Get Off Obama's Back About Job Creation and Gas Prices

So, Obama gets a lot of flack about the lack of jobs in the U.S. It doesn't help, of course, that he takes credit for any positive shift in employment numbers. What's wrong with both of those scenarios is that Obama doesn't create jobs. Government doesn't create jobs. This is true from the federal to the local level. If your paycheck isn't a result of goods produced (whether items or services) from the private sector, you can actually say you don't have a job as far as the Labor Department is concerned. All the government can do for job creation is to make the economic environment better for private industry to be able to hire more people. That's it.

What's really a mind-blower is that all government does create is taxes. If you work for a government entity, your paycheck is a result of taxation. Period, end of story. If you are government employee, you are a tax. Which, of course, means you are theft. But that's another story.

Obama also gets a lot about gas prices. He, and government, actually have even less to do with gas prices than job creation. OPEC sets oil prices, and gasoline is based off of crude oil prices. The world economy is also a big player in even local gas prices. If you want lower prices at the pump, petition the government to allow drilling in the U.S., stop importing oil from countries that hate us, make it illegal to speculate in oil futures, and stop subsidizing oil companies. Of course, green technologies are a better alternative, as long as they aren't subsidized.

I know this sounds strange, me saying "get off Obama's back" about something, but I like to be fair about things. I don't like seeing anyone blamed for something they have no, or little, control over. If you want to complain about Obama, blame him for signing the NDAA, Patriot Act, Benghazi, and a host of other things that actually matter. But get off his back about jobs and gas prices.

/TOA

I wonder just what is in the Obama Koolaid

reply to post by The Old American


If I may. . . .

I wrote this post @ the job numbers.

Obama could be president for the next 20 years and the numbers wouldn't change.

Why?

Because government desn't hire people. Companies, corporatons, businesses do.

And as long as government is unfriendly towards business (imposing more taxes, rules, regulations) it'll never change.

Government can influence job numbers by the amoount of regulations and taxes it imposes upon the business community.

I agree. Presidents do not create jobs or dictate gas prices. So I always laughed when Obama said he could get unemployment numbers lower.

But I also laugh at Romney and Ryan when they say the same sort of things. Being a smart businessman, I thought Romney would know that.

reply to post by The Old American


Perhaps he could take some of the heat off of himself by simply not taking credit for something he has no control over? Maybe he could stop saying his administration is going to create X amount of jobs in the next 4 years? The man has brought the criticism upon himself IMO.

reply to post by The Old American


That's fine. We'll get off his back on those two issues and get on his back for his treasonist activities - like Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Solyndra, Recess Appts, unilateral legislation outside of congress, etc, etc, ad nasuem.

Originally posted by beanandginger
reply to post by The Old American

 

That's fine. We'll get off his back on those two issues and get on his back for his treasonist activities - like Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Solyndra, Recess Appts, unilateral legislation outside of congress, etc, etc, ad nasuem.

That's my point, as I noted in my OP. Blame him for things he can control but screws up anyway, out of incompetence or because he hates the U.S. and its citizens.

/TOA

reply to post by The Old American


Not here.

We don't have a state income tax, so the people that work for the state government are paid through other sources of state income.

Your statement about *all* government employees being paid by taxpayer dollars is not truthfull.

Originally posted by MystikMushroom
reply to post by The Old American

 

Not here.

We don't have a state income tax, so the people that work for the state government are paid through other sources of state income.

Your statement about *all* government employees being paid by taxpayer dollars is not truthfull.

Pretty sure he was referring to the Federal Government and not State or Local Government.

reply to post by beanandginger


It's treasonous. And really? Solyndra was treason? Go to the federal grants website and read the list. Learn a little about how that program works and get back to me. Can you cite how any of what you list constitute treason? I'd really like to hear that.

Originally posted by MystikMushroom
reply to post by The Old American

 

Not here.

We don't have a state income tax, so the people that work for the state government are paid through other sources of state income.

Your statement about *all* government employees being paid by taxpayer dollars is not truthfull.

So how does your state generate revenue?

Sales Tax
Gas Tax
Property Tax
etc...

reply to post by SpaDe_


Ah gotcha!

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I do agree with the sentiment of the discussion.

President's don't have any control over prices at the pump! The oil industry worldwide is a very complicated system, with OPEC having a near-stranglehold over oil prices.

reply to post by LevelHeaded


Oil royalties

And in my city, we don't even have a sales tax.

We even get paid each year to live here.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


That would be nice to get paid to live in SoCal..

Too cold up north for me.

Originally posted by MystikMushroom
reply to post by LevelHeaded

 

Oil royalties

And in my city, we don't even have a sales tax.

We even get paid each year to live here.

edit on 2-11-2012 by MystikMushroom because: (no reason given)

Gotta be Alaska. The only state that I am aware of that pays it's residents from oil revenues.

The President is NOT SUPPOSED to create jobs. This one claims to and takes credit for it on a regular basis. The last one had that same delusion. It's understandable then, why so many people believe they do.

In this case, Obama actually HAS been in the job making business....by "Shovel Ready" jobs created by direct funding for that purpose by the Federal Government. Unfortunately, it's failed, and by taking from existing work and business to try and fund yet-to-be business and work, it really wasn't likely to work anyway. Obama just took us across a trillion dollar porkulus bill to prove that point. ...then QE-2...and now 40 B-b-b-BILLION a MONTH in QE-3 with no end point set. (cough)

What EVERY President does do...(and unemployment stats *DO* trend noticeably by term of President in office and have for many Presidents to prove that).......is set the tone for regulation, legislation, tax liability and future goals for the nation. THOSE things combine to form a large part of how private business makes decisions like whether to expand and build more......which requires hiring more people....and making jobs. OR.....whether they need to downsize, consolidate and hunker down to ride out a bad time.


So... Presidents don't DIRECTLY create jobs, even when they DO try (smile)...but they have everything to do with the environment considered by those who DO.

reply to post by SpaDe_


Bingo!

For how cold it is...they better be paying me to live here!

I have worked for the oil companies beofre, so I can say with some level of authority that the President has no direct control over oil prices.

We could use some new refineries though. We ship out the oil, it goes down south to get refined and then brought back up.

Sadly, they do the same thing with our seafood. If you go to a grocery store here, it may be caught locally -- but it's been shipped down to distribution centers in the lower-48 and shipped back. We actually pay more than you probably do for the same salmon

Gasoline prices in the US are a joke compared to what I have to pay in the Netherlands, 9 dollars a gallon. Complaints about it make me laugh, as you will understand.

reply to post by Spinoza73


The thing is, Americans really don't understand that gasoline prices have been higher in Europe for a very, very long time.

Why do you think everyone rides mopeds and drives those "Smart" cars in Rome?

Sadly, it doesn't matter when I tell fellow Americans this. I get a glazed over look and a "yeah, well...this is America!" It's as if most Americans I meet don't understand that there is a world outside of their own country.

I saw some stats a whille back, only a very small percentage of Americans actually travel abroad. This is in contrast with Europeans.

This is why I think most Europeans have a much better grasp and world-view than Americans. Many Americans are lazy, fat, stupid, with an inflated sense of patriotism/nationalism.

Because of where I live, it's almost like another country here. I actually feel more comfortable in Canada or Hawaii than I do in say, California.

Originally posted by The Old American
Government doesn't create jobs. This is true from the federal to the local level. If your paycheck isn't a result of goods produced (whether items or services) from the private sector, you can actually say you don't have a job as far as the Labor Department is concerned. All the government can do for job creation is to make the economic environment better for private industry to be able to hire more people. That's it.

Government jobs do provide services. Thus they are 'real' jobs by your definition. Whether it be studying the weather, keeping millions of acres of land accessible to you and millions of other people each and every day, delivering your mail, providing you with affordable energy, protecting you from foreign and domestic threats. Then there's the secondary jobs created through the support of those jobs. You think the barbershops outside of military bases would be there...just because? How about the state college towns?

What do you really believe government employees do?

What's really a mind-blower is that all government does create is taxes. If you work for a government entity, your paycheck is a result of taxation. Period, end of story. If you are government employee, you are a tax. Which, of course, means you are theft. But that's another story.

This might suprise you but government employees also pay taxes a lot of them. In fact, government employees can't cheat on their taxes because then they lose their paycheck. If you haven't noticed, this country has been running deficits for the past 200 years or so. You think all that government money is from taxes alone? No...it's from borrowing and trading with other nations. If all you think government revenue is are taxes then you really haven't paid any attention to your government, local or national.

Obama also gets a lot about gas prices. He, and government, actually have even less to do with gas prices than job creation. OPEC sets oil prices, and gasoline is based off of crude oil prices. The world economy is also a big player in even local gas prices. If you want lower prices at the pump, petition the government to allow drilling in the U.S., stop importing oil from countries that hate us, make it illegal to speculate in oil futures, and stop subsidizing oil companies. Of course, green technologies are a better alternative, as long as they aren't subsidized.

You and I are kinda on the same path with this one...except for the 'countries that hate us' part...I wasn't aware that Canada hated us. Or Mexico.