For those republican obstructionists railing against Obama's "porkulus" plan, explain your reasoning...?

I am an independent, and personally I don't think anyone's plan can work. Personally I think we should let the weaker banks fail. I see no reason why, we the American People, should give them a dime.

Simple and plain. Its not going to "bail" us out to spend more money we don't have to cover what we didn't have to begin with.

FYI, I'm an independent! Ron Paul rules!

FYI, Obama just got elected president in, by far, the most heavily financed political campaign in US history. He owes big favors to countless globalists who, by the way, hate the USA. So therefore, Obama's "porkulus" plan, is nothing more than a monstrous political payoff to the treasonous usurpers of freedom who put him in office. This plan does nothing to fix the economy but it effectively bankrupts our nation and damns us all to a ugly future of poverty and political tyranny.

Did you see the cover of this weeks Newsweek magazine? It says "We're All Socialist Now". I only wish that the reality of our current economic and political situation was that benign!

FYI, Obama was put into office by the globalists in order to bankrupt this country and to bring us into third world bondage under IMF control. Obama is a fascist and a Marxist! He hates our constitution and he hates our bill of rights, just like George Bush did, and he's hell bent on destroying everything that America once stood for. Obama is your mortal enemy!

If you ever think that you might have the balls to actually give yourself a real geopolitical education than just Google these terms:

1) North American Union
2) New World Order
3) U.S. concentration camps
4) IMF Riots
5) Sustainable growth

Also, go to Google Video and check out these flicks. You might actually learn something:

1) The Money Masters
2) Endgame
3) The Real Face Of The European Union
4) Freedom To Fascism
5) Police State 3
6) 9-11, Martial Law, Rise Of The Police State

Obama was put into office for the purpose of bankrupting this nation. He'll be bringing in hard-core tyranny behind an atmosphere of economic rioting and social chaos. His highest goal is the absolute destruction of freedom and liberty as we've always known it! That's reason enough for me to hate this foreign born S.O.B.!

A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf.
Spending tax money (aka government money) doesn't produce anything.
Massive spending didn't help us get out of the Great Depression in the 1930's. It took a world war.
The economy today is nowhere near as bad it was then.

Basically the problem is that we are living in a generation who has only lived in a boom economy.

Find someone that's older than 60 and ask them how things were in the latter days of Nixon's administration, and the administrations of Ford and Carter.

We got through it then without throwing money around like confetti, and we'll get through it now.

no matter what obama does they will try to block him...they dont want him to succeed...its gonna make all the presidents that came before him look really really bad plus the rich wont get richer

It's as much a difference in philosophy as anything else for me. I believe in a very limited government and a free market economyn neither of which we've had in a very long time. I've never believed there was a revenue problem at all, but for a long time now there's been a definite spending problem. I fault both parties for that.

This plan represents the largest wealth redistribution and the greatest increase in the role of the federal goverment during my lifetime. That's not what I want for my country. That's not what I expect from my goverment, therefore, I'm against the plan.

I don't buy the hype. Things are NOT as bad as they were in the depression. And no, I don't believe everything is peachy. But I do not look to government to solve my, or my country's problems. Sadly, many are starting to.

Monday, February 2, 2009 1:00 PM

By: Christopher Ruddy Article Font Size



Within days of becoming president, Barack Obama was quick to find a scapegoat for the economic crisis.


He has railed against Wall Street’s “arrogance and greed.” Drawing attention to “shameful” Wall Street bonuses of $18 billion, he described them as “the height of irresponsibility.”


I am not going to defend Wall Street excesses. It is unclear to me if these bonuses are excessive. But let’s put all of this into perspective.


America’s economy is the engine of the global economy. We represent less than 5 percent of the world’s population and a disproportionate 25 percent of the world’s GDP. We remain the reserve currency of the world.


Wall Street has played a major role in American capitalism. Its executives should be well compensated.


I am not angry at Wall Street because the current economic crisis was not caused by Wall Street. And Wall Street is not prolonging the pain.


Our economic problems have emanated from Washington and from the Federal Reserve.


If any one needs to be shamed, how about starting with Congress? Congress has offered so little oversight of Wall Street — not to mention the executive branch and the Federal Reserve.


And yes, both Republicans and Democrats have played a role in the current mess.


What is abundantly clear in just the first two weeks of the Obama administration is that the Democrats have the wrong approach in fixing our problems.


We have seen that in the massive $800 billion-plus “stimulus” program, which largely goes to directly helping the unions that backed Obama and which benefits a massive laundry list of social welfare and pork barrel spending.


A careful examination shows the stimulus is nothing more than payback to many of the special interests that supported his campaign and the Democrats in 2008.


Commentator Ben Stein estimates that almost half of the stimulus will directly benefit the private and public unions that backed Obama and the Democrats in the recent election.


Then, other hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on federal and state welfare programs. Even illegal aliens can collect checks of up to $1,000.


When I hear Obama wag his finger at bankers on Wall Street, I wonder if he really is serious about fixing our economy or simply replaying Franklin Roosevelt and the 1930s.


Unsuccessful at solving the country’s economic woes, some argue FDR’s policies actually prolonged the Depression for almost a decade and shifted the public’s focus on “evil” Wall Street.


During the ‘30s, FDR demonized corporate America in a skilful public relations effort that pitted Main Street against the wealthy elites.


Sound familiar?


Today, we need to place blame where it belongs. Where was Washington when the Fed and our regulatory agencies allowed zero percent loans to mortgage recipients who weren’t qualified?


Where were they as the financial institutions began collateralizing these loans and then leveraging them 10 to 1 or more?


Where were they when Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan slammed the monetary gas, dropping interest rates to a record low of 1 percent?


Where were they when, in 2004, the Fed reversed course and slammed the brakes on the U.S. economy, raising rates over 400 percent from 1 percent to over 5 percent in less than two years?


Housing Is the Key to Recovery


I am amazed that with trillions in spending and all the smoke about Wall Street, the Democrats in Congress and Obama in the White House are failing to do the No. 1 thing to save the economy: help the housing market.


Don’t forget what precipitated the domino effect — the housing crash, which began in 2005 (after the Fed dramatically raised rates) as ARMs readjusted astronomically for new homeowners.


This set off the liquidity crisis, the first jolts of which were felt in the U.S. economy in the summer of 2008.


Since then, Congress and the Fed have done almost nothing to save the housing market. In fact, housing prices continue to fall, inventories continue to rise, and foreclosures rates are breaking records.


Instead of aiding the housing market, Washington is bent on giving trillions in bailouts to banks, the auto industry, state and local governments and millions of suffering Americans — morphine to a dying patient.


But imagine if Congress gave tax credits now to home buyers. If it increased deductibility of mortgages for homebuyers. If it guaranteed new mortgages as long as the applicants were qualified.


If it did, it would stimulate home buying. Prices would stabilize. Inventories would fall.


Banks would begin to find that the “toxic” mortgage paper they won actually has some value. Homeowners would again be finding equity in their property and would be able to refinance expensive debt at low rates. Consumer spending would increase.


Yet almost two years into this crisis, the Obama administration and Congress refuse to take the most basic step to fix the U.S. economy.


Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hit the nail on the head when he said housing is the primary step to restoring the economy.


“Most economists agree that falling home values are the underlying cause of the recent downturn,” he said. “Republicans think we need to fix this problem before we do anything else.”


He’s absolutely right. McConnell wants to offer government-guaranteed mortgages at a low 4 percent to any credit-worthy borrower who wants one.


It’s a simple solution, but one that will work.


There are sensible Democrats too who know housing is key. North Dakota’s Sen. Kent Conrad is calling for a $10,000 tax credit for any primary home buyer.


Obama and his administration should stop playing the blame game and begin implementing common-sense solutions to make America work again.


That’s real change we can sign up for.

First of all totally forget what underconstruction said- her comment needs to be booed! I just hope she is not speaking directly for EP management because if that is the way they look at the question board then we are in trouble and are minds will go to mush. The way I understand it is this question board is to ask any question a person wishes and seek answers to. I do not have an answer to your question, but I am in awe of it, and I am reading all your comments you have recieved and I hope I can learn from it.

There was a time early on in the election campaign before Obama was even elected when in one of his speeches I heard him say, "God forbid that the economy get stronger..." and then he noticed his slip and said, 'weaker'. This is a paraphrase- but it the same meaning. When I heard him say this, my stomach sunk and I thought, 'wow this guy is out to destroy America', and everyone around us is totally blind to it.

Then there was another time, in one of his speeches when he turned to one of the government people and he said, 'even you don't know who I am'...at that point I was alarmed and thought OMG he is Osma Bin Laden! They have done a makeover of him.

Of course if Bin Laden is 7 ft tall then I guess not, lol.

Anyway I am not delusional. these were just passing thoughts in my head that came out of the blue like alarms going off. They are probably totally bogus and Obama is probably a good guy. But something real- he believes in killing babies. No good person could stomach passing a partial birth abortion law. So I distrust him and only time will tell what's up- if he is good or bad.

Anyway, I am like I said in awe of your question and I look forward to learning what I can first hand about it and coming to my own conclusions. You will have to do a follow up question to tell us how the answers spurred your thinking into more questions!

What I really would like to know is why my Senators would vote against it but accept the bailout money for my state.

The Georgia legislature is saving 5 days out of its current session to figure out how to use the benefits that we receive from the stimulus package.
It will help GA while our senators will vote against it. For them ideology is more important than people. Not that I want to see my state fail but man, what a bunch of hypocrites!

It's the new politics for the 21st century.

Scare the citizens into believing that there is a crisis, and hopefuly they will let you pass any stupid legislation you want.

For George Bush, the scare was terrosrism. For Obama, it is The Great Depression II.

I'll bet you they're already planning to tell us in 2012 that the economy is "not out of the woods yet", so that Obama can continue to campaign on that issue. Just like Bush did with terrorism in 2004.

The British government also has a plan. I think it's called the "Do Bugger All and Hope for the Best" Plan.

What makes you think republicans are the only ones against this load of garbage?

Is it your position that the liberals/socialist/communist/democrats are for it and if you are against it, you must be a republican? Not very free minded thinking is it.

WHAT IS THE QUESTION ?

This is not the debate section of EP.
Post your stories elsewhere and leave this place just for questions and short answers.