POTUS to LGBT: "Welcome to Your White House"

How did this thread get hijacked by the deficit & unemployment?

"no matter who you are or who you love"..so i guess i guess an old man loving a little girl or boy is ok, right?

@ Danita,

"You're right, President Bush and the Republicans have no blame for doubling the deficit from $5 trillion to $10 trillion. The also have no blame in the collapse of the economy and the $700 billion they felt was necessary to rescue the financial institutions."

I didn't state this, did I? Didn't think so...Pretty convenient to just make stuff up, isn't? How do I get in on that?

"President Obama takes full responsibility along with Congress and the Senate for instituting the Recovery Bill."

HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA! Obama has done NOTHING but blame Bush - HE HAS TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOTHING!

"2019!!! - As far as projecting budgets forward to 2019 - get a grip."

These are not my projections, they belong to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office - a non-partisan entity)

"The effects of this stimulus bill are expected to be felt in full during the middle to later parts of 2010. We will see."

Yep, IN THE FORM OF HIGH INTEREST RATES!

"you are demanding he perfect the world in 6 months."

No, I only ask that HE DOESN'T DESTROY THE U.S. ECONOMY THROUGH HIS RECKLESS SPENDING AND MARXIST POLICIES! (not apologizing for prior U.S. actions to other countries and not bowing - figuratively and literally - would be nice as well)

"Attempting to rescue the United States from the complete mess left (at the end of the Bush administration)"

The expiration date has passed, Obama has gotten everything he has asked for. Please move on.

"I am one of the large majority of people who feel exceptionally fortunate the President and his team are willing to take on this task."

(a.) What is "large"? 52% (at best)?
(b.) The level of support for Obama's policies (e.g., cap-and-tax, socialized healthcare, etc.) are dropping everyday

"You are completely entitled to your opinion, but why don't you drop your constant attacks on the President and put your shoulder to the wheel?"

Dissent is no longer "patriotic"? Hmm, must've missed the memo from Dem leadership. Besides, I pay taxes, I'm doing my part (can't say the same for all of Obama's cabinet members)

"Get out and work for your community and your country with some imagination and energy.'

Wow, you have really bought into The One. I'm guessing you have a significant stake in his regime... perhaps a union member or government worker - Am I right?

tjp612 . . .

You're right, President Bush and the Republicans have no blame for doubling the deficit from $5 trillion to $10 trillion.

The also have no blame in the collapse of the economy and the $700 billion they felt was necessary to rescue the financial institutions.

President Obama takes full responsibility along with Congress and the Senate for instituting the Recovery Bill. Many people say without out it the American economy might have gone into disastrous free-fall. (You might know better of course).

The effects of this stimulus bill are expected to be felt in full during the middle to later parts of 2010. We will see.

2019!!! - As far as projecting budgets forward to 2019 - get a grip. Some bills will pass, others might not. There is no way you can accurately project to 2019. And already you're blaming Obama for spending that money, and thus spending more than any other President - how sleazy.

What I see is you don't like the new President and you attack him here at every opportunity - and you are demanding he perfect the world in 6 months. That is completely unrealistic.

Attempting to rescue the United States from the complete mess left (at the end of the Bush administration) seems to be a thankless task, and it may not even be possible - we can do our best to help make it happen. I am one of the large majority of people who feel exceptionally fortunate the President and his team are willing to take on this task.

You are completely entitled to your opinion, but why don't you drop your constant attacks on the President and put your shoulder to the wheel? Get out and work for your community and your country with some imagination and energy. If you already are, congratulations, keep at it!

@ Danita -

"p.s . ..

Washington Post SEARCH "wapo projected deficit" . ..

0 - 0 of 0 results"

Perhaps this is an indictment of your "search" abilities...I searched both google and bing and successful each time.

Sometimes the blind do not want to see...

@ Danita -

Why I respond to you I don't know...Perhaps I am an optimist....

"So the projected budget problems are largely due to 1) the national debt already incurred (and doubled under Bush),
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Debt incurred by Presidents 1-42: ~$5T
Debt incurred by President Bush: ~$5T
Projected debt by 2019 by Obama: ~$10T

Bush = Bad, Obama = WORSE

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"2) the disastrous state of the economy (left by the Bush administration)"

What entity submits budgets for the president's approval? (answer is Congress, controlled for the last two years of Bush admin. by Dems. Both parties share blame)

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"and 3) the bail-out of the financial institutions which both crisis and bail-out occurred under the Bush administration."

Yes, bail-outs BEGAN under Bush, but Obama has continued.

BTW - What about the $1,000B+ ($787B + interest required for money borrowed) for the "Stimulus" package? Where are the jobs?

===============

"White House budget director Peter R. Orszag, who served as CBO director before joining the Obama administration, defended the president's agenda noting that the forecast of bigger deficits and mounting debt is largely because of the CBO's view that the recession will be more severe and the recovery more tepid than the White House expects."

(a.) of course he defended Obama, did you expect differently?
(b.) CBO will be proved right, WH wrong - recession will be more severe and recovery more tepid the WH expects - we're seeing it already - Unemployment estimates are higher than WH expected when "stimulus" proposed.

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"He also pointed out that long-term budget estimates are notoriously uncertain."

Yes - Which is why it would have been nice if more deliberation in Congress of the "stimulus" package would've have been appropriate...instead a lousy bill (that no one read in entirety) that WILL NOT stimulate the economy was rushed through House and Senate.

Where are the jobs?

I'm all about "hope" and "change" - Hope to see some changes in personnel in Congress and WH!

BTW – I’m getting thirsty!

@ Deborah

"To tjp612,

Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights is the term "separation of church and state" to be found. It was coined by Thomas Jefferson. Nowhere are any rights guaranteed to marry. So much for your "rights"."

You have the wrong person....I don't have a dog in this fight...

To tjp612,

Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights is the term "separation of church and state" to be found. It was coined by Thomas Jefferson. Nowhere are any rights guaranteed to marry. So much for your "rights".

Geog . ..

Huh? What national vote has been taken?

You trust the accuracy of a poll, JKS, when the people's votes say the opposite??

" He's practically said "I don't care what you think, the rights of my gay supporters are more important to me than the valid, voted opinions of the people of this country and I'm going to do everything I can to force them on you no matter what you think."

hmm..according to the latest polls, 63% of Americans support civil unions/equal rights for gay couples. I'm not seeing the whole force my opinion on you gig.....

I think it's safer to say, you are out of touch with the majority of Americans, not the President.

"What part of "NO special rights for people based on their lifestyle choices" does he not understand?" posted by Karen.

I think the part he doesn't understand is special rights for straight people (based on their lifestyle choices) that gay people don't get.

What part of "NO" to gay marriage does this President NOT understand? What part of "NO special rights for people based on their lifestyle choices" does he not understand? What hubris! How DARE he do something so disrespectful to the voters of this country? He's practically said "I don't care what you think, the rights of my gay supporters are more important to me than the valid, voted opinions of the people of this country and I'm going to do everything I can to force them on you no matter what you think." To be honest, this is exactly why I left the Democratic party after 36 years as someone who walked precincts, stuffed envelopes, and manned the phones for Democratic candidates election after election and had NEVER - NOT ONCE - voted for a Republican. But now, I will NEVER - and I don't say that lightly - vote for a Democrat again. And no, I didn't vote for then-Senator Obama for President. I can't stand they way they've lied to their constituents in state elections about their stand on gay marriage, and then tried with everything they could muster to force it on the people of their state, like they did in New Hampshire and Iowa. What these two Governors did in not standing up for the people of their states was beneath contempt! They flat out lied and allowed the money from gay groups like the HRC and Tim Gill to buy their vote! And that is exactly what Preident Obama is doing. I am so disgusted! I really can't wait until we can at least put a little balance back into some of these state legislatures and into the House and Senate in 2010. I'm sure the people of Minnesota would NEVER have voted for Al "Freaken" had they known what this Democrat-run House was going to pull on them. That's okay, the damage he could have caused was at least thankfully stopped for six months, and he'll be out after the next election.

Please, those of you who are as disgusted as I am with today's events at the White House, please go to www.whitehouse.gov and tell the President what you REALLY think on his Contact page. Or call the whitehouse comment line! The number's there too. I'll be doing both! I will not stand for having the voters of this country disrespected this way so this man can pay back his supporters. That's just wrong, and he'll think he can keep getting away with it if we don't speak up! Loudly and Clearly. On the phone, in faxes and email, to our reperesentatives and to him! Don't be silent about this! That's what got us where we are now.

"Deteriorating economic conditions are a major cause of the darkening fiscal picture, according to the CBO. But other factors also are weighing heavily on the budget this year and next. For example, the $700 billion financial-system bailout is now expected to cost taxpayers at least $350 billion, by CBO estimates, because the investments the Treasury Department has made in banks and other financial institutions are worth considerably less than when the bailout was approved."

So the projected budget problems are largely due to 1) the national debt already incurred (and doubled under Bush), 2) the disastrous state of the economy (left by the Bush administration) and 3) the bail-out of the financial institutions which both crisis and bail-out occurred under the Bush administration.

White House budget director Peter R. Orszag, who served as CBO director before joining the Obama administration, defended the president's agenda noting that the forecast of bigger deficits and mounting debt is largely because of the CBO's view that the recession will be more severe and the recovery more tepid than the White House expects.

He also pointed out that long-term budget estimates are notoriously uncertain.

p.s . ..

Washington Post SEARCH "wapo projected deficit" . ..

0 - 0 of 0 results

@ Paul -

"The two largest increases in our national debt since World War II were under Reagan and G.W. Bush."

I get where you are coming from, but I am concerned about what's ahead. From Washington Post (search wapo projected deficit - let me know if you are unable to find - be sure to check out the graph):

"In the first independent analysis of Obama's budget proposal, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that Obama's policies would cause government spending to swell above historic levels even after costly programs to ease the recession and stabilize the nation's financial system have ended.

Tax collections, meanwhile, would lag well behind spending, producing huge annual budget deficits that would force the nation to borrow nearly $9.3 trillion over the next decade -- $2.3 trillion more than the president predicted when he unveiled his budget request just one month ago.

The result, according to the CBO, would be an ever-expanding national debt that would exceed 82 percent of the overall economy by 2019 -- double last year's level -- and threaten the nation's financial stability."

Also see the graph - Obama's deficits far outstrip Bush's deficits - Obama's "best" year of deficits (2012) is significantly higher (40%?) than Bush's worst year (2008).

"Lastly, check out the Schindler-Price Home Price Index..... under Clinton, home prices soared, under G.W. Bush/Cheney... well, you know what happened (LOL)."

I'm not sure this was necessarily a good thing. The housing bubble occurred in part due to increased emphasis of the Clinton and Bush administrations (both were guilty, although Bush did push - although not forcibly - to rein in Freddie Mac; Clinton for his part reinvigorated the Community Reinvestment Act) to encourage home ownership. Credit standards were loosened, demand outstripped supply and you know the story ends.

tjp612.... I'd have to agree with Ryan C's last comment in regards to Bush and his vetoes. "Too accomodating"... LOL.

My point on the unemployment rate.... just the trend: an incoming Democratic administration takes over the White House from Republicans (unemployment for that month is above 6%).... an incoming Republican administration takes over the White House from Democrats (unemployment that month is below 4.5%; with only the Carter administration exception).... this has been happening for the past 56 years! Why is that?

I also recommend that you take a look at the National Debt data at the U.S. Treasury Direct web page..... under Republicans, National Debt skyrockets and the American taxpayer's taxes are going to pay for huge interest payments ($451 Billion paid in interest on the debt in 2008). A great website to see this is "ZFacts" dot Com. The two largest increases in our national debt since World War II were under Reagan and G.W. Bush.

Lastly, check out the Schindler-Price Home Price Index..... under Clinton, home prices soared, under G.W. Bush/Cheney... well, you know what happened (LOL).

Have to run... have a great night.

"What was he being too accommodating on?"

Let's just say our current president (while campaigning on as a "post-partisan, reach-across-the-aisle-kind-of-guy") is far more partisan than GWB would have ever aspired to be....

"Then, I discovered that the interest paid out on that debt (JUST LAST YEAR ALONE).... this is Interest ONLY (no principle) for FY2008 was $451 Billion. Because of this, I will NEVER, EVER, vote Republican again. They claim that the Democrats are the party of tax and spend. I'd rather vote for a party that taxes me and spends my hard earned money, than a party that fools me into believing that they're making government "smaller" (when they're actually not), and they're really financing the government on borrowed money where the public is not only paying taxes.... we're also paying $451 Billion (FY08) in interest on that borrowed money too!"

Paul - I hear ya. The Republicans did not uphold their "traditional values" (fiscal conservatism) and they paid big in '06 and '08. And while you are astute to point out the interest payments that are paid out to finance borrowing during the Bush years, there is a bigger (but very closely related) issue: The Obama administration and Dem-controlled Congress is intent on borrowing even more money (which means even more $$$ required to service the national debt). At the same time, the printing presses at the Treasury Dept. are working overtime, dramatically increasing the money supply. Inflation (and higher rates) are around the corner at a time when our economy is in very bad shape (sidebar: the Misery Index you pointed out to me is a great indicator in my mind of an indication of the "health" of an economy in that it captures the two most significant factors for the economy). The interest payments are going to skyrocket during the Age of Obama due to (a.) significantly increased borrowing (to finance stratospheric spending), and (b.) inevitable increases in interest rates (this assumes U.S. does not see credit rating slip - no sure thing).

As a former president once said "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me — You can't get fooled again." I'm not psyched about the Repubs (I think we need to throw 95% of ALL politicians out of DC and start over), but at this point I'm going to assume (hope) the Repubs have learned their lesson and are the lesser of two evils.

Good chatting with you - Gotta run.

"Also - There are some of us who feel Bush was too accomodating to Dems in Congress (a "problem" our current president does not have)"

Bush issued a single veto between 2001 and 2007 (on stem cell research)

After the Democrats took control of Congress in Jan of 2007, he issued 11.

What was he being too accommodating on?