Comments on: Congress Has Really Dropped The Ball On Its Most Pressing Concern (P.S. Not Healthcare)

By: DLS

DLS — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:36:04 +0000

Why ask about the Dems' ability to multi-task and juggle priorities? They can't even concentrate on and do a single thing correctly these days?

Meanwhile, once again, here's the related remedial reading. [scowl]

[July 24, 2008]

http://www.economy.com/mark-zandi/documents/Sma...

[January, 2009]

http://www.economy.com/mark-zandi/documents/Hou...

By: DLS

DLS — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:32:11 +0000

Mark Zandi was the most noteworthy of those who listed the value of various stimulus measures according to the “bang for the buck,” the net effect each of them was believed to have. Zandi is the best example; people like him and his list (identified months ago, MONTHS ago, by me and by others) could and should have been employed to direct the stimulus in a learned as well as obviously logical fashion. Leave it to the Dems to have screwed up the stimulus, trying simply to benefit themselves instead by more of the same nonsense, and buying the cheap votes of the cheap voters. That Obama tried playing with a new “jobs summit” not too long ago (was that stupid stunt of any actual value?), which was an open admission of failure to date. Way to go, chumps. What will you be attempting for an encore soon?

By: dduck12

dduck12 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:21:56 +0000

With all the attention and energy being wasted on an overreaching HCR, there simply was a lack of concentration on nitty-gritty problems. Shame on all of the Dems and Reps, they all are dropping this and other balls in their sand box wars.

By: dduck12

dduck12 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:17:56 +0000

yup.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:54:15 +0000

Yeah, well, I'd say that's pretty much human nature where people hear what they want to hear and tune out from what they might need to hear- and lately it's all wrapped up in the rabid hyperpartisanship that locks people into a preconception that they seek to have validated by their preferred 'experts'.

I do think that a bit of a shift is beginning to occur now that it's getting harder and harder to deny that certain people were way off base in their predictions while others were more on target.

By: mikkel

mikkel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:25:15 +0000

“I feel that almost a year has already been wasted because the stimulus package wasn't focused on job creation.”

Which we both were saying at the time, along with several prominent economists…none of whom are in any policy positions. The most depressing thing to me (and something that is causing a mild crisis of faith) is that there seems to be almost zero correlation between having understanding/foresight of core issues and getting credit for it. As someone pointed out a few months ago, our society seems to define “leadership” as waiting until a problem is so bad that it is unavoidable and then having a strong response that may or may not make sense, as opposed to having a systemic approach the tries to head off issues far in advance.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:10:55 +0000

I don't disagree, but I feel the job creation needs to get off the ground in a serious way. I feel that almost a year has already been wasted because the stimulus package wasn't focused on job creation.

By: mikkel

mikkel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:56:51 +0000

This issue is really the only one where I support a “continue throw money at it at all costs” approach. I agree with you that there are systemic issues that need to be addressed in order to create jobs, but those are going to be very hard to do in any short time frame, and millions of people completely cut off will make the economy crash really hard. Moreover the payments have low marginal cost to society because the money is spent so quickly. Even the hardcore libertarian financial people I read support unemployment insurance payments.

I can't believe that they let this slip through.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:39:52 +0000

I don't know what the solution is but clearly it would be better if jobs could be created rather than just focusing on relief payments In the short term, of course, more of the latter is needed and it's completely unfair for some people to now get cut off after a short term while others continue getting the benefits up to 99 weeks (the only way this could be rationalized at all is if there were longer terms for people in states that have the highest unemployment rates, or whose employment was in some of the hardest hit sectors where jobs aren't returning any time soon if at all.)

As for job creation, the best out of the box thought I can come up with on the fly would be to use ideas from right and left of the ideological spectrum to spur small business job creation. That would involve wisely targeted tax relief for small businesses along with some sort of WPA type program that worked through existing small companies to increase hiring.

By: wyatt_erb

wyatt_erb — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:04:21 +0000

didn't congress git a 2.5 raise on there checks a month ago??

By: Justin_Anderson

Justin_Anderson — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:02:43 +0000

Thank you for bringing more attention to this issue!!

By: ex_republican2

ex_republican2 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:54:09 +0000

To Melford:
Obama nation? Really? I seem to recall that this situation was well underway when we voted this last lame-duck president out of office. We are saddled with the worst economy since the great depression thanks to 8 years of Bush and his cronies. Even last year, when his term was ending, when the economy was showing signs of a downturn, this poor excuse ignored it and left a mess for the next president to clean up. He was so focused on the war, he ignored what was happening at home. Even now the Republicans try to stall last minute help for millions who are about to lose their benefits. Get a grip.

By: Melford

Melford — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:20:04 +0000

Welcome to Democratic Socialism, folks! If you can't get the attention of the ones giving out the doles, or they decide you are not worthy of their care or the best sacrificial lamb they have available in a time of *their* need, you are basically screwed down flat and violated with a hot poker up the butt! That it is this bad with unemployement, which basically every American pays into as an Insruance Policy managed by the Government, is truely shameful, but not really surprising. You have to learn to “game the system” if you want to get by. Forget about doing the right thing. That will get you nothing. And we wonder why the Moral Fabric of this Country is going down the toilet? Really? If you stand on morals of *any* type, your are setting yourself up for an automatic shaft job from the Government. They are the ones who really set and enforce the standards! Welcome to the Obama-Nation!!! All Praise the Messiah! All Praise Allah!!!