The I Told You So Obama Will Fuck Up Thread

[titsrock]

Simple.

Here's the solution, minus the anti-Republican snark.

1.Tear Up NAFTA
2. Close all Corporate Tax loopholes
3. Universal Healthcare for All
4. Enact an Immigration TIMEOUT for 20 years. No Immigrants from any country, no student or work visas accepted. No "married" citizens.
5. End Iraq and Afghan Wars. We do not need thousands of boots on the ground to capture/kill Osama.
6. Cut Defense Dept Budget by 50%--fund education K-through-4yrs State College, green tech initiatives, and Univ Healthcare.
7. Overturn Bush tax cuts from '01 and '03 (I just added that in. It should be moved up to #2 spot)

There you go. I just gave you jobs, a better, healthier populace.

Now, if only Obama will take this list and get it done....

 

[SashaSparks]

Just read about his new anti-smoking deal he passed. Yes I'm a smoker and yes I'm pissed about it. Do we really need MORE warning labels and the additional costs incurred (passed down to us smokers)!? Fuck, even 4 year old know smoking is bad! And he's a smoker at that. Asshole.

 

[BioDefenseGrad]

It's too early to tell if Obama will succeed, fail, or not have enough impact to tell. It could very well be the latter of the three. Market forces can't be micromanaged by the president, or macromanaged if you will, so the economy may tank without him, or recover without him.

I think you need to take stock of the perception of Obama. He's made himself a reality star independent of his actions. He will undoubtedly win a second term because the Media, both traditional and the new media, have judged him too big to fail. They will craft the narrative necessary to assure him a 2nd term.

 

[Member2019]

Simple.
Here's the solution, minus the anti-Republican snark.
1.Tear Up NAFTA

Several Clinton and Gore interests would take issue with that, but that's another story that no one would listen to when Ross Perot tried to expose Al Gore on NAFTA (sigh, now we blame Republicans?)

2. Close all Corporate Tax loopholes

Oh, that one ranks right up there with, "no lobbyists / outlaw lobbying" -- Obama did great on that one, didn't he?

Side note: If you remember, I told you that it was impossible, and said Obama doesn't mean to lie, he's just telling people what they want to hear.

As long as people think "loopholes" and "lobbyists" are discretely defined terms, this will continue to be overplayed.

Remember, even a non-profit charity that sends a person to Washington to argue their viewpoint is a "lobbyist."

And a locale that offers tax breaks as an incentive for a company to relocate to their area is called a "loophole" as well.

Sorry, the world is not black'n white.

3. Universal Healthcare for All

Sounds great! Now define what that "universal healthcare" will cover! Not as easy as it sounds. The "if a procedure exists it must be covered" is not feasible. That's the problem, people think everything that exists will be covered.

4. Enact an Immigration TIMEOUT for 20 years. No Immigrants from any country, no student or work visas accepted. No "married" citizens.

Wasn't the US founded on immigration?

And if we don't have foreign nationals coming to US engineering colleges, then who will? Seriously, I say this as an engineer -- there are 10 as many lawyers in the US than engineers.

No, the problem is that we don't even have legal immigration any more! If people are uniquely qualified or educated, we don't let them stay. WTF?!?!?!

Every advanced degree awarded to a non-citizen without a Green Card in the US should have a Green Card stapled to it. We should kill the H1B Visa System and start focusing on keeping qualified people.

The ones that get in illegally will keep coming anyway -- especially if we have things like "universal healthcare" that doesn't require them to prove they are citizens anyway.

5. End Iraq and Afghan Wars. We do not need thousands of boots on the ground to capture/kill Osama.

I won't debate Iraq, but if you think just leaving Afghanistan alone will solve problems, then you're not listening to anyone. Not even Obama thinks that is a good idea (and feels Iraq is a distraction from it).

6. Cut Defense Dept Budget by 50%--fund education K-through-4yrs State College, green tech initiatives, and Univ Healthcare.

Cutting the DoD budget will not make a dent in what you want to do. Honestly, look at how much it costs for states (not federal, they don't pay for it) to fund their education systems.

Furthermore, have you actually looked inside the DoD budget? There are a lot of non-defense DoD projects, like the tsunami sensor net and other, peaceful projects that make up a huge bulk. You're also talking about the cheapest labor, with the least benefits -- military personnel, who are employed for a bargain compared to other, federal employees.

If anything, I'd put the military in charge of running federal agencies -- you want to talk about efficiency at 1/10th the cost! Don't confuse that with R&D projects, the raw, personnel costs are unbelievable low of any federal program. R&D is another story (which I would do other things about).

7. Overturn Bush tax cuts from '01 and '03 (I just added that in. It should be moved up to #2 spot)

Even Obama isn't for that. He wants to keep the cuts in place except for the top tax bracket. Taxing more does not increase federal income.

JFK proved that. Reagan proved it again. Even Clinton recognized in his own 1994 figures for the budget through 2000 that the 1993 tax increases beyond the ones signed by Bush Sr. (drafted by Gore and others) actually reduced revenues.

There you go. I just gave you jobs, a better, healthier populace.
Now, if only Obama will take this list and get it done....

Obama says a lot of things that people want to hear, but even he isn't that simple in mind.

 

[Member2019]

Laws exists to protect individuals from others, not themselves ...

Just read about his new anti-smoking deal he passed. Yes I'm a smoker and yes I'm pissed about it. Do we really need MORE warning labels and the additional costs incurred (passed down to us smokers)!? Fuck, even 4 year old know smoking is bad! And he's a smoker at that. Asshole.

Indeed, I started another thread to make that point:
http://board.freeones.com/showthread.php?t=312585

One of these days people will learn that laws exist to protect individuals from others, not themselves. When we start mistaking the two, we get totalitarianism.

 

[Hot Mega]

Job losses slow to 247,000; jobless rate dips

Employers cut just 247,000 jobs in July; jobless rate dips, strong signal recession ending

By Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer
On Friday August 7, 2009, 10:19 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent, its first decline in 15 months.

It was a better-than-expected showing that offered a strong signal that the recession is finally ending.

The new snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, also offered other encouraging news: workers' hours nudged up after sinking to a record low in June, and paychecks grew after having fallen or flat lined in some cases.

To be sure, the report still indicates that the jobs market is on shaky ground. But the new figures were better than many analysts were expecting and offered welcomed improvements to a part of the economy that has been clobbered by the recession.

Analysts were forecasting job losses to slow to around 320,000 and the unemployment rate to tick up to 9.6 percent.

"There's clearly been a turn for the better. The worst is behind us in terms of layoffs. Now we need to see more hiring," said economist Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics.

The dip in the unemployment rate -- from June's 9.5 percent -- was the first since April 2008. One of the reasons the rate went down, however, was because hundreds of thousands of people left the labor force. Fewer people, though, did report being unemployed.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Job-losses-slow-to-247000-apf-3455968974.html?x=0

 

[Facetious]

Who are our Oppressors (Czars) ?

Where exactly is the Czar directory ?

Have at it :dunno:

I thought that this was going to be an administration of complete transparency. :dunno:
I'm a taxpayer, I pay the salaries of these more than 35 (and growing) number of unelected, unaccountable, unAmerican and unconstitutionally appointed proxy dictators, shouldn't I at least be able to get acquainted with the staff that is sure to undermine our liberties ?

Help me out ! :helpme: Where are these trojan horses ?
(in the Alinsky corral) :hammer: :thefinger

 

[bodie54]

Where was all this suspicion and outrage over the czars Nixon had, or Ford, or Reagan, or both Bushes?

 

[Hot Mega]

Re: Who are our Oppressors (Czars) ?

I'm a taxpayer, I pay the salaries of these more than 35 (and growing) number of unelected, unaccountable, unAmerican and unconstitutionally appointed proxy dictators, shouldn't I at least be able to get acquainted with the staff that is sure to undermine our liberties ?

"unelected"? There are only two people elected in an administration, the POTUS and VPOTUS....EVERYONE ELSE the POTUS puts in a job is "unelected".

"unaccountable"? If the POTUS hired them then they most certainly are accountable to at minimum, him (like the rest of his employees).

"unAmerican an unconstitutionally appointed"? Bone up on Art. II, Sect. 2.:wave:

 

[Member2019]

It all depends ...

Where was all this suspicion and outrage over the czars Nixon had, or Ford, or Reagan, or both Bushes?

I think they were masked by some of the Clinton doozies. Seriously, the Clintons really brought a lot of baggage to the White House in comparison. Although it is one I do have to point out I feel Clinton "rectified by 2007," if not more by 2005, by "taking out some trash." But that's another story (Primary Colors tries to show some example scenarios, but it's a movie and not very accurate if compared).

I've seen some excellent choices by Obama and some oversights. I stress oversights because I think some of his choices have had some "troublesome" histories, but he only found out after-the-fact (like the tax evasions never paid**). I think he's only made a few, unqualified choices, a couple of clear, biased, political ones that he should have no business in making.

But I can cite numerous throughout several administrations as well, and American history has been far worse ("to the victors go the spoils"). So I wouldn't mark him poor and probably one of the better ones in the last 40 years. One could argue he may be the best, although there are always examples to complain about in every administration, and people's views will differ.

**NOTE: The IRS has been dubious at times in their accounting. I've seen this first hand myself. So if someone had a past liability that the IRS discovered, I don't hold it against them. However, what I really disliked is how many did not pay, knew it and were subsequently saved by limitations. Now that's just wrong.

 

[Facetious]

Where was all this suspicion and outrage over the czars Nixon had, or Ford, or Reagan, or both Bushes?

Granted, but Thirty Five Czars and counting in one single administration ? This is getting out of hand.
I could see giving the President some leeway to delegate some of his authority in areas where he might not be so experienced in but this is too much.

 

[Hot Mega]

Granted, but Thirty Five Czars and counting in one single administration ? This is getting out of hand.
I could see giving the President some leeway to delegate some of his authority in areas where he might not be so experienced in but this is too much.

Wouldn't you agree that many of the circumstances we face are fairly unprecedented in recent history?

If that's true wouldn't you expect things to be done at least a little differently in light of that fact?

This administration (begrudgingly) is involved in institutions to a degree no administration has been since FDR...I don't think that calls for the customary way of doing things.

 

[shaggydude]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE

 

[Marlo Manson]

All I am gonna say is Obama can't fuck up anymore or any worse than Bush & the Republicans did for the previous 8 fuckin years proceeding Obama's term began. Anybody that says otherwise is just a pig headed right-wing extremist who's got NO good sense IMO. :2 cents:

 

[Hot Mega]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE

So let me see if I follow....the premise is there is some cabal in the world higher than the POTUS presumably around long before Obama who is really running things for deceptive purposes...but in the next breath, Obama is somehow the one who owns this deception? Is that about it?

 

[Ceska]

The election turnout was huge.

True. About 60%. Highest since 1960.

Obama's win was a massive endorsement from the electorate,

Debatable
Obama 2008
Electoral vote = 68%
Popular vote = 53% (7% more than closest opponent)

Unlike 2000, for example.

True
Bush 2000
Electoral vote = 50.5%
Popular vote = 47.9% (less than closest opponent)

In fact Obama's vote, matched your hero's vote numbers.
In terms of percentage vote gained, Obama emulated Reagan.

False
Reagan 1980
Electoral vote = 91%
Popular vote = 51% (10% more than closest opponent)

False
Reagan 1984
Electoral vote = 98%(every state except Minnesota)
Popular vote = 59% (18% more than closest opponent)

 

[meesterperfect]

Maybe I'm wrong but all this talk from the white house about what the US is going to do in afghanistan seems a little .......I dont know, stupid.

Here we have a PREZ that just keeps talking about how many troops and even when they will go.
Doesn't this just give the Taliban ana Al-quada and all the other enemies/targets time to prepare, gear up for the fight, maybe even plan something really big?

I think of the invasion of Normandy in 1944. I dont recall the PREZ talking about it for weeks before, warning the germans as to when and where.
IF they did the Allies certainly would not have entered France and would have been wiped out.
Am I wrong or does this admin. just seem powerless and uncertain as the Taliban has said?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091013/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_afghanistan

Keep America Safe
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/13/cheney.obama/
Maybe theyre right

 

[Legzman]

He passed that health care bill today. So I ask you this...who's gonna pay for that? As if I don't already know...

 

[PretoDragao]

He passed that health care bill today. So I ask you this...who's gonna pay for that? As if I don't already know...

For the past few years, I've considered moving to a different country once I'm done with college... It's starting to lean more and more towards 'yes'

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

For the past few years, I've considered moving to a different country once I'm done with college... It's starting to lean more and more towards 'yes'

Well, it won't be Canada, then... We have health care and love it! :nanner: Hurray for Socialism!

You know, I just went and looked this story up on CBC.com, and the first thing I read is that Canada is being cast as the villian down there; I.E. You will become like us. That's such a terrible thing; becoming like a country that tops America in just about every quality of life survey in the world.

When people talk about problems in Canadian health care, they talk about rare examples. I have been injured and hospitalized my fair share of times, and if I was down in America I would have been thrown out the moment I entered the emergency room.