The Great Disconnect

[B-Man]

From Russ Douthat, in the New York Times;

 

 

The Great Disconnect:

 

This January, as President Obama began his second term, the Pew Research Center asked Americans to list their policy priorities for 2013. Huge majorities cited jobs and the economy;

sizable majorities cited health care costs and entitlement reform; more modest majorities cited fighting poverty and reforming the tax code.

 

Down at the bottom of the list, with less than 40 percent support in each case, were gun control, immigration and climate change.

 

Yet six months later, the public’s non-priorities look like the entirety of the White House’s second-term agenda. The president’s failed push for background checks has given way to an ongoing push for immigration reform, and the administration is reportedly planning a sweeping regulatory push on carbon emissions this summer.

 

Meanwhile, nobody expects much action on the issues that Americans actually wanted Washington to focus on: tax and entitlement reform have been back-burnered, and the plight of the unemployed seems to have dropped off the D.C. radar screen entirely

.

 

 

Hey, Washington’s economy is doing just fine.

 

Plus: “Gun control, immigration reform and climate change aren’t just random targets of opportunity. They’re pillars of Acela Corridor ideology, core elements of Bloombergism, places where Obama-era liberalism overlaps with the views of Davos-goers and the Wall Street 1 percent.

 

If you move in those circles, the political circumstances don’t necessarily matter: these ideas always look like uncontroversial common sense. Step outside those circles, though, and the timing of their elevation looks at best peculiar, at worst perverse.”

 

 

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/171223/

 

 

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[B-Large]

He adressed Heath Care Costs, to be fair we will have to wait until the program actually goes into effect and see what the outcomes are... that is another 6 months from now, so congress and the president did address it. I am not saying it will lower costs, I am saying it was sold as a coverage bills that would lower overall costs for most Americans.

 

Entitlement reform is a dead issue for this President. There are idelogical differences between he and the House that simply cannot be reconciled, and I don't believe our country has the gumption to address programs like Medicare and SS until they are in crisis mode- some would argue they are now, but the last estimates I had seen had Medicare safe util 2024 or and SS much longer than that.

 

Immigration reform is a low hanging fruit right now, neither party wants to address the tax code and like I said above, Social Programs are just not urgent enough- so they focus attention on the next issue down the line. Securing the Border, Defining a Pathay to Citizenship, Establishing an Enforncing a system or Temp Work Permits- there is common ground there and commonsense solutions that can be had- from what I have seen,then contention wil be doing a comprehensive versus piecemeal solution.... I would prefer pieces, the Government does not do comprehensive well...

[IDBillzFan]

He adressed Heath Care Costs, to be fair we will have to wait until the program actually goes into effect and see what the outcomes are... that is another 6 months from now, so congress and the president did address it. I am not saying it will lower costs, I am saying it was sold as a coverage bills that would lower overall costs for most Americans.

 

Entitlement reform is a dead issue for this President. There are idelogical differences between he and the House that simply cannot be reconciled, and I don't believe our country has the gumption to address programs like Medicare and SS until they are in crisis mode- some would argue they are now, but the last estimates I had seen had Medicare safe util 2024 or and SS much longer than that.

 

Immigration reform is a low hanging fruit right now, neither party wants to address the tax code and like I said above, Social Programs are just not urgent enough- so they focus attention on the next issue down the line. Securing the Border, Defining a Pathay to Citizenship, Establishing an Enforncing a system or Temp Work Permits- there is common ground there and commonsense solutions that can be had- from what I have seen,then contention wil be doing a comprehensive versus piecemeal solution.... I would prefer pieces, the Government does not do comprehensive well...

 

The immigration bill is another DC abortion. No secure borders first, no accountability, DHS has full discretion to waive in anyone they want, and last night I read that Obama slid another billion-dollar jobs stimulus package into the Corker-Hoeven amendment.

 

But I guess we need to pass the bill so it will stop the left from screaming about how the GOP hates the wetbacks. Of course, that WON'T stop them from saying that, and it won't do anything to help the GOP earn latina votes, but hey...if you can't trust good conservatives like Lindsey Graham and John McCain, who can you trust?

 

I said it before: this entire exercise is being shoved through the Senate so when it fails in the House, Obama has one last weapon to try and win the House back in the mid-terms. Period.

[B-Large]

The immigration bill is another DC abortion. No secure borders first, no accountability, DHS has full discretion to waive in anyone they want, and last night I read that Obama slid another billion-dollar jobs stimulus package into the Corker-Hoeven amendment.

 

But I guess we need to pass the bill so it will stop the left from screaming about how the GOP hates the wetbacks. Of course, that WON'T stop them from saying that, and it won't do anything to help the GOP earn latina votes, but hey...if you can't trust good conservatives like Lindsey Graham and John McCain, who can you trust?

 

I said it before: this entire exercise is being shoved through the Senate so when it fails in the House, Obama has one last weapon to try and win the House back in the mid-terms. Period.

 

yep, its political. it will be DOA in the House, and the finger pointing will start carrying over into the next POTUS cycle as well. I still don;t see why securing your domestic border is such a point of contention, I can imagine how anyone could argue against it... but they do....

[IDBillzFan]

yep, its political. it will be DOA in the House, and the finger pointing will start carrying over into the next POTUS cycle as well. I still don;t see why securing your domestic border is such a point of contention, I can imagine how anyone could argue against it... but they do....

 

The liberals argue against border security so in five years we can start all over again with the next 8 million illegals who need a pathway to citizenship since the border security was never addressed. The whole thing is bulllschitt, and I simply can't understand how idiots like Graham and McCain somehow believe that if we just get this passed, the Latinos will vote for Republicans again. It's mind-numbingly stupid.

 

But Harry Reid will get his 70 votes, the House will vote it down, and Barack Obama will have a new weapon. Ironically, anyone who doesn't see this coming has their head up their ass. And that includes you, Marco Rubio.

[GG]

yep, its political. it will be DOA in the House, and the finger pointing will start carrying over into the next POTUS cycle as well. I still don;t see why securing your domestic border is such a point of contention, I can imagine how anyone could argue against it... but they do....

 

 

Because securing the US Mexican border is a red herring in the debate. It's one thing to say that you support secure borders. It's a totally different thing to actually do it on that border and have it be cost effective (especially considering the immigration bill should take care of the issue of human trafficking)

[dayman]

It's called reality. They've covered America's priorities...and can't agree to do anything about it. What ideas does this author expect they take up at this point? Was he asleep for the last 4 years?

 

As for the secure the border debate...I would say most Americans agree it should be done...I think the problem comes from certain people wanting to basically put a standing army and invest a fortune in it when statistic show that at the moment net immigration is not a problem...it's not an issue of "secure or not" it's an issue of "what is secure?" More security is something both sides agree on. How much more is something they don't. And when it comes to this issue money and size of government is not so important anymore for some reason...

Edited June 24, 2013 by SameOldBills

[B-Man]

It's called reality. They've covered America's priorities...and can't agree to do anything about it. What ideas does this author expect they take up at this point? Was he asleep for the last 4 years?

 

. And when it comes to this issue money and size of government is not so important anymore for some reason...

 

Let's forget about trying to fix the economy................no one can agree on anything...............it's TOO HARD.

 

 

we at least can do something.............anything,............................. so its not a priority with Americans.....................what do they know ?

 

 

 

Thank God I'm not a liberal.

 

I'd hate to think like that.

 

.

[dayman]

Let's forget about trying to fix the economy................no one can agree on anything...............it's TOO HARD.

 

Ok we still need to bring unemployment down more. Go. Lets hear what we should be doing that has any realistic shot at passing. Oh wait, nothing about that in the article? Oh that's right...it's another mindless whiny "opinion article" from B-man...of course it isn't in there.

Edited June 24, 2013 by SameOldBills

[IDBillzFan]

Ok we still need to bring unemployment down more. Go. Lets hear what we should be doing that has any realistic shot at passing

 

Kind of sad to think that the WH has fubar'ed the country so much that even you admit there is no realistic shot at passing anything that will address unemployment.

 

Hey...maybe the immigration bill will help!

[3rdnlng]

Kind of sad to think that the WH has fubar'ed the country so much that even you admit there is no realistic shot at passing anything that will address unemployment.

 

Hey...maybe the immigration bill will help!

 

Maybe if we would send Obama off on more 100 million dollar safaris economic summits with those two or three economic powerhouses he is visiting in Africa, we could keep him away from ruling by fiat concerning economy killing regulations here.

[Koko78]

Kind of sad to think that the WH has fubar'ed the country so much that even you admit there is no realistic shot at passing anything that will address unemployment.

 

Hey...maybe the immigration bill will help!

 

Perhaps it's time for Obama to create or save jobs in fictional Congressional districts... again.

[IDBillzFan]

Maybe if we would send Obama off on more 100 million dollar safaris economic summits with those two or three economic powerhouses he is visiting in Africa, we could keep him away from ruling by fiat concerning economy killing regulations here.

 

But if you send him to Africa on a safari, who will give tours of the WH?

 

Oh, wait. We can't give WH tours because there's a budget shortfall of $18,000 a month due to sequester.

 

 

 

Jesus, this guy is such a maroon.

[3rdnlng]

But if you send him to Africa on a safari, who will give tours of the WH?

 

Oh, wait. We can't give WH tours because there's a budget shortfall of $18,000 a month due to sequester.

 

 

 

Jesus, this guy is such a maroon.

 

I honestly can't remember the 2-3 thirld world countries that they are visiting, and their reason that it is for economic improvement for all countries is quite a laugh. Just root for his lame ass to be out of this country as much as possible. He's an embarrassment to us all and if he's not here then maybe less will get phucked up.

[Gary M]

Kind of sad to think that the WH has fubar'ed the country so much that even you admit there is no realistic shot at passing anything that will address unemployment.

 

Hey...maybe the immigration bill will help!

 

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/06/24/immigration-reform-will-boost-the-economy-shrink-budget-deficits

 

"The bill would expand the size of the population and workforce significantly, which in turn would directly increase the size of the economy, the revenue base and spending for federal benefit programs"

 

There are no jobs for them you dope.

 

:wallbash:

[IDBillzFan]

http://www.usnews.co...budget-deficits

 

"The bill would expand the size of the population and workforce significantly, which in turn would directly increase the size of the economy, the revenue base and spending for federal benefit programs"

 

There are no jobs for them you dope.

 

:wallbash:

 

Don't have time to dig for it now, but I'm sure I heard Cruz talking yesterday how companies with 50+ employees who hire these new out-of-shadow immigrants can get exemptions from Obamacare taxes/penalties specifically for these employees.

 

The circle of life.

[B-Man]

The DISCONNECT continues, rather than work on the economy, Mr. Obama tries to please the Left with "climate change" executive orders

that will further harm the American worker and job growth.

 

Obama Will Allow XL Pipeline ‘Only If It Doesn’t Exacerbate Problem’ of Climate Change

 

Four Problems with Obama’s Push for Energy Efficiency

 

Obama: Lost Lives a Measurement of Climate Change

 

First-Quarter GDP Revised Down -- from 2.4% to 1.8%...

 

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[B-Man]

More;

 

 

 

Obama Risks the Economy for the Sake of his EPA Legacy.

 

 

 

UNEXPECTEDLY!

 

GDP Growth Revised Downward. .....................................A Wall Street reader emails:

The “unexpected” downward revision to first quarter GDP confirms what everyone expected going into this year: The tax increases would hurt consumers. Funny how that “reality” didn’t show through the government data until as long after the fact as possible.

 

An undiscussed consequence of this suspicious pattern is that markets will decreasingly trust government data, potentially increasing volatility and decreasing stability. Note I believe these are undiscussed, not necessarily unintended, consequences.

 

It’s sad to see this degree of irresponsibility.

 

.

[OCinBuffalo]

Let's forget about trying to fix the economy................no one can agree on anything...............it's TOO HARD.

 

 

we at least can do something.............anything,............................. so its not a priority with Americans.....................what do they know ?

 

 

 

Thank God I'm not a liberal.

 

I'd hate to think like that.

Where is the thought in any of that? That's not thinking, that's the absence of reason. "It's too hard" = emoting, not thinking.

Ok we still need to bring unemployment down more. Go. Lets hear what we should be doing that has any realistic shot at passing. Oh wait, nothing about that in the article? Oh that's right...it's another mindless whiny "opinion article" from B-man...of course it isn't in there.

Oh, I don't know, how about we get the F rid of Obamacare, which is the #1 issue that is causing the uncertainty-->risk-->refusal to hire more people....and more importantly, refusal to invest in training more people, so that they can be hired, in a structurally stressed workforce. When you do the F'ing math(not a skill most liberals posses), and you've actually looked at a balance sheet, ever, in your life, you realize that for almost every business, Obamacare is going to eat their training budget, along with other budgets as well. It's simply not cost effective to hire anybody, as long as Obamacare is hanging over your head. In an economy that has structural issues, ANYTHING that eats training $ = FAIL.

 

Add to that most large outfits are keeping their money off-shore, because there's no way they are going to bring it here, given the idiocy of this Administration. You can't force them to do it, and, as long as it's sitting there, they won't use it to re-invest in their businesses, which ALSO MEANS THEY WON'T HIRE.

 

Is this simple cause and effect still that hard to see, for 4 years now? Is it going to take 7 before you dopes realize you know nothing about how the world works? That we live in a GLOBAL economy, and that doing stupid here, means Apple finds someplace else where they do less stupid, or even: smart?

 

How about you start by learning some basic economics, to include understanding what structural unemployment is, what causes it, and realize that Keynesian Stimulus does: exactly nothing to fix it. How about we learn that Reagan's version of supply side economics is the cure for structural, because it F'ing is.

 

How about we also learn that ideology-driven econ is idiocy. There are situations where Keynesian works, and obviously, where supply side works. Running around and claiming that only one works, is like running around and claiming hammers work, but screwdrivers don't.

 

A choice confronts you. You know what's mindless? Choosing to pretend like everything I've written here isn't absolutely true, and that the only reason I'm saying is because I don't like you, Obama, or Democrats.