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Updated Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:16 PM
Time to gut it up and be a patriot
OK, I've had it up to here (hand extended over head.) No more calling, "Pork!" No more simple-minded characterizations of what various economic recovery proposals will and won't do. No more false distinctions between "jobs" and "work." If it pays a salary, it's work. We are way past that now; way, way over the cliff. We're at the point where the balloon above the coyote says, "Uh Oh!" And we all know that's just seconds before a long plunge toward a barely visible point of dirt below. Unlike Wiley, of course, we will not be OK in the next frame, dusting ourselves off and looking for new boxes marked "Acme Economic Disaster Preventer."
It's time to admit A. No one knows exactly what to do or exactly how bad it is or will become. B. Almost any spending has the potential to create jobs in the short run and that's we need: Jobs. C. Delay means disaster. D. There are no good solutions, so anyone who sits back, throws stones and says no, eventually be able to say, "I told you so." We need jobs and guts and patriotism. We need leaders with enough gumption to serve one term and get fileted by the other side for the effort.
No matter what caused it: "It was the derivatives; it was the housing market; it was greed; it was de-regulation," we need jobs. And while all the criticisms of how we got here probably hold some truth, we will have decades to unravel that. But we have days, seriously, days, to begin to dig out of this hole. We have an economy based on consumerism. Jobs, preferably jobs that pay a living wage, but jobs are what we need. People who have jobs buy things. And for there to be things for people to buy, there have to be people working to make things. And, because so many people have lost their jobs, 4 million in a year, we need to help them before we work on all the other stuff so they can afford to stay in their homes, buy food, buy clothes, be consumers. In essence, we need to help those who have most recently lost jobs because they are yet to lose their entire life's provision. We need to help them so we can avoid the enormous costs of rebuilding lives from the ground up. It just costs us less collectively, in money and in pain.
I'm weary of the GOP party line about spending. Why are "Democratic Party Wish List" spending items not stimulative? Building solar batteries is one often cited. What could be a better kind of spending? It would create jobs up and down the educational line. We need some brainiacs to invent and perfect their design. We need even brainier folks to take those ideas and designs and turn them into plans and working models and others, with technical skills to translate the models into actual products. We need people to make all the little parts and put all those together into the finished product. We need people to make the equipment to make the parts and we need people to clean up the shop. All of those people will be making money. They will need to order parts from other people who will then have jobs. See how it works? Jobs are jobs, even government jobs, which actually are a little better because they pay a little better, so they bring about recovery faster.
Take the argument about Pell Grants, if I had a day or two, I could get you precise figures on this one, but we don't have the time to get these precise figures. Austin College is a big employer in a small city. Its payroll "rolls over" in the economy to produce a dollar benefit to other businesses much greater than the size of that payroll. Professors, clerks, janitors, professional staff members, adjuncts, all must buy food, and gasoline and clothes, etc., etc. Some go out to eat; some have pets. All this means dollars helping keep grocery stores, department stores, pet stores, restuarants, etc., in business. Those businesses in turn will be able to keep their doors open and employ people who buy food and clothes and television services. This keeps other people in business and it keeps sales tax dollars flowing to keep city and state services going.
This year, Austin College experienced a shortage of new students and failed to retain as many upperclassmen as it had hoped. Why? I don't know for sure, but part of that has to be that Pell grants top out at a figure much lower than AC's tuition and student loan aid has all but dried up. This year, AC has frozen hiring, cut some jobs and lowered or cut raises. If there's not some serious relief in the form of more Pell Grant money and unfrozen credit, what will get cut next? And how many other Sherman and Grayson County jobs will that affect. Just as the roll over of jobs created at AC is a plus, so the roll back when they lose jobs is a minus.
Ditto the argument about the "socialism" involved in giving income tax money to "those people who don't make enough to pay taxes." I'm betting that those 4 million people who have lost their jobs and the other millions who have either given up, taken low paying jobs, or work part time because of the economy, aren't going to make enough to pay taxes. I'm also betting that any money given to them will be used to buy things, and yes, to pay mortgages and bills. So some of it might not be as stimulative as say a grant to create a solar panel construction business, but it certainly helps.
The upshot of all this is we should not care whether the plan contains pet projects, or "madeup work," what we should care about is that it creates jobs, and by the way, it must create a lot of government jobs, an ahem, bureaucracy, to make sure that we know where every dime goes, and wherever that is, it is used properly. Otherwise it could evaporate as the $350 billion bailout during president #43, the Freddie Mac and Fannin Mae funds, the Iraq war money, the Iraq reconstruction funding has.
What we need are leaders with the intestinal fortitude to take a leap of faith to avoid falling off the cliff.
 Comments ... 11 found!
VENTING ON ECONOMICS AND STUFF : 3/12/2010
Jobs are NO where to be found in the US, because the major companies have taken the plants to other countries. Not enough penalties or taxes to bring the finished product back into the US have been made into laws. Just ask ex VP Chenney where Haliburton has moved alot of its business. Arabic writing might just show up on his products..LOL
About the depression we are in, look into the history books and read about the first and second one, and I bet you thought this was the second. The first one was in the 1800's and of coarse followed by the one in the 30's. Wall Street was fully to blame for both of those and now the one today. We "the people" have given wall street brokers, buyers, sellers, etc.etc, etc..... the power of selling and buying us out, lock stock and barrel. Our real estate, loans,(nationally and internationally) Oil trades.(btw... we have our own, undrilled) GOld, silver..all metals, pharmasuticals. I could go on and on and on with the control the politicials (fed and state) have given these men and women on Wall Street. I have NOT a clue as to how to take back the power they have on us as a nation but something has got to give and soon. The public is finally finding out just how corrupt our Senators really are. How many more have to be investigated before we fold up and go bankrupt? Our current President COULD have been one hell of a crook, doesn't anyone remember about the Ketting scandel? McCain's hands were all in it.... He had enough money and clout to get out of that one. All others went to jail, why not him? OH, he's a sentor with one VERY rich wife... Oh, boo, hoo, a pow too. so what. He's a crook still running a state with half the gray matter.
Helping the poor... We have so many prisons that are over flowing, get the inmates to grow food and livestock to feed the homeless and themselves, Have you heard the RIDICULOUS dollar amount per year it takes to house and feed an inmate. Who's chain are they pulling? Raise enough on the unused land that no one seems to be farming on (state land) and sell the left over quantity to pay for their own housing and food. Why are they so special to be thrown in with workout rooms, hot meals, great t.v.s, (some even get visits from wifes, or just get a new orientation...LOL). I want to know why the hard working class have to pay to make them so comfortable when our friends and relatives get evicted and pushed to the curb for loosing their jobs and now all self respect.
Henry G
I agree : 9/21/2009
I am also confused. I believe your commentS of common sense. But I have trouble understanding or I am just saddened because so many people are so far apart on so many issues that affect others. Does 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, not apply? I am resigned to the present climate.
B. Davis
: 7/10/2009
"Jobs, preferably jobs that pay a living wage, but jobs are what we need. People who have jobs buy things." That was one of the more truthful statements that was said in this article, which is why I don't understand why the democrat controlled Federal gov't is doing everything in their power to destroy capitalism. You won't have jobs without factories. and with the over regulation. The cap & Trade bill currently being debated in the senate, having already passed in the house, will amount to the largest tax increase in American history as well giving American's the largest loss of personal rights in the history of this country. The thing that upsets me the most is the politicians who voted for it certainly didn't read it before they voted. If you watch the bills being passed or debated right now by the Democrats in Washington and are not frighterned by the prospect of what you could lose if it ever comes to fruition then you need to pull your head out of the stars and come back to reality.
Rick Parnell
Reading Papers : 2/25/2009
Reading 11 papers a day is really not something you should be admitting. In the first place...95% of all newspapers, including this rag, is leaning towards the left. No...it's not theory...not speculation, but a fact very easy to research and discover. Reading 11 papers a day means you are getting 11 versions of the same liberal slant. The words may be different, but the end result is identical. For one to be properly educated about world and national affairs, one should derive their information from a variety of sources that don't include left wingnut bias.
JR Mitchell
patriot? : 2/24/2009
pa·tri·ot /'pe?tri?t, -??t or, especially Brit., 'pætri?t/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pey-tree-uht, -ot or, especially Brit., pa-tree-uht] Show IPA –noun 1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. 2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government. Gut it out and be a patriot? Support socialism? Sorry but those appear to be opposites to me!
patriot
Obamanation : 2/24/2009
One thing about the failure of Hillary to get universal health care coverage in Bill's first term. The Democrats controlled the Senate 56-44 and the House 257-176.
BingoJ
Obamanation : 2/24/2009
First of all Bill Clinton did nothing to spark the economy of the nineties. Give that credit to the Internet. Which also caused the downturn of the economy which started in 1999. Bill was still president. Do some research and you can find that is when the economy started gong south. Then lets not forget about the whole 9/11 thing and what it did to the economy. It was Bush who got us out of that up until this crap started. With plenty of blame for both parties. Clinton threatened financial institutions that if they did not give these bad loans that there would be less than desirable consequences. This started by Carter. But I will do something you hollywood liberals are unwilling to do and that is say it upset me that conservatives did nothing to stop it. At every chance he gets Obamanation says he inherited this economy. If my memory serves me correctly he was part of the problem. He was in the Senate and did nothing. Obama keeps saying it is the worst economy since the great depression. Not true. What Carter left was worse than it is right now. Do some research, find these things out. If he new how to fix everything why did he wait till he was running for president. Wasn't it important enough to fix when he was in the senate. Oh I forgot Obama was in the senate for 46 months and 21 of them he spent campaining for a higher paying job.
BingoJ
Stimulus : 2/23/2009
It only took the GOP 8 years to destroy the USA. Remember the Clinton years when government regulated Wall Street and the banking Industry. When the budget was balanced and we were paying off the debt from the Regan and Bush 41 tax cuts for the rich Called trickledown economics. When Hilary tried to get health care for all people after Nixon screwed it up with the advent of the HMO (A scam with Kaiser Permanente to sell health care for Profit). From Nixon’s own words (The business model is based on profits supported by denial of services) Sound familiar? While G.W. Bush and his buddy’s were figuring how to loot the treasury with there Prescription drug plan (we all love that one) and almost getting our Social Security tied to the Stock Market (dodge a bullet there), He forgot to ask his Saudi oil friends if any one was going to attack us. The whole world was Pro USA, A few years later we are the bully on the playground with most of our money going to Mercenaries (Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater). We can’t even get body armor to our Real Soldiers. Now that the country is in the worst shape in my lifetime, you want to complain about the person who is stepping up and trying to repair the problem. We are 4 weeks into the new Presidency and allot is happing in a hurry. Remember G.W.B. took the first 8 months off to clear brush on his new ranch. At least someone is doing something that seems to have the people at interest.
JR
Time to gut it up and be a patriot : 2/17/2009
OK all that sounds good from the wingnut left side of the street. That kind of blog is used by someone to deflect criticism from something(stimulus package)that they know stinks to high heaven. "If your not on board for pork then you are not Patriotic". Using the Patriot word sounds better when talking about our troops and NOT when talking about spending 300million on STD prevention. Jimmy Carter started this housing mess and Bill Clinton reinforced it. Banks were forced to give mortgages to people who could not afford them. The Pell Grant argument is baffling. When, if ever did the Pell grant cover the cost of Austin College tuition. Also, are you telling me that building solar batteries are going to put regular Joe's back to work. 3-4 million regulare Joe's. The kind that make up the most of the unemployeed. I bet they dont need regular Joe's in the inventing and designing of these batteries. These jobs they think they will create will be well after your UI runs out. Next time you talk to your mother, father, grand father, whoever the elderly person is in your life, explain to them when the government tells them they are too old to have a certain procedure or treatment, because it is not fiscally responsible(see stimulus for new Health Director position) that we sure needed those solar batteries. I could go on but I wont. So keep your gay marriages, abortion drive thrus, and watching out for the civil liberties of illegal aliens and "So Called" terrorists. I am going to go have a set down with my kids and try to explain to them why they will being paying off the STD tax until they retire.
BingoJ
Republican Politics As Usual : 2/16/2009
Amen to what Kathy Williams wrote. If the Republican minority can't help govern, then they should resign and go home. The country doesn't need them.
Jerry Dollison
Liberal bias : 2/15/2009
I've enjoyed some of your writings in the past,how ever you have summed it all up here! Instead of watching and listening to CNN, CBS, ABC, and all the other media that wants to tell you how you should think and feel, kinda like you in this article! It is ok for you to feel the way you do, but you have a responsibility to at least know the truth before you start trying to sway public Opinion . I suggest that you go on line and read the Stimulus Package as it is written. Then go and right your article. I really believe that the article would be a lot different! Sometimes the truth is only a read away! Here's how you could start the article then. After reading the Stimulus Package I would like to talk to you about......Forgive me if I have offended you but I read aprox 11 papers a day, and most of them need to read and research about what their going to write too. One last thing, everyone has an Opinion but not everyone can write.
Bill Hicks
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