Obama banking on large-scale public works project

reply to post by redhatty


One (1!) destroyer and 2 'support vessels' are visiting the Caribbean. Yeah big fat deal. This is so minor as to be laughable. Come on, what do you think is going to happen? Again, this is absolutely nothing new. It's just the first time in a few years. You are going to have to come up with something better than this to get me to dig out the door to the bomb shelter we built when the USSR had dozens of ships visiting Cuba every month. Please, one destroyer?

From your second link "Some Russian experts dismissed the possibility of a new Cuban crisis. "It's very silly psychological warfare," said Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, in a telephone interview. "Putin and Medvedev are very militant in words but very cautious in practical issues. They have not taken any step that can be seen as a real threat to the West, and I cannot see any reason to raise this threat against the U.S." "

Unconfirmed reports? Like that doesn't happen every day and twice on Monday in every government on the face of the Earth. Why in the name of whatever deity you believe in would Russia use bombers to attack the US? That is so 20th century! SLCMs are the way it would be done now. Again, you are going to have to do better than this.

I spent the first half of my life being terrified of the very credible threat from the USSR. To anyone who was around then this is kindergarten playground stuff.

Making energy more expensive or cars or anything that is used by everyday America will backfire in the long run.

This will be be a real problem if the wages and jobs in the US continue to fall.

The only way the democrats will get ahead is if there jobs bills help a large number of people in the middle class stay in the middle class.

What i see the public works jobs will NOT do What the same programs did during the great depression in the 1930s did is benefit most Americans.

This time around these jobs will benefit the unions in the US and not the general public.

The unions are one of the power bases of the democrats and they must protect them first. and they will its one of the democrats biggest source of money.

[edit on 23-12-2008 by ANNED]

reply to post by Cool Hand Luke


Unfortunately you are defiantly correct concerning the fact that the Bail Outs will do nothing but create Zombie company's. I deal with the subject here . The Global Economy is either heading for a depression or its own lost decade . I badly want to see investment in New Zealand infrastructure on a as needed basis rather then something along the lines of the Think Big projects .

Cheers xpert11 .

I always wondered 'what' jobs Obama was talking about, then I thought, well they need that nafta super highway built. someone on ATS said that the super highway was already built, I don't think so, I have not seen the 12 lane highways nor the train rails and pipeline. When it is finished believe me they will have it all over the news media, and where do you think is getting these jobs, you guessed it...Mexico. Obama never said 'who' was going to get the jobs did he.

Another thing that has 'ticked' me off was this 'abuse it or lose it' attitude that our government has. Let me explain.....let say I worked in department XYZ of the government and department XYZ got a budget of let say 100.00 dollars for that quarter(3 months), this budget was to go and buy supplies for the office. at the end of that quarter lets say you only spent 90.00 dollars. you think you saved uncle sam 10.00 dollars, right!!. wrong, not only you lose that 10.00 dollars but you are decreased to say 75.00 dollars for the next quarter. This is an example that is easy for a civilian to understand that i can make it.

But you got to also understand that these budgets that goes to these departments are HUGE, into the millions.

I've seen one guy that was in charge of a supply department spent 5000.00 dollars at one time on 'chem lights', not because the department needed them but because if he did'nt, he would lose that 5000.00 dollars and maybe be reduced to a lower budget for next quarter.

If your husband/wife came home from work and you said 'I saved 50.00 out of that 100.00 dollars you gave me to pay the insurance', you would be smiling wouldn't you. why don't the government have this kind of attitude and not penalize someone for trying to save them money.

WASTE! WASTE! WASTE!

I'm rattling again, starting to get off topic.

reply to post by Sestias
The New Deal most assuredly did NOT work. Unemployment continued to increase until America went on a war footing, starting with the lend lease program. I just finished reading a biography called "FDR; A Traitor to His Class," by H.W. Brands. Brands was sympathetic to Roosevelt, yet even he points out how the New Deal did not work.
And I did not buy this book based on any reviews I had read. The title intrigued me, since Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican as was most of the Roosevelts, until Franklins father married Sara Delano, and either converted, so to speak, or just allowed the Delanos to imprint their veiws on Franklin.
I will recommend this book to anyone who is interested in FDR. But I will have to warn potential readers; if you want a broader view of the times you are not going to get it. The author sticks to his subject, veering on slightly, when it is necessary to explain Roosevelt's veiws on something.