President Bush's Performance Tonight

[Chilly]

Just wanted to open up a discussion about how everyone thought Bush's speech was tonight. The contents if you wish, but more or less what I want to touch base on with this post is his communication with the American people.

 

I thought he did a good job with his social security plan tonight and that this was a needed step for him. He did well with addressing concerns with the American people, and addressing his feelings on stipulations (ie it must have an accounts system) and why they should be better. I thought he communicated his feelings a lot better tonight then I have seen in the past on national television and this was a necessary step.

 

I thought he did a bad job addressing his energy concerns. What exactly is the agenda that you are trying to set here? Is it a move toward cleaner producing fuels? Why, exactly, is your energy plan focusing on fossil fuels given all the environment problems and the very expensive cost of coal? This wasn't communicated effectively imo.

 

I thought he did a bad job when asked about giving prisoners to other countries. The people asking these questions want reassurance that they wont' be tortured, but he really didn't provide that much.

 

All in all I thought he was fairly solid. He did really well with his social security policy, but his energy policy was somewhat lacking I think.

[John Adams]

I cannot... cannot believe his idea is to cut benefits to those who pay the most into the system. He is an MFing socialist CKsucker of the highest degree. Not one registered Republican should sleep well tonight.

[KRC]

I cannot... cannot believe his idea is to cut benefits to those who pay the most into the system. He is an MFing socialist CKsucker of the highest degree. Not one registered Republican should sleep well tonight.

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Yeah, that was stupid. He is trying to pander too much to the Dems and it will bite him in the arse. By the time Congress gets through with this, it will be even more f'ed up than it is now.

[BuckeyeBill]

I cannot... cannot believe his idea is to cut benefits to those who pay the most into the system. He is an MFing socialist CKsucker of the highest degree. Not one registered Republican should sleep well tonight.

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Too bad the original John Adams would believe exactly opposite of what you do.

[John Adams]

Too bad the original John Adams would believe exactly opposite of what you do.

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You think? Don't mistake his federalist leanings for socialism. He believed that a strong federal government was critical to preserve the ideals of the states. John Adams helped forge the country and the IDEA of limited government. He would, no doubt, be appalled by the very idea of a system of income tax and the oppressive monster that is the federal government-- remember, this is the man who lauded the dumping of the tea in Boston Harbor- a protest agaisnt a sales tax- as a "bold...daring... epocha."

[PastaJoe]

He said he couldn't do anything about gas prices. First quarter profits for Exxon are up 40% and BP up over 30% compared to last year, and he was just holding hands with the Saudi prince. How about using the bully pulpit to talk about the excessive profits the energy companies are making that are hurting the average American, and asking them to share a bit of the sacrifice for the good of the economy. And stop playing footsies with the Saudis and not pressuring them to increase oil production (they actually cut it earlier this year) to lower the cost of oil that gets passed on to us. Yeah, like any of that will happen. Too bad he wasn't on from 9-10pm EST. I would have liked to have seen Donald Trump look at Bush and say, "You're fired!".

[/dev/null]

i think he needed more cowbell

[VABills]

He said he couldn't do anything about gas prices. First quarter profits for Exxon are up 40% and BP up over 30% compared to last year, and he was just holding hands with the Saudi prince. How about using the bully pulpit to talk about the excessive profits the energy companies are making that are hurting the average American, and asking them to share a bit of the sacrifice for the good of the economy.  And stop playing footsies with the Saudis and not pressuring them to increase oil production (they actually cut it earlier this year) to lower the cost of oil that gets passed on to us.  Yeah, like any of that will happen.  Too bad he wasn't on from 9-10pm EST.  I would have liked to have seen Donald Trump look at Bush and say, "You're fired!".

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Based on what for the profits. If the profit was only 1 million last year and now it's 1.4 million that's still not a lot to go around to a lot of share holders, a lot of which are the poor and middle class in their 401K's. Everything is relative. You cut back profit, and yes the "rich" get hurt, but so do theose with pensions and retirement funds.

[UConn James]

And just like the debates, he shrugged off any notion that he's done anything wrong in fomenting the current level of partisanship. You're by far not the only one, Mr. President, but you're not virgin snow in this.

 

Then there was: "Ten years ago, if we'd have had an energy strategy, we would be able to diversify away from foreign dependence."

 

Basically passing the buck to the Clinton admin. You want to know why there was no effective energy policy 10 years ago? B/c Republicans at the time were busy trying to dismantle the Dept. of Energy. And hey, you get what you give.

 

What we've got for ideas from him is the ANWR wet dream. How about nuclear power --> hydrogen economy? Instead, he has to pander to the clean coal, biodiesel, ethanol special interests (again, he's not the only one, but he's the highest profile one, who sets the course for the country) rather than technology that already exists and works.

[PastaJoe]

Based on what for the profits.  If the profit was only 1 million last year and now it's 1.4 million that's still not a lot to go around to a lot of share holders, a lot of which are the poor and middle class in their 401K's.  Everything is relative.  You cut back profit, and yes the "rich" get hurt, but so do theose with pensions and retirement funds.

 

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded energy company, reported that first-quarter profits surged 44 percent as high prices for oil and natural gas more than offset declining production. The news Thursday was similar at Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Cos. and Marathon Oil Co., which also reported sharply higher profits despite a drop in production. The latest batch of oil-industry earnings were in line with this week's results at BP PLC, which reported a 35 percent jump in profits, buoyed by higher oil and gas prices

 

Exxon said it earned $7.86 billion, or $1.22 per share, up from $5.44 billion, or 83 cents per share, a year earlier.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5042800943.html

 

I won't be shedding any tears for the poor oil companies and their majority stock holders anytime soon.

[todd]

The president's energy policy is pure crap, perhaps with the exception of wanting more nuke power. He can try to polish up his crappy policy by having a press conference, but sh-- will always smell like sh--.

[bobblehead]

The president's energy policy is pure crap, perhaps with the exception of wanting more nuke power. He can try to polish up his crappy policy by having a press conference, but sh-- will always smell like sh--.

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When left alone with the press, you get snippets from Bush that show he's not fully getting it with regards to his energy policy. Granted, our nuclear power capability is woefully inferior, liberal activism has alot to answer to because of this, and Bush is doing something now about it that is way overdue.

 

Still, when you hear him say things last night, like "I don't know why Iran would want nuclear power plants, they've already got all the oil" It just makes me scratch my head.

 

Ok, Iran is evil, we get it. But they are not stupid, either.

[VABills]

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded energy company, reported that first-quarter profits surged 44 percent as high prices for oil and natural gas more than offset declining production.  The news Thursday was similar at Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Cos. and Marathon Oil Co., which also reported sharply higher profits despite a drop in production.  The latest batch of oil-industry earnings were in line with this week's results at BP PLC, which reported a 35 percent jump in profits, buoyed by higher oil and gas prices

 

Exxon said it earned $7.86 billion, or $1.22 per share, up from $5.44 billion, or 83 cents per share, a year earlier.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5042800943.html

 

I won't be shedding any tears for the poor oil companies and their majority stock holders anytime soon.

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I guess you are one of those folks with no 401K or investments and believe that Social Security will take care of you in the future?

 

Would you like some ketchup with those fries?

[Alaska Darin]

I didn't watch it because these 'tards have the right idea for the wrong solution.

 

The best way to "save Social Security" is to have a long term plan to get rid of it. By long term I mean really long - because it's going to take a couple of generations to get people off the tit.

 

The current Roth IRA along with the variety of other vehicles (SEP-IRA, 401K, 403B, etc) are good places to start but the importance of investing and the basic concepts need to actually be taught to people BEFORE they ever hit the workforce. It amazes me that we have people graduating high school who are missing basic personal economic fundamentals.

 

An 18 year old who invested $100 a month every month at 8% until they were 65 would have nearly $567,000.00. It's just not that hard.

[Campy]

It amazes me that we have people graduating high school who are missing basic personal economic fundamentals.

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As a senior in high school, our "history" class consisted of a half-year of political science and a half-year of basic economics which included mock investment portfolios, basic accounting, and personal finance.

 

Because the high schools now only teach for the SOL tests, innovative programs that helped teach life skills have been done away with. I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but it sure doesn't surprise me given that the braintrust behind NCLB is more or less a functionaly illiterate stooge.

[/dev/null]

It amazes me that we have people graduating high school who are missing basic personal economic fundamentals.

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doesn't surprise me one bit. if they taught people how to be self reliant and independant it would eliminate the need for government assistance and therefore weaken government control

[Alaska Darin]

As a senior in high school, our "history" class consisted of a half-year of political science and a half-year of basic economics which included mock investment portfolios, basic accounting, and personal finance. 

 

Because the high schools now only teach for the SOL tests, innovative programs that helped teach life skills have been done away with.  I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but it sure doesn't surprise me given that the braintrust behind NCLB is more or less a functionaly illiterate stooge.

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Which is pretty much what happens when you put a faceless bureaucracy in charge of something that should be handled locally.

[Campy]

doesn't surprise me one bit.  if they taught people how to be self reliant and independant it would eliminate the need for government assistance and therefore weaken government control

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True. It all started right after 'they' killed JFK and MLK

[KRC]

I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but it sure doesn't surprise me given that the braintrust behind NCLB is more or less a functionaly illiterate stooge.

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You shouldn't talk about Teddy Kennedy that way. You do know that Kennedy was the one that wrote the legislation, right?

[Campy]

You shouldn't talk about Teddy Kennedy that way. You do know that Kennedy was the one that wrote the legislation, right?

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I did not know that, but I am relieved to learn that I'm no less accurate!