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Special Report
The Stimulus Spending: Trust the Numbers, Not the Politicians
Figures don’t lie. But politicians are another story.
Figures don’t lie. But politicians are another story.
Last week, Vice President Joe Biden declared the stimulus legislation a success. In Biden’s latest report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of February 2009, the Vice President boasts that it is on schedule to meet the goal of creating or “saving” 3.5 million jobs at a price tag of $787 billion. The Washington Post fell for it, saying Biden’s “report challenges public perceptions of the stimulus aid as slow-moving and wasteful.” Not if you do the arithmetic. It works out to slightly less than $250,000 of taxpayers’ money for each job created — and most of the jobs are temporary. That’s the definition of wasteful.
It gets worse. The goal is 3.5 million jobs, but the actual data substantiate far fewer jobs created, and point to grave problems in 2012, when the stimulus spending stops. About one fifth of the stimulus money spent so far has gone for a variety of projects such as expanding broadband, replacing road signs, construction, highway maintenance, research, and weatherizing buildings. The law makes recipients of these stimulus grants report how many jobs are being funded. These reports are the only actual evidence linking stimulus funding to jobs — and they show 749,142 jobs as of June 2010, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Some jobs may have existed anyway, and some jobs created indirectly by the projects, such as a supplier adding employees, are not counted.
Still, it’s a far cry from 3.5 million. The Biden report claims that “in August 2010 the non- partisan CBO determined that the Recovery Act has raised employment by up to 3.3 million jobs.” That is not what the CBO said. The CBO could not “determine” such a thing, because the data do not exist.
Instead, the CBO called on economists who claim government spending can produce recovery and job growth to guesstimate, using their own theories and models, what the stimulus spending might yield in jobs. These true believers’ guesstimates ranged from 1.4 million to 3.3 million more jobs in 2010 than if the law had not passed (with a cost per job of between $167, 000 and $393,000).
Economists who doubt that government spending can turn around a recession — and there are many who challenge that Keynesian notion — were not invited to the party. If they had been, the range of guesstimates probably would have started with a negative number, suggesting jobs lost because of a delayed recovery. These economists say FDR’s spending programs did nothing to produce recovery during the Great Depression and lament that the Obama administration is making the same mistake. But what is important to know is that the claim that millions of jobs are being created is based on theoretical models (from one side of the argument), not real data.
What is real is the coming crisis facing many state and local governments. More than a third of the stimulus money spent thus far has gone to state and local governments. Some funds are used to expand Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and food assistance, while others are propping up state workforces and avoiding public school layoffs. The stimulus funds are enabling spending-addicted politicians in states such as New York to avoid trimming budgets in response to lower tax revenues.
Unfortunately the Biden report treats public and private jobs the same. But not all jobs are created equal. Private sector jobs make wealth. Public sector jobs consume it, taking money out of our pockets that we could spend on our own families. Since the recession began, the nation has lost millions of private sector jobs, but added public jobs. The stimulus law is worsening that pernicious trend.
The CBO’s panel of true believers speculates that in 2012, the stimulus funds will be responsible for only 300,000 to one million more jobs than if the law had not passed. In other words, most effects of the law will be gone. So will your money, all $787 billion.
Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York State. Vice President Biden’s report is not yet available to the public, but the Recovery office says it will be in 48 hours. (This author got a copy from a Washington Post reporter.)
About the Author
Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York and author of Beating Obamacare.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (61) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Betsy McCaughey
More Articles From Special Report
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/10/08/the-stimulus-spending-trust-th
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Doorgunner| 10.8.10 @ 6:16AM
Booger, didn't I hear something about the American Spectator intercepting some e-mails between Biden and Krugman, wherein Krugman attempts, patiently, to explain...
Alan Brooks| 10.8.10 @ 11:19PM
"But politicians are another story."
You don't say?
Oh heavens to Betsy.
Rev. Jesse Jackson| 10.9.10 @ 12:22AM
A newborn baby accepts everything as valid. This soon ends as the baby becomes a child, when he (or she) develops the ability to recognize bullshit.
Alan Brooks| 10.9.10 @ 10:04PM
Thanks, padre.
I'd rather have wished you ran for president than John McCain.
Tim*| 10.10.10 @ 10:19AM
ObamaBoy Brooks Was Hoping For A President Jackson To Spit In Whitey's Soup .
raised a Democrat| 10.10.10 @ 10:25AM
For the first time in my life I am going to do smoewthing I said I would never do. Vote a straight ticket. Republican !
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 10.8.10 @ 8:03AM
So Biden is lying about the stimulus? I expected nothing more, nothing less and expect Biden and Obama to continue lying.
They are the ultimate elitist pinheads, too stupid to know what they don't know. All they know is political gaffing and having audiences faint so Obama can look like a Messiah.
As far as creating jobs, between OSHA, the Department of Labor and the EPA, millions of jobs continue to move overseas never to return.
In short, government jobs not only consume wealth, they destroy private sector jobs as thousands of bored bureaucrats sit around with word processors trying to impress their bosses with all their new ideas.
If the USA is to have any chance at global competition several federal agencies will have to be cut in half. That's just for starters.
wodiej| 10.8.10 @ 8:10AM
good points. Donald Trump recently said we are getting screwed by China and they are laughing at how stupid we are. Their is a huge trade imbalance. US companies opening there, very difficult. Here, easy.
wodiej| 10.8.10 @ 8:09AM
the gov't cannot create jobs because it is not producing anything. Unemployment numbers being released today are expected to be higher. It's impossible to create jobs when $87k in stimulus funds went out to convicted criminals and dead people in $250 checks. Another in many wasted expenditures.
Louis Jenkins| 10.8.10 @ 8:22AM
Everything's coming up roses! Opps, wrong line for VP Bite-Me's message. Well, it sounded like him talking anyway. The truth is Bite Me has no idea what he is talking about, and that includes Hillary and his switcher-roo (VP and Head of State). Yes we know the sums quoted above and they are abysmal. Goverment jobs do not create wealth, they merely steal from the public, and create nothing. We have wised up to you Mr. Bite Me and Obumar. We're unsatisfied to say the least, and will make you choke on your words one way or another. Yes, they're both jackasses.
blackknights1802| 10.8.10 @ 8:29AM
In April 2001 the Congress received the first warning about Freddie & Fanny from the Bush Administration. They were told that the practices being carried on could lead to big financial problems.
In the fall of 2003 the Bush White House again warned Congress of the dangerous path Freddie & Fanny were headed in by securing loans for applicants who could not pay them back. This is when Congressman Frank, D from Massachusetts, said, with a smirk on his face, that there was no problem with the practices of Freddie & Fanny. He also said that the Bush Administration was over reacting.
In 2005 Alan Greenspan appeared before Congress and stated that our total financial system was a risk from the Freddie & Fanny lending formula. Of course Charles Schumer, D from New York, replied that there was no problem at Freddie & Fanny.
In May 2006 John McCain stood before the Senate and said that a major crisis was looming and that the GSE’s needed to be reformed without delay. A regulatory bill came to the floor and every democrat voted against it.
And now October 8, 2010 with our economy on the verge of collapse, president Obama and the rest of the progressives have the audacity to claim that capitalism has failed us. They, the progressives, on both sides of the isle, are at fault, not capitalism.
Remember, what is happening financially is just what Obama, the puppet, wants at the behest of George Soros. A collapsed dollar will make Soros billions, the same as what happened to the British currency.
Ned| 10.8.10 @ 10:08AM
not to quibble, Knight, but your last sentence should be, "the same as he did to the British currency." rather than "...what happened...".
The crash of the Pound was intentional, it didn't just 'happen', and Soros was in it up to his eyeballs... and, yes, he made billions on the short.
Todd S| 10.8.10 @ 5:39PM
Well it is obvious that Soros has the same plan for the US as anyone who is able to read between the lines of Soro's article this week in The Financial Times titled "America needs stimulus, not virtue".
What makes this so troubling is that Obama will do what Soros wants him to do as he would have never been elected without his considerable financial backing and propaganda machine along with the fact they both share the same anti-American and anti-free market ideology. What is even worse is that Bernake is doing exactly what Soros wants by printing more and more money and monetizing the debt with the dollar going in the tank and inflation just waiting to rear its ugly head in the coming years.
The Nazi's and the Reds never posed a greater danger than the power and influence that the malignant evil that is George Soros has acquired under this regime to destroy America. The tide appears to be turning and many people are waking up to the danger that awaits us but whether it is too late or not remains to be seen.
Redstateboy| 10.8.10 @ 9:04AM
This................ Tripe! The stupid Insistance that blowing a Trillion dollars (don't forget the Interest) created (and saved?? who the Fc ever calculated "Jobs Saved"?!) was a Success is truly: The Emporor has no clothes but THIS is ALL the Rats have!! They can't Honestly go to the American People and admit... "Hey.. We blew a Trillion dollars of yours, your Childrens and your Grandchildren's hard earned tax dollars" And what's really Sad...?!!?!! There are Democrat Dolts who KNOW THIS and they're STILL going to Vote Democrat!!
Eric Cartman| 10.8.10 @ 10:26AM
Hey, Redstateboy! Now just hold on one second! Jobs saved is a perfectly good data point to include in the New Obama Economics. There are many ways of looking at the stimulus. What about "Lives Touched"? That's one you forgot! They are now measuring that and by my estimation, this has "touched" 100% of Americans and will likely keep on touching well into the future! So, let's all come together and remind ALL our neighbors how the Obama stimulus has touched us.
(And by touching I mean deep, prolonged, probe-like touching with no KY Jelly. The kind of touching half of San Fransisco does to the other half.)
Rmm| 10.8.10 @ 9:16AM
How exactly, does one save a job, and furthermore, how can it even be measured by any standard?
This is Obama syntax for total vagueness on this issue. The meat and potatoes of the stimulus package is that it sure did'nt stimulate much, except talking points grandiose rhetoric.
Ned| 10.8.10 @ 10:18AM
This is exactly the sort of thing that just makes my brain short-circuit, and the red mist appear. Watching these pukes (Bite Me and Barry Bullsh*it are by no means the only ones) spout this hogwash leaves one with only two choices: either they are phenomenally stupid, and have never read a history or economics book in their lives, or (2) they are the most duplicious, dishonest bunch of scumbags imaginable. There are no other choices, and neither is palatable.
I've said it on these pages before - the behavior of the Dimwit party over the past eight years (much longer actually, but especially the last eight) leads me to swear that I will NEVER vote for another dumba$$ with a 'D' behind his name EVER again. If the 'R' candidate is too bad to swallow, I'll vote for Mickey and Minnie before I'll vote 'D' again.
Albert| 10.8.10 @ 10:47AM
"either they are phenomenally stupid, and have never read a history or economics book in their lives, or (2) they are the most duplicious, dishonest bunch of scumbags imaginable." This isn't an 'either-or' situation. With these guys, it is both. They are phenomenally stupid AND they are duplicitous. What amazes me is that millions of Americans will STILL vote for these creeps!
Ned| 10.8.10 @ 11:47AM
My brother and sister-in-law, and all of her family, for example - well, the ones that are still speaking to each other anyway. But, hey, they ARE teachers... what can you expect?
Alvin Hansen| 10.8.10 @ 10:22AM
Keynsianism was plausible 80 years ago. 40 Years ago they began really crunching the numbers and discovered that the Multiplier was a fraction and therefore "pump priming" couldn't work. Mr. Nixon became a Keysian just in time to prove that it doesn't work in the real world either.
Keynes was right when he said that the ranting of cranks was the echo of defunk economists. Most people I talk to never even heard of Keynes. [I must say though, that I don't know why a teacher in a private school contributes but a teaacher in a public school doesn't].
Howard| 10.8.10 @ 12:13PM
Excellent observations. The whole pump priming velocity has been proven to be far less than the liberals estimates. The only one who still buys into that canard is Paul Krugman.
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:52PM
Alvin:
Yes, Keynsianism was plausible 80 years ago.
And 180 years ago.
And 280 years ago.
Etc.
And today.
Duh.
To think that the best way to get an economy "moving" is by constraining credit and encouraging people to "save" has ALWAYS been foolish, fruitless advice -- of benefit ONLY to those who already have what they want and fear losing it.
In other words, there's dishonest, hypocritical lying going on.
Slipped N Fellback Init| 10.10.10 @ 1:24AM
Hope springs eternal but Keynsianism has never worked - ever! Not 80 years ago, 180 years ago, 280 years ago, or today.
Didn't know that the alternative to Keynsianism was "constraining credit" and "encouraging people to save". Nobody needs to be encouraged to save. When it is in their best interest they will naturally do so. And so what if they do save. The only purpose for saving is future consumption. It's called raising your standard of living. Give people economic certainty and they will spend.
On the issue of constraining credit, if by constraining credit you mean allowing credit to seek its free market value then I would have to say - DUH. Fake, unrealistically loose credit is the thing that bubbles are made of.
FTM| 10.11.10 @ 12:39AM
Keynes was almost right. The statement that Keynes made was that people were too uneducated, too distracted and too disintrested in managing their own affairs and therefore needed a strong central government to manage their affairs for them. This is exactly the kind of BS that politicians like to hear.
I say that Keynes was almost right in that according to Pareto's Principle, eighty percent of the people that you meet need a strong central government to manage their affairs. The other twenty pervent on the other hand need for the government to get out of their way. Basically what it all translates into is that eight out of ten people that you meet in a days time are too stupid to talk to.
Keynes aside the mistake that we as a society made was to allow the welfare class to vote. Once that floodgate is opened there is no closing it. I say that America will be governed by a military dictatorship in ten years.
dw| 10.8.10 @ 10:26AM
When the speaker of the house, the ever dense pelosi, stands in front of the compliant media and spews the most idiotic drivel declaring that food stamps and unemployment payments are job stimulators...well, it shows a certain mass hysteria of stupidity by a liberal coalition that has discarded objective intelligence for ideological expedience.
This woeful economic ignorance is purvasive throughout the democratic leadership starting with the head commie himself.
Put simply, these people are denser then cardboard.
Ned| 10.8.10 @ 11:50AM
What he said - me too.
Kent Lyon| 10.8.10 @ 11:00AM
As the saying goes: "The operation was a success, but the patient died...."
Warrior | 10.8.10 @ 4:42PM
...and it's sibling, "your teeth are fine but we have to remove your gums."
coal carrier| 10.9.10 @ 7:22AM
Or as my Uncle Billy used top say, “these people are thicker then two short planks”.
The One We've Been Waiting For| 10.8.10 @ 11:13AM
We're buying shrimp, super majority. I hope you are all proud of yourselves. You have churned through all my trolls but vtwin. He was always insane when the others were just mentally troubled. Now they are all insane. Fortunately they will all be eligible for psychological help after I am gone from office with the help of Obamacare. I hope they make it until then. We certainly couldn't get them covered with their preexisting mental health issues. As soon as medical providers find out they are trolls they just can't get help. They at least can wander the streets knowing that they were used by those who are very comfortable. Four rounds of golf this weekend and lots of football. I never tire in my quest to help the poor. Before they were lonely and now they have more company. We're closing gitmo any day, baby.
Anthony| 10.8.10 @ 11:14AM
And the Democrats and the MSM had the gall to laugh at Dan Quale!!
O'biteme is the biggest fool in American politics, and that is indeed an accomplishment, given the level of stupidity coming from the Democrats.
I hope America has enjoyed the fruits of "The Summer of Recovery". What's that you say, unemployment is well over 10%, hmmm, but O'biteme promised us that all was well!!
This fool is the equilivant of the MSM's Dan Rather. Only an all star loser like O'biteme could be dumped by an even bigger loser, Obozo, for a serial lying loser, Madam Hillary.
What a lineup of slime.
George S| 10.8.10 @ 11:43AM
Sometime in the near future:
The health care bill saved or created 3.5 million lives;
The finacial reform bill saved or created 3.5 million mortgages;
The student financial aid law saved or created 3.5 million college degrees;
The incadescent light bulb ban saved the eyesight of 3.5 million people;
The lapse of the Bush tax cuts saved or created 3.5 million tax cheats;
The credit card reform law saved or created 3.5 million deadbeats;
And, of course, the immigration reform bill saved or created 30.5 million voters;
SaltLakeKen| 10.8.10 @ 11:55AM
Please let all conservatives, republicans, tea partiers and independents rally around one man who will restore fiscal sanity to this government and that man is Mitt Romney. Vote Romney for President in 2012.
Al Adab| 10.8.10 @ 12:23PM
Ahhh, the Salt Lake City community speaks. There friend (brother) Ken is part of the problem. The other part is that this Romney is still his father's son. Don't ever forget that George opposed Goldwater to the bitter end and Reagan as well. "Moderate" Republicans are actually more of the problem than Leftist Democrats.
Julie| 10.8.10 @ 12:58PM
I will take Mitt any day over snotty Sarah or the Jersey Fat Man.
Al Adab| 10.8.10 @ 1:25PM
Julie,
It's all about policy, not personality. Chose those who reflect your policy preferences.
Howard| 10.8.10 @ 12:10PM
As pointed out, the Stimulus package did save jobs; state and local government jobs. That is Obama's and Pelosi's base. The only part of the bill that could possibly be accepted is the construction side. I'm sure it was wasteful, but, at least bricks and mortar was used. Perhaps some of these projects will help support the private economy. I'm mostly doubtful. The tax cuts were a joke. Temporary gimmicks, just like Bush used in 2001 and 2008 do not effect behavior. People save the one time "gift" or buy a set of tires. Not exactly moving the economy. Biden is a clown.
Tim*| 10.8.10 @ 1:03PM
Government once again , transferred wealth away from the private sector .
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates .
Rise Up !
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:44PM
You talk about "the private sector" as though it's "us."
It's NOT "us." It's "them" -- the friggin' selfish. greedy, arrogant ruthless rich. When are you going to get that through your head?
Damn! Read some history.
Tim*| 10.9.10 @ 6:57PM
Spoken like A Socialist AgendaBoy .
Where do ya think Our 401-K's , Pension Funds , Mutual Funds , Hedge Funds are investing Our Money , with poor people .
You're an Economic Buffoon .
Damned ObamaBoy ! Read some Economics
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates .
Rise Up !
PattyMor| 10.8.10 @ 5:34PM
If we want to restore our country, we must cut the gov'ment down to size. Let's start with the EPA, the biggest job killer of all. Send the enviromental regulations back to the states where it belongs. Then eliminate the welfare programs and rescue just the kids; let the irresponsible adults grow up and fend for themselves.
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:41PM
"Restore our country"? To exactly WHICH year? 1776? 1783? 1803? 1859?
WHICH?
In other words......which values/principles/privileges are you looking to "restore"?
I suspect it's privileges you're talking about.
Tim*| 10.9.10 @ 7:06PM
Restore America With :
* Fiscal Responsibility
* Constitutionally Limited Government
* Free Markets
Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal Responsibility by government honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty our Constitution was designed to protect. Such runaway deficit spending as we now see in Washington D.C. compels us to take action as the increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and economic liberty of future generations.
Constitutionally Limited Government: We, the members of The Tea Party Patriots, are inspired by our founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and stand in support of that intent. Like the founders, we support states' rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.
Free Markets: A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government's interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates .
We Remember In November .
FTM| 10.11.10 @ 5:35AM
Well Mr. Novy, I can't answer for you but I am a part of the private sector. I'm a mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, monobrow production support engineer in a tier I automotive plant. Spouse is an RN.
Through planning and sacrifice, not one government handout or program, my wife of 26 years and I have managed to pay off our house. We own three cars free and clear, one for me, one for the spouse and one for the son in college. The daughter is weeks away from graduating from college and never once qualified for a government grant, she made too much money in the summers WORKING in the private sector. The son is in college and works nights, 3rd shift Mr. Novy, at UPS, the PRIVATE sector in order to finance his education.
Spouse's mother who has a severe case of Alzhiemer's lives with us. We provide her care, not the government Mr. Novy. In case you've never enjoyed the experience Mr. Novy, I can attest to you from first hand experience that providing 24/7 care for someone with Alzheimers is physically as well as mentally and spiritually not to mention financially demanding. Once again Mr. Novy, not one thin dime from the government. As a matter of fact Mr. Novy, about all we get from the government are veiled threats in the event that we don't care for mother-in-law according to their standards.
Currently the Spouse and I are aligning our finances, what's on the table and what's under the table so that while we may not be able to retire we can downsize the amount of time that we spend working. When I say aligning our finances what I mean is situating our wealth in such a way that enlightened folks such as yourself can't locate it in order to steal it in order to underwrite some collection of completely useless slobs that never did a damned thing for their entire lives other than wait for somebody to come take care of them.
This is about the time Mr. Novy that I would normally refer to you as an idiot but you probably wouldn't get the point. Encouraging you to get up off of your useless backside and go do something worthwile in order to earn a living rather that sit and bitch about greedy rich people and wait for somebody to come take care of you is probably equally pointless. Mr. Novy, why don't you do something socially worthwhile and starve.
carnot| 10.8.10 @ 9:23PM
who cares? well I care...but this tangent is so much juicier:
Tom Donilon....who knows nothing abt the military...was a lobbyist for 5 yrs. he only had one client: FANNY MAE!!!!
this administration just keeps getting better and better!!!!!
Rev. Jesse Jackson| 10.9.10 @ 12:27AM
"POLITICS" - the mother lode of bullshit. November is coming. Hey, Alan Brooks, Obama Bin Laden is an idiot and so are you for liking him. How can you be so stupid? I mean, for real...
Yosemeti Sam| 10.9.10 @ 1:52AM
Ho, ho - the Biden photo:
Do it not depict the characteristic eyes of a sorcerer-like figure?
As in over the years: look into my eyes - ye dunce Delawareans!
Yo, had this guy not be-witched Delawareans?
Had not equally so the BHO be-witched an starry-eyed electorate with stagecraft?
Yo - what a poor putative imitation O'Donnell is to the above in their honed discipline.
Intelligent Design| 10.9.10 @ 10:48AM
The Demo-Socialists gained control of Congress and federal spending in January 2007. Since that time the national debt has increased by 57%, from $8.6 trillion to $13.5 trillion. Their actions are endangering our entire economy, national security, and freedom.
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:36PM
Intelligent Design:
Where are you getting your figures from? That GOP "intellectual" Rick Santorum?
They're wrong. Do some cross-checking, eh?
BTW........."Intelligent Design" sparked a memory:
"The strongest argument against 'intelligent design' is the human body. What intelligent designer would place waste-disposal facilities so close to recreational centers?"
Tim*| 10.9.10 @ 7:23PM
The National Debt as of October 9th ,2010 :
$ 13,624 ,249 , 203 ,594 . 73
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
NEGRO X| 10.9.10 @ 11:44PM
ralph trollboy shill, go hawk your obamaism elsewhere.
Oldefarte| 10.9.10 @ 12:56PM
Anyone with half a brain should know that this [non]stimulus was simply WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION/WELFARE BULLEXCREMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:32PM
Oldefarte:
Why don't you add MORE capitals and exclamation points? We couldn't quite "hear" you.
Tim*| 10.9.10 @ 7:31PM
There Ain't No "We " Here , ObamaBoy Ralphie ?
Aaaand , let's see ya make him , Cupcake .
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates .
Rise Up !
Oldefarte| 10.10.10 @ 10:05AM
Ralph, You will HEAR me/we/us on 11/2/10 and beyond, so get your hearing aid fixed!!!!!!!
Ralph Novy| 10.9.10 @ 4:29PM
"Figures don't lie. But politicians are another story."
Yes.
And you're a politician.
QED
The One We've Been Waiting For| 10.9.10 @ 8:11PM
We're buying shrimp, Ralphy. You have never been anything but a part time troll anyway. It is time to surrender. You are just raising their spirits with you incoherent arguments. You are wearing Tim* out kicking you backside. The time for you to sell wind farms and the summer of recovery is gone. Bush is even with me in the polls. We both have momentum but in the opposite direction. By the time I get through all I will have is morons like you Ralph but a pretty good golf game. Card check, baby. Haha.
Slipped N Fellback Init| 10.10.10 @ 12:59AM
Can somebody pleeeeeeaaaaassssseeee fix the CBO so that it can't be used to promulgate lies?! If it's going to be used this way we are better off without it!
Rhianna| 10.10.10 @ 9:13PM
I am, of course, not in the least surprised by The Washington Post falling for these lies. They didn't fall for them, they most likely, in my opinion helped propagate the lies. Actually, Biden does view this as a success. If your ideology is rooted in Marxism, and Socialism, this situation is an important step to financial chaos. I have to assume, he knows how inaccurate these statistics really are. He thinks stimulus is a success because this is what "they" want. I know America may not be perfect, but compared to any other country in the world, why would we want to change it? We do not. "They" do. Therefore, for the Socialist, Marxist, American capitalist-hating fools, this is a success; it puts us that much closer to financial collapse. Our financial markets are tracking almost identically to those of the great depression. So, if they take more money away from the rich, by taxing them at a higher percentage, keep spending money we don't have, insist that "they" need more money to cover the deficit, because they refuse to stop spending, redistribute funds to those they chose, discriminate against the middle class, take away Social Security increases for those who have worked hard for them, then what do we expect? They are doing everything wrong, and the unholy thing about it, "they" know it. "They" being Obama and his puppet master(s). The biased media channels his thoughts to the vulnerable people who believe "them". The Socialist progressives are determined to instill their misguided ideology into the minds of our children, and young people, and those who do not realize Socialism is a disease. Saul Alinsky, 'how to', Walter Lipmann's 'how to' --being followed to the letter.. Obama's czars, and associates are well-schooled, knee deep in it, and infecting our capitalist society. It has been in motion for one hundred years or more. Obama/Biden/Clinton are the latest in the line being used to fan the flames. Educating our children about The Constitution, how our government should work, our history, understanding of how our nation was formed, how it was molded, and how important it is to protect our individual liberties, is the key to resisting this disease. Our Constitution has been trashed and ridiculed; our laws have been ignored, twisted, and used as an "end to justify the means." They don't care how they get power, they will do what they have to do to succeed. So, in that respect, if the November elections don't put a cog in the Socialist wheel, and conservative patriots do not win The House, none of these financial statistics will matter. We will be a country on the government dole, and everyone should understand the disaster that situation will create. Four words, lost freedom, total control.