Comments on: Has the Stimulus Really Made a Difference?

By: magic bullet

magic bullet — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:11:25 +0000

the federal govern’t doesn’t create jobs, the private sector employs over 70% of all wage earners. They create the jobs.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:58:07 +0000

Aren’t all these road construction jobs most temporary? And, the federal govern’t doesn’t create jobs, the private sector employs over 70% of all wage earners. They create the jobs.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:50:48 +0000

Why do people think they got a tax cut as a result of the Stimulus? We did not get a tax cut (a permanent change in how much tax we paid). We got a refund/credit of our own money. Where do you think the money that was returned to us came from? Either our kids or borrowed from China. Watch as all your taxes begin to go up to pay for cap and trade, health care, stimulus funding, education reforms, etc. The money has to come from somewhere. The gov’t doesn’t create/make money … unless you want high inflation. It borrows it from all of us and right now it is in way over it’s head.
Have any of you actually sat down to look at how much tax you pay on a yearly basis? I mean ALL taxes (sales, gas, oil, federal, state, fica, water, utilities, city, transportation, etc.). Anyone? You’d be shocked to see how high. And the rich do deserve a tax break. After all, in 2008 the top 10% of wage earners paid roughly 70% of the ENTIRE tax bill. Almost 50% of wage earners paid NO federal taxes. Look it up.
Obama’s admin has spent more so far than all other presidents combined! Wrap your head around that info. He’s not done yet. This mess started with shady gov’t control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.Those organizations alone and the lack of oversight put our nation in a hole.

By: green.goddess

green.goddess — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:17:38 +0000

Mary | Jul 11, 2010 9:01:25 AM
Sorry to say, the small business community has far less lobby clout than Wall Street and big corporations. The big guys will always get fed first, regardless who is President. It’s simplistic to say Obama’s ideas do nothing but destroy jobs.
For example, today the NYT reports that securities firms are hiring again. According to a Fed economist, “Wall Street typically hires in anticipation of the recovery, and there is a sense that the economy has bottomed out and is slowly improving.”
“Nationally, staffing at securities firms is back to where it was in late 2005, while employment in the overall economy is near 2004 levels.” Those crappy 2004 employment numbers contributed to the weak 3 Million new jobs created under the Bush era’s skewed interpretation of Supply Side Economics.
imo, our economy is a complex beast, ever evolving – but clearly it went off-kilter with simultaneous tax cuts, poor job growth, and massive spending on two wars.
That’s not to say the Obama administration does not need more focus on small business growth – Check out the House of Representatives Small Business Committee’s web site.

By: green.goddess

green.goddess — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:57:23 +0000

You know Andy Grove? Helped start up Intel. Credited with having transformed Intel from a manufacturer of memory chips into one of the world’s dominant producers of microprocessors. Google his recent article about how to rebuild American jobs:
Andy argues that manufacturing is vanishing in the US, a trend that must be reversed.
He suggests the first task is to rebuild our industrial base with financial incentives: Levy an extra tax on the product of off-shored labor. Then he proposes a broad public-private partnership to invest in the development of manufacturing. Use that money as a public bank and make the funds available for American businesses.
A way to make American opportunities competitive with low wage, Asian- government-supported companies overseas. A way that funds a new industrial base on which our Nation’s security and strength depends. A way to create those capital-intensive jobs “that have labor productivity levels consistent with advanced country incomes”. In other words, Family Wage jobs.
The idea of a Socialist Government Slush Fund Bank will grate with Tea Partiers who have no vision. But Grove believes change is imperative and the choice is simple. If America wants to remain a leading economy, we must learn to partner with our government and change our outdated “Free Market” ideas in a fast moving global market, or China will continue to force change upon us. It’s a worthwhile read.

By: tchanta

tchanta — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:28:20 +0000

Without the stimulus we would be like Uzbekistan.
Every single economist agree. But, he, let’s debate if 4+4=8 or 3

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:01:25 +0000

talmag: “No one really understood just how bad the previous administration let this get as it started in 2007 and was not addressed until 2009.”
Democrats ran Congress starting in 2007. They had provided oversight to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for years at that point. They never sounded the alarm that anything was wrong. That includes Obama, who was a US Senator in 2007. In fact, spending EXPLODED under the Democratically-controlled Congress since 2007.
“Obama needs to get busy and create jobs and hopefully he is working on it now.”
Hope isn’t a strategy. Obama never had experience as a chief executive, had no material accomplishments, and to this day has no understanding of the private sector, which typically creates 70% of all jobs. His ideas do nothing but destroy jobs. We’ve lost 4 million on his watch.
You were duped. It’s time to put away the Kool-Aid.

By: EPU

EPU — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:05:46 +0000

Maybe Obama can buy BP’s Alaska oil line that it’s selling. He can use our taxpayer dollars to take that over too, then call it ‘stimulus spending’.

By: mike

mike — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:37:27 +0000

And to all in this thread who says it “worked” , ummm DUHHHH the bar is 8% unemployment, NOT 9 NOT 10 .
And that 13.2 Trilion, it was doubled under Obama, your HERO has wracked up more debt than all other presidents combined. You must be so proud….

By: mike

mike — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:26:43 +0000

Hey ABC! This report is an Affront ! Its an affront to anyone with a brain and looks like a DNC Infomercial.
Whats worse is It’s ruining Tapper’s credibility. Jake you are SOOO much better than a DNC infomercial. Its so sad to see a good reporter gone bad.
Tell us New York held a stapler to your head and said they would cut off your blackberry!