The O-Administration is wrong.

[Jasman0717 8]

The critics have come out of the wood work. I continually get Obama hate emails from my friend because he is so 'Republican'

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Liberal theory teaches that one truism of government is that whatever it does, the results end up making the problem not better but worse. I'm thinking of the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on illiteracy, and the war on terror. So it is with the war on recession. Already it has given us a record of failure, for going on a year most recently but really dating back to the 1930s.

....

Matt, I don't know how you can buy into such absolutes. I could come up with a long list of remarkable achievements made through government. It just seems like an incredibly nihilistic approach towards government to believe that it can achieve nothing good, no matter what it does. We can find plenty of examples of failures, bureaucracy, incompetence within the private sector, but no one is drawing the conclusion that the private sector can do nothing right or efficient.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Mister Fancypants

[mRx 16]

Sigh.

Surely that's not all you got out of the article.

What's your take on the article?

I think it's an insightful and alternative viewpoint not commonly expressed or published. Nowadays, both Left and Right believe all problems can only be fixed by the omnipotent and omnipresent government power.

Do they? I find that an incredibly odd thing to say. It would have been insightful if it stuck to facts instead of trying to suggest that somehow one side of the political elite is bad and the other is good, at the same time as suggesting that 'government' is the devil complete with horns.

I'm not seeing where the author is saying any side of government is good.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Sigh.

Surely that's not all you got out of the article.

Yep. I'm dumb.

I'm just saying... There's more to the article than the first 7 words.

974 total words to be exact...

Too much free time, huh?

[NickD 202]

I did hear Obama say that we have a 270 billion dollar trade deficit with China and something has to be done about that. Bush would say, what's a deficit? Willing to give Obama another month.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

The idea of opportunity costs and squeezing money out of the private sector capital pool are lost on Obama and friends. The idea everyone should shut up until after trillions are spent to see if the stimulus works is very risky and their defense is Bush and the GOP wasted money so Obama and the Dems should even more of a right to waste even more money- it's all for a good cause and if we don't do it were doomed.

Maybe the government should just let the private sector fail. Do nothing for a year or two and see what happens. Then if the country collapses, people can complain that Washington did nothing to stop it. Or do something and spend trillions of dollars, and if it doesn't work people can complain that the money was wasted and that Washington should have kept it's nose out of the pot. I see a pattern here.

Or maybe do something and, heaven forbid, it helps get us out of this mess. And people will have to focus on new things to bi tch about.

[peejay 327]

I did hear Obama say that we have a 270 billion dollar trade deficit with China and something has to be done about that. Bush would say, what's a deficit? Willing to give Obama another month.

But you're stuck with him for 3 years and 10 months regardless.

Kind of like with Slick Willy...might have to wait for the 2010 elections for some relief.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I did hear Obama say that we have a 270 billion dollar trade deficit with China and something has to be done about that. Bush would say, what's a deficit? Willing to give Obama another month.

But you're stuck with him for 3 years and 10 months regardless.

Kind of like with Slick Willy...might have to wait for the 2010 elections for some relief.

And so are you.

[mRx 16]

Liberal theory teaches that one truism of government is that whatever it does, the results end up making the problem not better but worse. I'm thinking of the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on illiteracy, and the war on terror. So it is with the war on recession. Already it has given us a record of failure, for going on a year most recently but really dating back to the 1930s.

....

Matt, I don't know how you can buy into such absolutes. I could come up with a long list of remarkable achievements made through government. It just seems like an incredibly nihilistic approach towards government to believe that it can achieve nothing good, no matter what it does. We can find plenty of examples of failures, bureaucracy, incompetence within the private sector, but no one is drawing the conclusion that the private sector can do nothing right or efficient.

I don't content that government cannot do good to certain individuals or groups. When focusing solely at the good done to one group, it's easy to miss the harm done to another group.

My point is; that it cannot do any good without first either creating a bad elsewhere, or forcibly taking a good from somewhere else.

Incompetence and failure in the private sector is punished by the market. That's why certain businesses realize losses and bankruptcies. The government cannot and will not realize such losses.

On a side note, I'm extremely frightened by this upcoming stimulus. It's dangerous and reckless. I read in the local paper yesterday that the Obama administration is placing hasty deadlines on public departments to facilitate this spending spree, or else they will face losing funds. The public sector cannot even be efficient with the amount of time they had before, and now they have to spend this money even faster!? It's ridiculous. And we will pay for it, through loss of value of our currency. I just think it's BS.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The idea of opportunity costs and squeezing money out of the private sector capital pool are lost on Obama and friends. The idea everyone should shut up until after trillions are spent to see if the stimulus works is very risky and their defense is Bush and the GOP wasted money so Obama and the Dems should even more of a right to waste even more money- it's all for a good cause and if we don't do it were doomed.

Maybe the government should just let the private sector fail. Do nothing for a year or two and see what happens. Then if the country collapses, people can complain that Washington did nothing to stop it. Or do something and spend trillions of dollars, and if it doesn't work people can complain that the money was wasted and that Washington should have kept it's nose out of the pot. I see a pattern here.

Or maybe do something and, heaven forbid, it helps get us out of this mess. And people will have to focus on new things to bi tch about.

I think the ideologues in this country need to accept the fact that there will always be a relationship between government and the private sector, however unattractive that may seem.

[mRx 16]

Or maybe do something and, heaven forbid, it helps get us out of this mess. And people will have to focus on new things to bi tch about.

If this stimulus boosts the economy without immense devaluation through inflation and the gutting of our saved wealth, I will happily eat my words.

But if it doesn't, will the pro-regulators eat theirs?

I doubt it.

They will find some way to say that if there was just a little more oversight, a little more regulation, or a little more spending, then it would've worked to drown out the evil capitalism.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

The idea of opportunity costs and squeezing money out of the private sector capital pool are lost on Obama and friends. The idea everyone should shut up until after trillions are spent to see if the stimulus works is very risky and their defense is Bush and the GOP wasted money so Obama and the Dems should even more of a right to waste even more money- it's all for a good cause and if we don't do it were doomed.

Maybe the government should just let the private sector fail. Do nothing for a year or two and see what happens. Then if the country collapses, people can complain that Washington did nothing to stop it. Or do something and spend trillions of dollars, and if it doesn't work people can complain that the money was wasted and that Washington should have kept it's nose out of the pot. I see a pattern here.

Or maybe do something and, heaven forbid, it helps get us out of this mess. And people will have to focus on new things to bi tch about.

I think the ideologues in this country need to accept the fact that there will always be a relationship between government and the private sector, however unattractive that may seem.

There was a hint of sarcasism in what I said.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Or maybe do something and, heaven forbid, it helps get us out of this mess. And people will have to focus on new things to bi tch about.

If this stimulus boosts the economy without immense devaluation through inflation and the gutting of our saved wealth, I will happily eat my words.

But if it doesn't, will the pro-regulators eat theirs?

I doubt it.

They will find some way to say that if there was just a little more oversight, a little more regulation, or a little more spending, then it would've worked to drown out the evil capitalism.

If it doesn't work, we all pay. It's going to be implemented whether we like it or not. I am going to be positive and do my part and see if it works. I won't waste my energy being negative and criticizing every word that comes out of the man's mouth. No matter what happens, my life will be better if I have a positive attitude. Negativity gets you nowhere fast. This is isn't directed at you. Some people thrive on it. I don't.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I don't content that government cannot do good to certain individuals or groups. When focusing solely at the good done to one group, it's easy to miss the harm done to another group.

My point is; that it cannot do any good without first either creating a bad elsewhere, or forcibly taking a good from somewhere else.

Incompetence and failure in the private sector is punished by the market. That's why certain businesses realize losses and bankruptcies. The government cannot and will not realize such losses.

But Matt, again you thinking in absolutes - good vs. bad. Yes, there is cause and effect, but not everything can be fully equated as absolutely good for one or absolutely bad for another. It's a like doctor telling you after he found cancer in your body, he tells you, you're going to live, but unfortunately he has to amputate your leg. If he doesn't do the amputation, your chances for survival are slim. And as that relates to our society, we are all interconnected and interdependent to one another in some form or fashion. Those relationships have become painfully clear in this Recession and they aren't all artificial or unnecessary relationships. Wealth and prosperity is not created in a vacuum...neither is the other extreme - poverty.

[Arthur Roberta 1]

Well I am sorry but I got kind of bored with the rhetoric. It's always the same .. if the government sits back and does nothing it's complacent...if it acts in the manner it believes to be to the common good.. it is wasting resources.

Personally this financial nightmare has been a good few years in the making. Everyone was making a fast buck. All was rosy in the garden and we were all living on credit based on shaky assets. The wall street traders like the other traders worldwide were talking up stock.. values were rising and these traders were very comfortable with their huge bonuses based on the con. The huge con that we all bought into. The con that asset A was worth X amount, we truly did not believe these values but whilst our bonuses were flowing and pensions rising it was comfortable to say the least. No one wanted to tell the truth, or for that matter believe it.

Sooner or later the bubble was bound to burst and when it did there was a panic to return this cosy world back to the status quo. We don't like the pain. Not being able to eat out on a regular basis and purchase that new car was alien to us and no that's not what we want. We like living in this never never land, this world of phoney credit and values.

Now if we want real values and real worth of our money we have to have the pain and lots of it. But we in the West are soft, have had it real easy and this is not what we want. Thus we have a president and world leaders doing whatever they can to restore faith in the banking system (which has been extremely guilty of this fraud) to bring us back to our old ways. Back to that comfortable CON, no matter the cost to future generations. Let them have the pain, we like the luxury of living beyond our means, on credit up the ying yang.

Enough I am getting boring. But it's a cycle that will relive itself over and over again until we get a true sense of value and honesty in the system. It will never happen...it's too painful

Arthur