Great Depression in the 1930s? Massive public works funded by large budget deficits.” The gentleman seemed to have purposely left out the even more enormous non-public expenditure that was placed upon rebuilding the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine. Also absent in the gentleman’s statement was how the massive debt that was accumulated paid for by Hitler and his minions – the invasion, enslavement and plundering of subjugated nations treasuries and people. Let’s see, first there was Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and North African states including the invasion of Egypt. Further invasions include Greece, Yugoslavia and of course the ill fated invasion of Soviet Union ended his dreams of a world Fascism.
I apologize if I left any nations out of the quickly composed list but it was quite an inventory of conquests.

The President can not bring himself out of campaign mode. I do not trust him as the leader of our country and have no faith in him or his vague policies. This spending spree will end up costing us close to fifteen percent of GDP and the economic depression is just getting started. No faith, no hope.

What happened to all of that ‘truth, transparency, change we can believe in’?? Caterpillar is just one more in a string of ‘false starts and lateral movements’!!!
SO far, the new administration — NOT ONLY GEITHNER — has been nothing but meaningless words. It seemed to have started with the nomination of Bill Richardson for Commerce. Their vetting system was either not working — or, NON EXISTENT! For those in the party who were overjoyed with Hillary becoming Secretary of State, she has essentially been NEUTERED as a result of Brian Ross, Mitchell, Jones and Holbrooke reporting directly to the president — EVEN THE AMBASSADOR TO THE UN! Then, there have been the tax cheaters nominated for cabinet positions (again suggesting that either the new occupants of the Whitehouse are just plain arrogant, or their vetting process is nonexistent). Then, on Feb 12, Judd Gregg withdraws his name from Commerce. While not mentioned in Gregg’s withdrawal comments, the withdrawal of the census responsibility from Commerce had to cause questions in Gregg’s mind if he was being maneuvered out of the senate into a nothing job — NEUTERED like Hillary!! The pork and pet projects in the stimulus bill are going to cause even more serious credibility problems for the president. Either he has not yet put on his running shoes, or he has been caught doing things he promised he would not do. Either way, NOT IMPRESSIVE!

Hmmm. I guess he just hears what he wants to hear. That would explain the deaf ear to the outraged screams of the country to his “stimulus” bill.

It is entirely accepable to not support the president of the United States of America if one does not agree with his proposed progroms, sorry, programs. As a matter of fact it is the responsibility of every American to defend the country from a dangerous leader who is deemed to be for undermining our democratic / free market form of government. These current times makes it even more important to be aware of the direction our country is going under the leadership of BHO. A little conflict started with the words of Patrick Henry when he said, taxation without representation is tyrany, give me liberty or give me death. What we have now is taxation with misrepresentation. Don’t think that this could not bring about another conflict. The liberals already have every major TV network, save for FOX, every major newspaper, almost the entire movie making industry but their goal is to control every news outlet. Next on the agenda is talk radio. Once this is accomplished, stand by. Our news media has sold us out. They were intended to be the first line of defense for the people against a bad government. Now they control the outcome of elections by not reporting facts that the voting public should be aware of prior to election day. BHO is a student of Alinsky who wrote the book on socialism. BHO is following his formula for change to a more socialist government here in America. If anyone disagrees with this please study the political path of BHO and see where it takes you before spouting off. Folks, I doubt seriously if America can ever be put back on the right path. Once the majority of the voters understood that they can get government to give them money taken from the working successful citizens our form of government has been changed to that of a socialist government.

some one else taking the inexperienced radical prez to the woodshed – prez hussein is getting a real education from his betters. And we are all his betters.

He is SSSSSSOOOOOO in over his head.
I could see this a mile off. He just has absolutely NO leadership or executive experience, and he knows nothing of business and economics.
Be prepared for this sort of thing for much of his first two years in office.
It’s gonna be ObaBush III all over.

Unbelievable. You Obama supporters will go along with anything he says without even questioning it. Obama has LIED several times just in the few weeks he’s been in office and you say nothing about it. Did you forget that Obama is the one that sued to have the CRA enforced that helped set up most of the bad housing loans? Did you forget that he and Barney Franks and Chris Dodd are the Senators who pushed and pushed and pushed for the banks to be forced to give people loans that couldn’t afford to pay them? Did you forget the promises that Obama made on the campaign trail and he has broken most of them already? Did you know that Nancy Pelosi told the Republican leadership that she will NOT be bi-partisan on ANYTHING until after the stimulus bill and a national health care bill? She and Harry Reid are forcing Obama to sign a poison spending bill! They also will introduce bills after those two that will nationalize our banks and result in 75% of ALL USA workers to be union members!!! WAKE UP DEMOCRATS!!! We aren’t going to have an America left when Pelosi, Reid and crew are done with it! These things are far worse than anything any former president (save for maybe Johnson and Carter) has done!!!

When it comes to it, Putin is going to have him for a snack. I think the comparison to Neville Chamberlain is apt. Economically, the end of this road is Zimbabwe. I am thankful for one thing, that Ronald Reagan is not here to see this. In these times, we need a man of his stature, but we don’t deserve one so we won’t get one.

The Black guy doesn’t know what he is doing. Classic workplace blunders again and again.It’s time to impeach.

Hahahahaha! Suckers!

Face facts Liberal and Americans. The PotUS is a LIAR! He tells the cult what they want to hear, but it is NOT true and he gets away with it because noone wants to go against the Messiah. A LIAR is a LIAR and Obama is and has been a LIAR…. How can anyone defend this blatent LIE?

Mis-spoke? He down right lied. Obama is a liar and we will all pay for his amateurish presidency.

Hysterical.
The best part is that Democrats will continue to believe Obama’s statement, even if it’s untrue. They heard what they wanted to hear and they will refuse to hear the truth.
Once a liberal hears what he wants to hear, nothing else gets in.

“The PotUS is a LIAR! He tells the cult what they want to hear….”
ABSOLUTELY!
Because Obamam knows that that’s all it takes. Democrats are so mentally impaired that he can lie through his teeth and they’ll never even question anything he says.
Has ANYONE ELSE in the media even brought up this lie?
Case closed.

ABC News, how DARE you. Just who do you think you are? You can’t report negative news. You’re screwing it all up. Now take it back or Tapper is going to have to take a time out. I’M DISAPOINTED!

If the three stooges ( harry, barry & nancy ) believe the stimulus is so good, why not triple it and end unempoyment all together? Jackass

Actually Obama said the stimulus would allow Cat to rehire, and in the last sentence, Cat’s CEO said it would take time before the stimulus meant re-hiring. That’s not a contradiction.
Obama did not say it would stop layoffs.
That was the media once again putting its lack of precision reporting and basic comprehension on display.

wow.

This article hits on something my friends and co-workers have been discussing. WHERE ARE THE CORPORATE LEADERS IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!????
The consensus among them is certainly that this very rapid move to socialism may very well destroy the economic environment to successfully operate their companies for years to come if not forever. This is their only mission as the top leaders of our corporations, and yet they are virtually silent.
THEY ARE COWARDS!!!!!!! Maybe that’s why we are in this mess. If some of these corporate leaders would show some moxie and speak out en mass against the liberal power grab that will reach into every area of our lives we might have a chance against this catastrophe.
CORPORATE LEADERS, YOU ARE COWARDS!!!!!

How long are the Bush Haters going to rely on this for the answer for everything. Let’s get off this now. Now it is on Obama.
If you want to blindly follow him and believe everything he says that is your privilege, just don’t expect anyone with a brain to do so.
Barney and Dodd brought down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and started this whole thing. Pelosi and Reid are continuing to muck things up. Nuff Said!!!

this reminds me of the typical conference that liberals have with middle eastern leaders. obama is clearly in over his head….he walks away from a meeting with a leader of some kind, thinking he accomplished his objective or has support for his ideas and then is later contradicted by the person he met with. the leaders of these companies and our enemies in the middle east are going to have fun making president obama and his cabinet look like buffoons. get used to it.

OBAMA LIED ABOUT THIS; HE LIED ABOUT THE BILL NOT HAVING ANY EARMARKS; HE NONIMINATES TAX CHEATS, ETC……..THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN THE MEDIA ELECTS AN UNQUALIFIED PERSON TO BE PRESIDENT

No company in the world would hire or retain work force without booked orders and or guaranteed contracts. I guess we are all supposed to fall to our knees and blindly obey the Messiah. Here’s am economic news flash for BHO…companies run off a balance sheet and when cost exceed revenue something has to give and it’s usually one of the biggest company expenses called personnel. So without bookings or guaranteed contracts this stimulus effort will initially only line the pockets of the dreaded lobbyist who know how to work the system.

Is this the same Jim Owen and the same company that sloughed off the fact that Cats were sold specifically to be used by the Israeli Army to destroy Palestinian Houses, Olive Groves and lives?
Was not one such cat responsible for killing American Student Rachel Corrie as she tried to stop the destruction of a Palestinian Doctor’s House?
I guess I am not really suprised. A man like this must really dislike a man like Obama.

As the old saying goes, ” A liar is a thief” Hang onto you wallets America!!
GLW Erie Pa.

It all depends of the definitions of “in reality” and “more layoffs” mean?
Also, has there been alot more plane crashes since Obama took “control”?

Not to worry–the $13 a week Obama is giving us will solve all of our problems.
He will save us.
Or so the MSM says.

Jane
I regret you missed my poor attempt at sarcasm.
I agree. This economic mess was created by ANYONE at the federal government level attempting to monkey with it. The federal government makes things worse, not better. It is designed for one thing – create crises for government to “fix”. As Reagan said “The scariest thing I ever heard is we’re from the federal government and we’re here to help.”

Checking CAT’s website doesn’t reveal a line of “Peopledozers”.
The lengths that some will go to defend the awful Obama gets more absurd every day. We’re all embarrased for you.

Sometimes I wonder if Obama actually believes what is coming out of his mouth.
Or does he laugh about how he has duped everyone (except for the 57 million that never trusted him).

Those evil Republicans left me a $1 Trillion budget deficit.
Pass my $3 Trillion deficit, or the economy will collapse!

Obama will just say “I screwed up, I was boneheaded”..
It’s his blanket excuse for every mistake. The kool-aid drinkers love it.

THIS IS WHAT WAS IN OUR MORNING PAPER
After Obama’s 20-minute speech, Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens told reporters that because the stimulus doesn’t include as many building projects as he would like, the company won’t be rehiring its thousands of laid-off workers anytime soon.
“The honest reality is we probably have to have more layoffs before we start hiring,” Owens said.

He sure does have big white teeth that the lies seem to slip through quite easily.

Just like with Bill Clinton, we know that when obama’s lips are moving, HE’S LYING….
It looks as though IMMEDIATELY AFTER obama gave his latest LYFEST, the CEO of Caterpillar came out and denied what obama had just said, and then added that there would be MORE LAYOFFS instead of any rehiring in the near future!
It would be funny if there weren’t so many obamatons saying “we won”, and “Republicans should be bipartisan”.
Since the Democrats CONTROL Congress, the Senate and the White House anyway, what do they need Republicans for anyway? Yet they continue to act as if the need for “bipartisanship” is critical….Why?
I’ll tell you why – WHEN this “stimulus package” doesn’t work, Democrats need someone to BLAME IT ON….and they will immediately target the Republicans if Republicans vote for this!!

OBAMA prommised change but that was another miss quote he meant CHAINS.

No, “haha”, we have all lost. Your insipid analysis is symbolic of the current administration’s.

One of the postings said “give the man a chane”. In the 23 days since he took office, he has stumbled and failed at every efffort. His cabinet selections are tax cheats. His stimulas pkg is all pork. There is nothing in it for the middle class. He has nothing in it ot heal the housing crisis. He plans on shipping teerrosit to US prisons and trying them as if they were us citizens.
Gas prices are escalating again because he refuses to consider offshore drilling. He is trying at every turn to
re-create the failed policies of FDR. And all of this in only 3 weeks. I could go on all day about how he and
pelosi are turning the US into Socialist France.

Enough comments here. . .take the anger and outrage to your Senators and Representatives NOW. In the end, this is OUR FIGHT – not the politicos. Take control back. Call your politicos – and don’t stop – keep at them. In fact, we should see if there’s a provision someplace for a “Do-Over” of the November election. . .

Obama just makes things up as he goes and lying and fairy tales are a part of his celebrity president.
People need to wake up and pay attention – the new ‘stimulus’ bill is 1,071 pages and he doesn’t want to give anyone the time to read it?! He’s ‘demanding’ it be signed immediately? Another con job. He’s like a bad used car salesman and we’re the ones that are going to really suffer when we learn too late what is in that bill.

Obama is a liar. Plain and simple. He thinks it’s cute. Dramatic storytelling is how he won the election.
His followers don’t seem to care if he lies either, they too think it’s cute. It’s very creepy.

Surprise, surprise, Osama Obama Lied, go figure. I hope what all of you who voted for Osama Obama are finding out is that this half of a man is an out and out LIAR, he hasn’t an ounce of credibility.
WE CAN STOP THIS PEOPLE, NEXT ELECTIONS, VOTE THE IDIOTS OUT, DEMS, REPUBS, WHATEVER, LETS ALL AGREE TO TRULY MAKE CHANGE NEXT TIME!!!!

This is not about politics. If, somehow, McCain were president, the exact same thing would be happening. I am in the construction industry and I am here to tell you that it is going into a coma. Construction equipment is expensive… construction companies are trying to sell used equipment and nobody is buying… there is developed land still waiting for a bank to pick up the tab so that any builders not already out of business may be able to build on. Of course, there are already plenty of vacated bankrupt businesses just waiting for someone to move in. Bottom line: nobody will be needing construction equipment for a while. Obama (or anyone else) say whatever they want. The Cat (and the Deere… and the Hitachi… and the, ah you get the picture) are dying. Nothing that the president, or congress, or the ditch digger fairy can do will fix it.

He promised change, and we got change. I just lost my job and that’s all I’ve got left…change…just this damned pocket full of change.

Is Obummer a liar? So it ain’t so!

Why not give all the working stiffs in this country a check for a hundred thousand dollars to stimulate the economy? They are giving billions to entities that will do no good for anyone but themselves. Put the money where it will get stimulated. How about a far fetched idea like that?

Spending to prop up companies won’t help the economy. Only we consumers can do that. We need a huge tax break to buy cars, trucks, and other manufactured items. When all this money hits, the companies will have cash, the lights will be on, but no one will be making anything…..right now there is no demand.

I keep hearing everyone talk about a Stimulus Bill. The correct name is Pork Bill. This bill will do nothing to Stimulate the Economy. Before you jump all over me read the bill. I voted for Obama and thought I was getting Change. This bill is basically a payout to liberal intrest that helped Obama get elected groups mask as a public works project. I still have hope that Obama has some sense to just stop. He said he would changed Washington so the first thing he can do it tell everyone that they should pull the pork out of this. We will be paying for this for ever. I will say this if this bill and spending continues to happen my democratic congressman who is new will be out of office in 2 years. I gaurantee it.

It would be great if people used their brain. I hate articles like this, it smacks of media bias and manipulation. I saw the live comment made President. The Caterpillar CEO told the President he’d likely be able to rehire some of the people laid off if the stimulus bill passed. LIKELY doesn’t mean “absolutely will” and SOME doesn’t mean “all.” And lets not forget about the fact that we all know (and if you don’t you’re ignorant to what’s going on in the USA economy) that “things will get worse before they get better.” Who in their right mind thought that Caterpillar wouldn’t lay off more people in the meantime? Really, wake up.

—Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) predicted on Thursday that none of his Senate colleagues would “have the chance” to read the entire final version of the $790-billion stimulus bill before the bill comes up for a final vote in Congress.
“No, I don’t think anyone will have the chance to [read the entire bill],” Lautenberg told CNSNews.com.—
So, then why do all the Lobbyist firms on K-Street have copies of the final bill?? They have been leaking details of i–and the press is asking congressmen about a bill none of them can see. It is all a big payoff to Liberal special interests!

From McClatchy—not Fox News!
—WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is SHORT ON INCENTIVES to get consumers spending again and LONG ON SOCIAL GOALS THAT WON’T STIMULATE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, according to a range of respected economists.
“I THINK (DOING) NOTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER,” said Ed Yardeni, an investment analyst who’s usually an optimist, in an interview with McClatchy. He argued that the plan fails to provide the right incentives to spur spending.
“It’s unfocused. That is my problem. It is a lot of money for a lot of nickel-and-dime programs. I would have rather had a lot of money for (promoting purchase of) housing and autos . . . . Most of this plan is really, I think, aimed at stabilizing the situation and helping people get through the recession, rather than getting us out of the recession. They are actually PROVIDING LESS SHORT-TERM STIMULUS BY CUTTING BACK THE TAX CREDITS.”—

Richard and Bill are correct. This bill is exactly the kind of thing that the “change” we voted for was supposed to correct. I for one am getting close to the point of being ashamed to say that I voted for this guy. Whether it’s not being able to do something as simple as vetting a cabinet appointee or coming up with the proper means to slow the recession, it appears more and more each day that Obama is in over his head. He may be a nice guy but I’m starting to believe that I voted for a guy just not up to the job. It actually would have been better to do absolutely nothing than to pass this bill. Almost 90% of this bill is nothing more than pure pork aimed at pouring money into some congressman’s district. Just like the “$300 billion” bank bailout (remember how that was going to fix the banking crisis?) that is now over a trillion dollars with no end in sight, it won’t be long before we’re told that this bill didn’t go far enough and we will have to come up with another $700+ billion. As far as I can tell, there has been no change in Washington.

Heres some perspective on this pork bill- “just one trillion dollars”- it is like spending one million dollars a day for 3,000 years! And this is just the beginning of Obama’s spending. We should all prepare for super massive inflation! Govt. needs to cut spending just like Americans are doing right now.

Wow, so the haze is lifting and folks are starting to see that the Emporer has no clothes? Great. All of you who voted for Dems and this empty suit are getting just what you asked for. Well, just what I thought you’d get…if only you hadn’t spent so much time listening to NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN and NPR… well, I just hope we survive long enough to vote them all out. Of course, if China calls in its loans before then, we might not get the chance.

It’s the thinking from people like Nid, Jack, and Richard Green that have basically ruined this country. What we have is an overabundance of uneducated ignorant Americans who spout off at the mouth with no real knowledge of what they are talking about.These are people so easily swayed by a silver tongued con man like Obama. If you ever listen to him he is a master of saying nothing so eloquently.
For example: Richard Green doesn’t know his facts. He said the cost of Iraq war is in the trillions? In 5 years the Iraq war has cost about $600 + BILLION! All the heavy equipment, air flights, fuel for war ships, cruise missiles, infantry, health care, munitions and the list goes on! It is incomprehensible the magnitude! They are going to BANKRUPT AMERICA WITH AN $800 BILLION PACKAGE! I hope the cost of the Iraq war you so foolishly tried to make a point with sinks home and puts this package in perspective! I am sure you a nice guy Richard but please check your facts before boasting on a public forum. You make yourself look ignorant.
Next is Nid who’s brain is a bad of fruit flavored skittles! He said $1 trillion per month! This phenomenon is all too prevalent with democrats. Nancy Pelosi said we were going to lose 500 million jobs when we have a 306 million population!
Now for the facts! Of the approx. $800B very little addresses the public sector. 75% of our economy is made of SMALL BUSINESS! Guess where it goes? I have seen the almost final version for both the House and Senate and it is coming in at $800B.The following are the average % between the House and Senate versions. 18% is Aid to States, 13.6% to Low Income, 10.2% Infrastructure, Tax Cuts 40% (10% of this is business), and small business is 0.1%!
Anyone wonder how this will be funded? More taxes down the road after we wake up from our hangover of short-term tax cuts and our children will pay for many years. How about just printing the money? Does anyone want our dollar to devalue to the point that we can afford Chinese products, and inflation to run rampant causing high interest rates to get people to save that are afraid that there money is becoming worthless? Sell more government bonds to China so when they have us by the short curlys! When they want their money and we cannot pay our country will become worthless just like IndyMac and Washington Mutual? None of these options sound good.
Please don’t be so cavalier about this Democrats! I urge all Democrats to wake up from the ether, and look at what you are about to do to your country. No wonder Gregg resigned. I don’t blame him one bit! $6 B for broad band access to hicks! Geez! Get real people!

Obama is such a pathalogical liar. He also said the dems would post the porkulas bill on the net for all to see 48 hours prior to the vote. That is not happening, the senate will be voting on a bill that they have not seen. There is no transparency with this guy.

HOW DOES IT FEEL OBAMA!? I am laughing so hard. How does it feel to be lied to? How does it feel to be told one thing and then the person does exactly the opposite.
Now you know how the American people feel. Typical politicians.

He contradicted Obama? I hope they took down this guys name

What a bunch of idiots! Liberals have not blinked an eye at spending FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS in the failed WAR ON POVERTY but they are positively certain that giving away more money to the unproductive and useless is a fine way to spend time and money. No wonder 0bama, Pelosi, Reid, Durban, Schumer, Dodd, et all have less competency than a girl scout cookie sale. Liberals are not against pork, they just have a different kind of pork that includes only their re-election and self interests and not the interest of the of the average worker.

The deck was stacked against Gregg from the get go! Once he woke up he made the smart move. Obama put him in as a thrid choice because he is incompetent. He was trying to con America into believing he is bi-partison when all Gregg was to Obama was a token Republican. He says phrases like, “I hope eventually Republicans once they see that I am reaching across the aisle, they will eventually reciprocate.” He was reaching half- heartedly with one hand and and the other was behind his back with his fingers crossed.
In Gregg’s own words he stated that they were going to address his concerns about the policy divide between him and the dems, but his concerns weren’t addressed and that the pres obviously needs someone who can fully support his ideals.
All in all Gregg couldn’t stomach this stimulus package as it goes against all of his core principles. He stood up for himself! Thank you New Hampshire! Live Free or Die!

People, people, people, grow up. 1)This mess started to show in 2007, McCain in the polls had nothing to do with Bear getting money in February for bad hedge fund investments, or Merrill, or Freddi and Fannie. 2) What Owens said was that it was going to take time because of bidding, orders yada, yada, yada. It does take time and it depends on the projects, where, how much is ordered, steel, yada, yada, yada. 3)Tax cuts are pretty useless to unemployed and under employed people, so who do you think will profit from more tax cuts? Reagan tried that in the 80′s at the same time he was funding his cold war and look at the deficit he left behind.
4)bailey wrote; Or does he laugh about how he has duped everyone (except for the 57 million that never trusted him).
I’ll bet the 65 million that did vote for him feel better than the 57 mil who probably also voted for the thief, liar, torturer, manipulator,arrogant, drunken, rapers of the constitution that just left the White House, (and stole 2 elections btw).

That CEO is an idiot who allowed himself to be used for a good soundbite. Very simple. The board at Caterpillar should dumpo him for dragging their good name into partisan politics.

Thomas – are you trying to say that if the President of the United States misleads employees in a corporation that the CEO shouldn’t set the record straight?

Ken with only your High School eductaion, you are so much smarter than the dems posting in here! I am so very proud of you like my own son. Thank your parents for me!!

Meesterbig, that is exactly the problem. This bill was not created by both sides playing nice together, it was contrived almost exclusively by the Democrats in Congress with only 3 Republicans in the Senate getting any input to it, and even then, only because the Senate was headed towards the same “No Republican support” that the House version had. Difference was the Senate would never get the bill out without at least a couple Republicans to break the filibuster. So as far as who gets to criticize and who is deserving of it, the members of Congress and the President pushing this bill riddled with pork, and steaming through so fast that nobody can read it have earned the criticism of the American people. As for what I would do if in charge.
1) Change the mark to market rules so that bank assets are more accurately reflected at their true values and not just the values associated with the market as a whole. For example, due to mark to market accounting rules, if a bank holds a mortgage on a home that has lost value, and the mortage itself is bad, that lost value not only impacts that bank directly, but goes into the computation of the overall market. This means that a bank that has a good mortgage on a house, automatically has the value of that mortgage written down because of the overall market instead of based on the actual value and performance of that asset. So there’s the first step (oh, and that requires 0 money to spent, its simply a regulation change.)
2) Line by line remove every piece of the stimulus bill that does not have clear and measurable impact in stimulating the economy. STD prevention and saving field mice in the San Fran bay area may be worthy goals, but they do not directly stimulate the economy or provide a stimulatory effect on long term job growth. The problem is that even infrastructure jobs are temporary because when the money dries up, so will those jobs, or we’re faced with an unending increase in government jobs which further depresses the long term economy by a permanent spending increase.
3) Remove any member of the government from policy discussions or legislative activities involving enterprises in which they may have a personal financial stake. That means that Pelosi having a financial stake in a renewable energy company should not be involved in any policy activities regarding energy policy for this country. Let decisions to invest in certain areas be based on informed discussion and consent, not self interest.
4) Peg an education/civil service requirement to the drawing of welfare/food stamps and extended unemployment benefits. While looking for a job takes time, it does not take 40 hours a week. I believe any person asking for government assistance that is able bodied should give back for that assistance by either bettering themselves to improve their job opportunities through education, or by a donation of time to local county/city/community activities. This should be monitored as a condition of receiving assistance. This means that their activities improve the communities they live in, or improve their education which makes for a more capable work force.
5) Immediate closure of the southern US Border and complete denial of government assistance to illegal aliens. This cost is 5 billion in California each year. That is 5 billion less that we have to spend to bail out California. Additionally the closure of the southern border is to clamp down on the flow of illegal aliens to this country that in our present condition we can no longer afford to ignore. These two moves should be coupled with a 3% tax on all outgoing wire transfers from the U.S. If you are sending money to another country from the U.S., you will pay an export tax. Billions are sent to Mexico each year as well as the Caymans and Switzerland, clip a piece of it on the way out and use that money to pour back into infrastructure upgrades, or to offset a tax cut.
6) Immediately suspend the capital gains tax for the next 3 years. Even people who have some money to invest are leary and discouraged by not only the volatility in the market, but in the huge tax rates on whatever gains they make. This discourages private investment in our economy.
7) There will be no tax rebate checks for those who do not earn enough to pay income taxes, as this amounts simply to a welfare check. Checks issued to those citizens should have a community service requirement in order to receive it so that the community receives something in return for that hand out.
8) Immediate cuts to the business tax rate with incentives for growing their business such as rapid depreciations for capital investments (like new buildings). This is not the same as trying to let film companies get quick cash from depreciation on buying film etc, target the small to medium business brackets. For large corporations, dramatically cut the tax rate for those moving overseas operations back to the U.S. The reason HP and companies like that have moved operations to the India is because the labor and the taxes are cheaper. Manufacturing has left the U.S. because we have the largest taxes on businesses in the world. There is no incentive to stay in the U.S. and keep your operations domestic if you can afford to open overseas operations.
9) Drill for domestic oil resources while investing in renewable energy technology research. This provides more jobs in the energy sector for expanded domestic drilling (especially since other countries are already drilling off OUR coasts) while providing more energy independence, and even lower energy prices which in turn allows for consumers to spend their money on something besides electricity and gas. This should be packaged with renewable energy research because I don’t think oil is a long term solution, but in the short for the next 10 years, it can provide the bridge to newer alternatives.
10) Provide direct tax incentives for the purchase of new homes and new cars. While trade restrictions won’t allow for us to require companies to use U.S. manufactured materials in return for receiving government assistance, I think that tax incentives can be tied to purchasing construction materials from U.S. firms, so that even companies not needing assistance will have an incentive to purchase from domestic sources instead of foreign ones.
These are where I would begin.

BillP
I beleive Gregg pulled out because of the decision a week ago to pull the census from Commerce. Gregg hand plans that did not agree with how the count would be conducted. Spoil sport, maybe.

Good Grief, this rookie is becoming a bigger gaffe machine than his Vice President. It really inspires confidence in him….NOT!! Seriously, I am terrified for my country with what is going on in this administration. Mr. Obama is NOT truthful and is trying to use fear to pass his Trillion Dollar Boondoggle that will be part payback to his donors and part manipulation to maintain Democratic power. A good portion of it will “disappear” due to fraud and corruption. Chicago politics!! This is the transparency and “sunlight” and CHANGE of his campaign rhetoric? Please!!

I’m always confused by the idea of cutting corporate tax rates because other countries have lower rates.
I read that fully two-thirds of the corporations in this country pay NO tax
thanks to the loopholes.

The sad fact is that Obama has become used to having the press believe everything he says as Gospel – without any follow up questions.
If he said it – it has to be true. The press will soon look like even bigger fools than they were during the election.
And they wonder why their subscriptions are dying up!

Perhaps someone should have asked a follow up question. “When do you believe Caterpillar will be in the position to begin hiring again?” It is a very old journalistic clich’e that stories should always contain answers to the 5 W’s, Who, What, When, Where and Why..Seems to me that perhaps the What and When of this so called Stimulus bill is being ignored by EVERYONE but the people who are footing the cost, our future kids who are yet to be born and cannot ask the tough questions..

The SHAM-WOW President — “STIMULOUS BILL SELLS ITSELF!”

I like Dr. Sowell’s explanation, “… this stimulus bill is like writting a letter to the fire department to tell them that your house is on fire…”
The unfortunate truth is that a vote for McCain wouldn’t have been much better. These are politicians you’re dealing with here. You can’t really be surprised that they lie, cheat and steal. You know the old joke about 10,000 lawyers (politicians) at the bottom of the ocean? How sweet would that be?

Let’s see, fresh out of high school and with only a surface understanding of many issues, even i can figure out that the economy of the United States just like any other economy goes up and down. We’ve been living good for almost a decade and now that the bubble is bursting many think it’s the end of the world. Chill. Down now but in a few years it will be back up, no use in trying to raise the Titanic when it’s already halfway down the drink. Let the economy sink and build back up from there instead of tanking another trillion.

This is what happens when a bunch of uninformed fools vote for a bigger fool. Don’t watch or listen to ABC, unless you want to be lied to constantly.

Joe wrote:
“I’m always confused by the idea of cutting corporate tax rates because other countries have lower rates.
I read that fully two-thirds of the corporations in this country pay NO tax
thanks to the loopholes.”
Joe-
The pay the tax but it is embedded in the price they charge for their goods and services. It’s the same as if a company spends more on rent than they did last year. With all things being equal they would have to charge more to make the same amount of money.

HELLO Mr President! The Campaign is over and you have won! It is time to stop telling people what you think they want to hear and start governing.

How good that we did not elect a good, decent man like McCain, who is very experienced and loves his country.
How did Obama get the nomination?
At least Hilary is smart. She may be pure evil, but she has a brain.

OBAMA LIED, THE ECONOMY DIED.

I think this Democrat Pork package can be viewed in the contex of a riot and looting. It is like Obama throws the brick that breaks the window and Pelosi, Reid, Durban, Schumer, Dodd, Franks rush in and loot the store. There is nothing in this world as disgusting as the Democrats who are putting the future of America’s youth at stake with Obamas dog and pony show.If his gamble does not work then our kids and their kids will be saddled with this enormous debt that grows bigger each day with added interest. It will prevent them from ever following the American dream. I wonder how long it will be before we have million man marches on Washington. I hope when it does happen they are peacefull marches.We don’t want to see anybody tarred and feathered.

Since when is the Caterpillar CEO someone we should be asking for vision from? That’s like asking the guys who run the auto industry to project believable results. Anyone who realizes what has happened to our society will be able to recognize that each of us needs to change our spending habits, be more productive and develop socially responsible relationships that foster growth for America. Buy local, build local, support your neighbor, support small business and artisans and work together.
Even those workers who were laid off are responsible for their own demise. We have asked for the cheapest products possible and have gotten them at our own expense.
I have been laid off twice during the Bush administration, each time I fought back by freelancing, often taking work outside of my specialization and for far less money. I started a new business during the most recent presidential campaign. I need your help as fellow Americans to succeed. We all need each other. That’s not socialism or communism, it’s just good sense. Help someone else and help yourself. Even a flawed recovery plan can succeed if we believe in each other and are responsible for ourselves.

with this clown it’s been one lie after the other, I say it’s time to impeach him now before we have nothing left and he goes back to Kenya.. None of the morons in congress has even read the big bill yet, it was supposed to be posted online so people could see what was in there but again they lied, no bill has been posted yet for public review, and pelosi has to go on her big trip to europe so this has to be passed fast before she misses the pland and people find out what is in there…

first black president second congenital liar in the white house. wow

I’ll keep my guns and my money ,you can keep the change!!!!

Go Shing Go!!!
It’s all Bush’s fault. The world was perfect before Bush stole those 2 elections. Dummy should have hired ACORN. Guess he didn’t want to spend the money.
This line won’t work much longer but you can always try. Good luke with that.

Finally, a real journalist surfaces with the nerve to ask hard questions regarding the messiah.
Commander

Nice job asking the tough questions, Jake. Watch your back.

Get used to Obama’s misstatements. How is it that a bill just passed the House which the majority of Americans know nothing about and which the majority of Americans are opposed to? Is that change?

Darell, perhaps are definition of a tax cut is different. People who dont pay taxes cannot get a cut/rebat. What you are talking about is a welfare check…lets call it what it is….

There was a woman at our work who made the same amount as many of the employees, but because she chose to have two children out of wedlock, she didn’t have to pay income taxes and also got money back from the federal government under the EIC. Sure, some of this money will go to good causes, but I really hate to see people like the aforementioned get more money from me, and all the other taxpayers, when our government doesn’t have the money.

@ OUT OF DEBT AMERICAN
Those greedy COE’s extend credit at the wishes of the Government. Not so much with credit cards but with mortgages. Look into the Community Reinvestment Act. If getting out of debt is a good thing (witch I believe), why place our children & grandchildren in so much debt with this POS spending bill.

Obama is doing the same BS as Bush. Keep telling Americans its going to be OK. We all know its not going to be OK.
So quit putting words in CEO’s mouths. Over spending is what has put Americans in trouble and its what the government is doing now. How in the world are we going to pay for all this? Cutting taxes means less revenue which means more government debt. Obama, you cannot buy jobs on credit and expect it to work!

I agree with Jim up top. Only $50B in mortgage relief? That is nothing. We do not produce anything or make anything anymore. I am a service employee and I don’t have time to go back to high school so I can go to Vo-Tech instead of biology. I would have loved some relief from my student loan of $45K. An extra $450 a month in my pocket would go a long way. Hey, I could have bought a car, saved more for a down payment on a mortgage, bought lots of useless crap from Home Depot…who knows? But no. my money is going to the Gaming and Fishing Commission and to Green Golf Carts. Too bad I can’t afford the $50 greens fee anymore.

John S asked if anyone has complained to their representatives rather than complain on websites. I have written and called my Democrat representatives. My house Rep. never replies to my questions, and his staff never knows the answers to the questions I ask. My Democrat Senator (Feingold) actually had busy signals at his DC office as well as every state office. Don’t know if that means there were lots of calls, or he had programmed his phones so that no more calls got through. these Democrats reps. don’t want to hear from the constituents. they are taking their marching orders from Pelosi, reid, and obama.

There’s enough blame to go around, I’m not perfect, can’t handle money, make over $100,000 a year and have a ton of Credit card debt, but I pay my bills. The greedy CEO’s, People who bought two or three houses to make money, lavish lifestyles, gotta have that 4000 SQ foot house, flat screen T.V, Medical Bills, Lawyers, politicians, it’s all ###### up!

Obama is a fool and so are all of his kool aid drinking followers. The liberal media MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC should be ashamed of themselves for misleading the American people with all the unfair and bias coverage of this fraud for a President.

IMPEACH OBAMA!

What amazes me most.
Liberals in this thread are actually still gloating about having complete control….
Why would anyone brag about being the pilot while the plane was being steered right into the ground?
Go ahead and gloat dems. People are waking up to your socialist agenda.
Fighting a war is one thing, purposely running our country into a ditch simply to gain more power for yourselves is quite another.
For the Americans who STILL haven’t woken up to what the Democratic party is up to… What will it take?
Do we need to become communist before you finally see what your dem leaders are working towards?
Are you just going to support them no matter how much they rape you?

I wasn’t specifically talking about either party and the stimulus, but now that you mention it, the republicans did a hell of a job for 8 years.

Read Atlas Shrugged people!

Q: What happened to the promised transparency?
Obama’s actions are transparent to anyone who can see through them…

Republicans want things their way, low taxes, etc, and wonder how to pay for it. so, let’s have a strong military, fight two quagmire wars, invade Iran, increase the military and pay for it buy cutting taxes and borrowing from the Chinese.

Yeah, Bush kept the country safe, that’s about it, ever think that the terrorist’s were a “one hit wonder” believe me, if someone wants to do damage, they’ll do it. We’re probably marginally safer now than in 2001, BTW, Bin Laden’s still out there.

BHO appears to have mistated (lied) about what CAT will do. Anyone caught off guard? What did you expect, the truth? Ha!

The people you see here are the same people who supported W., who listen to Rush Limbaugh, who believe Iraq had something to with 911. They don’t have credibility just insults. How childish they may be, no one should be surprised by their hate and ignorance. Same old rubbish.

Gee, why did they not post this story until AFTER the House had voted? Almost like they didn’t want the truth out to influence the vote, huh?

Its funny when the tables are turned that having legitimate criticism of the President is not tolerated, yet under President Bush all we ever heard was “dissent is patriotic!”.
President Obama has been running away from his duty in the White House; he’s lost control of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid (if he ever had control of them); he gave the biggest spending bill in history (this is nearly double the spending to-date on the Iraq War, please check your facts) to the one most likely to abuse it because he has no idea how to write legislation (see his lack of experience in either the executive or legislative branches of government), and now he’s busy trying to keep his foot out of his mouth on the campaign trail. Oh wait, he got elected. Would someone please send him the memo?
Besides all of the spending and the obvious expansion of federal power this bill brings, I am concerned by the health care package included that would put the government between me and my doctor even though I am on a *private* health care plan. The language in that particular plan indicates the government will force doctors to adopt its methods and will punish doctors who do not follow its “recommendations” regarding individual patient treatment. This is what goes on in England and most of Europe, and people over there are literally dying to be seen by their doctors. This bill takes away my God-given (*not* government-given) right to make decisions about my healthcare and my life. Hey, all of you Pro-Choicers, shouldn’t you be all over this in protest? I mean, you want to keep the government out of your *deleted* but you don’t mind if its everywhere else on and in your body? You don’t mind if the government tells you how much you can weigh, what you can eat? And if you don’t conform (don’t all of you “liberals” love that term!) to the government’s standards, it reserves the “right” to tell you to die in a corner?
Finally, none of the people in the House and I daresay the Senate, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise, has had time to read the most recent draft of that bill, yet every single Democrat in the House voted for it. I wouldn’t sign a credit card statement without reading it over first; how can these Congressmen vote for something that will literally change the way we live and how the country runs for decades *without reading it first!?* Where is the responsibility!? It makes me sick!

This guy is selling you a rotten tomatoe. I have a years supply of food and gasoline for my genset. I’ll be okay but you better watch your back cuz he’ll get you.

there are a bunch of posts on this page!

To the Didohead;
Your reasoning to protect Obama is based on blind hate of the right. Just look at what your durning, siding with a man who has been caught in lie after lie. The caterpillar CEO exposed Obama because he is an honest man(CEO) who said “the truth of the matter is” etc. by the way the CEO backs the bill but not the lies. I once was blind, but now I see. Open up you eyes and mind.

Jake,
Finally, someone in the main stream calling to question this president. Thank you. I really miss President Bush.

Politicians are by nature lying corrupt weasels, but this administration is already shaping up to be the mother of all political machines – precisely because they know that whatever this sock puppet of George Soros says, 52% of the country will believe it or turn a deaf ear to it because about the same percentage will be beholden to the feds for a handout or a job. This is ridiculous, people, it’s Marion Barry – style cronyism about to be implemented on a national level – the USA as we knew it is truly over.

I beleive the Prez expects for the corporations to act in “good-faith” with the stimulus money, but there’s a lot of naivety on Obama’s behalf. He needs to stay on top of the Giant-Heads and put more accountability in the proposal, to avoid what went wrong with the TARP. Americans need the help more than the CEO’s of these companies and their corp heads. There won’t be a trickle-down factor, the country is in too dire of needs all-across-the-board.
Obama is trying, but what a “slap in the face” from the BIG CAT BIG-WIG. These companies will NOT do right by their employees, and that is the problems we are facing with these huge bail-out packages. “In good-faith” has long been forgotten by these types, and they only act in greed.

Hussein,
You could do more good for this recession if you would just tell people to quit being scared and go out and spend money, the recession and slowdown will be over..finished…kaput

Caterpillar will not call any employees back to work. They are not doing anything to improve their sales, or business. They are worried about their dividends. When things got rough some of the major stock holders “cashed in”. They received huge bonuses for their 2008 profits. Now the small guy has to pay. They not only hurt their employees but also their vendors as well. So many companies invested in Caterpillar through their pensions and lost everything. If all goes the way it should their stocks will be worth pennies. They will be on the pink sheets before the year ends.

For those of you on this page who say CAT is not doing anything to increase sales in this tough period please do not comment on something you are not aware of. I am in the middle of trying to do just that with CAT. There is a massive plan in place be assured, and it has been deployed, any thousands are out there day and night trying to turn this thing around. It is very unfortunate people are losing their jobs. But, CAT knows its important to capture market in this declining environment.

I was laid off by Cat in NC and they were sending my work over to INdia.
I hope they close the NC plants and send the CAT managers and engineers to India also. Maybe send the rest to China.

my “fellow” cat employees were constantly telling me that I wouldnt be able to work there as I got “older”.
I was 40 at the time. At 46 they got rid of me. I intend to work somewhere but it won’t be for another company with no morals or scrupples.

Look People
It’s over.
The folks who think they are nothing without money have no choice but to fill thier gullets untill they are full. Damn everyone else.
How much more proof do you need?
Now you have a clear picture of what love of money fame and fortune will do to a nation the world, even space in close proximity to earth, use it up and leave it trashy , void of life.
And forget the argument corporate america is responsible about enviromental concerns and bla bla bla
Left to thier own devices … well
We Wouldn;t Need Laws About that , would we
responsible caring people usually don’t need laws on how to act they do it automatically..
Wake up
Its about money Not People

that is what NAFTA gets you. Loss jobs, loss wages, an America that is on the down turn. I can’t blame a company looking for profits, that is what business is. No company makes stuff just to give it away, that’s crazy talk, you wouldn’t do it, so don’t expect a company to do it either. Blame the government for taxing them to death, demanding more and more from them, do this, jump through this hoop, do that oh by the way here is another hoop. They are what is driving away the companies.

SO they took the money was supposed to create USA middle class jobs
and said ha ha fooled you Congress, Senate, Potus
USA middle class costs too much
we can make bigger CEO profits with foreign labor..