The Obama Presidency

[Yoshi]

The financial collapse was caused by Bush policies, most of Obama's spending thusfar has been trying to fix said collapse.

This is just factually inaccurate. The seeds were sown long before Bush took office. His mistake was not addressing a growing problem, not creating it.

[Yoshi]

Obama passed the first healthcare reform in generations, is auditing the Fed for the first time ever, passing some financial reforms with teeth - in addition to ending two disastrous wars that have cost us 1 trillion dollars so far.

So you mention one disaster that will further destroy our economy and then get into promises. That's a net negative. 0 > -X

[Dunlap]

taxes need to be pumped up by about 2% or so and maybe ad a VAT tax.

Yeah, let's get the Department of Redundancy Department on that one.

[Drewbacca]

My argument was not "Oh yeah? Well Bush sucked too!". My argument was that Yoshi cannot defend the waste of money and many other things that is the Iraq war which has done no good for the American people, while attacking the health care, which while not great is at least a step in the right direction.

The healthcare reform bill, as is, is not a step in the right direction. It's a half assed attempt to placate the healthcare issue without ever addressing the actual problems you're faced with now (aside from being denied) and enduring you to the Pharmaceuticals. In the grand scheme of things a healthcare bill is a lot less skeevy than a huge needless/pointless war. But two wrongs don't make a right.

[Razor Ramon]

Yeah, let's get the Department of Redundancy Department on that one.

See, I told you people wouldn't like it.

[Razor Ramon]

Furthermore, you cannot have a country with entitlements and have no way to pay for them. "Cut taxes but keep my social security check coming!" Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

[Drewbacca]

Just a couple thoughts off the top of my head.

Wasn't one of Obama's selling points while campaigning offshore drilling? Yet he doesn't seem to get any flack for what's happened.

Offshore drilling does not equal bad. BP fucking up is a bad thing that happened on an offshore drill. Savvy?

Why are gas prices staying steady? Not that I'm complaining, but the moment a hurricane hits prices spike. We're just dumping oil into the ocean and prices stay steady. I don't buy the "we had a lot of reserves" bullshit. Reserves should be there when hurricanes hit as well. Oil companies are crooks. Plain and simple.

This is a good question. Probably because the public would outrage if BP's incompetence actually affects their bottom lines.

[dave is ok]

This is just factually inaccurate. The seeds were sown long before Bush took office. His mistake was not addressing a growing problem, not creating it.

Sure, it started with the repeal of Glass-Steagal and the Graham Bliley Leach Act, but Bush signed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, no?

And regardless of when it started, ignoring a problem for 8 years is just as bad as causing one.

[Dyne]

This is a good question. Probably because the public would outrage if BP's incompetence actually affects their bottom lines.

The country didn't stand up when they were gouging $4 a gallon last year, I don't see them standing up in this scenario either.

I also like how the environmental impact is being downplayed right now. This thing has the potential to fuck up so much stuff.

[Fe 26]

Free cigarettes if you are over 30