What is going well?

Unemployment is higher than it has been since the Great Depression (I'm not talking about the government propaganda number; I'm talking about actual unemployment).

We still illegally occupy two middle eastern countries and are escalating our pointless occupation of one of them.

We seem unlikely to enact any sort of meaningful health care reform.

Banks and credit card companies continue to exploit the American public, and are rewarded richly by the federal government for doing so.

No banking reform has been put in place.

Americans still do not have the civil liberties stolen by the bushies.

Nothing is slowing, much less reversing, the concentration of wealth among the richest few hundred families; the income disparity gap continues to widen.

Umm....

I'm not seeing much result from the 2008 election, are you?

Maybe one of those calendars with a cute saying for every day of the year.

Personally, I'm not having suffering the depression that afflicts you.

somethings will change, somethings won't.

The people, not so much.

a substantial number of people. Get back to me on that. I think 95% of the critics on DU have no idea what they are talking about.

As for the stimulus giveaway helping "the people" please note the unemployment rate.

Also, explain how printing and borrowing money to prop up the banks and the military "help".

turned around an economy that was contracting at a 6.4% annual rate in the first quarter by the second quarter, I have a bridge to sell you.

Actually try to develop some analytical skills rather than just complain.

I am also surprised you call hundreds of billions for education, health care, environmental spending, unemployment benefits, infrastructure, etc are a "giveaway". Are you a Republican or are you so ignorant that you have confused TARP, which is being paid back ahead of time because the rules for disclosure and pay are so "crippling, in the eyes of the banking industry, with the stimulus bill?

One that we will have to pay for?

In the meantime, the debt keeps growing and the geniuses running things (or, think they're running things) keep borrowing.

The economy, like nature, isn't run by by politicians and economists, who are trying to show that they are "doing something". Quite the reverse. The economy is running the politicians, economists, and money managers who are applying short term "fixes" and bragging about "green shoots" that will someday, maybe, if things go right, grow into something that is beneficial to somebody.

All the people have to do to get the economy working again is start buying a lot of stuff with money they don't have so that production will go up so they can get their jobs back so they can pay higher taxes to pay off the debt that's increasing and support lost wars.

It's the economics of P.T. Barnum.

I just asked about "better." Not ALL better. Not healed. Not entirely fixed. Not completely turned around. Just better.

I don't see it. I suppose if I worked at Goldman Sachs I'd be ecstatic, but I don't. Do you?

Unfortunately, the entire stimulus bill is only about one-fifth of the money Obama has spent on the economy so far, and now there is no political will to pass more spending on "good" stimulus.

most of this wont be fixed completely by 2016 and wouldnt be regardless of whom got elected in 2008, including insert your preferred person here.

But to answer your question, the Lama said that on my death bed, I would receive total consciousness. So I got that going for me, which is a plus.

And he could turn around in just a few months what it took the bu$h regime 8 long torturous years to fuck up.

The worst economy since the great depression and people expected that because some money was thrown at some financial institutions that all would magically be well.

After all, bu$h is no longer in the White House, why isn't it better.


:grr: Maybe a little more negativity on your part would help...


Help the GOP and their constant attacks on the President and the Democratic Congress. Help them destroy the only shot this country has at recover.

-Under no possible stimulus plan could unemployment's advance have been halted by now outside of just paying people to do nothing. Economic growth is stabilizing faster than many forecasts called for in April. Also, U-6 is not the standard for unemployment used during the Great Depression. That is complete nonsense that has been perpetrated by bloggers at the expense of truth.

-The Iraqi occupation is rapidly winding down. If you thought it could have possibly been over by now, you were reading Daily Kos instead of actually thinking about the practical issues of implementing policy.

-This is still a matter for debate. At the very least people with pre-existing conditions will be covered. Even the Republicans conceded that point. I don't need to tell you how many tens of millions of people's lives that improves, but you prefer to cry your eyes out over some notion of what sort of reform would be possible.

-Yawn. What are your practical suggestions on what can be done outside of Congress and within the confines of the law?

-Banking reform is being worked on. A series of bills are being worked on and drafted. Currently, and for the past month or so, Congress has been tied down with Health Care reform and not more than one major reform is possible at a time in this environment. This is a Congressional system. These things take time. Perhaps you would prefer a Leninist dictatorship, but at least come out and say so.

-I won't even comment on this stupidity.

-Obama has proposed tax increases on the wealthy. Maybe you didn't read the budget outline or the proposed health care reforms that include large tax increases. I guess it's just more fun to bitch from your basement.

Now, tell me this: What sort of things would we have gotten out of a Republican stimulus bill? Would we have gotten hundreds of billions to prevent states from deeper cuts to schools or to keep state Medicaid programs intact? The simple answer is no.

Would we have gotten close to a hundred billion for new roads and high speed rail? Fuck no.

Would we have gotten tens of billions for green energy? Good luck.

Would there be extensions and improvements to benefits for the unemployed? Hah!

Would there be a uniform tax rebate that benefits low earners more rather than high earners and businesses? I don't think so.

There are a lot of good things happening, but you choose not to see them. Being pessimistic and cynical does not make one intelligent by default. Some, like yourself included, are good examples of why that is not true. I don't think you know the first thing about the difficulties of constructing policy. Maybe you should work in government some time or at least read a text book and learn a thing or two.

That's what the corrupt and evil BushCo Regime left us with.

Have patience. Obama said it would take a while even before he was elected.

snd I'v lost 15 pounds. Not earthshaking, but positive.

incompetence, cronyism, failed foreign policy, failed domestic ploicy?

good luck with that.

I'll admit, it has not spread around the country, but I do hear news of people selling their houses faster than they expected. They call me up to give changes of address, and during the course of the conversation, I ask if they are a seller of a home or someone who is no longer renting where they live. When they say they are selling, I congratulate them, and they frequently offer information as to how slow or fast the process went.

Inevitably, recessions end first nearest the biggest cities, and eventually spread out to the rest of the country.

:shrug:

so far the stimulus plan is a joke

but no answer to my question.

Yes, about a third of the stimulus bill was good stimulus. Hooray.

No, I did not expect every problem to be solved in 8 months (or 1 month, or 6 months). I don't even expect every problem to be solved in 8 years.

But I've seen 8 months of concerted effort to make the economic debacle worse, not better. I've seen escalation of our military colonialism in the Middle East. I've seen the disparity between haves and have nots made greater by actions of the administration and the Congress. I've seen "democrats" achieve a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and then use it to kill real health care reform. I've seen Obama, despite promises of openness move to uphold and even strengthen bush's executive secrecy measures. I've seen nothing to hold confessed criminals accountable.

Apologize for Obama and the other "centrist" corporatists if you want. Call me names all you want.

What's better?

If you think it could have been faster, then your just dumb.

Is that blunt enough for ya?

lol

:spray:

LOL :rofl:

seriously...

insanely...

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Cheer up, human. Things could be worse.

nt

the Obama has some true believers here.

:cry:

Focus on walkability and sustainability.

People rethinking their spending.

Folks waking up to the banksters and "health" vultures and the damage they do from INSIDE our government.

Semi-healthy discussions on race in America.

:thumbsup:

Just checking.

And I'm expecting my copy on Wednesday!
:bounce:

I'd rather look on the bright side. A member here at DU posted this a week or so ago (sorry if I don't remember the name). Also you should have heard by now is that the last indicator that the recession is over is that JOBS will pick up. As the President continues to say - we are not out of the wood yet. Now, for what President Obama has done in the last 6 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Signed executive orders to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year, ban torture and end the CIA’s secret overseas prisons and define treatment of Detainees.
Reversed restrictions on stem cell research.
Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Reducing discrimination based on gender, age, religion, or race.
Signed an executive order reversing the ban that prohibits funding to international family planning groups that provide abortions. Gag rule revoked (Mexico City policy).
Creates the White House Council on Women and Girls "to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families."
Signed a Presidental Memorandum extending federal benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers and announced support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009.
Reverses U.S. position on LGBT Issues at the UN: At the "Durban Review Conference," U.S. supports language condemning “all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on sexual orientation.”
Signed executive order requiring federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.
Reversed a Bush order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.
Signed executive order preventing federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.
Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners.
Expanded eligibility for the refinancing portion of the Making Home Affordable plan to help Americans struggling with distressed mortgages refinance at lower interest rates, even if they owe up to 25 percent more than their homes are now worth.
Established a credit card "bill of rights".
Expanded loan programs for small businesses.
Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch.
Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP).
Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners.
Created a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman.
Appoints Vice President Joe Biden to Oversee Stimulus Plan Payouts.
Granted a reprieve to Liberian immigrants facing imminent expulsion.
Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq.
Allowing Caskets to be photographed when the return from Iraq with family approval.
Released nine previously secret internal Justice Department memos and opinions defining the legal limits of government power in combating terrorism.
On Arab TV Network, Obama Urges Dialogue.
Gave a speech in Cairo engaging the Muslim and Arab world.
Bars independent contractors from conducting interrogations of terror suspects.
Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba.
Ordered the release of nearly a quarter of a million pages of records from the Reagan White House that were kept from the public during a lengthy review by President George W. Bush.
Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program.
Released presidential records.
Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors.
Invites gay families to the Easter Egg Roll as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities.
Created a White House Office on Urban Policy.
Increased funding for the NEA.
Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy.
Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps.
Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees.
Investment in all types of alternative energy.
Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars.
Support for high-speed rail.
Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes.
Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits.
Created the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers to help auto industry workers transition to new manufacturing opportunities, including jobs in alternative energy.
Stopped raids on medical marijuana dispensers.
Nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to ever serve on the Supreme Court.
Appointed more than 60 openly LGBT persons to positions in the executive branch.
Issues Presidential Proclamation for Pride, proclaiming June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.
Signed a mercury reduction pact with 140 other nations.
Signed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act to curb wasteful spending by the Pentagon. Intended to price contracts and budgets lower; may potentially save billions of dollars in defense.
Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, which serves to protect two million acres of land and creates a new system of land conservation for the Bureau of Land Management.
Phase out government payments to crop prod
ucers making more than $500,000 a year and eliminates subsidies for cotton storage to help trim the U.S. budget deficit.
Cut funding for a proposed U.S. nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain.
Restored Endangered Species Act Provision requiring U.S. agencies consult with independent federal experts to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species.
Orders The Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration "to protect and restore the health, heritage, natural resources, and social and economic value of the Nation's largest estuarine ecosystem and the natural sustainability of its watershed."
Signed the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act designating two million additional acres of public wilderness areas the highest level of government protection from logging and other forms of commercial use and development.
Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act which will expedite the search for cures and treatments for millions of Americans living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, stroke, MS, Parkinson's and many other diseases and disorders.
Established The Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record, a new system for updating medical records of servicemen and women both during and after their military careers.
Established the White House Office of Health Reform
Created new and stronger safety standards to safeguard the country's food supply.

and

Got his daughters a new puppy!