Hey Geithner! No Jobs. No Recovery!

Earlier this week, Tim Geithner, Obama's Treasury Secretary, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times that was titled: "Welcome to the Recovery". In it, he pretty much gives himself and his boss a pat on the back for saving the economy. Like Obama, Geithner is trying to push the idea that things would have been a lot worse if the Democrats hadn't passed the Stimulus Package. But, Mr. Geithner can't seem to understand that the economy, as I have written before, was actually starting to recover on it's own before any stimulus moneys went out the door in August of 2009 (Click here to My Commentary: The Big Stimulus Package Lie!). In reality, with the stimulus spending well in place, the situation now appears to be getting worse; not better.

With this morning's jobs report, we now know that our economy lost another 350,000 combined jobs in the months of June and July and it really doesn't matter if any of those lost jobs were for a Census worker or a guy flipping hamburgers. A job loss is a job loss and, you don't continue to lose jobs in a recovering economy. Further, any increase in monthly job losses will only have debilitating effect on the economy; making it much more difficult for it to truly enter a recovery stage.

I, for one, am getting really tired of the unprovable political B.S. from the likes of Geithner, Biden, and Obama that jobs have been saved or created and that things would have been a lot worse without the Stimulus Package. That song is getting quite tiring; especially when we continue to see a slew of economic numbers that show that the economy might actually be stumbling again.

A Summer Of Recovery? Really?

At a time when Obama and Biden are sliding in front of every camera imaginable hyping their fairy-tale pre-election campaign slogan of a "Summer of Recovery", the economic situation only appears to be worsening.

In one report after another, we find a worsening situation. The last consumer confidence, and spending reports have clearly shown that people are worried and less willing to spend. The foreclosure rate is even higher than it had been during the last year. Housing prices are falling on a more widespread basis with 75% of major cities now reporting valuation losses. And, as in the case of last Friday morning's report, the production growth in the country is slowing once again. Now, with this morning's unemployment insurance claims, we see another jump in a number that should be falling if we were truly in a recovery.

But, in speech after speech, this President and the Vice President would have you believe everything is rosy. This disconnect is why Obama and Congress' approval ratings are diving to new lows. The people just aren't buying it. If the deterioration continues to be as rapid as it has appeared to be in the last two months, the Democrats are in for even bigger loses than are expected right now. Therefore, I have to agree with Biden that the Democrats will "shock" us in the Fall; except the shock will be greater than expected and the opposite of what our silly VP seems to think.

pb

The November Elections: When The Lemmings Die

It always amazes me how independent thought, of any kind. is almost totally absent in politics. On nearly every topic, each political party will choose sides opposite of the position taken by the other. It is almost as if, in spite, a political party is honor bound to take the opposing side on every issue; like two, immature, constantly fighting spouses.

The problem with this kind of "attitude" is that, more often than not, one party will find itself totally out of step with the nation as a whole. When this kind of counter-regimentation does occur, the party at odds with America will, like lemmings, commit mass political suicide.

Today, the Democrats have been lead to that point by unquestionably following the direction of an extreme, far-left leader; rather than their hearts, as true Americans independently deciding to do what was right for the country. In Obama's hands they truly are lemmings.

The polls show that only 11% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Congress. Obama, himself, has lost his pre-Oath of Office favorability rating faster than any other President before him and is getting ever closer to dipping below a 40 percent approval rating. The current economic downturn is already the longest running recession, excluding the Great Depression, since the post Civil War years; with no light at the end of tunnel in terms of any meaningful recovery. But, more than anything, the current polling shows that a majority of Americans -- as high as 62% in a recent U.S. News & World Report survey --- believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction.

Americans are angry. Americans are nervous and scared; and, Americans will punish the lemming-like Democrats in the Fall.

Socialism Spawns Socialism

We know from past experience, that the welfare system in America has actually locked generations into a losing system for the rest of their lives. Originally intended as a so-called "safety net" to help people get back on their feet during hard times, it, instead, became a way of life with children of welfare recipients becoming future captives of the same system they grew up in.

Socialism is often referred to as "creeping socialism" because it, like some kind of cancer, spreads until, someday, the state government literally runs everything. Socialism is like a narcotic that pulls more and more citizens into its grasp; and, eventually the nanny-state fully evolves.

I often hear people say that the United States is not Europe when it comes to socialism. But, it wasn't very long ago when Europe wasn't what it is today, with all its socialist burdens.

I'm of the belief that socialism spawns socialism by weakening a capitalistic society. With every social program created, workers and money makers have to ante up more and more of their own money in order to subsidize an increasingly larger group of state-dependent citizens. As the state keeps taking more from the successful segment of society, those money makers find themselves being driven out of business and, thus, forced to join the increasingly larger group of state-dependents. Eventually -- too many have jumped into the wagon, with no one left to pull it.

Usually, unemployment insurance is the first step in the creation of a socialist state. It follows the logic that you can't have the unemployed starving and dying in the streets while they're looking for a new job. Then, the socialist will push for a government-run retirement program like our "Social" Security system. Next there's the institution of a welfare system for those who are determined, by the state, to be unemployable. Often, this includes food stamps, housing, and some kind of state-provided salary. Then, there has to be a government-run health care system so that, again, you don't have people dying for lack of care. Oh, and let's not forget that, eventually, higher education should be the right of every citizen as well.

With each of these programs, more and more citizens are being cared for by the government and more and more government funds and people (working for the government) are needed to support the programs. As this occurs, the burden of taxes rises and shaky businesses are forced to go under with the owners and the employees of those fallen businesses being forced to join the increasingly larger group of government-shepherded citizens. Then, ultimately, you have a society like Greece where the state can no longer support itself. Make no mistake, Obama and the Democrats have put us ever closer to the day when that fate will be our own.