NEWSWEEK: Hit The Road Barack

Discussion in 'Politics' started by pspr, Aug 19, 2012.

  1. pspr

    pspr

    <img src="http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/newsweek/2012/08/19/niall-ferguson-on-why-barack-obama-needs-to-go/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage_4.img.503.jpg/1345413183554.cached.jpg">

    In his inaugural address, Obama promised “not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.” He promised to “build the roads and bridges, the electric grids, and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.” He promised to “restore science to its rightful place and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.” And he promised to “transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.” Unfortunately the president’s scorecard on every single one of those bold pledges is pitiful.

    In an unguarded moment earlier this year, the president commented that the private sector of the economy was “doing fine.” Certainly, the stock market is well up (by 74 percent) relative to the close on Inauguration Day 2009. But the total number of private-sector jobs is still 4.3 million below the January 2008 peak. Meanwhile, since 2008, a staggering 3.6 million Americans have been added to Social Security’s disability insurance program. This is one of many ways unemployment is being concealed.

    In his fiscal year 2010 budget—the first he presented—the president envisaged growth of 3.2 percent in 2010, 4.0 percent in 2011, 4.6 percent in 2012. The actual numbers were 2.4 percent in 2010 and 1.8 percent in 2011; few forecasters now expect it to be much above 2.3 percent this year.

    Unemployment was supposed to be 6 percent by now. It has averaged 8.2 percent this year so far. Meanwhile real median annual household income has dropped more than 5 percent since June 2009. Nearly 110 million individuals received a welfare benefit in 2011, mostly Medicaid or food stamps.

    Welcome to Obama’s America: nearly half the population is not represented on a taxable return—almost exactly the same proportion that lives in a household where at least one member receives some type of government benefit. We are becoming the 50–50 nation—half of us paying the taxes, the other half receiving the benefits.


    More
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/19/niall-ferguson-on-why-barack-obama-needs-to-go.html
     
  2. For some reason I had him (ferguson) confused with Nigel Farage.
     
  3. pspr

    pspr

    They are both British.

    I wonder if the White House has cancelled their subscription to Newsweek yet. :D
     
  4. No need they just pilfer it from the library of congress.
     
  5. JWS11

    JWS11

    The History Of Barack Obama

    <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l-HqHSkYG-Y?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    :D
     
  6. Brass

    Brass