More evidence that the Bush Economic boom is in the head of Bush was the economic news this week. About a dozen major earnings reports fell short. Ford is ready to announce 25,000 layoffs which is on top of the 30,000 GM announced earlier. The stock market fell 213 points today and wiped out the gains for the year. Yes we are in a real Bush BOOM! If things get any better we will be looking at another recession with a projected Federal Budget deficit of almost $600 Billion for 2006. WHAT HAPPENED TO CUTTING THE DEFICIT in half George?

Question: What would you have Bush do about this? How much of this can he actually have a direct impact on?

Question: What would you have Bush do about this? How much of this can he actually have a direct impact on?

Good queston TW.

You know what is not improving things for the American family? The American family. Not that long ago families stuck together and helped each other out. Heck, whole communities helped each other through tough times. That is close to unheard of or considered "incredible acts of kindness" by today's standards.

Used to be if a young family came upon tough times they would live with their parents and they would all work together to feed the family and keep everyone on their feet. Today everyone seems to feel like they are owed their own house, own car, and for everything to be their way or else it is "poor me". Does it suck to have three generations under one roof? Probably yes for a lot of people but people used to take pride in taking care of their own.

The biggest deficit we suffer in this country right now is of people who take pride in taking care of themselves. People who take responsibility for their own choices. People who sacrifice in the short run to benefit in the long run.

I am sick of hearing how bad the economy is from people bitching about outsourcing one minute and running down to Walmart the next. I'm sick of people who bitch about how much CEOs make one minute and then call in sick because they're too high to work the next. People who say they don't have enough money to feed their baby while they stand there wearing gold chains, a leather jacket and sparkling white brand new $120 sneakers.

I grew up in a farm community where people really new what it was like to have no money. They didn't starve though and they didn't consider themselves poor. They worked together, made do with what they had and felt blessed that they had it. But most people today look out for one and only so there is no wonder there is noone there to help out when they fall upon hard times. No administration will ever be able to make up for the lack of community and family unity that we have today.

Tex
Rather then give big tax cuts to the wealthy, provide tax incentives to develop more efficient cars, energy and help American Business to compete with other countries and KEEP the jobs here. Other countries are subsidizing their companies which make our products more expensive. Enforce the trade laws with China. They are not living up to the laws and are killing American business and workers.

provide tax incentives to develop more efficient cars, energy and help American Business to compete with other countries and KEEP the jobs here.

Ahhh, corporate welfare. You are the first leftist I have ever seen advocate FOR corporate welfare, COL. You might want to get on the same page as your cronies.

For the record, I didn't accuse you of bashing Bush. I felt this statistic didn't give enough information to reach a conclusion either way. I still feel that way.

You know what is not improving things for the American family? The American family. Not that long ago families stuck together and helped each other out. Heck, whole communities helped each other through tough times. That is close to unheard of or considered "incredible acts of kindness" by today's standards.

I agree. Here in Colorado, we had a “conservative” majority for quite a while that didn’t feel their tax dollars should go towards helping people go to college. They approved what they called the “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights,” which severely limited and in some years reduced the amount of money going for education. This has resulted in yearly college tuition increases, sometimes as much as 20%.

The political climate of Colorado has moved more towards the center and we now have a democratic house and senate. In the last election, voters approved an override of the “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.” Now more money will go to the colleges and universities and that should at least slow down the rate of tuition increases. While some people don’t place a high importance on education, the best way to help a man is to help him help himself.

While some people don’t place a high importance on education, the best way to help a man is to help him help himself.

That is absolutely, 100% correct, Ben. And it is actually at the core of the fiscal conservative's approach to government.

When it comes to education, I am mixed. I'm not convinced government subsidies result in cheaper ANYTHING, but I would conditionally agree that if they do, that education would be a worthwhile expenditure, as it is unquestionable that by helping the poor to obtain a quality education, you help ALL of society, not just that individual (higher earnings mean more contributions to Social Security, taxes, etc). As I've explained before, fiscal conservativism shouldn't be a synonym for "miser", but should mean a wise financial steward, appropriating dollars where they do the most good.

That is absolutely, 100% correct, Ben. And it is actually at the core of the fiscal conservative's approach to government.

Everything I post is 100% correct.

You can talk about conservative ideology until you're blue in the face, but the reality is, nine times out of ten, if you vote for a republican you're not voting for a conservative -- you're voting for a neo-conservative and you can throw your fiscal responsibility out the window.

Training and education are important. However if the jobs that require that education go out of the country, all the education in the world will not help more Americans keep a good paying job. There are also a certain number of jobs that society does not value to a point where the people doing these jobs can afford to live. If everyone in this country were provided either technical training or a college education, there would still be millions with jobs that pay $8 an hour. If you think Wal-Mart would pay $15 or $20 per hour to their staff because that had an education, you do not understand business. How then do we keep better paying jobs that allow people to live with the wages they earn in this country and what do we do for worker that have jobs that do not pay a living wage? It would seem to me that if a person is willing to work they should be able to FIND A JOB and be able to LIVE ON THE MONEY THEY EARN. If we are not insuring those two things, the economy to the rank and file worker is not GOOD! Please no not respond that the low income workers should start their own business. That is an answer for some but again if everyone with a low paying job started a small business many would fail because of over supply and consumer would NOT have the money to buy the goods or services provided by all those added small businesses.

Everything I post is 100% correct.

Now, let's not get carried away with ourselves, shall we?

You can talk about conservative ideology until you're blue in the face, but the reality is, nine times out of ten, if you vote for a republican you're not voting for a conservative -- you're voting for a neo-conservative and you can throw your fiscal responsibility out the window.

No argument from me there, Ben.

It would seem to me that if a person is willing to work they should be able to FIND A JOB and be able to LIVE ON THE MONEY THEY EARN.

Umm, and I've given you the numbers to show that they CAN. But you're asking for them to be able to live at an insanely extravagant standard on the money they earn, and that is not, and should not be, the promise of the government to provide such a standard.

You could not have any reasonable living standard where I live on $8 per hour which after Payroll taxes is $15,000 per year. A job like this most likely has NO health coverage. There are millions of workers making $8 or LESS per hour! THEY CAN NOT live on that in MOST areas of this country on wages like this!

There are millions of workers making $8 or LESS per hour! THEY CAN NOT live on that in MOST areas of this country on wages like this!

I'd be investing in the cemetery business if I were you, Gene.

Gene: Why do you bother?

You stole my question, steve.

Cheers,
Daiwa

Because there are people like many on JoeUser who do not give a DAM about many of our people that do not reach six and seven figure incomes!

If you believe the current GOP is fiscally responsible, you have NO IDEA the meaning of that phrase! There is NOTHING responsible of the Voo Doo economics we are following under Bush and which Reagan started in 1981.

Because there are people like many on JoeUser who do not give a DAM about many of our people that do not reach six and seven figure incomes!

Let me tell you that I do care about people who do not make a lot of money to make a living cause I am one of them. If anything it is you who don't care about them, you are the one who wants them to continue being poor by having the Govt give them money instead of making them better people. It is you who is so much more concerned with how much money the "rich" make but don't mention anything on bettering thsoe who are not.

Do you actually listen to yourself? Do you really believe that every single good paying job will leave this country? I know that some good paying jobs are going to other countries, key word "some", but not every job. There are still plenty of good jobs here so stop all this non-sense about all the jobs leaving. My sister-in-law just got promoted to a higher position and making lots of money, but I thought you said all the good jobs are leaving?

Oh and here's some info for you, the reason the stock market dropped is because of the stand off with Iran. The posibility of a major problem with Iran who can stop oil shipments to the US will make anyone in the stock market run for cover.

I'm gonna play the same game you are, you wanna repeat yourself like a broken record? So can I.

The American people are responsible for their own economical situations. It is their responsability to find better jobs, educate themselves, conserve energy and become better citizens.If one job is not enough get 2, make the wife work, what ever it takes.

So jobs will go over seas but not all jobs wiil. There will always be good paying jobs here in the states no matter what you say. It is not the responsability of any President to make my life better. The Govt should only be there to help me get back on my feet when I fall, not keep me on my feet till I die. The Govt should show me the door, not open it, grab my hand and walk thru it with me and then do everything else for me.

Being poor is a choice not a law or a rule. And that applies to every person around the world. All it takes is to ask for help and be willing to learn no matter what Govt runs the country. No one has the right to keep you from bettering yourself if you want to.

You don't like it, come up with a better solution we can all agree upon or leave.

Training and education are important. However if the jobs that require that education go out of the country, all the education in the world will not help more Americans keep a good paying job.

I have to give you an A for effort on trying to be a bit open minded but the door in you mind closes faster than it opens. there is just no pleasing you.

BTW I noticed you are ignoring some of my replies, wonder why? Why wont you respond to some of my questions? Hmmm.

Millions of GOOD paying jobs have gone to other countries. This process continues day after day and IF it continues, most of the jobs we need will be gone. Look at entire industries that have departed. Try and buy an electronic product made in America. Most clothing is made in China. Look at the car companies i.e. Ford 30,000 jobs and GM 30,000 jobs two months age. China is getting ready to bring their cars into the U S at $10,000 per car. If you are a person that is in the working class, you are being sold down the river by the Bush policies. It is astounding to me how ANY person that is the lower or middle income category has been doped into supporting Bush. NONE of his polices benefit the average working American. Better to have 8 shirts in you closet at $25 each made in the US than 20 at $10 each made in China. When most of the jobs pay $8 per hour, Americans will not even be able to shop at Wal- Mart!

You could not have any reasonable living standard where I live on $8 per hour which after Payroll taxes is $15,000 per year. A job like this most likely has NO health coverage. There are millions of workers making $8 or LESS per hour! THEY CAN NOT live on that in MOST areas of this country on wages like this!

It depends on what your standard of living is col. I used to live on 8/hr. quite fine. Of course you propose nothing to solve this. There will always be low paying jobs col, there is no way around that. Why don't you just admit you want a welfare state where people can get their money from the government?

Millions of GOOD paying jobs have gone to other countries. This process continues day after day and IF it continues, most of the jobs we need will be gone.

You are so full of bs it's not funny anymore. Even during Kerry's campaign they never used the "million" number. Most of the jobs we "need" will not be gone. You are sounding more like a radical liberal everyday.

Look at the car companies i.e. Ford 30,000 jobs and GM 30,000 jobs two months age. China is getting ready to bring their cars into the U S at $10,000 per car. If you are a person that is in the working class, you are being sold down the river by the Bush policies.

Anything going on with Ford and GM are not the fault of Bush. Look at their own business practices. The working class is not being sold as you put it col. I see that you keep ignoring Zoomba's analysis of your post. Why don't you directly address him instead resorting to the usual Bush bashing?

You could not have any reasonable living standard where I live on $8 per hour which after Payroll taxes is $15,000 per year. A job like this most likely has NO health coverage. There are millions of workers making $8 or LESS per hour! THEY CAN NOT live on that in MOST areas of this country on wages like this!

(sigh) You're so right, Gene. Maybe we should require ritual suicide for us poor, unwashed masses because we can't live on what we make (rolls eyes).

Gene: in 1900, the average worker worked about 60 hours per week. More of them worked at least 80. By today's standards, even a $5 an hour job would provide an income of $15-20,000 before taxes. But it goes further. In 1900, usually BOTH husband and wife worked, their kids worked, AND they took in boarders just to make ends meet. Today we have the earnied income credit, child tax credit, additional child tax credit, food stamps, section 8 housing....the list goes on and on. I already ran the numbers, Gene, on a separate article, and find it shameful that, rather than responding to those numbers, which are quite compelling, on MY blog, where you would get slammed, you choose to ignore them and rehash your same tired talking points.

I lose more and more respect for you every time I read you, Gene, you know why? Because your posts express a complete and utter contempt and condescension for working class families like mine, who are working hard to make an honest living. You continue to pound us with the message that we can't make it; might as well call out to the government to bail us out, despite the fact that we CAN and HAVE made it fairly well (in the last 2 1/2 years, we've relocated twice with our family, each time leaving behind furniture, clothing, food, and accessories and having to start again almost completely from scratch).

Gene, the problem is, you seem to know next to NOTHING about poverty in America outside of what you have read in various magazines and journals. You don't KNOW how the poor manage, you don't know how they live, and it seems to elude you no matter how often it is repeated that the VAST majority of Americans in what we have come to label as "poverty" live FAR above the world standard of poverty, which is measured by those who make an income of less than 1 US dollar per day.

In our nation, only 13 percent live below the "poverty line" (a vastly overinflated statistic for liberal talking points), compared with about 20 percent of the world's population who live on the less than a dollar a day standard. While it may be fun to envision a utopia where noone lives in poverty, it's not a statistical reality. The money that is made to bring 87% of the US population OUT of poverty, despite the statistical fact that, by all accounts, we should have the HIGHEST poverty levels, consisting, as we do, of individuals that once comprised the "wretched refuse" of their indigenous cultures.

You could argue that instead of giving a lengthy reply on your blog, I should being these points up on my own. The fact is, Gene, I HAVE...and I have provided SOURCES for my information (you might want to take a look at my blog just to discover what those are to assist you in your future writing endeavours). You and far too many like you won't even PATRONIZE those articles, preferring instead to sequester yourself away from the other side of the debate. I have patronized your blog to try to bring you to look at the debate, but to no avail. You seem to be incapable of doing anything but rehash DNC "talking points" (I was spoonfed those from a young age, I know them when I see them); many of those talking points were discredited 20 years ago.

There are not enough jobs for everyone to work 40 hrs per week much less 60 plus. Many companies offer less than 30 hours and NO benefits. YES there are MILLIONS of good paying jobs that have gone to other countries over the past 15 years most of which because of the so called Free Trade policies. Clinton made the mistake and Bush expanded a policy that failed America for 8 years BEFORE Bush took office. We allow illegal workers to enter the country and employers hire them for low wages and the employers in many cases do not pay the REQUIRED payroll taxes. That violates our tax and immigration laws. Bush does almost NOTHING to insure our laws are followed so companies that support him and other politicians can make higher profits. The local communities get stuck with education, healthcare and police expenses so the businesses can reap a bigger profit while our President turns his head!

Even people at the poverty line have a VERY hard time living. The number of Americans that can not afford a reasonable life is far more then 13%

You evaded most of Zoomba's and Gideon's analysis, and resorted back to blaming Bush. Why don't you answer them directly?

Even people at the poverty line have a VERY hard time living. The number of Americans that can not afford a reasonable life is far more then 13%

How do you know col? When did you become the spokesperson for poverty in this country? Tell us your definition of a "reasonable" life?

There are not enough jobs for everyone to work 40 hrs per week much less 60 plus.

You have go to be kidding.

There are not enough jobs for everyone to work 40 hrs per week much less 60 plus.

COL,

You are SO full of it. Even in TERRIBLE economic conditions, I have never had any trouble obtaining bottom of the wage scale employment.

The rate at which we have experienced job loss and trade imbalance has gotten WORSE under the Bush policies. When a president does not enforce our laws and that allows greater loss in jobs and trade who should be blamed?

When we passed tax changes that shift the tax burden from those that CAN afford to pay to those that can not, who do we blame?

If the president has so little power, we should save the taxpayers a lot of money and change the Constitution to eliminate the position. The president and in this case his control of Congress is VERY responsible for not correcting the problems that existed when he took office ( or at least made them better not worse) and for the new problems his policies created such as the deficit and Iraq war!