Obama Stimulus Not Necessary, as This Is No Great Depression

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Over the past 5 weeks, I've come back to this article. I'm beginning to believe it.

John from Philadelphia of PA 4:13PM March 14, 2009

All the characteristics of the 1929 Depression are present
in the US economy of 2009. Although the indicators are just
becoming apparent for those that have not been able to see
or are in denial. It's been on the radar scope since 2005.
The depression didn't just ocur overnight. But if you are just
waking up. You are still trying to gather facts about the real
economic state of the economy in 2009 and the history of the
1929 Depression. For a comparison.
Start with 31 million people on food stamps. This is the equivalant of bread lines. There are in excess of 3 million
homless people in the US. 74 Thousand in LA alone. There are
19 million empty houses in the US that have been foreclosed on
or abandoned. Unemployment is at 7.6 %. That is for only first
time claimants. This does not count the long term unemployed,
the part-time unemployed and the unemployed that do not qualify
for unemployment insurance. Real unemployment is probably
between 15-20%. Even college grades can not find empoyment.Even
those with Masters and PhDs It is not an education issue. Degrees are worthless. The stock market has lost 50% of it's value since 10/2007. Housing values have lost between 20% and 50% of their value depending on where they are located. In Detroit you can buy homes for $1.00. Billions in bank bailouts. AIG 128 billion by itself. Corporate welfare. There have been 30 or 35 bank defaults. Major industries are in fiacial trouble
and barely surviving. Many retailors have gone bankrupt. Many
other categories of business have gone bankrupt. Although
the US might not be at the the height of the depression. It
is ramping up to get worse. Probably for years. Even the stimulus package will not keep the US even. But it will
soften some of the more disasterous effects. Mr. Obama did the
right thing and his home work. More will be needed as depicted by history.

Tim Russ of NY 1:28PM February 28, 2009

All the characteristics of the 1929 Depression are present
in the US economy of 2009. Although the indicators are just
becoming apparent for those that have not been able to see
or are in denial. It's been on the radar scope since 2005.
The depression didn't just ocur overnight. But if you are just
waking up. You are still trying to gather facts about the real
economic state of the economy in 2009 and the history of the
1929 Depression. For a comparison.
Start with 31 million people on food stamps. This is the equivalant of bread lines. There are in excess of 3 million
homless people in the US. 74 Thousand in LA alone. There are
19 million empty houses in the US that have been foreclosed on
or abandoned. Unemployment is at 7.6 %. That is for only first
time claimants. This does not count the long term unemployed,
the part-time unemployed and the unemployed that do not qualify
for unemployment insurance. Real unemployment is probably
between 15-20%. Even college grades can not find empoyment.Even
those with Masters and PhDs It is not an education issue. Degrees are worthless. The stock market has lost 50% of it's value since 10/2007. Housing values have lost between 20% and 50% of their value depending on where they are located. In Detroit you can buy homes for $1.00. Billions in bank bailouts. AIG 128 billion by itself. Corporate welfare. There have been 30 or 35 bank defaults. Major industries are in fiacial trouble
and barely surviving. Many retailors have gone bankrupt. Many
other categories of business have gone bankrupt. Although
the US might not be at the the height of the depression. It
is ramping up to get worse. Probably for years. Even the stimulus package will not keep the US even. But it will
soften some of the more disasterous effects. Mr. Obama did the
right thing and his home work. More will be needed as depicted by history.

Tim Russ of NY 1:28PM February 28, 2009

All the characteristics of the 1929 Depression are present
in the US economy of 2009. Although the indicators are just
becoming apparent for those that have not been able to see
or are in denial. It's been on the radar scope since 2005.
The depression didn't just ocur overnight. But if you are just
waking up. You are still trying to gather facts about the real
economic state of the economy in 2009 and the history of the
1929 Depression. For a comparison.
Start with 31 million people on food stamps. This is the equivalant of bread lines. There are in excess of 3 million
homless people in the US. 74 Thousand in LA alone. There are
19 million empty houses in the US that have been foreclosed on
or abandoned. Unemployment is at 7.6 %. That is for only first
time claimants. This does not count the long term unemployed,
the part-time unemployed and the unemployed that do not qualify
for unemployment insurance. Real unemployment is probably
between 15-20%. Even college grades can not find empoyment.Even
those with Masters and PhDs It is not an education issue. Degrees are worthless. The stock market has lost 50% of it's value since 10/2007. Housing values have lost between 20% and 50% of their value depending on where they are located. In Detroit you can buy homes for $1.00. Billions in bank bailouts. AIG 128 billion by itself. Corporate welfare. There have been 30 or 35 bank defaults. Major industries are in fiacial trouble
and barely surviving. Many retailors have gone bankrupt. Many
other categories of business have gone bankrupt. Although
the US might not be at the the height of the depression. It
is ramping up to get worse. Probably for years. Even the stimulus package will not keep the US even. But it will
soften some of the more disasterous effects. Mr. Obama did the
right thing and his home work. More will be needed as depicted by history.

Tim Russ of NY 1:28PM February 28, 2009

All the characteristics of the 1929 Depression are present
in the US economy of 2009. Although the indicators are just
becoming apparent for those that have not been able to see
or are in denial. It's been on the radar scope since 2005.
The depression didn't just ocur overnight. But if you are just
waking up. You are still trying to gather facts about the real
economic state of the economy in 2009 and the history of the
1929 Depression. For a comparison.
Start with 31 million people on food stamps. This is the equivalant of bread lines. There are in excess of 3 million
homless people in the US. 74 Thousand in LA alone. There are
19 million empty houses in the US that have been foreclosed on
or abandoned. Unemployment is at 7.6 %. That is for only first
time claimants. This does not count the long term unemployed,
the part-time unemployed and the unemployed that do not qualify
for unemployment insurance. Real unemployment is probably
between 15-20%. Even college grades can not find empoyment.Even
those with Masters and PhDs It is not an education issue. Degrees are worthless. The stock market has lost 50% of it's value since 10/2007. Housing values have lost between 20% and 50% of their value depending on where they are located. In Detroit you can buy homes for $1.00. Billions in bank bailouts. AIG 128 billion by itself. Corporate welfare. There have been 30 or 35 bank defaults. Major industries are in fiacial trouble
and barely surviving. Many retailors have gone bankrupt. Many
other categories of business have gone bankrupt. Although
the US might not be at the the height of the depression. It
is ramping up to get worse. Probably for years. Even the stimulus package will not keep the US even. But it will
soften some of the more disasterous effects. Mr. Obama did the
right thing and his home work. More will be needed as depicted by history.

Tim Russ of NY 1:28PM February 28, 2009

The only ones who will benefit from this so-called stimulus package are all Obama and Democratic cronies in the public and private unions and in those groups for whom the Dems want to buy votes (welfare, unemployment, etc.) and in those groups that buy them votes on the streets (ACORN). And these recipients for the most part are not unemployed; they're just being paid off for their $750 in payola to get Obama elected.

Gary of CA 10:50AM February 18, 2009

Despite what everyone is saying, some sort of relief is needed to address homelessness, joblessness, lack of proper education, crumbling schools and roads, and lack of currency flowing through society. Many who criticize the stimulus package are not living in the real world. The past 20 years have delineated a movement against well fought for and earned workers’ rights, civil rights’ along with the “dumbing down” of the American citizenry. The average young adult who enters college is less educated than my mother and I am 54 years of age. Small businesses have been stamped out by companies such as Wal-Mart and making a decent living is getting harder everyday. The policies and procedures of the government for the last 20-30 years were leading our country towards becoming underdeveloped and this is a shame. I don’t know how much the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can help our country, however the coffers have been robbed and the citizenry have been deceived. In any event, something has to be done!

Pearl of NY 4:13AM February 18, 2009

The New American Revolution … #3
Freedom. Our country was founded on that one word. What is the opposite?
Well, let’s see now … that would be slavery wouldn’t it?
Why do you protest slavery? You get free housing, free health care, free entertainment, free transportation, free education and most all of life’s other needs. You don’t have to make tough decisions. That is true in most all prisons.
Freedom is tough.
You can lose your housing. You may not be able to afford health care. You must pay for your own entertainment, transportation and education.
The worse part of freedom is that you have to take responsibility. You must think and act and enjoy or suffer the results.
Freedom … why would someone value breathing free?
Why would anyone want freedom?
What is the price of freedom? Let me Google that.
Wow … "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Who is this rabble rouser Thomas Jefferson?
What is vigilance? Where is that dictionary … ah yes … vigilance - the process of paying close and continuous attention; "wakefulness, watchfulness,”
I guess being asleep at the switch can get one enslaved.
Oh my god, can you believe this rabble rouser Jefferson;
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson
"I never believed there was one code of morality for a public and another for a private man." -- Thomas Jefferson
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." -- Thomas Jefferson
Well, it seems to me Mr. Jefferson was right. We failed to prevent the government from wasting our labor and taxes in the pretence of taking care of us.
Of course Thomas Jefferson has his detractors. He owned slaves. I suppose he justified it by thinking he was taking care of them. They did get free housing, free health care, free entertainment, free transportation, free education and most all of life’s other needs. They didn’t have to make tough decisions either.
Do you choose freedom or slavery?
Put elected representative’s ability to increase their pay into the bosses’ hands … we the people!
Make them pay for their own heath insurance, save for retirement and accept the consequences of taking bribes in any form … just like the rest of us! It is a free country after all!
Take back America from the criminals. Ignore their propaganda and demand facts and truth!
It is time for a very severe audit of congress.

Tony Miller of CA 11:16AM February 14, 2009

There is general agreement that a strong stimulus could help lessen the pain of the current economic downturn. This poorly conceived christmas tree of pet projects is not that bill. How many jobs will be created by:
$198 million to Philipinos that helped in WWII
$75 million to help people stop smoking
$2.25 billion for national parks
$20 billion for quicker depreciation and write-offs for equipment,
$15 billion for college scholarships,
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts,
$335 million to treat and prevent sexually transmitted diseases,
$600 million to buy a new fleet of cars for federal employees and government agencies,
$650 million for coupons to help consumers convert TV sets from analog to digital,
$400 million to research global warming,
$2 billion to help subsidize child care,
And my personal favorite
$4.19 billion for a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (much of which might go to ACORN, the discredited activist organization that the FBI is investigating for vote fraud)
etc, etc, etc, etc,
This bill is an atrocity that will hang mountains of debt on the shoulders of every tax paying citizen.

PSK of NJ 7:40PM February 09, 2009

NH of CA- My analogy was not to be taken literally! I'll try again. When Clinton took office, our country had a deficit & when he left, our country had a surplus which Bush inherited. He overspent & now we have a huge deficit. So, the years of so called prosperity were an illusion. Now, we as a country, are paying that price. We've maxed out the credit card (once again, meant as an analogy)
Bob of CA- Resorting to name calling doesn't further any conversation & is a rather juvenile form of distraction when you've run out of options. If you have no knowledge of such warnings (hard to believe at this point in time) then I suggest you educate yourself about the August 6, 2001, presidential daily briefing. And how Clarke, by far the most experienced person on counter-terrorism, was dismissed by Bush (prior to & following 9/11 when Bush ordered him to link the disaster to Iraq). And then do some research into those PNAC advisors who had a huge influence on Bush & who in their own words had long been waiting for some kind of Pearl Harbor event to provide them with an excuse to invade Iraq.
All of the above is responsible for the financial abyss we are staring into today.

Oliver Browne of CT 2:06PM February 09, 2009