Administration Looks At More Half-Way Stimulus Methods
Oy. This White House is just so timid, so careful, so freakin' measured about everything that what should be serious policy making turns into an extended game of "Mother May I?":
With just two months until the November elections, the White House is seriously weighing a package of business tax breaks - potentially worth hundreds of billions of dollars - to spur hiring and combat Republican charges that Democratic tax policies hurt small businesses, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.
Among the options under consideration are a temporary payroll-tax holiday and a permanent extension of the now-expired research-and-development tax credit, which rewards companies that conduct research into new technologies within the United States.
[...] White House officials cautioned that no tax cuts have been settled on and that a more limited measure could emerge. Policy staffers are debating a range of options. For example, a payroll-tax holiday - a top priority of many business groups - could be applied only to new hires or extended to current employees. It could be limited to small businesses or extended to larger firms.
[...] Permanently extending the research credit would cost roughly $100 billion over the next decade, tax analysts said. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll-tax holiday could cost more than $300 billion. While costing significantly less than last year's stimulus package, both ideas would be far more dramatic than anything the White House has so far acknowledged considering.
More spending on infrastructure, particularly transportation projects, is also under discussion. But it would be easier for a package composed purely of tax cuts to "avoid the stain of a 'bailout' or 'stimulus' label," said one official familiar with the talks, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations were private.
Yeah, God forbid the administration actually back something that will directly stimulate the economy, (you know, like creating jobs or paying unemployment benefits to the people who have run out) rather than playing cautious politics. That strategy's worked so well, don't you think? Gee, do you think it might even be why we're looking at a Republican tsunami?
And what will the Republicans do if they win? Why, they'll go back to ignoring the deficit and immediately pass a heaping mess o' tax cuts to put Obama on the spot. What are the odds he has the spine to veto them?
Get something done, stop listening to people like rahm and geithner already. Are they trying to blow the opportunity they had? Is it intentional? It sure looks like it. We need a second party in this country.
We need to bring back the Bull Moose party.
"When are we going to stop trying to tell elected officials what to do. Our job is to spend the taxpayers' money the best way we can." -- Tommy Watkins, Justice of the Peace, Crawford County, Arkansas
He always knew how to get things done.
Obama is making Jimmy Carter look like a real hombre.
How do they take a dump with only half an ass?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
n/t
Is Karl Rove back in the White House?
"When are we going to stop trying to tell elected officials what to do. Our job is to spend the taxpayers' money the best way we can." -- Tommy Watkins, Justice of the Peace, Crawford County, Arkansas
Beyond frustrating.
I'm still seeking those elusive 1,000 signatures: Please sign my Green Jobs petition.
* There are two types of Republicans: millionaires and suckers.
"Mugsy's Rap Sheet": Recording history for those who seek to rewrite it.
Would have signed sooner if I'd heard about it. I used to get alerts from Care 2 but haven't lately.
Correction:
Administration Looks At More Half-Assed Stimulus Methods.
“The greatest evildoers are those who don’t remember because they have never given thought to the matter, and, without remembrance, nothing can hold them back,”
in the the old adage, " it's the thought that counts", now let's "keep looking forward" for all that "hope and change". At the end of Obama's first term he'll be saying, "better luck next time". By the way, how did that Big Pharma deal work out for all the fine citizens? Oh golly, I got another great idea let's invest all the Social Security monies ( 2.3 trillion ) in the stock market. That way it will make Goldman Sachs happy and those fine citizens will have solid investment portfolios for their retirement. Fist bump and a little swagger.
some sort of 787 billion dollar stimulus package. Yea they ought to do something like that.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
granted bush's spine was crooked, but at least he had one. sheesh. i'm so very tired of obama.
made trains run on time.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
What about Auditing the Fed. Does anyone still support that?
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
No. Unless you're absolutely in love with Ron Paul and Grayson. (no offense to the latter)
to the person asking if anyone is still interesting in auditing the Fed.
to stimulate the economy would be to extend unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted them.
How many votyes do you think that would get in the Senate were the administration to propose it?
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
Increase the amount of benefits so that the unemployed actually have disposable discretionary income. Oops I sliced that one into a moral hazzard!
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Tax the ever-lovin' fuck out of companies that ship jobs overseas...and slash them for companies that hire Americans. Make the tax cuts HUGE if you hire this month...and have them get less and less each month if you wait to hire. Get this frickin' show on the road. Make it big and ballsy. Fuck the GOP but good. Call it "The American Jobs Bill".
"Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?" - General Jack D. Ripper
Somebody give wilder a cookie for that brilliant and obvious idea. Makes way to much sense and cuts way too much bs to be used, but it's nice to imagine somehting like that happening.
Indeed, but better yet, give Wilder a job. That is an excellent idea.
And Wilder does have a point with his suggestion. Any incentive that raises job growth immediately could nudge the economy out of it's current "double-dip" downward trend. Just to inject a little cynicism here, an immediate response from the Obama administration to such job stimulus couldn't hurt Democratic Party prospects in the November midterms.
New stimulus with an "outside-the-box" solution has got to be better than "more of the same" NeoLiberal bullshit. The Wall Street bailout didn't trickle down to Main Street, that's for certain.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
Obama needs to paint these companies that send work overseas as unAmerican, and traitors to their countrymen. He should give huge tax incentives to competing companies that hire within our borders. Any company that sends more than 50% of its manufacturing overseas should be subject to the same fines and tariffs as a foreign company.As long as we make it profitable for companies to seek out the cheapest labor on the planet, nothing is going to change.
I seem to recall one of Obama's 2008 campaign promises to end CAFTA & NAFTA, and renegotiate our GATT treaties to bring American jobs home. Since Obama was elected, I guess the whole matter has been dropped, because I've not heard anything more about it.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
Now how do we get the idiots that have taken over OUR government to get this rolling?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwesp_KgoXs
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Given the following, it's hard to see why our ruling elites would see anything wrong with the economy at all:
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/116489-wea...
The simple fact is, this administration has always been playing for the Other Team. As long as their bankster friends are swimming in free money provided by us, there's simply nothing that needs fixing. Why else, after all, would Obama appoint people like Simpson and Bowles to loot Social Security in the first place? Any idiot can figure out how much more damage that's going to do to a failing economy, but why care when there's so much money to be made on the deal?
Seriously. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. These people don't give a rat's patootie about the rest of us. We are nothing more than an revenue stream for their purposes, which is weird since our economic demise will eventually hurt them as well. I guess they haven't gotten to that part of the book yet.....
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit atrocities.
Just exactly how are Bowles and Simpson going to "loot" Social Security in such a way that they can
make off with "so much money" in time to damage our already "failing economy."
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
THEN one would see some real stimulus! If they had raised taxes on the rich AFTER letting the (rich) tax breaks elapse one would see some national debt diminishment. If they had gone to work to repair the infrastructure of America one would see new jobs. If they decided to return the USA to a manufacturing base (like Germany), rather than keep the USA as a rest home for executives, politicians, environmentalists, and the idle, one would see jobs. If they decided to not police the world one would see an improvement in the American way of life and not see a cluster of developed nations supporting the oligarchs, and a trend to globalization at the exclusion of the middle and lower classses.
All one sees in the main stream media are red herrings, divisive issues, personality clashes, name calling, exhibitionists, grand standers, old bigots with tea bags, religious & taliban BS'ers, and gay rights advocates. Guess it's not yet time to GET REAL!
The real trick of the stimulus re-package will be trying to convince us that it is for us and not for more corp/industry bailout type deals. And without wallstreet and banking reform we are just resetting the mechanisms that got us here in the first place. I want financial stimulus, but it looks like they are mostly just throwing money down a hole when it comes to where they want to spend.
in the comment by thx11380 directly below this one to figure out exactly where much of the problem lies. Ain't a nickel in banker bucks involved in this simple idea.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
Who ever wrote this piece of shit article should hang their head in shame. They have been duped by the MSM once again. Far be it for them to go out and actually figure this stuff out for themselves!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/03/tanf...
And there was another story about the WH saying that Wash Post story was bullshit. Can't find it on HuffPuff now. They probably just copied it from Politico or somewhere else like they always do.
Legalize cannabis, just like beer.
Positive Points:
(0) Stimulus of major new jobs creation in small businesses nationwide.
(1) Could immediately slash the DEA and Federal prisons budgets in half.
(2) Eliminate major portion of violent drug cartels.
(3) Create an entire new tax revenue stream for local, state & federal governments.
(4) Stimulate the development of an entire spectrum of new medical remedies.
(5) Stimulate the development of new green bio-fuels.
(6) Stimulate the development of new green construction products.
(7) Stimulate the development of new green plastics and paints.
(8) Stimulate the development of new green food products.
(9) Stimulate the development of new green clothing and paper products.
(10) Capture the public support of the Democratic Party for at least a generation.
Negative Points:
(0) Likely to stimulate public demand for greater personal rights and liberties.
(1) Likely to drive the Republican Party even more insane than they already are.
(2) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the private for-profit prison industry.
(3) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the alcoholic beverage industry.
(4) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the tobacco industry.
(5) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the paper products industry.
(6) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the lumber products industry.
(7) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the petroleum industry.
(8) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the pharmaceutical industry.
(9) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow to LEOs from asset forfeiture laws.
(10) Likely to negatively impact the cash flow of the international drug cartels.
Only if one believes that there are absolutely no such things as written archives, scientific journals, organizational memory, or any sentient rational and logical human beings employed within our federal government could one draw the conclusion that incontrovertible proof doesn’t already exist that cannabis has real medical value, including inhaled cannabis.
The USA federal government has tried in vain for more than 70 years to erase publicly available knowledge of both the medical and economic benefits of the cannabis plant — knowledge that reaches back in time 100’s of years to the Dawn of Enlightenment. At the same time, both government and certain special commercial interests alike have ramped up a crescendo of often contradictory and whimsically ludicrous propaganda meant to justify the continued prohibition of cannabis.
Evidence in contradiction to that propaganda is already overwhelming. And the prohibition against cannabis is very much unlike the relatively short-lived prohibition against alcohol, which was primarily related to religious and temperance based moral judgements inflicted upon society as a whole. Instead, the full combined force of the government and special commercial interests have tried to employ fear, false religious objections, scientific gobbledegook, and draconian law enforcement tactics to suppress the truth about cannabis prohibition.
This prohibition will end only when the combined voices of public sentiment, widespread knowledge of the insidious tools of propaganda employed against cannabis, and an overwhelming body of scientific data overrides the inertia of government and the lack of political will on the part of our elected representatives. Well, that, and perhaps public protests in the streets to rival those of the civil rights and anti-war demonstrations of the 1960’s and early 1970s.
Obama, just say now, jump on the bandwagon of reform, and become a hero of the people and your political party,
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
about your other comments.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
you are either gainfully employed in the Texas private for-profit prison industry, OR you are actually an Xtian (S. Baptist?) preacher, OR both ??
(I know I struck a nerve with you in some other post where I referred to Texas as being the "Buckle of the Bible Belt".)
A young man was recently convicted in Texas for the simple possession of a 1/4 ounce (about 7 grams) of cannabis, about enough to make 8 to 12 reefer cigarettes -- his sentence, 40 years in a Texas prison. I would hardly call that "justice".
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
but before they turned me down based on my criminal history I failed the drug test.
My favorite all time Texas Governor was Preston Smith. He was confronted by demonstrators demanding the release of black civil rights activist Lee Otis Johnson, who had been given a long sentence for posession of an amount of marijuana simila to what you described (possession at the time carried a 2 years to life range). The crowd chanted Free Lee Otis! Free Lee Otis! Afterward the press asked Gov. Smith what he thought of the demonstrators's demands. He replied he had no idea why they were chanting about beans.
Frijoles! Frijoles!
If a Texan has a nerve that can be struck, only his dentist knows where to find it.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
This young man's incarceration for the next 40 years will cost the state of Texas between $1.4 Million USD and $2.4 Million USD, based upon an annual cost of between $35k and $60k. That is badly needed money coming out of taxpayer pockets for warehousing a nonviolent "criminal", money that (apparently) could be far better spent on public education, public health, or infrastructure. Prison does not "reform" the prisoners. If this young man had no connections to any violent gangs before he went into prison, there is a very good chance that he will be before he gets out. That is not justice -- insanity, yes, justice, no.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
3. The enforcement of marijuana laws is racially discriminatory.
me-oww!
The so-called Drug War is simply the New Jim Crow.
Instructive, and rather depressing book on that here:
http://xrl.in/69b3
This country is fucked beyond redemption.
Did a dump truck just rumble by?
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
While I detect no malice in your remark I too would have to question the merits of your plan insofar as its immediate stimulatory effects go. Except, perhaps with sales by Frito-Lay.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
read it clearly.
and I think it's sad and pointless about that happened to that young man if it is true. I could on the other hand demolish most of those economic assertions about hemp. It isn't a magic solution to anything.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
about enough to make
84 to126 reefer cigarettesOnce upon a time, back in a day long since past, I have seen a 1/4 ounce of cannabis used in only 1 reefer cigarette. It looked like an old-time party popper or party favor. ;)
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
like it's NOLA. Infuse major bucks into rebuilding the infrastructure.
The unemployment rate in NOLA is 7%.
The people of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J.K. Galbraith
Maybe after the election, Obama will switch parties if the GOP gets control.
Then perhaps, he will hit his stride proposing and signing all that GOP legislation.
Okay, maybe he won't. But I gotta tell ya,' this country has waaaaaay too many stupid people in it; which wouldn't be that bad if they weren't brainwashed by 24/7 conservative Orwellian bulls**t speak.
A feeble mind, is an easy thing to control.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
It's apparent what the Dems are doing...a double-barreled blast:
1. give them a "strong" talking point for the last weeks before the election
2. box in Repubs who would vote NO because of the deficit while their own "plans" call for tax cuts for business.
Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. But plugging into a GOP meme may be risky. Or not.
Since everything is "message", here's two things I do occasionally share with Cons:
When they repeat the tired "Obama promised unemployment wouldn't go up"....
Christina Romer, the outgoing head of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, never really recovered politically from her January 2009 forecast that the stimulus would keep the unemployment rate below 8%. In fact, by the time Obama signed the Recovery Act into law on Feb. 17, 2009, it already had breached that level. (The original administration forecast was prepared using data from late 2008 before the already-wounded economy deteriorated even more dramatically.)
When Cons think they know what's in the ARRA (stimulus) and what will be lost if the Repubs defund the
"Reinvestment" portion set for 2011-2012 (and I recommend this for everyone):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599201368300
War of aggression and torture loving president Rahm will be cheering tax cuts for the wealthiest and for corporations.
printing paper doesn't change the situation
And taking money from others doesn't either, you just take the opportunity cost away from what they could have done with that money, which would have gone in the economy anyway...
The only thing supporting our money is GDP and if two sectors are suffering, i.e. household and businesses, the only option is for the last sector to pick up the slack, and that's government, and all they have to spend is tax money.
Conservatives like to say you don't raise taxes in bad times but they don't follow the second part which is you don't worry about deficits either.
You raise taxes to pay off deficits when times are good, and not say that any government surplus in tax revenue shows they've been overtaxing, which was the rationale of booshco for creating the tax cut of 2002, generally at the expense of necessary programs and primarily to benefit the top 5% of the population, who just so happen to also be their buds...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Tax cuts given to the wealthiest top 2% does not stimulate the economy -- they aren't spending that money. Not unlike the TARP funds given to TBTF banks and investment houses (bookies) hasn't "trickled down" to stimulate Main Street small businesses, either. And we have many corporations that already pay little or no USA taxes sitting on over $1.8 Trillion USD of cold cash they would otherwise be investing in their companies and hiring more employees.
The most effective way to directly stimulate the economy is to provide as much money as possible to the greatest number of people, where it will be spent. Extending unemployment insurance does that, but it's strictly a short-term band-aid on a gushing arterial wound. Real jobs, even government jobs such as FDR implemented with the CC and WPA are better yet. Many bridges, schools, and libraries across this land were constructed during that FDR era.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
-- John F. Kennedy
>Tax cuts given to the wealthiest top 2% does not stimulate the economy -- they aren't spending that money.
Is that money just going to sit there in their bed? or are they going to save it in a bank or make investments? or are they going to increase machinery or expand their corporations?
>The most effective way to directly stimulate the economy is to provide as much money as possible to the greatest number of people, where it will be spent.
How come when it's been tried many times before it makes little impact on the economy? especially in the 80's?
As I said that money is getting dumped in the economy anyway regardless of how you approach it.
Also what occurred after those bridges, libraries, etc.. where built? did those people still have jobs? if that's the case then why don't we put people to work by digging holes with spoons? or even better have 5 people pump gas for your car?
it may be too late...but i still believe that it should be done
handing out unemployment benefits is fine....but people need to work
a full works program to all that want it
even if it is busy work...but there is much infrastructure work that needs to be done
this program could work in cali...where there have been significant cutbacks in parks
give everyone a job who wants one
either that, or hand every man woman and child a check for a million...at least the money will get spent correctly
How about business open their pocketbooks and just start hiring again?
that Obama will continue the infamous Bush tax cuts as well as hand out tax breaks for business who are normally Repugs?
Where did this propaganda that the republicans are going to win big start? Naturally I read mostly progressive blogs but on the few right wing blogs I peek at occasionally I don't hear this at all.
Who started this? Why?
PUMA'S?
The crowd seems bent on electing more 'dogs' into office to stall everything, rather than kick start this machine.
The liberal MSM.
The 2010 GOP landslide started the day after the 2008 elections.
All b.s. Repukes are in for a rude awakening.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
He won't need to veto anything; the Cat Food Commission recommendations on cutting SS will be adopted by the clusterfuck of idiots populating CONgress.
So, one shall pay for the other, and the so-called "elites" will be very happy.
The rest of us, well, not so much. But no one will do anything about it anyway, since Glen Buck and Sean InHannity will distract them with something else.
Tax breaks, loans for small business , more stimulus , more $ put into the wrong hands . Nothing will improve until Joe average middle class and lower class has cash to purchase services and buy goods , until then there is no demand , the small business has little to no business , they don't need loans they need customers / buyers , but the customers / buyers need pesos . Money put in the pockets of the lower and middle class and trickle up is what's needed , this trickle down bullshit is just a sham and the same old %$#@ .
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