Hope?

Sadly, I missed the President's first national address the other night. I didn't do much follow-up, and only recently got some feedback on it.

What I hear is the guy who's entire campaign was built on hope, basically spent the entire speach predicting little more than gloom and doom. The word "Crisis" was used 25 times. Assessment was that the speach was little more than pre-setting the excuses. If he fails, he can say he warned us - not his bad. Damn man, the buck stops there - take it on the chin even if maybe it's NOT 100% your fault. I'll give Bush his due, he never pussied out like this. It goes with the job, have some balls. This coupled with some serious scare tactics to ramrod a questionable stimulus package.

I hope that this is an unfair characterization - because frankly what this country really needs (and I thought voted for) was some serious optimism and hope. An economic depression is as much a national state of mind as anything else - and a leader who preaches fear and dispare like this is a pretty big dissappointment.

Even Bill Clinton agrees with you.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/President4...6916695&page=1

Of course my boy doesn't have time or energy to drop the wife a note that says hi or anything but he can post political rants here ;)

Hi Pharm.

Obamas doom and gloom talk was all about drumming up public support for a raft of new liberal spending.

You are so not helping me guilt Clay,

So phhht Squiddie :)

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Originally Posted by [AK]Beaker

Of course my boy doesn't have time or energy to drop the wife a note that says hi or anything but he can post political rants here ;)

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Says you! Called you 3 times today and emailed too!

Don't worry... he only called me twice!

Ok. I just heard excerpts from Ronald Reagans first state of the Union address. He too ran on a platform of reform and " hope". However his first address did talk about crisis and despair. So do we have a count for pessimistic words for that address as a reference? It was my desire to use that as a benchmark for language tone after all he was called the great communicator.

I haven't heard the speech in a while but I doubt that RR was calling for a massive increase in the size and scope of the government. RR was for smaller government. Obama is a fascist.

Reagan mentions "crisis" exactly two times in his inauguration address and in this context:

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem."

"The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us."

Hardly the same.

The whole speech is here. You should all read it. It's the medicine that this country really needs. God, we could use Reagan now.

I disagree that Reagan decreased spending, but that's a conversation for another time. He did decrease spending on social programs but greatly increased the size and spending of the military industrial complex. And it depends on how you slice the numbers regarding the "size" of government. Government contracts went up just as government positions were eliminated.

Thanks for posting the link I'll try and read it tonight I wanted it for some comparison especially for the upcoming address.
I never meant to imply that Reagan and Obama had the same political ideas only that they inherited a country that was facing a confidene problem.

We have to take the Reagan budgets in context. He was fighting the Cold War and breaking the Soviet Union. The fruit of that spending was the freedom of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania (among others) from the hands of tyranny.

Money well spent in my opinion.

And I believe that his budget ideas were blasted by the Congress... both reps and dems increased spending despite RR's pleads not too. Yes, an increase in the deficit was likely but Congress as to carry a bit more of the blame than RR.

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Originally Posted by [AK]Bribo

We have to take the Reagan budgets in context. He was fighting the Cold War and breaking the Soviet Union. The fruit of that spending was the freedom of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania (among others) from the hands of tyranny.

Money well spent in my opinion.

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In the eyes of liberals it was NOT money well spent. We introduced those countries to the sins of capitalism.

Doesn't completely address the current question, but it's a pretty cool graphical representation of our current expenses in the USA. Nice baseline data from which past and future discussion of expenses can be discussed.

Will take quite a while to digest it. The one nugget that jumped out at me in the few seconds I scanned a couple items: we spend over 1.3 Bn just in operations of the Legislative branch. That's some serious coin IMHO.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...5545638730.jpg

I'm too lazy to find the source but I heard this on the radio: In just 30 short days, Obama has signed legislation that will cost more than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the relief effort for Katrina and Ike... combined. 8 years of national defense and humanitarian aid = 30 days of pork and fascism.

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Originally Posted by [AK]Nuts

I'm too lazy to find the source but I heard this on the radio: In just 30 short days, Obama has signed legislation that will cost more than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the relief effort for Katrina and Ike... combined. 8 years of national defense and humanitarian aid = 30 days of pork and fascism.

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It's all good, he's going to reduce taxes and cut the deficit in half in 4 years.

And you can do that too - it's called print money 24/7. Of course, the money in your wallet starts becoming worth a whole lot less...

Financially, I haven't a clue how to advise people on what to do - invest in the market looks like a loser. Hold it as cash, and watch the value of that cash drop. I guess buy goods, but really, what goods can you buy that you can actually resell as an individual that will keep up with inflation? Gold? That cat's out of the bag - gold prices are rediculous.

Actually, NIB firearms tend to hold value well. Hmm... ;)

Don't panic. Stay calm. Stay the course.

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Originally Posted by [AK]Bribo

Don't panic. Stay calm. Stay the course.

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... right into that iceberg.

I hear Gold is doing pretty well... :lol2:

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Originally Posted by [AK]Abaddon

... right into that iceberg.

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What I mean is don't do anything radical. I hear that people are cashing out their 401ks for heavens sake. If anything now is the time to BUY. When the economy bounces back (and it will) the investments made now will pay some handsome dividends.

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Originally Posted by [AK]Bribo

What I mean is don't do anything radical. I hear that people are cashing out their 401ks for heavens sake. If anything now is the time to BUY. When the economy bounces back (and it will) the investments made now will pay some handsome dividends.

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Nobody has a lost a nickel in their 401K unless they've sold the securities they were holding or withdrew their money. My 401K "current value" is down of course, but I've "LOST" nothing. I'm pretty sure it will rebound within the 30 years before I retire. Unless of course we follow Venezuela and decide to let The Messiah rule in perpetuity.