Japan Obama
Folks in the US - how is your new president doing?
Well in Japan, hes doing quite well as you can see from this photo taken yesterday. Softbank is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Japan and it looks like Obama-san is helping them sell mobile phones. The tag line is:-
Yes We Kau!
"Kau" meaning "to buy" in Japanese.
Obama-san also performs magic on Japanese TV as you can see from the video below.
Video from Japan Probe.
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security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
need to add a coment to the other 3.... doing Awefull... which is what i expected... so can't be the last one.. average... no... good... not so much..
Sorry... no flame please...
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Not a flame, but a point.
He has been in office for less than a month and remnants of the Republican party are being the counter-force to what could actually help the United States. McCain himself said something that makes him sound like a pr**k, stating that this is a Bush policy and he expected change. Can you say "Sore loser"? I sure can when it comes to him.
Point is... Once the compromise he has asked for is made, the rest will go smoothly and it will be shown that the "awfulness" is due to the opposing Republicans and not him.
Limousine Driver
Obama's approval ratings have been dropping since he got into office. All his major cabinet nominees have been tax cheats and he is now using fear tactics to pass a spending bill that nobody likes. He is about to free 200+ terrorists who were captured on the battlefield killing Americans, and he has no idea were to put them! He suspended the trial of Ali Zar Kawi (the planner of the attack on 911!!) with no plans for a re-trial. That is a slap in the face to the almost THREE THOUSAND DEAD and their families. He dropped the charges against Abd al Rahim ai-Nashiri, (the planner of the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen) 17 men died in that attack and he has no plan in place for a retrial.
And that is just a short list.
Three days ago the President of Mexico called Obama to warn him that his almost 1 Trillion Dollar spending bill was dangerous and he needed to reconsider it because the republican bill (supported by Sen. McCain) was the better idea. Illegals are now leaving the U.S. to return to Mexico because they have no faith in the Bill or Obama.
It is not the time you spend in office but what you do while your there that counts. So far Obama has been AWEFULL all on his own. "Bolt" is right and you need to take a closer look at Obama.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Streetpilot1, let me tell you something about this. Out of the 3,000, about 1/100th of those victims have ties to people I know. So bringing that up like that means nothing but you using that as an excuse to be ignorant on the reason.
Also, as I should add, Guantanamo Bay has about a year to close. This means that a new and more "humane" jail could be made for those who have done crimes against humanity. This decision was made after numerous complaints against the Bush Administration and the violations they tried allowed.
As for the re-trials, again, this was the result of how the Bush Administration handled them. What you ignored is that the results may not change. The only difference is that they will not be found guilty despite what the evidence says otherwise.
And also, I live in California. So you telling me that immigrants are going back to Mexico is as laughable as your own scare tactics. Mostly because if you bothered reading the facts and not stuff that people say, you will find that the reduction of immigrants started in mid-2008. This was long before Obama came to office.
Plus, finally, I looked everything you claimed to be true. None of it came up. I ended up finding Mexico's President warning against renegotiating a trade bill. That too was in 2008. So yeah... I believe you as much as I believe that Stalin was right to accuse Hitler of War Crimes.
And also, again, please don't treat me as somebody that is ignorant enough to believe everything you say. Because I am the type that will use every piece of authentic evidence to counter any claim you have. In this case, he's been in office for a month and you say he is awful despite the fact you have not pointed out any flaws to the reasons he did what you are protesting against.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Also, about Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, here are the facts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp
So if you want to claim he is doing poorly because he is closing it, then ignore note #37 on that page. That, and ignore the Geneva Conventions. Namely the fact that all war-based detainees must be treated in humane conditions despite what crimes they have committed.
Limousine Driver
OK "Poe Bear" Time to go back to school. You claim that you did not know any of the 911 victims, you said "Streetpilot1, let me tell you something about this. Out of the 3,000, about 1/100th of those victims have ties to people I know. So bringing that up like that means nothing but you using that as an excuse to be ignorant on the reason." Really? Those 3,000 mean nothing to you? Bin Laden claimed the reason for the attack was to punish America and force us to the way of Islam. So if i am ignorant of the reason, what reason for the cold blooded murder of three thousand of our people do you support?
In case you did not know the current conditions at Gitmo here they are...http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/melanie_morgan_gitmo/2008/12/31/166911.html... Point # 37 in your Wiki link refer to a Feb 13 2005 meeting between the Red Cross and Bush. This came from a Jan. 2004 report from them...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/03/terror/main658980.shtml... Your info on Gitmo is 4-5 years out of date.
As far as the trials are concerned...http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/29/military-judge-refuses-halt-trial-uss-cole-bombing-suspect/...You said,"As for the re-trials, again, this was the result of how the Bush Administration handled them. What you ignored is that the results may not change. The only difference is that they will not be found guilty despite what the evidence says otherwise." Really? The trials conform to United States military law. If not our laws, whose law would you like to see used for these Terrorists? Perhaps you can ask the families of those victims? I am sure that they would have an answer for you.
As for illegals leaving from mid 2008, they still have not returned despite Obama being in office.
You said,"Plus, finally, I looked everything you claimed to be true. None of it came up. I ended up finding Mexico's President warning against renegotiating a trade bill. That too was in 2008. So yeah... I believe you as much as I believe that Stalin was right to accuse Hitler of War Crimes."
Here is the source...http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/29/business/borrow.4-419037.php... By the way... Hitler was guilty of war crimes. Little thing called the Holocaust. Perhaps you've heard of it?
You claim "And also, again, please don't treat me as somebody that is ignorant enough to believe everything you say. Because I am the type that will use every piece of authentic evidence to counter any claim you have" How is that working for you? Your one claim of research is a Wiki post. You must have missed this one...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:UWAYOR...
You sound like a passionate person and that is good! We need more people who care enough to get involved. I know that i came down pretty hard on you and for that i ask your forgiveness. Please do not let yourself become fooled by the emotion of the establishment. If more people were careful of this then we would not have gone into Iraq, there would have been no Gitmo detention center and the sailors on the Cole would probably still be alive. By recognizing Al Qaeda for what it was we may have even been able to stop 911.
三年せいとオタク
Can't really say much seeing as hes only been in office less than a month. But so far I think hes doing as I expected which is okay.
Otaku, US Army, Student (Political Science)
http://figure.tsuki-board.net/profile/Syaoran
Exactly, he has barely been in office long enough to really judge if he is doing good or bad. It also depends on who you ask. Some of his choices have been seen as bad and not thought through (Guantanamo). Some point out that his oath to be transparent hasn't been upheld still. There are a lot of people on both sides but his biggest tests are the "stimulus package", Bank "stimulus", and Afghanistan.
In 4 years can you ask us again Danny? :)
Student About to Graduate High School
Agreed that it hasn't been long enough to ask lol
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Also agreed. Because he is the president that is forced to clean up the mess that the Bush Administration has caused.
Guantanamo Bay? The detention camp has been under scrutiny and numerous legal issues since 2004. Numerous ally countries also claimed that the United States have been violating international laws as well. This is currently being disputed.
How about the procedures to promote disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act? He changed those for the better.
He also reduced secrecy given to Presidential records. This was a major issue when it came to former President Bush and how he handled things.
He also developed plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. This was a major financial issue, as well as something Congress asked for and was ignored numerous times by former President Bush. (If people recall, he demanded more and more billions, but refused to issue a withdraw date.)
And he did issue executive orders and presidential memoranda reversing President Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions (known as the Mexico City Policy and referred by critics as the "Global Gag Rule"). We will see how this turns out.
So yeah... Danny, ask us again in 1-4 years. Thanks. :3
http://www.marvinryan.com
lol I wonder though, don't public figures like Obama have to give permission first before they use him in a marketing campaign?
student
*nods* that's what I was thinking. Can't he sue the companies for using him for marketing without his permission. I think he's doing as expected, he hasn't been in office long. ^.^
university film student | ecchikid | the Archivist
http://www.vimeo.com/longhim
That's why they have that black bar running through his eyes, because *obviously* that amount of censorship makes him unrecognizable. xD
...Come to think of it, that's exactly what they do to doujinshi. I think the Japanese concept of censorship is vitally flawed. They either put out tiny black bars that do nothing or cover it with bats.
Study Services Analyst
http://nrshenanigans.blogspot.com/
I thought that it was allowed if your a public figure head?
Student
Haha, that video is hilarious. Japanese people are so funny.
Grocery Store Clerk
He is doing that best that he can given all thing considered. given the state of our economy and other factors from the previous adminstation; he has alot of work ahead of him. he is taking desive leadership and working with both side to make a compromise in a desicve manner.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
LOL...I also saw that his speech is being used as teaching material for English classes in Japan. Have you seen them in bookstores Danny?
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
It's not right to judge him after only a month of being in office. Although I come from a republican state, I think that he will be what the United States needs at this time of crisis. I don't get why half the nation won't put their biases aside and believe in him. Observation: The historic trend is that every time a republican president ruins the economy, a democratic one comes in and saves the day. 8')
BioResearch Assistant
True...though we are basically a two-party system so there's nothing really behind that fact aside a changing of hands.
The day we elect an independent to office...(>00)> Wow.
BioResearch Assistant
Well except for George Washington (>oo)> but the political parties weren't established that time so that's sort of moot...
BioResearch Assistant
Well except for George Washington (>oo)> but the political parties weren't established that time so that's sort of moot...
BioResearch Assistant
Wow. Doubled. Weird...
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
Yeah you're right.. it's like if one party doesn't solve the problem, then the other party takes over xD
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
Actually, only recent history would agree with you.
Abraham Lincoln (R) > James Buchanan (D)
Dwight Eisenhower (R) > Harry S Truman (D)
Ronald Reagan (R) > Jimmy Carter (D)
There's no arguing that Lincoln is a giant among Presidents and he did more than the virtually unknown Buchanan. While Truman did usher the US out of World War II, it was Dwight Eisenhower that beckoned in the economic prosperity of the 1950s. Say what you will about Reagan (Iran Contra, etc.), the 1980s were economically fruitful while Jimmy Carter presided over the oil embargo / stagflation of the late 1970s.
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
P.S. I'm not trying to pick on you honest! I just happen to have a different perspective cause I'm old.
Otaku, US Army, Student (Political Science)
http://figure.tsuki-board.net/profile/Syaoran
It's not a perspective, it's the truth. It would only be a historical trend if you went back 8 years(aka Bush -> Obama). Reagen and Elder Bush did not ruin the economy. Bush inherited a recession from Clinton. So I could say historically it's dems that ruin the country and reps that fix it but that is just as untrue as what Mimi said.
Fact: Reps and Dems do things differently and both have good and bad points to them. There have been good Presidents from Reps and Dems but George Washington still owns the cake.
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
Good point. I had FDR in mind when I made that comment. xD It just seems like the worst depressions were fixed by Democrat presidents. Dangit.. wish I was a history buff like my friend.
BioResearch Assistant
He had help though. World War II set off the American economy and boosted all of his fixes.
However, that all wouldn't have worked so nicely if it wasn't for his economic plan. He really deserved that third term (>oo)>
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Knowing history won't do much. Learning from it will :) Like Raz said, America overcame the great depression mostly due to WWII. Not too sure about the details about it since American history isn't taught exclusively where I live ^^;
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
yeah, FDR said that if you earned over $25,000 a year,you deserved a %100 tax rate... i'd say thats fair..>_<
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
Everything is perspective actually. The truth is often revealed only long after events happen. That's why when you take a history class, they tell up front that historians can't interpret current events as easily as they can interpret things that happened long ago.
I hesitate saying something is fact or truth about historic events because perspective (there's that word again) will change over time. 100 years from now, the unpopular Iraq War, may be seen as one of Bush's greatest triumphs because it created the only democracy in the Middle East. I don't think it's a stretch to say that current modern opinion doesn't think of the war in that light.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
TBH, I never thought Bush was a fail by sending troops to Iraq. I'm just surprised he didn't order a full fledge attack on Iraq to clean out the *terrorists*. Given what's in the US arsenal, I think he would have much more success if it was an all out attack to liberate Iraq and Afganistan. Not being able to finish off the terrorists in 8 years is what made him a fail IMO. That said, I'm not from the US, so sorry if you disagree with me :)
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
In truth, I see what you mean.
Reagan's government handled things properly and both saved businesses as well as end the Cold War. So they did a great job.
Bush Sr.'s government was the first actual war-based government in a long time. They handled the war in a manner that did not go beyond what was needed. So they did a good job.
Clinton's government was said to not only spend less, but they made more money than they spent. So they did an excellent job.
Bush Jr.'s government, however, spent billions upon billions on the "war against terrorism". So pretty much the recession started during his second term and was starting to be noted in 2007.
So I honestly think this is a simple case of the fact our bad presidents are the ones that focus more on what they want than what the country needs. So despite they being Republicans or Democrats, the good ones were the ones that took risks for the sake of helping this country, rather than focusing on what they think is needed.
Actually, Clinton left office with a surpluss... Not a recession, the recession was caused by lax bush policies and over-spending...
BioResearch Assistant
That's actually false, Clinton didn't leave us with national surplus. The US never had a national surplus, only national debt. The severity of the debt though generates positive or negative results when hitting the public and can sometimes be misinterpreted.
If you look at the budget under his administration per year, comparing money taken in by the government and money spent there was a surplus generated....but only for that year's budget.
Overall, US national debt remained and actually increased.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Correct, Raz. Clinton did leave a surplus due to a change in spending and other things. In the end, he created a national surplus of a $127 billion dollars.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aGqLx61MRY6w
BioResearch Assistant
You got the two confused.
Clinton had a federal budget surplus. That's not the same as national. They can use the money from the surplus to lower the national debt.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/09/27/clinton.surplus/
Same as before, national debt has always remained.
BioResearch Assistant
Add-on:
But Clinton did do a good job in his budgeting. The national debt now has about...doubled in the past 9yrs? More?
Dang. (>OO)>
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
Clinton (D) > Bush Senior (R)
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
It's really too early to tell. I actually had quite a few misgivings about him before he took office. But so far, I like the fact that he seems to value common sense more than ideology. I'll have a better opinion about 4-5 months from now, when we can start seeing the results of some of his early decisions.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
.... he has common sense O_o?
simple history lesson will tell you that raising taxes and spending (FDR, Carter) will lead to ruin.... and this New New Deal... again... check the history.. New Deal = Great Depresion
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
*shrugs*
Disagree. The Great Depression was most likely caused from the 1929 stock market crash and related weaknesses in the world economy. History paints Herbert Hoover as a villain (not FDR) because he stood on his hands and did nothing. It's the same picture frame that Bush Jr. will inherit because fair or unfair the public thinks he sat on his hands while this economic crisis was unfolding.
A great many economists will argue that the New Deal did NOT cause the Great Depression. They may argue it may have prolonged it, but definitely not caused it. Here's a handy reference if you don't believe me:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression
I think you need to take your own advice and review your history.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Thanks for being logical and factual. In truth, I agree simply because the Government is supposed to be there for the people. And while there has never been a completely perfect government, doing something that may prolong it is better than doing nothing and expecting the lower and middle class to do all the work for the Government.
Simply put, if the Government simply sat down and did nothing (as Bolt advises they should do), the Government will end up paying more in unemployment than they may do with retirement and disability. This would increase the unemployment rate as businesses and industries will lose more and more to what keeps them going.
Then the Government would have to increase property taxes and other taxes on those who still have money. This would help keep the money afloat but eventually would dry up the funds. People would lose their homes, property, and other essentials since the Government would have to take something once people cannot pay.
And in the end, people would be leaving the United States for other countries in hopes of finding work. Thus leaving the once might "Super Power" be a shell of what it used to be simply because the Government decided to do nothing when it was made to help protect the country one way or another.
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
New Deal did a significant amount to get us out of the depression. I think WWII put us out of it though...
BioResearch Assistant
It's still too early to tell. He's trying to push the stimulus package to help the economy recover...but throwing money at it won't help as they're just deepening the country's deficit and making more difficulties in the future. They're getting money from bonds and additional printing.
However, if all goes to plan then the job market will gradually increase thus causing the economy to recover - albeit slowly. Then tackling future difficulties posed by the deficit won't be as bad.
There's still a very long and tough road ahead. It's not so much anymore foreign policies and the war, which I might add will put extra pressure on the unemployment as soldiers come home with no better chances at getting work. A few friends of mine said they felt better staying in the service, at least they would have a job and money to send home.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
.... and this is why my dollar is tanking compared to the yen... which is sad.. cuz i can't buy as many figures or gunpla ;_;
BioResearch Assistant
I know. It wasn't as bad as last week when it was in the 80s to the dollar.
I don't want to make any pre-orders that have far off releases because of the fluctuation. It might be cheaper, might be more expensive. Going on eBay and paying a set price in USD would be good if only the sellers weren't overcharging on EMS.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
yeah but in september before it tanked.. it was 110 yen to $1, now it hovering around 90 yen to $1... so basically 10 - 20 bucks more per order ($100) just because... "cries"
BioResearch Assistant
I know. It's around the 90s right now. - sighs and stares at Nagi pre-order -
I just don't know...
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Stimulus package = free market down the drains (communism ftw?). This totally defeats the principles of free markets, markets that will correct itself...eventually ^^;
As you mentioned, the US is just digging a new hole to cover the old one.
It also sounds like you're pushing for WWIII (jk ^^). But history does show that economies usually thrive after a major conflict, most likely due to the need to repair infrastructures and other things that needs rebuilding.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
Comrades!!
no.. the goverment just needs to get the hell out the way and stop screwing around.. make a stable system and tell everybody nothing is going to change on our end for atleast a year. then people will start investing and buying stuff.. because they don't have to worry that the rules might change in a month.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
I do applaud Obama for saying that the CEOs and other jerks in banks (who started this crisis) can't be paid a dime in bonuses before their company pays off their debt from the bailout plan.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
And this is exactly why you will find me buying Japanese stocks. American companies tend to screw around with other people's money when in fact that the billions they give to their exec's could have help upgrade schools, hospitals, and other things that could simply be put down as both a tax write off and a very positive PR.
(That, and more in Namco Bandai once the dollar becomes strong again and you buy Gunpla by the truckloads.)
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
From what I've learned in history, you can't just keep the status quo and let problems fix by themselves. >.>; At least Obama's doing something rather than standing by and letting the nation run wild.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
No offense to you, and no hard feeling towards America...but the stimulus package will be a disaster in the long term. Yes, it might save the economy in the short term, but this government intervention is exactly the opposite of what the free market (the one that America supposedly thrives on?) is all about. Given two years time, the economy is saved, and all is well until another similar crisis comes. What next? Another government bailout intervention? Than history will just rinse and repeat itself time over time.
Yes, you are right about not keeping status quo and letting the problems fix itself. The principle of the free market is that the market will learn from its mistakes, make changes to its policies and self governing rules, and rebuild from there. The government intervention is only delaying this process.
If there wasn't any $700 billion bailout plan, do you think GM, Chrysler, BoA, and other companies would've survived this crisis? The answer is NO. Do you think these companies will survive into the distant future? The answer is NO. Why? It's simple, these companies haven't learned from their mistakes for many years, and they'll most likely not learn from this crisis neither.
If there wasn't a bailout, these corporations would've either been closed down, or bought out by their thriving competitors (maybe from other countries) who will then implement changes into the corporate structure to make it more efficient. CHANGE (away from their current practice) is what's needed in corporate America, not a government bailout. In the end, those who failed this time will fail eventually, the government intervention is only slowing down the process.
Sorry about the long comment, but I'm just trying to say what free market is all about. Whether you like it or not, corporate America is doomed to fail again in the near future because of this government intervention (if it even helps).
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
good detail there Twu
there have been so many depresion s and recessions the world over for hundreds of years, and we lived through them just fine, only the ones where govenemtn said we "Have" to do something is when it took a decade instaed of 2-3 years. let banks fail, let businesses fail, if they done good business, they wouldn't be in so much trouble now.. and wouldn't need help. if your company fails, it goes away, like so many other companies before, and so many companies in the future.
failure, what a wonderful concept.. something Edison leaned thousands of times before the light bulb... :)
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Not true. 100% false.
What you are ignoring are three major factors.
1) This package would allow old jobs to be returned and new jobs to be made. This domino effect would eventually allow the government to see an ever increasing return of the money through taxes and property sales.
2) If the government ignores this, they would still lose money. Mostly because they rely on the money these jobs would have produced if they were not previously lost. So in 5-10 years, they would be hemorrhaging money needed to keep the Government, hospitals, schools, jails, and other needed things afloat.
3) Banks and businesses outside the U.S. are also feeling the effect of this recession. Europe, China, and Japan have noted that banks and businesses were either forced to close or merge. Sony, the most notable business, laid off 19,000 employees just to stay within their current profit margin.
And finally... If a company is bought by somebody from a different country, it does not mean all those jobs are saved. Those who buy said businesses always choose what will make them money, which mostly means they will take it back to their country. Meaning... In the end... It will be no different if the business was closed altogether.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
We were just talking about the concept of *free market* if you didn't know. Not trying to predict the future here. It is a fact that those struggling companies would've folded (or been bought out) without government intervention.
1. We don't know that's going to happen, only time will tell if it worked or not.
2. The government is still losing money, and they might lose more if these company eventually folds and are unable to pay them back. There was no precedent to back you up if this will work neither.
3. Companies from around the world are affected, and they're cutting costs anyway possible to stay COMPETITIVE, cutting jobs doesn't mean they're struggling at all they could've just used this as an excuse to do something they've wanted to do before. The fact is streamlining and increasing efficiency is the way of the future, not having a huge work force. Yes, jobs are lost, but new ones will be created in the future. People need to learn to coup with the change of times, things change, and those who don't change with it will fail.
And finally, companies who are able to buy out struggling companies are the ones who are SUCCESSFUL. I never said that jobs will be saved, because those companies will streamline and change the corporate structure(s), most likely laying off a lot of people in the future but the company survives. Another fact is knowledge(if involved) is the things that these companies will be taking with them, there's no point in bringing a company back to their home country since they're already there. If they were to buy out a company in the US, it's most likely that they want to penetrate INTO the US market and use the buyout as a stepping stone for their entrance, therefore leading to more jobs being created.
You have to clear up what's fact, and what's the ideal. The reason so many of these companies are struggling is because they have a workforce greater than what is actually needed. Thus, increasing their cost and inefficiency, leading to a failing business. Would you rather have 5,000 jobs being cut, or the company closing down and 20,000 losing their jobs? It's a double-edged sword, but anyone with a brain will choose the 5,000 jobs being cut to save the 15,000 remaining jobs. Unfortunately that's not what America is thinking at the moment (no offense), so many more struggling companies will be closing down in the future resulting in more unemployment.
The fact is saving current jobs in struggling markets/industries is not the answer here. Creating new ones in emerging markets/industries is. The government's money is better put elsewhere.
BioResearch Assistant
True, eventually. But people these days ignore that. We're in the mantra of "Fix it or we find someone else".
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Well, they can go find their Jon Doe to fix the problem, or elect themselves. The American people (no offense) don't realize that the problem can't be fixed in less than 2 years. They're actually expecting Obama to fix this problem within the year? I say they need some more education. Anyone with 1/2 a brain will know that it took more than the 2 months to bring the market down and it'll take at least, if not more than two years to fix this problem.
People these days are so used to someone bailing them out for their failures, they're not thinking before they act. They've been protect from failure since a kid, and now they cry for help when they fail. Yes, the public and average joe will be hurting during these hard times, but it's the only way they'll learn, from their mistakes.
If in fact the economy is saved by the bailout and stimulus package this time around, come 5-10 years later, something like this will happen again and people will be crying for another bailout and stimulus package. These people (especially the corporates) need to know that if they play with fire, they'll get burnt and the fireman isn't here to save you this time 'round.
BioResearch Assistant
Yea, when Obama was elected I remember hearing so many things along the lines of "Now we're saved", "We need to move fast so I can get back (such and such) that I just lost!", and "Change around the corner!" and stuff like that.
To be honest, even Obama himself said that the people are having too high expectations and that things are bound to get worse before getting better. He knows that this is not a quick fix and he's told that to everyone. And he was right as more and more companies cut and cut and cut. People just don't listen unfortunately. However, it's as well his and the party's fault for playing the hype up to that level.
Realistically, economic recovery will take the better part of his term -and- next term if he gets re-elected in 2012. I would say that this is the defining moment in his Presidency. He will be remembered for what he does with economy so they can't afford to mess up. True, this will also have to carry over to the next President after him. It's a long road. One year passes by too fast for anything big such as restarting not only the American economy but the world's economy.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Corporate America was doomed to fail again when senate passed Bush's $700 Billion bailout plan. If you look closely at what the banks did with the money, and compare it to what Bush originally had in mind they are two different things in two different worlds.
In the government's mind is the ideal that banks would start lending to the masses so they have money to spend and get the economy moving again. We all know what eventually happened. The banks hogged the money they received to pay off they debt (and CEOs "orz) they've accrued due to the stock market collapse, and the public is left hanging to dry.
This stimulus package will just further magnify the failure that'll hit corporate America once again when the time to pay-up comes. They'll eventually loose all their money again due to their greed. The government intervention is a GREAT idea, only if personal greed wasn't involved.
On a side note, I'm not hearing these sort of massive bailouts in other parts of the world. Here in Canada, there's a bailout of some sort, but it's only dollar and cents compared to what the US is paying. With that $700 billion stimulus pacakge approved, America have officially blown $1.4 trillion in something that won't do much in the end.
"Buy American" will not work either because greedy people will just jack up their prices, thus increasing the cost of government projects. I applaud them for thinking of all these plans to help the economy, and I know they want to help the good lads of America recover from this terrible market crash. But it seems like they've never factor in the deciding factor, and the cause of this stock market crash...HUMAN GREED.
None of these government plans will ever work as long as there is human greed involved somewhere in the picture. However, it is a different story if we are talking about a communist government where government spending will directly influence the local market.
Sorry for another long comment, I feel like I'm putting my business management studies to use here ^^;
College Freshmen
It's probably true that if we wait long enough eventually it'll go back. Adam Smith's ideas today are mostly applied in the long term. But when looking at short term, we no longer look at Smith, but Keynes (Keynesian model), who believed that governments should do something at times.
But basically if nothing is done, the downward spiral could happen much like the one that caused the great depression: economy sucks for whatever reason -> people save money and buy less -> stores lose business and start firing -> people lose or can't find jobs -> people have no money -> people save money and buy less (see where I'm going?). I agree the bailout alone wouldn't work because it really doesn't change anything; it's just moving a dead body. I don't have a solution, but at the very least, I don't believe doing nothing helps (unless you're talking about the long, long run).
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
You are right about the great depression, and how something like that will linger, and lead to revolt against the government...blah blah...the list of things that happens just goes on. But I don't think Keynes' model suggests that government would throw in so much money ($1.4 trillion and counting?) to save the economy, not to mention throwing free trade agreements out the window in the process.
The key lesson this time around is be more efficient. If you're not efficient with your processes, you'll fail. If you're not efficient with your money, you'll fail. If you're corporate structure, or business structure in general, is not efficient, you'll fail. Corporate America is built around corporate inefficiencies, and that's why they've failed and will continue to fail unless they streamline everything. Government giving loans to failing companies will not stop them from failing, it's just slowing down the painful process of eventually failing.
I think starting an all-out war in Iraq and Afganistan to wipe out Al-queda would be a better idea to boost the economy than this government bailout. Why? Lots of materials and finished goods are needed when your country is in conflict (i.e. WWII), and your government will be indirectly pumping money into the economy. Raw materials, energy, tech, weapons, and many many other industries will be able to recover, not to mention the advance in technology during war times.
Not that I want a war to start or anything, but giving money to those greedy banks who got us into this trouble will definitely not help the economy.
Underdog Artist, Outcast to the Society, Tetsuya Nomura art fan
He's doing all that he can for the people. He's in tough times but eventually he'll succeed.
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
he's doing the best he can, with the republican idiots who don't want to get out of their seats...
Seriously, If I was a Republican, I be like, "Sure Democrats. Do what you will. Show me that you are right for a change."
If Democrats were right; I would concede my seat to a democrat, or change my philosophy on politics
If Democrats were wrong; I would make it as a case study for the 2012 election, and point that Democrats strategies ARE FAILURES and should not be trusted. And surely enough, being that almost 3/4 of the American population is dumb, they will vote for another Republican president, effectively killing the Democrats, and the USA would go into ruins.
=P -nice plan right?
BioResearch Assistant
People these days are over saturated with parties and voting along party lines. It doesn't matter what they stand for as long as they have that (D) or (R) by the name.
To be honest, it's stupid. One votes one way, gets messed over, then complains when it all doesn't go as planned.
Case study my state...our governor was Republican and did amazing for the state. He was more in the middle when you looked at his platform. Republican party was messing up in the White House so when re-elections came they ousted him for a Democrat.
Shortly after making office, he raises our taxes and we're in major debt. His approval rating was high prior to election, cut in half after we started suffering. He turns and blames the Republicans in office for everything going wrong.
- sigh -
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
both parties are taking us to hell... one's on a bus... the others taking us on the concorde... sigh....if i wanted everything Europe has... i would move to Europe...
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
All we can do is hope that the damage that the Bush Administration caused will be as healed as it can be by the end of Obama's first (if not only) term.
Simply put, many believe that Bush Jr. has caused the most damage in the United States' economy. One site has even noted that more jobs were lost during his run than that of Truman, Nixon, and Reagan. Mostly due to him putting billions into the quoted "war against terrorism" and anything tied to it.
In truth, all we can do is hope that the damage done will slowly heal. Because it may take more than one Presidential term to help heal the damage Bush Jr. has done.
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
has no idea about your state, but I guess it ain't CA -sorta wonders what would have happened if Gray Davis' car tax went into affect, and he didn't get overthrown for that.
And it's not just the fact that I vote for party lines (oh, vote him b/c he's a democrat), it's more like I TRULY DON'T believe in Republican antics. If you say what kind of antics, I would have to blatter out:
-I am pro-choice (I am a male, so IDC -let the women make up her own damn mind. But that doesn't mean young kids should go do it like lab rats)
-I am for the environment and education (which doesn't seem as much, but really, there hasn't been a republican who offered a really nice plan for improving education, as well as the environment -other than that T Boon guy... He had a good idea to what we should do...)
-I am for raising tax IF the government is willing to do their jobs correctly (which they don't)
-I don't think armed intervention is always the answer
-2nd Amendment does NOT give anyone the right to bear arms -if it does, I think people owning extremely powerful rifles and machines guns are pushing my generosity
But I do agree, media does sway the ignorant public... IT's just to bad...
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Honestly, I truly dislike Gray Davis. Simply due to the fact that I lost a job as an assistant at a school my mom used to work at (she is currently retired) because he decided to cut back on funding to the schools.
Besides that, I am with you all the way on what you said on the policies.
I also simply vote for the person I believe in the most. Be it Republican or Democrat. But once one party goes "Oh! He's a Socialist!" on the other, I stop believing in them even if I am part of that party.
And also, I should add, it's not just the media that does the swaying. It are also those who believe the scripted claims that the politicians and their followers claim. They follow the same routine that has them thinking that if they believe it is true, others will.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
.. GO Libritarian or independant... !
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Maybe the problem is that your country two party system. You have to vote for one or the other even if you don't like them.
But Canada isn't fairing much better with 5+ parties in elections. In the end, as long as there's selfish power-hungry politicians, nobody wins!
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
umm, I don't think we are a two party system, just b/c we HAVE other political parties. It's the fact that the majority are consolidated to two, that it's just a pain in the ass for minority parties to ACTUALLY gain some air time, as well as fund raise. The time a third party candidate is taken seriously, is when both parties have pretty much DOOMED the US to a point, where the public is demoralised and can use a fresh new start -although I believe that when that happens, America's government will be part of China (I guess that's a third party, right?)
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
When it becomes part of China, it'll become a ONE party system, not three. The Chinese will make sure they get rid of the other two... ^^;
student , otaku and awesome blogger
http://otakudan.com
it's too early to say but he was in my city today doing some sort of rally which is kind of cool
Network Engineer
http://www.fanimejapan.com/news
Hopefully from his efforts, the economy can finally start to recover..we'll just have to see what happens.
Student / Sneakerhead & Otaku
I really doubt that his plan is going to work..even professional economy analyst
said he's plan will not do much go to the U.S.
Student / Sneakerhead & Otaku
I really doubt that his plan is going to work..even professional economy analyst
said he's plan will not do much good to the U.S.
BioResearch Assistant
We can only believe.
We simply can't risk not too (>Oo)>
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
only hope that the people in washington aren't this dumb......
.... checks ticket prices to New Zealand........ What??
Injured
Well he hasn't had much time to do any thing yet but looks as if he took Air Force 1 to Japan to do some magic tricks on some show I see. / grin
I miss the 'Bush-isms' already. Like "I am the Decider" and such. Since Pres. Obama doesn't have any of those yet I fall asleep when he is talking on TV right now.
m
I find it very funny that Obama suddenly comes across like yamering fool the other night during his speech. He didn't sound anything like he did on the campaign trail. I hope he does well but for some reason I don't think that's going to happen.
Your local Otaku Cashier.
After watching the speech, I say he's performing within my expectations on how he was going to. Then again, I had low expectations for everyone running.
m
I with you. Low expectations for everyone involved.
UT Student - Linguistics
lol... tell me another
IT Architect
That is so wrong but I laughed :P
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
He's a socialist (neo-marxist) during a recession, which means what our economy would be coming out of naturally next year, if the govt. would leave well enough alone, it will be at least ten years before anything happens now.
The Great Depression didn't happen because capitalism failed or the govt. didn't spend enough soon enough. It happened because the govt. (Hoover) raised taxes during a recession and started a tariff war with Europe after the stock market crash. FDR raised taxes again after he got into office and with his other policies extended the depression well into the early 1940's. In fact the economy did not recover to pre 1929 levels until 1954.
Anyway I've sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United State States (an oath that never expires) against all enemies foreign and domestic, and socialist, communist and neo-marxist are domestic enemies because they want to replace our system of governance with one that has failed every time it's been tried throughout history.
Freelance
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Urashima
I fail to see how doing nothing means that our economy would come out of this recession in just a year.
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
The natural state of govt. is SNAFU. Every time we let govt. interfere with the economy they bring in thousands of truck loads of SNAFU and dump it every were and then they tell us we can only use the little sporks you get from KFC and a dixie cup to clean the mess up.
To answer your question, if the "working" public, industry, and the financial markets knew that the govt. was going to back off and not change the rules every quarter, that the practices (laws), that lead to the banking collapse in the first place, were going to be repealed so that tried and true banking practices would return. Consumer confidence would go up the banks would be more inclined to loan money and we should be starting to post weak to moderate but positive growth by late next year.
This recession that is hitting the U.S./world right now was caused by the U.S. Congress getting involved in the banking industry over the last thirty years, and really going ape sh*t in the last fifteen over making loans out to people who had no means or will to repay them. To the point of bringing in the Dept. of Justice to go after banks that didn't want to do things the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Congress's) way. So now everyone is looking to these same 593 morons to fix the problems they created. That is the wrong answer, as is the bailout of last fall.
There were some serious fundamentals that were ignored that caused all this, but by acknowledging what they are and going back to proven practices, the recession is pretty much a mental state from here on.
It's 2am right now and if this makes any sense it will be a miracle.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
The stimulus package will only magnify the problem at hand. They never factored in human greed in any of their decisions. It's a hard thing to work on, but when you talk about money and human in the same sentence, greed will definitely be a factor. I don't think the senate ever thought that the banks will continue not to lend when they passed the bailout plan. Like you said, they're morons and there's 593 of them in the house.
The "Buy American" thing will not work because of human greed. Local prices for the commodities involved will sky rocket as soon as it becomes a law. Another instance of free-market down the drain. If this trend continues, Obama will probably be noted as a failure in the history books. I really hope he would go down in history as one of the better presidents. Bush might look good in history if things continue to go this way...
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
I will only agree to this when it came to the way Bush Jr.'s attempt ended. I mean, they gave no negotiations... No stipulations... No nothing. And in the end, the banks and corporations squandered the money on their highest paid employees and not saving the others that work for them.
With Obama's plan, I believe he will say the money must go to these needed things or no money. So we have to see what will be more powerful: Creating new jobs within those companies or the companies saving the skins of their higher ups.
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
But, the stimulus bill is 93% pork and paybacks for the election. Only 7% will go towards the economy and that will not be until 2010-2012. So if anything happens to the economy to turn it around, it will be the natural recovery I talked about above and not this socialist wetdream.
The only economist that believe in this bill are the Keynesian ones, the economist that actually deal in reality say that this is going to be a couple of twenty ton anchors on the economy as is most govt. spending.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Yes, Obama will say that so and so will only get the money if so and so does what he says. But that will lead to failure in the end. Why? please read http://www.dannychoo.com/detail/mac/eng/image/14409/.html#comment484481
Sorry to burst your bubble and high hopes, I know how hard it must be for you guys. But it's a fact that putting money into a struggling company/market/industry will not help them if they don't deal with the real problems that's facing them...they're inefficient.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
@ bandit35, here is truth about what you are saying.
You are stating nothing more than what Senator McCain claimed against then Senator Obama when talking about his own stimulus package. When in truth, President Bush was pushed out nearly $900 billion in tax rebates, bailout money to corporate America (namely the banks), as well as the three leading car makers.
The $145 billion given as tax rebates did not help in the long run, as in the end of 2008 and the start of 2009, numerous major restaurants and companies had to shut down. One even had employees find out in a news article.
Also, both Obama and McCain stated that no matter what the outcome was, the government needs to help. The two also agreed that things will not get better until 2012, if not after the first term. President Obama stated himself also stated that he is taking a risk of only running for a single term because more and more people will not be able to recover if we simply ignore it.
And twu, if you are going to use "facts", please use real facts. Such as the article detailing the result of the $700 billion stimulus package that was given to corporate America while George W. Bush was passed.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/02/congress-to-wal.html
You will find that because since the Government simply gave the money without any real regulations, the executives were given $176 billion in corporate bonuses.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/02/news/economy/california_budget_crisis/index.htm
And then there if the California budget news, which states that it cannot pay $3.5 billion is payments. And that is the tip of the iceberg, which includes the actual people you both have ignored in favor of beliefs given to you by the Republican-based opposition and economic specialists that make money to help at least a single small family that is currently hurting from the recession that Bush's government tried to stop but failed to do due to giving money without regulations.
And making George W. Bush look good? I wanted to add this article in the end:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-ingram/george-w-bush-has-left-ou_b_115600.html
Since 2007, George W. Bush's government was spending $1.77 billion a day. This is $31,358.69 per person in the entire United States. Most of this was towards the war, which by this time, has damaged the country's reputation and respect. That was in July, 2008. The same Government allowed $700-800 billion to given to corporate America with no regulations. To date, these same banks have yet help save any major businesses as (I stated before) they used it for rewards and saving their own backs.
And also, because of this, George W. Bush was said to be worse than Richard Nixon. That means that Richard Nixon is no longer the worst president we have ever had.
As for President Obama, listen to what he says and not what the opposition says. You will hear that he asks for a compromise to be made, no matter what the final changes and amounts are. That is the absolute truth.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Well, I know I didn't state those "facts" that you stated in your comment in the response I linked. But you will find that I know and stated some of these "facts" in my other comments. I didn't want to repeat what I said in my other comments, thus I didn't include them there. Not much point in repeating myself and turning a comment into a 2000 word essay.
I'm not from the states, so I'm not *influenced* by the Republicans or the Democrats in any way, even if you don't think so. In general, I think governments just fails most of the time no matter which party is in control. The leader is the one that makes the difference, and we won't actually know what difference his plans will do until the end of 2010. Just sit and watch, no point in discussing this endless battle of different ideals.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
oo rah...
unfortunatly history is written by the victors, so we learn in school that the New Deal was the best thing since sliced bread. But it wasn't.
People need to read for themselves and make there own opinion. Learn for yourselves what happened in the great depresion, and all past depresions and recessions and learn what worked, and what didn't. Don't follow like sheep.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
For a second, I thought you said McDeal is the best thing since sliced bread...mmm...McDeals.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
bandit35, no offense... But if you believe this, then everybody else has the right to call you a Communist.
Namely because what you claim falls more into Communist-based beliefs than Democratic beliefs. This, while you claim he falls into a form of Neo-Marxism, your words and claims fall directly into the actual beliefs that Karl Marx had used when it came to Communism.
In all cases, George W. Bush spent hundreds of billions into a war that a country he was supposed to run wanted out. These billions could have been reduced if he simply reduced the war in Iraq to a simple police force while they try to negotiate with the opposition. The money saved could have put forward to businesses that need financial backing if they are to survive.
Meaning that he focused more on the war at hand than the economy. Thus, causing businesses to lose money, larger businesses to lose money, homes being lost, and the only ones to survive being the rich.
And besides, where were you to call George W. Bush a Socialist when he proposed a similar bill that gave nearly a trillion towards banks, corporate businesses, and American car makers... and not the businesses that truly need government backing? Does the fact that it pretty much failed due to the fact they gave the money with no real conditions not make Bush Jr. a Socialist as well?
But hey... McCain was a hypocrite when he started the claim, since he admitted to owning several homes among other things. That, and please ignore the fact that schools, hospitals, police departments, and other things rely on taxes. Plus, the Government is going to still be giving up money to those who lost their jobs during this recession. Another thing McCain and others have neglected to note.
So in the end... It's either spend money to make jobs, which will return the money spent in the long run. That, or just spend the money on unemployment and other things they cannot tax.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
You have to note what Bush was fighting against in Iraq, terrorists. I don't think terrorists are too friendly to negotiations ^^; Spending the billions is not his failure since he wanted to cut the weed, and plug the root as well. Failing to finish the job was Bush's failure.
Yes, Bush administration's lack of action towards the economy might have affected the market somehow, but not to the extent that you are talking about. Please don't give him so much credit. If a market is to collapse, it's going to collapse with or without government intervention. The market had 100 jars and only 10 lids to cover them, so it was only a matter of time before it collapsed.
The Government is probably the MOST inefficient entity in any country. They've always failed to cut spending, leading to the deficits, among other problems. If you look at the figure amount of the tax they are getting, I fail to see why they can't use that money to do the things that are needed. It is the fact that they fail to prioritize where to spend the money that caused this *lack of tax dollars*, not because they can't get enough tax from the tax payers. The market failed in their own way, and the government failed in their own right as well.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
With terrorism, I agree. But there is an ignored tactic that has caused this to become more like a new Vietnam War than anything else. Plus, to make things worse, even if we successfully pull out of Iraq, we cannot forget that we neglected to help out Afghanistan when it needed us the most.
And with Bush, I don't blame him for everything. The American car dealerships have cut so many corners just to save a few dollars that those running the businesses should have been replaced before the first billions were given to them. That, and the $700 billion given without any regulations was just plain stupid. Especially since the government could have simply said that in exchange of the money, they have majority say on how it will be spent. So that way when they could not say how the money was spent, the government could simply say...
"Guess what? Hand us the list of people who handled the money and those that they work for. Also, hand us every file on those who are capable of doing their jobs. Because it is now going to be that these people are replaced or you pay back the money you lost."
And as for the Government, I also agree. Not just because of the money issue, but because one side always tries to screw over the other side. I simply feel that if the Government realized that they cannot just act out on their own accord, financial difficulties would end up being surpluses on their behalf. That, and maybe they will eventually realize that favoring their party's own politics is what causes the most damage.
Then again... Corporations need to realize that they can be replaced just like that, regardless of how big they are or how much they are worth. Because if they simply invested into smaller businesses, or other things, their PR rating will go up... Allowing them to get more business coming in. But instead, they screwed up because they treat their money much like how Walmart has been known to treat their employees. (-_-;;
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Like I said, Bush failing to finish the job in Iraq/Afganistan is his failure in the "War on Terrorism", and not the fact that he went to war there.
"Especially since the government could have simply said that in exchange of the money, they have majority say on how it will be spent" <--- That would mean the government is leaning towards communism (even if it wasn't their intention), it would be what people and companies will say. You don't have to agree with me, but that's what it is because the companies will be losing their freedom to conduct its business.
And governments...no comment...
NEET part-time - Technical Support Officer - Network security engineer
http://burugureibi.blogspot.com/
i remember reading in the chinese newspaper and saw a malaysian/singaporean who is the splitting image of obama - anyone else know about this?
Student artist
http://www.requestview.wordpress.com
Just waiting for the first 100 days to past before I can criticize him
student
the girl in the kimono is cute XD
College student, Mech programmer and striving photographer.
http://moeforme.blogspot.com
Give Obama some time. He was inaugurated like 2 weeks ago. The economy is in a tough state right now, its not like he'll fix everything in a few days...
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Agreed. Shame that people like Hannity are giving him the J. Jonah Jameson treatment, though. But we at least know how Spider-Man would be treated if he became President now. XP
Student of Computer Info. & Office Sys.
First case of obama cosplay? XD
College student, Mech programmer and striving photographer.
http://moeforme.blogspot.com
Someone should Cosplay as him doing the Kira sign! =D
Otaku / Student in Networking
http://hayasaki-kun.blogspot.com/
hahaha wow OBAMA ROCKS!!
Video game developer
http://www.instant-ramen.net
How many more Japanese Obama parodies do we need? ^^ XD
College Freshmen
7 promises kept, 1 broken, 1 had a compromise, and 21 in the works. 479 more to go.
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
I thought promises were just gimmicks as a "vote me" sign during elections. You can never work with static promises so be sure to be disappointed by the truth-o-meter as time goes by. Things change, so more promises will be broken...
Night Stalker
http://myspace.com/Jaycolina_02
Well According to rumors here that he got a 100 days after his inauguration to fix the mess the that W Bush left & to change this country, or he'll get assasinated by the CIA.This is just a mere Rumor spreading here.So far his doin ok some of his promises is happening
Change isnt gonna happen overnight so we gotta wait & see & do ur part...Well im glad that his doing good there in Japan
Night Stalker
http://myspace.com/Jaycolina_02
Well According to rumors here that he got a 100 days after his inauguration to fix the mess the that W Bush left & to change this country, or he'll get assasinated by the CIA.This is just a mere Rumor spreading here.So far his doin ok some of his promises is happening
Change isnt gonna happen overnight so we gotta wait & see & do ur part...Well im glad that his doing good there in Japan
Night Stalker
http://myspace.com/Jaycolina_02
Well According to rumors here that he got a 100 days after his inauguration to fix the mess the that W Bush left & to change this country, or he'll get assasinated by the CIA.This is just a mere Rumor spreading here.So far his doin ok some of his promises is happening
Change isnt gonna happen overnight so we gotta wait & see & do ur part...Well im glad that his doing good there in Japan
Night Stalker
http://myspace.com/Jaycolina_02
OHH Sorry 4 the triple post hontou ni gomene
student
http://www.gunpla-inochi.com
That's an interesting pun xD. It's not fair to judge Obama now because well... nothing really takes place yet but people are already jumping to conclusions about how he suck and all that. Geez. I guess in this desperate time, everyone expects instant result otherwise the prez is a failure.
Pre-Med student
i dont care much for that black rendition of obama i have to say.
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
http://xspblog.com
Short time judgement apart, I think he's doing fine.
Up 'till now, he only did what promised in campaign, isn't giving up on the pressure other parties and people are making, and is really turning the policy in a different direction.
I also think he's taking some very bold decisions which we'll only see the true results some time from now.
But as tons of people said, I guess it's not the right moment to judge yet. I also think it's not the right time to judge the plan too... many people out there are jumping to conclusions.
The only thing I have to agree is that something had to be done.
And I'm also 100% positive that some bad things will come from this plan, but I'm hoping the benefits will surpass that.
US Navy Sailor
http://punynari.wordpress.com/
People I know on the base are pretty much neutral on Obama. They (and I) hope he can fix the country, conclude the wars on a good footing, and fix the economy. I will withhold judgements until I see how he handles these large items.
People in the US, in the south, they are not fond of Obama (from what I've seen). Not because he is black but because he proposed a large tax hike on ammunition for firearms. My brother actually stocked up on rounds for his M-16 before any bills pass...
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
plus the 10% spending cut for the military.... forgot that one... democrats always screw the military...
CHANGE WE CAN and CHANGE WE NEED feel bored with obama!!!
Nekophilia
Imma save this pic for future uses.
"So is XX figure yay or nay?"
"YES WE BUY!"
大学生
http://justaskeikaku.net23.net
lol he's invaded our anime and manga too! ummm toaru anime and air gear manga if i remember correctly
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Comics as well. He made a rare appearance in an issue of Spider-Man. Also made the variant cover as well.
I stated joking saying how Sean Hannity is going to start the Daily Bugle while doing first hand reports such as "Obama: Threat or Menace?". X3
Jobless bum at the moment
http://www.drazenj.com
that clip is awesome obama is my new magical hero xD
Student
its amazing how different the comments are compared to the boing boing blog post danny made. just be the one question/poll that was put up. redirected things from a heated racial discussion to a political discussion not so heated =)
obama is doing fine, did u expect a miracle really?
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
I believe that the only key issue Obama currently faces are the Republicans that oppose this current bill despite the fact they were okay with this kind of spending when Bush Jr. was in office.
I also believe that if the opposing Republicans ignored the fact that it's not about spending money but producing jobs, the economy will slowly heal. Something Obama said will not happen during his first, if not only term. But with the jobs being created, it would allow more taxes to be returned to the Government.
But I think, to date, I think Obama is doing fine regardless what the opposing Republicans (as in the same ones that supported Bush Jr.'s policies) are saying.
I don't know really. Here in Philly they say they are thinking about laying of police and firemen. I mean...those kinda people are important and we already have a shortage of police. Whats next...doctors? I'm scared and hope he starts changing things soon somehow..
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
And just what does the federal govt. have to do about Philly's fire and police departments?
Nothing, go back a re-read your Constitution and Bill of Rights. You might want to meditate on that pesky Tenth Amendment for awhile.
I wasn't bashing Obama =/
Also I know nothing of politics or how they work, so of course I'm going to be worried - -; No need to be so harsh to me.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
You mean other than the fact that the federal government has the right to step in when the state government allows it, right? Or how about the fact that the state government is allowed to ask for federal funding when it is needed?
Also, the federal government is allowed to step in and help implement programs that might be essential to preventing any further shortcomings in this sort of thing. This is in exchange of any federal funding that may help save the fire and police departments in said state.
So in other words... Unless this is 1986, the "South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)" element that is tied to the 10th Amendment does strongly say something that dismisses your "nothing" claim.
Student
I think he won't be as great as everyone expects but he is what we got and we can't change that
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
Yes we can.
Read the works of Thomas Jefferson, a little revolution every now and then is a good thing.
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
careful.. try the other ways first.... then.. only then.. we have a good system, we just need to pick a few weeds to get it back up.
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
Bolt,
There is a reason Jefferson insisted on the second amendment, in fact he wanted it as the first, because without the means to overthrow an over reaching govt. the rest means jack.
Unfortunately I know people in just about every state and I'm getting the same remarks from all over and it looks like the reinstatement of the fairness doctrine may just be Ft Sumter, but I hope not.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
We'll start with you first by shoving every document that the Republican party has disregarded in favor of more than a trillion in misspending. The fact that it was even rumored that former President George W. Bush wanted to spend another $3.1 trillion in the following fiscal year. The money was mostly aimed at foreign affairs and the military.
Also, there were numerous talks of War Crimes against the last Bush Administration. This includes the invasion of Iraq without solid evidence, permitted use of torture, and other acts that the Administration disregarded after hearing about said acts.
In other words... The United States did revolt. First by turning the majority of the Senate over of the Democrats. Twice. The second time was by choosing a competent Democrat as President. One, as I should add, spent 11-12 years teaching Constitutional Law at University of Chicago Law School.
So please continue with the "Stalin accuses Hitler of War Crimes" talk. That, or consider revolting by leaving the country out of protest and have nothing to do with U.S. politics. Because again, they are asking how he is doing after his first month... Not what you claim he is without proper evidence. >:(
Dance Trooper: DCX-001 O.D.E. (Order of the Dancing Empire)
http://dannychoo.com.my
lol, suddenly so many Obama doubles appear on Earth~~~~~~
Student, Performer
http://kesenaitsumi89.wordpress.com/
Yes! Mi- Kan~~~
（△○△）ノ
Broker
To me he has done waaaaaaaay more in just a month compared to bush, i mean seriously this guy comes to office with a big deficit already plus other things the he has to fix and the reps are trying to be difficult, the cap of 500 thousand to CEO'S i thik is great, if you cant live with half a million dollars a year, something is wrong with you, they need to stop trying to be paris hilton and get with the program, the huge mistake made by the reps was to allow all this companies to ship jobs overseas to India and China to save a penny so they could steal more for themselves, so so far i say Obama is doing good ending the billion dollar bonuses for executives and ceo's and all that, since those bonuses right know are coming from our taxes.
Student
http://jbantha.wordpress.com
he's doing...w ell, not as expected.... pecially whit the irak war and centroAmerica economy issues
I say hes doing as I expected, not anything good at all. I agree to say that its way too early to have an honest opinion but to be honest I didn't vote for him. I can't even find a decent amount of information about how this stimulus bill is supposed to help in the long run. All I have found is that only 270 billion is going towards tax cuts and the other roughly 600 billion is just going towards spending(1.5 mil for a waterpark in Miami; Come on Dems its Miami). The bill may create new jobs but whose to say that alot of these projects wouldn't go towards already existing jobs that have the necessary work load to get the job done. All this bill really is just a payoff the Dems owe to the Unions. The way I see it, I predict Obama will only serve a single term.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
Hmm...I don't think Danny intended this post to be a full fledge discussion on the American economy ^^;
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
No, but he asked how we thought he was doing in the poll and we're just disusing on how he will drag the U.S. to the lower planes of socialist hell. That's all. ^^
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
bandit35, please refrain from using constant bigotry against President Obama. He has not been President for 100 days, and already I want to physically deport you to the same area David Duke is.
Seriously! If you want a Socialist party then go find a real Socialist party. Not one that a Republican claimed to be one, hiding behind the fact his own party seriously screwed up this country, the reputation of this country, as well as other note-worthy facts that can easily shut you up about this "Socialist" BS!
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
Make me. You know how much damage can be done in a hundred days.
And since when can't an African-American point out the short comings and stupid ideas of another African-American.
I don't have to look for a real socialist party they are both already here. As far as the DNC goes it is where the communist party was back in the 1920's and the RNC is where the DNC was in the 1980's.
There is no voice for those that follow the American Revolution in congress anymore, only the followers of the French Revolution (history's first communist revolution)have a voice now, and I'm trying to give Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and etc... their voice back so we can get this country back on course and of the one we've been on for the last hundred years.
Have fun in the Peoples Republic of California, I loved Oxnard too when I lived there back in the 1990's.
Nurse
Oh man, the guy is all dressed up in black-face make-up. That would come under so much flak over here X3
It is still too early to tell. He just took over. Anything big Obama does now will be seen a few years down the road, and people would say the next president was the one who changed things.
If only everyone listened to that one guy (forgot his name) who went on all these shows and news and predicted all this a few years ago. Everyone laughed at that guy, calling him crazy. And pretty much everything he said came out true...
As for the video, that was freakin hilarious. I don't even know some of the stuff they were saying, but I lol anyways.
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
Glenn Beck was talking about the coming economic collapse two years before it happened, but he's just a rodeo clown (his own words). I also remember one of the economic guys from CNBC, Jim Cramer, talking about watching the banking situation. They were both labeled nuts, but then again anybody trying to bring people down off from a bubble are ridiculed anyway.
Professional Panhandler
http://theinfernoproject.com
I loved Glenn Beck, too bad he's not on CNN anymore :(
security/3d graphic artist
http://www.kennethleishman.com/
He's on Fox.. 5pm eastern. :D Tivo
Supreme Commander of NERV Co.
I dont live in America but I believe Obama will try his best to make America get past this economic crisis, afterall America is our closest neighbour ^^
Welder
http://touchedmusume.blogspot.com/
Danny, I like how there is no "he is not doing well option" /sarcasm >.>
But I will say he is living up to my expectations, which is that he is going to screw this country up.
Funding international abortions with taxpayers money (how in the world does THAT stimulate OUR economy?!?)
He is closing Guantamano Bay!! That's right even though the terrorists would do far worse to us if we were their prisoners they somehow deserve better treatment! Pathetic!
He also tried to put tax cheaters in office!
And let's not forget the generational theft act!(aka the stimulus plan)
Argh, if there's one thing I dislike about gaijin it's that they are almost all liberal!
Is it even worth going to Japan to see a hello! project concert anymore?
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
yea, b/c you know, having a US PRISON on foreign soil makes our public image look SOO much more credible, as to the fact that out of the years they were open, NOTHING progressed, terrorism still happened around the world, and people are still shaking in their boots. I am sorry, but Gitmo was seriously a stupid idea to start with. Scratch that, the concept of the WAR on TERRORISM is a stupid one.
Welder
http://touchedmusume.blogspot.com/
Our public image? To hell with our public image, Japanese having a positive image of us will do nothing to stimulate our economy! There are more important issues out there than caring about what foreigners who probably never even have been to the US think of us.
And do you how many terrorists were released from Gitmo, just to become a terrorist again? If anything, it sounds like we didn't do our job there! Why you and many other think terrorists deserve rights is beyond me.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Zon, have you bothered looking at the facts?
Simply put...
The "international abortions" element... You will find that Obama simply putting Roe v Wade first. Namely that all legal abortion clinics should have the right to funding, regardless of where they are.
Read up on Roe v Wade here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade
Guantanamo Bay detention camp: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanomo_Bay_detainee_camp
Simply put, you argue over this while ignoring the numerous reports that back up the fact violations were made on grounds that the detainees were protected by the Geneva Convention.
Here is a link for that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions
As for the "tax cheaters" comment, you need to go back to school and learn about our government. The only difference is that he got caught and stepped down. This is while a history of politicians got away with either cheating on their taxes or receiving bribes. One example is Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (a Republican) who stepped down after admitting in 2005 than he accepted more than $2 million in bribes.
And with the Stimulus plan, take note on how Bush Jr. tried to save the economy when he gave out around $900 billion in bail out money and tax refunds. Also, please ignore the fact that the Stimulus package, as in the final version, was agreed upon by both parties and is being voted on as soon as possible.
In other words... What you said is nothing more than PURE EPIC FAILURE. You have simply ignored all of reality and the facts that come with it in favor of living in a fantasy world that have liberals being evil and nothing that George W. Bush has done as being bad. But hey... Let's also ignore the complaints the United States have received from allied nations, former allied nations, the undoing of what Reagan worked on which includes the risk of a new Cold War, every politician that did cheat in some way, and other factors as well.
And while you are at it... Feel free to continue ignoring the Geneva Convention in favor of any 9/11 scare tactics you can think of. Because you make it sound like it is the Republican thing to do.
Welder
http://touchedmusume.blogspot.com/
Sure what we would be doing to the terrorists would be wrong if we did it to anyone else. But these are terrorists....do you think they give a crap about the Geneva Conventions? If they kidnap or take one of our men prisoner they'll get tortured and probably beheaded.
About the stimulus, it doesn't matter if Bush's economic stimulus failed, because this one will fail to.. http://www.freedomworks.org/publications/top-10-reasons-to-oppose-the-stimulus
I think all of you need to pay special attention to #2
The Stimulus follows the same plan that ruined Japan’s economy
"Japan, after a dramatic market crash and a drop in real estate prices responded with government spending not unlike what the US Congress is considering today. In fact, they had 10 stimulus bills between 1992 and 2000, spending billions on infrastructure construction, building bridges, roads, and airports as well as pouring money into biotech and telecommunications. While many countries enjoyed booming economies and falling unemployment during this time, Japan had a lost decade, seeing its unemployment more than double. They spent double the US level of GDP on infrastructure, and now have a lousy economy and have one of the highest national debts in the world.
After 10 stimulus packages, Japan has gone from having the second biggest economy in the world by a long shot, to being well behind the new number two, China, and is close to falling behind India. We do not want to follow their lead."
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
"And while you are at it... Feel free to continue ignoring the Geneva Convention in favor of any 9/11 scare tactics you can think of. Because you make it sound like it is the Republican thing to do."
Do you even know what the Geneva Convention Says?
To boil it down if you are picked up on the battlefield with no uniform and any form of military ID you are to be treated as a spy and/or a saboteur and you can be summarily executed right then and there on the battlefield.
So the fact that these bozo's, who do not belong to any national army, are still breathing is proof that their Geneva Rights are being violated. And we should end this injustice to humanity and execute them all, as prescribed by the Geneva Convention.
Upcoming College Student and Otaku
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Patches418?ref=profile
Like others have said, he really has not been office that long to do anything but he does have a really big bailout bill coming out. I am not really in favor of it being as big as it is but you just have to hope for the best. Love the magic trick gag and especially the man playing Michelle Obama. Made me laugh so hard ;).
Air Transportation Journeyman
http://www.myspace.com/savefaceandbeyourself
Obama is a fraud, a fake, a liar. People follow him like sheep. They make him up to be like some sort of idol whom they follow religiously.
I mean the bailouts, clean coal, and the war... When are people going to wake up and see this guy is just another tool politician who is in the pocket of world domineering corporations and banks. I mean they already named a school after the guy (which will cost over 100,000) and he hasn't even done anything positive yet other than throw a huge party... wait that took money out of my pocket and I didn't even get to go, hey that's your money too! Hope you enjoyed his big inauguration party because that's about the most your gonna get out of your taxes that he is already siphoning.
Welder
http://touchedmusume.blogspot.com/
Exactly!
And at the risk of sounding condescending to the Japanese people I really think a lot of them like Obama because they think he is cute, is the new hip thing and whatnot, if they(and even most Americans) took the time to really understand Obama I'm sure their great opinions about him would turn sour. But can you blame the people? No I am blaming the left wing biased media for portraying Obama as that sort of figure.
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Zon, again... You can blame the Left Wing for anything. But in truth, the world turned very sour on Bush Jr. when his policies went bust in a major way.
Want the evidence? Ahhh hell... Try this one on for size. Written by Canadians who give a very solid detail on why George W. Bush is the worst president ever.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012962
Then again, you go back to your little fantasy where the Liberals have a hand in everything and the Conservatives are victims. Please ignore the fact that Canada, Japan, China, Sweden, and every other location is currently putting a better spin on Obama because...
1) He is not George W. Bush.
2) He was a better choice than John McCain.
That, and the sheer fact that your dear Conservative president did put the country in a multi-trillion dollar deficit, damaged or destroyed relations with Russia, and has put the entire country into a more unfavorable light with those that chose to continue being our allies.
Welder
http://touchedmusume.blogspot.com/
Ha, I'm not blaming the left wing for making our public image bad, I know it was Bush. But like I said I could careless what the world thinks about us and politicians shouldn't make their decisions based on what they think some person thousands of miles will think of us.
Air Transportation Journeyman
http://www.myspace.com/savefaceandbeyourself
Don't get me wrong either. Bush is a criminal like the rest of them.
There is no left or right side (site speeches given by both Bush and Gore during their campaigns in 2000, often times even saying the exact same phrases), its an illusion to divide the masses of people against themselves. We are not a democracy or a republic, such ideals were sold down stream over 70 years ago. Every politician, probably since the early 30's or 40's, has been placed into office, not voted.
The only reason that we have a black president today was because the monsters that run this country just wanted to throw out the illusion of 'change', that the masses actually made a difference or an impact by voting in the first black president, bullsh*t. Hes not a U.S. citizen and he isn't even a full African American.
Hey but look at it this way, if they decided to put McCain in office the U.S. would be rioting just like they are in Europe. I mean how could people honestly believe that this country we live in isn't being manipulated and moved against them!? I mean Sarah f*cking Palin!? Are you f*cking serious!? Wake the hell up! The puppeteers had no intention of having McCain win, they're smart, they know how the people would react to such a thing. The very fact that someone like Sarah Palin was chosen as running mate with McCain is just astounding! I mean they actually think the American people have become so stupid! Well hey! We have! Jesus just look at the I.Q. score averages across the United states and find out just who is voting for them.
Their killing us damn it! When the h*ll are people going to wake up! WAKE UP!
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Fine.
Then that must mean that George W. Bush was an American war criminal who also favored corporate America more than the Americans who voted for him. I mean, seeing how he has been accused of allowing the Geneva Convention to be ignored on numerous occasions, reportedly had files that could impeach him be hidden or destroyed, and also given corporate America $700 billion in tax payer's money without any regulations.
And please... Also ignore the fact that President Obama had taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. That, and what the actual Surplus Bill contains atop of that. Because you will find yourself accusing President Obama of being former President George W. Bush.
a polymorphic animal
Japan just told us that Obama is magic. he should use his magic to change the current situation.
NEET (no, student, AND employed min. wage)
http://otterhangar.blogspot.com/
I am greatful that one day, we would be able to look back on these comment thread, and see how naive or wrong we were
Studio Bleach founder/owner
http://myspace.com/studiobleach
Depends on what side of "wrong" you mean.
Because President Obama himself said that he is taking a serious political risk with the surplus bill. That he knows it is far from perfect and is not the definite answer. He also said numerous times that he may not even see the results in his first, if not only, term as president.
Because to be honest, I am looking back and wondering how the United States would be if Al Gore was President. Because a lot of the anti-Obama people make it my comfort zone since they decided to ignore the damage that Bush has caused both financially and politically.
And yes, while I do blame corporations for a good chunk of the damage, there is evidence of neglect on Bush's behalf. Which is why the Senate has the Democratic party being the majority, why Obama was voted in a nearly Reagan-like upset, and why both the House and Senate need to be on their toes since Bush himself gave reason for every politician to be paranoid.
Besides... I bet our 45th President, be it a Republican or Democrat, will have an easier time in the end. Because the difference is that they will be following the results of what good or bad Obama does, opposed to the fact Obama has to play janitor to the mess Bush left.
Civil Engineer, 토목 기사
Tell me Ninja Poe Bear, do you get a tingle up your leg every time you here your messiah talk.
VP
http://almostotaku.fm
They are all the same. All I know is at the moment we are not going anywhere good. Well, if you are the average Joe taxpayer that is, who do you think is going to pay for all this stuff?
Artist
lol Obama is popular here but not THAT popular!
College Student | Novice Figure Collector ★彡
http://myfigurecollection.net/profile/neo_valkyrie
lol wow some of the comments up in here are straight up ignorant. I'm not even going to waste my time arguing ... but I am a bit surprised the guy impersonating Obama is wearing black makeup. Isn't that considered racist?
Air Transportation Journeyman
http://www.myspace.com/savefaceandbeyourself
*realizes how late he is in all the political banter*
Programmer
Damit! I am so proud of my president. (i_i) He can even do magic tricks, that's totally wicked.