McCain's Economic Plan: Where's the Rest of It?

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Read the Obama Plan:

Tax Cut? no. Give everyone a check as early as possible regardless of whether you pay taxes or not; not a tax reduction, just call it what it is; buying votes and/or welfare.

3000 credit to companies that add american jobs; Sorry, but if a company has a choice to hire foreign help at half of american's, $3000 is not going to impact it; this is a virtual credit.

Add Jobs by building roads and bridges; I think he read and is trying to repeat the post world war II plan. This is 2008, America has the best road and bridge system in the WORLD. This is why we like personal cars so much. Lets build up a needed infrastructure that will reduce dependence on oil: Mass Transit; both intercity and intra-city.

You want to reduce oil prices? Allow more drilling; speculators will shy away from running up the perceived demand (even if we don't drill more)

I am not exactly crazy about the McCain plan also, but Obamas plan only sounds good on the surface.

Mr. P of FL @ Oct 21, 2008 16:33:00 PM

Don't Believe the Hype... (reply)

You're a complete idiot Festinog. You obviously don't understand the way economics works in this country. If you take from the rich and give to the poor then it makes the poor even poorer. This is simply due to the fact of if anyone owning a business is going to get taxed more (like obama is going to do on the wealthy) then they will see substantial losses and will try to make up for it by finding alternative ways to reduce the costs of owning and conducting business. example: laying off US workers and hiring foriegn workers. Get the drift... isn't this what you would do? think about it analytically before you open your mouth.

Vote McCain! the lesser of the two evils

David of WA @ Oct 20, 2008 17:50:05 PM

Obama's economic advisor and our current malaise

I think ultimately, the financial crisis can be attributed to a single factor that has been at the root of all major crisis - Human nature. In an article analyzing the Lehman Brothers collapse, Tom Raum of the AP opines, "People bought homes they couldn't afford. Investors eagerly bought mortgage-backed securities they didn't understand. Human nature was a guiding force in markets that were first driven by greed and then shaken by fear."

While age old economic theories work well against macro market behaviors, regulation that is informed by the erratic probabilities of human motivations is a new school of thought that offers some new solutions to our current situation. Obama's economic advisor, Austan Goolsbee, is an economist who has been studying a branch of economics called behavioral economics for years now...

I made the correlation after reading an article on MIT's Technology Review - https://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21220/

If my link gets stripped, search "Obama's Geek Economist", "Technology Review", "MIT".

It is easy to take McCain's claims that Obama offers "big government" and "more regulation" and reform at face value, but we need specifics. To repair the economy, America does not need MORE regulation, but SMARTER regulation that factors in the chaotic nature of human behaviors. While McCain wants to set up a commission to study this problem...Obama and his advisors have ALREADY been studying this for a long time...and have applied some of this thinking into his plans.

This is the kind of economic firepower we can expect from an Obama administration...this is the kind of innovation that will take America to our next stage of growth. Can we really trust McCain, who has said he does not understand old economics, to even begin to understand his new era? Does he even know where to start?

Atoh of NY @ Sep 17, 2008 15:03:08 PM

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I went to the website to review the plan and it looked like a fifth grader put together the outline. Some of the same points were duplicated again and again, under different categories. It seemed like they had nothing, so, just went with a repeat or loop. What has happened to the Republican Party of Ivy league thinkers? It seems like it now amounts to the poorly educated, swhite supremist, the uneducated prone to hate and religous fanatics. McCain does realize this is a Presidential election right, not one for a senate seat?

My concern is...if anyone gets in the White House without a "plan" it could all just collapse, seeing how fragile the economy is now, leaving us all in libo. Affecting world economies, around the globe. Leaving us scrabbling to fix, where we have never failed, what has never failed. It appears McCain is less prepared to be President as Palin is VP.

http://onfullblast.wordpress.com to get more info on policy, politics and the economy.

Independent Vote of PA @ Sep 14, 2008 22:52:51 PM

Americans Vote Personalities

Actual fiscal, economic, political, legal, or legislative proposals mean very little to many Americans. History shows we vote "personalities" and who we like or trust best to be our leaders, regardless of the actual competence and political, economic, and social views of those we elect. This election is fading into a battle of personalities. I strongly recommend that each voter study the actual positions and proposals (even if incomplete) of the 2 major candidates for President, and your other elected officials running this year. I would hope that you consider the best interests of the country, which is comprised of a very diverse group of people who share limited goals, views and policies. Furthermore, you should all exercise your right to vote so those with financial connections to politicians do not monopolize their priorities. Collectively we can make a greater statement if we only vote.

Peter Martin of AZ @ Sep 08, 2008 03:32:58 AM

Vapor speeches & media to the left

Obama's economic plan, where's any of it? Maybe the 9% popular democratic congress has the answers? This time they can pass out tire gauges and spark plugs, with their do it for you because you can't do it for yourself spending.

JwH of TN @ Sep 07, 2008 05:06:24 AM

Republicans = Hypocrites

McCain is a Republican first, foremost and always! He is represented by the corporate lobbyists that are tied to the hip with George Bush. And, they have wrecked our economy! So, who do you think McCain is going to represent if he got elected? It surely isn't going to be 99% of the American population.

6.1 % unemployment - The highest it has been in five years!

9.4 million Americans out of a job!

2.2 million Americans lost their job in just the last TWO months!

Republicans do not represent 99% of all Americans. They are nothing but hypocrites and will tell you ANYTHING to get elected and then, TAKE YOUR MONEY!

Unemployment Up!

Stock Market Down!

Gas Prices Up!

Foreclosures Everywhere!

Food Prices Up!

So, I ask all of you Americans. Who has been in charge of the America Government for the last EIGHT years and who has voted 90% of the time with George Bush and is a republican just like George Bush? "Its the economy stupid."

The numbers don't lie!

http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

Let the truth be told!

http://www.obamaandbiden08.com/

chillingaz of AZ @ Sep 06, 2008 23:38:34 PM

It doesn't matter if interest rates are lowered

The homes that were purchased the past few years are upside down, so tell me how it will help to give an interest rate on a home that is not work 70% of the original loan and also let us not forget the people that alredy LOST their homes.

They can't afford the home period and it is not worth keeping...

McFalin is not the answer, he has no answers period.

catherine of FL @ Sep 06, 2008 19:14:22 PM

I've heard his plan before...every 4 years since 1980

When Reagan took office, his budget director, David Stockman set about "cutting the fat" from our federal government in the most exhaustive, and comprehensive way ever attempted. What he found out, and wrote about, was that there's only so much "fat" to cut. Despite all the talk about small government, there is a minimum level of expectation of what government does for us, even among conservatives. There is a certain critical mass below which government can't function for left wing, right wing, or common sense agendas. We need, and in fact are the government.

John McCain has proposed the same formula marketed by Republicans since Reagan, and in place since 2001. Cutting taxes for the wealthy, and deregulating industry has led the the economy we have today, and a laundry list of food and product recalls without historical precedent. His plan is a proven failure.

Chris of TX @ Sep 06, 2008 13:41:07 PM

economics /energy

Whoever is the next President is gong to need a great deal of intelligence and a desire to learn to understand a very complex set of issues. Frankly, are any of the candidates up to this?

McCain was fourth to the bottom of a 900 person Naval Academy class. That is not an encouraging sign. Palin went to party schools before finally getting a BA in communication at University of Idaho. We have no idea what her class rank was. Neither Republican apparently has any graduate education.

Richard Johnson of IL @ Sep 06, 2008 11:06:38 AM

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Rick Newman

Rick Newman

The global economy is mysterious, even scary. Chief Business Correspondent Rick Newman connects the dots. In addition to his writing for U.S. News, Rick is the co-author of two books: Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11, and Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

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