Capital Commerce

Obamanomics on Display

By James Pethokoukis

Posted: August 25, 2008

DENVER—Right now I am watching a panel on the American economy. There are no business people. No entrepreneurs. (What about the Google guys?) And it is hosted by free-trade critic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. They are answering video questions, and in one this "regular guy" asks what Obama is going to do for the middle class. Former (Bill) Clinton economic adviser Laura Tyson gives this answer: Obama will give you a $1000 tax credit and spend money on education and healthcare. No mention that we have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. (That suppresses worker wages and job growth.) No mention that we face a $600 billion deficit next year. Strange.

Pander, pander, pander, pander. That is all the economic advisers of Barack Obama is doing. Many know what to do to address economic growth and many know that the Bush Administration got one part right, but messed up on the other part (namably, not addressing spending). Many also know that "lifting all boats", to use a tired term, is a long term process and that redistributing income is an unproven way to address the needs of any class of individuals. But we get these same tired proposals of pandering to the masses.

What's sad is that people continue to buy these proposals without thinking them through. Get a $1000 tax credit? Okay, fine. Then how are we going to finance that tax credit? What other spending cuts will we make elsewhere? How can you expect to spend more money on education and healthcare and still afford to give us a $1,000 tax credit? No one ever stops to ask these questions and how we address them.

Chris of AZ @ Aug 25, 2008 23:01:38 PM

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Capital Commerce

Capital Commerce

U.S. News business reporter Matthew Bandyk examines the issues, people, and debates that shape the nexus of political and economic life in the nation's capital.

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