Who Has the Right Plan for America's Economy?
Massive bailouts, foreclosed homes, jaw-dropping gas prices, chaos on Wall Street. These are just a few signs of the U.S.'s struggling economy. As America enters the next chapter of its history, what impact will an Obama administration have on our economic future?








Jumpstart the Economy
- From Obama Campaign
By Obama Campaign - Jason Furman, Economic Advisor
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Jumpstart is Right On: This Point Must be Pounded Home
The American and global economies are so immensely complicated we lose sight of the person and the family. We must recognize that the economy needs jumpstarts-- exactly as said in this Argument --but the ordinary jumpstart gets an engine running and one jumpstart is enough. Not so with the national economy or a family's economic security.
We must have continuous follow up to make sure the cycle of "investment, job, pay, output, sales, consumption, profit, investment", has begun and is running smooth enough for the results we're after.
Too many Educated People believe the cycle is private and automatic. And for some it is.
But for nations and the planet the cycle needs a SYSTEM of continuous jumpstarts whenever the engine quits.
Too many EP's believe we needs high taxes. We don't. We need MONEY-- to be saved until output is affordable for the pay received. Keynes' general theory of money must be simplified and pounded in, in argument.
- john gelles
July 24, 2008 7:18AM
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Government is not a good investor, neither morally nor practically.
First, I dont think that the government can make better investment decisions than the free market. Government institutions dont have same incentives and disincentives as the free market institution. Experience proves over and over again, that when governments do something, they do it with a lower quality and a higher price, than private institutions. Furthermore, every government intervention in the marketplace distorts its even more, and makes problems in the long run worse.
Government spending and market intervention is part of the problem, not its solution! Every reputable economist knows that.
From where does the government gets its money in the first place? In a consumer driven economy, every tax is paid in the end by the consumer. Stealing money to spend it supposedly better, is wrong.
2 Is it really a sane idea to destroy the rewards and punishments of the market, by punishing highly successful people with higher taxes, and rewarding highly unsuccessful with a "safety net?
- eXtremeLogic July 25, 2008 10:53AM
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Amen!
Amen!
- Georgia Sunshine
October 1, 2008 7:05AM
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It's just the Republican version of Washington
that can't be trusted with our economic future. We've had 19 years of Republican administrations to show us firsthand that "trickle down" just destroys the economy by eliminating the buying potential of people in the lower brackets of the economy. Why was the economy so robust during Clinton's administration? Because lower income folks didn't feel on the verge of financial destitution at every turn. Throw in corporate greed combined with complete lack of government oversight and it's clear that "the Rich Get Richer" is a doomed strategy for long-term economic health.
Economies that have a strong base that can afford to spend money can afford to nurture wider and more tiers above the lowest levels. Is a pyramid that's a mile high by a foot wide at its base going to stand for long? Or is a better stability model a pyramid that's a mile wide by a foot high?
No question. Trickle Up is far more sensible.
- veetwo July 25, 2008 8:31PM
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19 years?
Good try veetwo. Over the last 19 years, between the THREE branches of government, we have experineced an even balance of democratic and republican influence, so trying to pin our problems on republicans is disingenuous at best! If we extend our analysis to thirty years, we see the greatest contrast between Jimmy Carter's "spread the wealth" plan in cooperation with his tax and spend congress, and Ronald Reagan's "get government off our backs" plan in spite of a liberal congress. I still remember the misery of the first plan and the relief of the latter.
Cutting slices off of one person's big piece of pie to "spread the wealth around" just makes more crums, and don't forget the bureaucrats eat most of the slices they cut off, so very littel actually gets "spread around." Can you name one pie slicing program that ever made someone rich (other than a politician that is)? Social Security? We pay 15% a year for 50 years and get poverty benefits for 5, but it's going bankrupt! Welfare? The choice of inner city baby mills or abortion! Education? The more they spend the worse it gets!
Barry experimented with his "spread the wealth around" philosophy in Chicago. The folks on the South Side are as poor as ever. Barry and his frineds are filthy rich (but some of them will have to wait until they get out of jail to spend it all), and the political machine is bigger than ever. Is he coming to Washington to find more wealth to spread around in Chicago or to impose that failed plan on the rest of the nation?
If everyone wants a bigger piece of pie, and we all do, the only way to do that is to bake more pies. The private citizens of America are the most industious, igenious, and generous people on the planet. Most of them love to bake pies, and they even enjoy sharing the pie--unless some big government regulator is taking it by force. If we keep more money in the hands of entrepreneurs, and less in bloated bureaucracies we'll bake more pies than we can eat. Besides "trickle-up" is a defective metaphore!
We surely had lack of oversight, and that should be punished, but the regulations are on the books. The corruption of personal greed within government is just another reason to keep government small. If greed has eight sharp teeth, then corrupt governemtn has 32! By the way Barry would have had plenty of opportunity to pull some corrupt government teeth while he was in Chicago; does he have any trophies?
- ScottyNow
October 18, 2008 12:01AM
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vote the bums out
Neither one of them desirves to be President. Because they are both congressmen and congress is the problem.
It is time to form a new government.
Only way to get the greed out of Washington D.C.
- ronbat July 28, 2008 10:59AM
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Taking from Jack to Pay Barack
This idea of the government shifting funds from this to that....
Taking from this and putting it into that...
It's like shifting eggs in a basket. Every step of the way it's taxed, a portion is wasted and the government takes a cut to run... more government.
Lets look at what this Democrat Congress has done:
Bailouts for banks. Bailouts for home lenders. Bailouts for people who took/recieved loans they could not afford because of "Equal Opportunity Lending". Bailouts for Bear Sterns. Bailouts for people who built thier houses under sea level with no insurance. Bailouts for telecoms who commited crimes aginst my constitutional rights (for which Barack Hussein Obama voted for). Now they want to put us hard-working tax payers who are responsible and pay our bills to be on the hook for those who took money they could not pay back, in the context of going after "Predatory Lenders" who gave THIER money to people with lousy credit under the guidance of THIS government.
- NFurno August 1, 2008 11:09AM
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Use your brain not your party
I don't think you have to vote for a candidate just because you are a democrat or a republican. I think you need to use your brain and research the candidates. There is numerous web sites to go to for information and not just to the candidates site. I am a 70 year old female and did just that. I think Senator McCain has the best economy plan. I am a retired policewoman and draw social security. I want that protected. I think Senator McCain can do that for me and all Americans. I also think his experience in government and foreign policy is greater, therefore Senator McCain has my vote.
- justme
October 12, 2008 10:44AM
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Side: John McCain
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Another Jolt?
I'm not sure I could handle another hit from big government. A jump start implies the economy is sitting still and the battery is dead, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
We are in the process of navigating SLOWLY around a huge obstacle--worthless sub-prime mortgages bundled in opaque packages called mortgage backed securities. These sub-prime mortgages were mandated by big government "spread the wealth" regulations. Please, Mr. Obama, if you could step to the side of the road and distract 20,000 bureaucrats with with a speech, we'll take care of the economy on our own.
- ScottyNow
October 17, 2008 11:13PM
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The Obama plan will lead to economic depression, and here's why
The economic ramifications of Obama's economic plan couldn't be more clear. His plan relies on raising taxes on those making more than $250,000 and all businesses and corporations. Most people think they aren't affected by this because they don't make more than $250,000. But, those of us making less than $250,000 are the ones affected more by this. Businesses won't just accept a tax increase leading to a profit reduction. Instead, they will maintain their profits by increasing the costs of the goods and services they provide, cutting salaries of the people who work for them, and cutting jobs within their companies. So, everything we buy (food, fuel, clothes, electronics, etc.) and all the services we utilize will cost us more, way more than the proposed tax break he promises. Also, the extremely wealthy will decide not to buy their yachts and extra mansions, and not to go to the most expensive restaurants. In the end, Obama's plan will lead to less money being put into the economy (leading to fewer sales tax payers), increased unemployment (leading to fewer income tax payers), and an economic depression like we have never seen.
- jross72
October 18, 2008 7:33PM
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Side: John McCain
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