Shades Of The 787 Billion Stimulus That Wasn't

[Oldstyle]

The Stimulus was never intended to single handedly rescue the economy. The Stock Market was crashing having lost 7000 points, the economy was shedding 700,000 jobs a month, the auto and financial sectors were on the verge of collapse.

There was no faith in the economy, everyone was pulling their money out. Only the US Government had the power to say ......we will not let this economy collapse. Once they made it clear that our economy would not collapse, others started to invest in the economy. The stock market reversed, the GDP went positive, people started hiring again.

The stimulus and TARP saved our economy

Let's be honest, Winger...TARP saved our economy...a lot of the Stimulus was pure payback to the people who supported the Obama run for President.

They both were released about the same time so it is hard to say which one was responsible for what economic upturn. TARP sent a message that the US Government would stand behind these companies and the financial sector would not be allowed to collapse
Stimulus was poorly executed and was filled with patronage from both sides. The tax cuts were a give away. Sending money to the states to fund projects was hit or miss. However, there were shovel ready jobs completed. I did see local infrastructure improvements. Jobs were created and jobs were saved ( teachers, police, firemen)
Stimulus was priming the economic pump. It was not intended to single handedly rescue a recession. Once the stimulus dollars dried up the recovery faltered. You cannot deny that

TARP and the Obama stimulus were not released at about the same time. TARP was started by George W. Bush. The Obama stimulus came later.

You say the stimulus was filled with patronage from both sides? Really? Since it was essentially written behind closed doors by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid without any imput from Republicans at all I find that to be a rather dubious claim. What "patronage" did conservatives get from the Obama Stimulus?

As for the "recovery" faltering? Come on, Winger...you know as well as I do that the real purpose of the second stimulus was to prop up some really bad economic numbers that the White House didn't want to take into an election year. Barry was willing to ring up another half a trillion dollars on his "credit card" that someone else would have to pay, as long as it kept his unemployment numbers in the 8% range.

 

[Oldstyle]

Federal dollars went to local communities to prevent layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters.

Yes, those were jobs saved and prevented unemployment from going higher

So let's be honest about what the Obama Stimulus "was" then, Winger...it protected government workers from being laid off like workers in the private sector...many of whom are STILL out of work because this Administrations economic policy would best be described as MIA. To use an analogy...the "crew" of the cruise ship "United States of America" got on the lifeboats and the "passengers" were left to tread water until help showed up.

I'm sorry

But I value my local teachers, police officers and firefighters

Saving a teachers or police mans job does not prevent a local private employer from hiring

I'm curious, Winger...why does a teacher, police officer or firefighter's job have more "value" than a person in the private sector who needs to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family's head? What gave this Administration the right to take "our" money and give it to the one group of people and not another?

 

[Greenbeard]

To appease liberal Democrats pushing for the so-called “public option” (the full frontal government takeover of our health care system), the White House settled for the creation of a $6 billion network of nonprofit “CO-OPs” that will “compete” with private insurers. It’s socialized medicine through the side door. House Republicans sliced about $2 billion from the slush fund in last spring’s budget deal and proclaimed the program dead. Hardly.

A private nonprofit health insurance cooperative is "socialized medicine," too? Is there even a pretense of that phrase meaning something anymore?

 

[rightwinger]

Let's be honest, Winger...TARP saved our economy...a lot of the Stimulus was pure payback to the people who supported the Obama run for President.

They both were released about the same time so it is hard to say which one was responsible for what economic upturn. TARP sent a message that the US Government would stand behind these companies and the financial sector would not be allowed to collapse
Stimulus was poorly executed and was filled with patronage from both sides. The tax cuts were a give away. Sending money to the states to fund projects was hit or miss. However, there were shovel ready jobs completed. I did see local infrastructure improvements. Jobs were created and jobs were saved ( teachers, police, firemen)
Stimulus was priming the economic pump. It was not intended to single handedly rescue a recession. Once the stimulus dollars dried up the recovery faltered. You cannot deny that

TARP and the Obama stimulus were not released at about the same time. TARP was started by George W. Bush. The Obama stimulus came later.

You say the stimulus was filled with patronage from both sides? Really? Since it was essentially written behind closed doors by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid without any imput from Republicans at all I find that to be a rather dubious claim. What "patronage" did conservatives get from the Obama Stimulus?

As for the "recovery" faltering? Come on, Winger...you know as well as I do that the real purpose of the second stimulus was to prop up some really bad economic numbers that the White House didn't want to take into an election year. Barry was willing to ring up another half a trillion dollars on his "credit card" that someone else would have to pay, as long as it kept his unemployment numbers in the 8% range.

Republicans did not benefit from stimulus dollars? Cut me a break!

Stimulus was divided up by State with Republican Governors getting their fair share. They showboated that they were rejecting federal money but then bragged about the jobs they created or balanced their budgets off of stimulus.

 

[rightwinger]

So let's be honest about what the Obama Stimulus "was" then, Winger...it protected government workers from being laid off like workers in the private sector...many of whom are STILL out of work because this Administrations economic policy would best be described as MIA. To use an analogy...the "crew" of the cruise ship "United States of America" got on the lifeboats and the "passengers" were left to tread water until help showed up.

I'm sorry

But I value my local teachers, police officers and firefighters

Saving a teachers or police mans job does not prevent a local private employer from hiring

I'm curious, Winger...why does a teacher, police officer or firefighter's job have more "value" than a person in the private sector who needs to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family's head? What gave this Administration the right to take "our" money and give it to the one group of people and not another?

How do you propose the government save private sector jobs?

 

[Oldstyle]

They both were released about the same time so it is hard to say which one was responsible for what economic upturn. TARP sent a message that the US Government would stand behind these companies and the financial sector would not be allowed to collapse
Stimulus was poorly executed and was filled with patronage from both sides. The tax cuts were a give away. Sending money to the states to fund projects was hit or miss. However, there were shovel ready jobs completed. I did see local infrastructure improvements. Jobs were created and jobs were saved ( teachers, police, firemen)
Stimulus was priming the economic pump. It was not intended to single handedly rescue a recession. Once the stimulus dollars dried up the recovery faltered. You cannot deny that

TARP and the Obama stimulus were not released at about the same time. TARP was started by George W. Bush. The Obama stimulus came later.

You say the stimulus was filled with patronage from both sides? Really? Since it was essentially written behind closed doors by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid without any imput from Republicans at all I find that to be a rather dubious claim. What "patronage" did conservatives get from the Obama Stimulus?

As for the "recovery" faltering? Come on, Winger...you know as well as I do that the real purpose of the second stimulus was to prop up some really bad economic numbers that the White House didn't want to take into an election year. Barry was willing to ring up another half a trillion dollars on his "credit card" that someone else would have to pay, as long as it kept his unemployment numbers in the 8% range.

Republicans did not benefit from stimulus dollars? Cut me a break!

Stimulus was divided up by State with Republican Governors getting their fair share. They showboated that they were rejecting federal money but then bragged about the jobs they created or balanced their budgets off of stimulus.

So what were the "Solyndras" that Republicans paid for with their share of the stimulus? I'm sorry but if Republicans used the money to balance their budgets that hardly falls under the category of "patronage". The patronage was all of the money that was diverted to a litany of progressive programs, buisinesses and unions.

 

[Greenbeard]

Stimulus was divided up by State with Republican Governors getting their fair share. They showboated that they were rejecting federal money but then bragged about the jobs they created or balanced their budgets off of stimulus.

Lot of red state Medicaid programs are dishing out stimulus money to red state doctors for adopting electronic health records:

 

[Rozman]

I thought Obama admitted there weren't any shovel ready jobs?

 

[Truthmatters]

Jindal takes credit for stimulus, presents constituents with jumbo-sized stimulus check. | ThinkProgress

 

[Truthmatters]

Newsvine - GOP governors press Congress to pass stimulus bill

 

[NYcarbineer]

I thought Obama admitted there weren't any shovel ready jobs?

I drove over hundreds of miles of roads that were being repaired with stimulus money a couple years ago,

so they must have been 'shovel ready'.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Romney proposing a stimulus package that will add 9 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years.

 

[Truthmatters]

Welcome to the Republicans Hypocrisy Hall of Fame!


The House Republicans Hypocrisy Hall of Fame, which has now grown to 128 Members. These Republicans have been caught trying to celebrate the benefits of projects they opposed in President Obama's recovery bill, the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.






It's bad enough House Republicans want to go back to the Bush Administration policies responsible for the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, but they’ve also tried to get away with taking credit for the economic benefits in their districts they tried to prevent. House Republicans need to immediately let their constituents know the truth – will they come out in favor of canceling funding in their congressional districts from President Obama’s economic recovery policies or will they continue taking credit for jobs and local projects they fought against?

 

[Oldstyle]

I'm sorry

But I value my local teachers, police officers and firefighters

Saving a teachers or police mans job does not prevent a local private employer from hiring

I'm curious, Winger...why does a teacher, police officer or firefighter's job have more "value" than a person in the private sector who needs to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family's head? What gave this Administration the right to take "our" money and give it to the one group of people and not another?

How do you propose the government save private sector jobs?

The same way that they "save" public sector jobs. Why was it OK to give local governments taxpayer money to save the jobs of public sector jobs but not give businesses taxpayer money to save the jobs of private sector workers? What made one group of worker's jobs more valuable than others...especially when those "others" are the one's who paid the taxes in the first place?

 

[Truthmatters]

Why did the GOP govenors want the stim money if it didnt work?

 

[rightwinger]

I'm curious, Winger...why does a teacher, police officer or firefighter's job have more "value" than a person in the private sector who needs to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family's head? What gave this Administration the right to take "our" money and give it to the one group of people and not another?

How do you propose the government save private sector jobs?

The same way that they "save" public sector jobs. Why was it OK to give local governments taxpayer money to save the jobs of public sector jobs but not give businesses taxpayer money to save the jobs of private sector workers? What made one group of worker's jobs more valuable than others...especially when those "others" are the one's who paid the taxes in the first place?

Money was given to the private sector in terms of tax incentives for creating jobs

 

[Truthmatters]

what pictures of all the R holding big checks?

 

[Oldstyle]

I thought Obama admitted there weren't any shovel ready jobs?

I drove over hundreds of miles of roads that were being repaired with stimulus money a couple years ago,

so they must have been 'shovel ready'.

What's amusing about that statement, Carbineer...is that it was the failure of "shovel ready" jobs being ready that led the Obama Administration to panic and order the infrastructure funds to be spent on whatever could be done quickly. So instead of repairs to bridges...we got road repaving...LOTS and LOTS of road repaving. That was what you were witnessing as you drove those hundreds of miles.

 

[Rozman]

I'm curious, Winger...why does a teacher, police officer or firefighter's job have more "value" than a person in the private sector who needs to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family's head? What gave this Administration the right to take "our" money and give it to the one group of people and not another?

How do you propose the government save private sector jobs?

The same way that they "save" public sector jobs. Why was it OK to give local governments taxpayer money to save the jobs of public sector jobs but not give businesses taxpayer money to save the jobs of private sector workers? What made one group of worker's jobs more valuable than others...especially when those "others" are the one's who paid the taxes in the first place?

They were union brothers and sisters....ergo money in the bank come election day.
It was a money laundering scam.Money to the union workers in return for votes.

 

[Oldstyle]

How do you propose the government save private sector jobs?

The same way that they "save" public sector jobs. Why was it OK to give local governments taxpayer money to save the jobs of public sector jobs but not give businesses taxpayer money to save the jobs of private sector workers? What made one group of worker's jobs more valuable than others...especially when those "others" are the one's who paid the taxes in the first place?

Money was given to the private sector in terms of tax incentives for creating jobs

Yeah, in a down economy you tell a business owner that if he hires an employee that he doesn't need and can't afford to pay...that at the end of the year he'll get a tax credit on all of the profit that he hasn't made? Gee, wonder why THAT program didn't work?