9.08.2010

Kerri's daily rant

I don't claim to have all of the answers to this economic disaster we've been living but...


President Obama's infrastructure proposal sounds pretty good.  President Roosevelt did something similar with the New Deal and people worked! Quoting a CNN article I read today:
Another benefit to the bank is that it takes infrastructure decisions out of the sometimes pork-soaked hands of politicians and puts them in those of transportation experts.
"We need a source of funding for major projects that's not dependent on partisan politics," said Ken Orski, publisher of the infrastructure newsletter Innovation NewsBriefs and a former transportation official in the Nixon and Ford administrations. "This is a good idea."  
But that very concept may be a source of the bank's undoing.  
In addition to the usual concerns over too much spending in a time of massive deficits, the bank faces considerable opposition from Congress members concerned about their loss of power. http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/08/news/economy/infrastructure_bank/index.htm?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn
Jeez, ya think? Really, Congress has concerns over their loss of power? Too bad! There are Americans who've been on unemployment for 99 weeks and are trying to figure out what they will do to feed their children next week when their benefits run out!  

The economic disaster we've been living in for the last few years has gone beyond a Republican or Democrat issue and is a PEOPLE issue.  People need to eat, have safe places to live and a job to support their family - doesn't really matter who drives the bus or how we get there, as long as we get there soon.

The powers that be, all branches need to stop their bickering and start doing something.  Just saying that the other side is wrong isn't good enough - tell me what you are going to do to fix the problems the PEOPLE of this nation are facing or SHUT UP!

4 comments:

  1. Addendum: a friend at work accused me of being a total Democrat. I told her that I lean towards fiscal conservatism but social liberalism. She said the two don't really go together so I'll try to explain:

    I'll start with the social aspect: I believe the government should stay out of people's private business. I believe in human rights, multiparty democracy, social justice, social tolerance, free-market economy, free trade, and environmental sustainability.

    On the flip-side there are people who genuinely need help occasionally BUT I don't believe in helping those people who are "working the system" and make those handouts a way of life.

    As for my fiscal conservatism tendencies, I belive in reduction of overall government spending and national debt and balancing the budget. Let's stop throwing money overseas and start paying down our own debt before we help other countries with theirs!

    Does that help?

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  2. Addendum #2: Co-worker comment - So if you believe in reducing gvmt spending, how can you support the latest infrastructure proposal? And then why not support the tax cuts?

    My response: It is a neverending circle, I know but if you read about the proposal, it is not just public monies that would fund it - it's a proposal at this point so we need additional details - you have to admit, NE Ohio could use some infrastructure updates - especially Rt8/77S!

    and the tax cuts haven't worked to stimulate anything but the 250K+/year wallets.

    The Gross National Debt compared to GDP was at the lowest level since 1931 as Reagan took office in 1981. It skyrocketed for 12 years through Bush senior. Clinton reversed it at a peak of 67%. With Bush II it climbed back above 69% in Sept prior to his leaving office, that's the highest it had been since 1955.

    IMHO, Bush did three things to skyrocket the debt from $5.7 trillion to $10 trillion:
    1. He lowered taxes on the rich (by far the biggest item).
    2. He invaded Iraq instead of winning in Afghan-Pakistan (another $600 B).
    3. He deregulated Wall Street speculators. That bailout has now "invested" $1T

    It will take time and effort for ANY president/congress to start to reverse that.

    As far as taxes, the only answer I can see is a flat 10% (or 15%) with no loopholes - everyone pays the same percentage.

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  3. can we talk more about food?

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  4. Didn't you see that lava cake recipe besides, what are you doing up at 3:40 in the morning?

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