US Economic Issues...

[Mr. Happy]

First of all, I'm sick and tired of everyone calling this a crises. It's not a crises. Sure it's bad, but it's not a crises and it annoys me when people use the wrong words for things. Crises' are when there's 1) a serious problem 2) that has a short amount of time to be dealt with 3) was unexpected and 4) requries the attention of the highest levels of government. This has 1 and 4 but not 2 and 3 (well, it was unexpected to us, but shouldn't have been to the experts--hell one fund manager guy predicted it and got out while the getting was good). But that's all mostly irrelevant.

Secondly, Dionysis sums it up pretty good for me. This is a problem with the economic system we have due to the confluene of 1) a FIAT currency and 2) Free market ideology in highly leveraged equity market buzzwords

I didn't mean to say that it hasn't been developing for a long time, but more that blaming either Bush or the Dem's of the past 5 years doesn't cut it. Like you said, both sides take blame.

What is really the problem is the long term conservative trend of free markets no matter what when COMBINED with the Federal Reserve Act. Having multi-trillion dollar deficiets is just a natural occurenc when you ge the two together.

Personally, I don't like either. But I would like to point out, that the biggest problem, is the Federal Reserve Act, signed into law by Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat. If you want to blame someone, blame him. He sure as hell blamed himself.

Hope that clears it up, I most certainly don't side with the democratic ideologues. Also, dragonfilet is right, unless you believe that the government should be able to bust contracts, then those bonuses were perfectly legal. I'm not sure what I think either way on that one.

[joe_dirt976]

I think the real issue here is that more people need to upgrade their vid card to run Crysis®: The World Economy™.
Seriously though, these bailouts have to stop, if a company is insolvent that should be the end of it. And people have to stop calling this "the US Economic Crisis," we're all in this together. Regardless of fault, we will all suffer in some way or another.

[theNotSoNinja]

Communism is the awnser; throw out the bourgeois and let the proletariat rise up.

[Deathbagel]

Hey, umm, maybe not 100% on topic, but I made a pie chart of the 2009 proposed budget, and thought I'd share.

EDIT: I can't upload it. But please, be assured of its awesomeness and usefullness.

[MayheM]

You know I look back at the way the government spends money and runs the country and I remember Ross Perot. Granted he turned out to be a freak but he did have some good ideas. He said at one point that is a business was ran like this country it would go bankrupt. Well now our our government wants to put its hands into the private sector and tell them how to do things. I really do not think they have any place to do that, not only becaseu it is unconstitusional to do so but because they are obviously unqualified to do so. Spending needs to stop, or at least slow down. A stimulous makes not sense when you think about it. For this reason...

If you do not have enough money to pay your bills what do you do, as an individual. The average person would say, cut back on spending and do without. However the government wants to spend money we do not have to try and stimulate the economy rather then cutting spending on stupid pet projects which where added by both Democrats and Republicans.

I find it funny that one of the biggest contributers to the economic downturn we have had is the houseing market and the sub prime morgages. Fannie and Freddy where a big part of that. A few weeks back everyone was freaking out about the AIG bonuses and dispite the fact that those bonuses where actually in the Bill which was passed without being read people wanted the money back. Fannie and Freddy just gave bonuses out which trumped those that AIG gave out and there has hardly been a word about it. Why? It could have something to do with the fact that Fannie and Freddy are government funded. Or maybe the politicians get kickbacks from them.

Anyway, I just think that as far as the government is going right now, it is business as usual. Obama has not done a thing differrent other then spend more money we dont have and put us in a ton of debt. I am really worried about what is going to happen in the next few years, and it is intensified by the fact that I was laid off from my job. I dont care whos fault it is, I want it fixed!

Side note: the day after North Korea shoots a missle off, Obama's administration cuts the defense budget and one thing that was cut was the missle defense budget. We have a real brainchild running this country.
Way to cut money in the wrong freaking places!

[ghost12332]

Nobody knew we were into a recession until the media had a field day with it.

I must also fully agree with Mayhem.

[MayheM]

Wait I must have said something wrong to have had someone agree with me! Good point on the media though, they have really done a crap job as of late...

[blackdeath]

Actually some of us knew we were in a recession while the media was still shrilling about how everything was fine and everything was contained and nothing was a big deal.

I know it's cute to blame the media and all but they were 9000% bullish until it was too obvious to miss. people have been shouting about this since 2003. 2003 (CAPS)! even when it was plainly obvious in Feb 2007 that the subprime credit swap market was melting down, the media was bullish. lehman defaulted, the media was bullish. fed panics and injects $40 billion, the media was bullish. the labor market then stalled, the media was bullish. everything starts imploding, well, hey, a great buying opportunity!

I mean seriously people. This was plain as DAY since Feb 07. And where was the media then?

You can't have it both ways.

[cz_squishy]

I hate how people voted yes to build a $10 billion high speed train in California and with interest the total cost is around $20 billion. What the F**K are people thinking?!? They should put the money towards schools not a stupid train...

[zombie@computer]

I hate how people voted yes to build a $10 billion high speed train in California and with interest the total cost is around $20 billion. What the F**K are people thinking?!? They should put the money towards schools not a stupid train...

FFS even the french have better trains how CAN they vote no?

[MayheM]

I hate how people voted yes to build a $10 billion high speed train in California and with interest the total cost is around $20 billion. What the F**K are people thinking?!? They should put the money towards schools not a stupid train...

FFS even the french have better trains how CAN they vote no?

Since when has the US tried to be like France?

I dont thing it is a bad idea really, it is just a bad time. Cali can not even balance a budget and we want to spend even more money. But I guess the way they look at it they will be creating jobs. Even though most of the people who are loosing thier jobs would not work said newly created jobs. I can see it now...

Hey Billy before you started buildng high speed trains what did you do?

Billy: "I was an office manager and did little to no physical labor, so the thransition to hard labor just made total sense."

[blackdeath]

I could use information on the bond issue and where the $20 bil in interest is coming from. Because for all I know it's $20 billion spread out over 30 years at an interest rate that will likely be below inflation, making it free money. And if there are local jobs, you have to subtract the taxes from those jobs from the overall cost. I mean... there has to be more going on here than OMG $20 BILLION.

[BillyDa59]

The US does need a better public transportation system. What a lovely commodity that countries like Germany seem to have. The trains go EVERYWHERE and at a decent price. In America, trains go to large cities only. While the States need better public transportation, it's not the time to worry about it.