The 2nd half of Obama's Presidency

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Are you optimistic about the next 2 years of the Obama presidency?

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Actually I have some optimism that the next 2 years will be better, if for no other reason than the government is not completely controlled by one party. I do think that some tough choices will have to be made, which may not make things easier in the short term. I think enough Americans are starting to realize that things like the debt, and some other issues we have, need to be worked on and can no longer be left for somebody else to figure out down the road.

[billisonboard]

First off, is the title wishful thinking? It might be only the second quater of Obama's Presidency.

I think we will continue to see the lower of the standard of living for many Americans with an increased standard of living for a few Americans. Will that look good on paper? Probably.

[billisonboard]

btw, how if there are only three of us "viewing" the board do you get thirteen readings of the thread?

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Dec 23, 2010 3:39:51 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

First off, is the title wishful thinking? It might be only the second quater of Obama's Presidency.

I think we will continue to see the lower of the standard of living for many Americans with an increased standard of living for a few Americans. Will that look good on paper? Probably.

So is that a "No?" As far as you question on the viewings...my guess is that each time somebody clicks on it, the number goes up and if you've viewed it a few times and I've done the same, the number can go up pretty quickly. I am wondering if it goes up one each time a post is modified as well.

As a side note, I think I kind of like being able to make a poll on questions.

[billisonboard]

Do you mean, on average, will the next two years be better?

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Dec 23, 2010 3:44:10 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Do you mean, on average, will the next two years be better?

Changed the question for you. Are you optimistic about the next 2 years or not? Don't forget to place your vote since we are about using polls on here.

[billisonboard]

Okay, I voted for you.

Remember, an optimist is frequently disappointed while a pessimist is frequently surprised.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Dec 23, 2010 3:58:04 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Okay, I voted for you.

Remember, an optimist is frequently disappointed while a pessimist is frequently surprised.

Not really. A pessimist is always a pessimist, even when things work out, because they are always looking for the next thing to go wrong. While an optimist may be disappointed at times, they tend to look for the good in situations and find it.

As to your reasoning why you voted "No," I have no doubt that some lifestyles will go down. Isn't part of what created the situation we are in related to people living either beyond their means on imaginary credit dollars or people living at the outer limit of their means and not being able to save for when something goes wrong? I am sure that, at least in the short term, people will be more frugal in their lifestyles. I'm not sure that is necessarily a bad thing though.

[billisonboard]

PI12,
No, not necessarily a bad thing in the long run. But think of it like a fever. While we might turn up the heat over the next two years to improve things, it is hard to say things are better until the infection is gone and the fever has broken. And there is always the risk with a fever that it will get too high and destroy the body it is attemptig to protect.

[reformeddaytrader]

The second half of Obama's Presidency is what we should be discussing.....as you all know we can't go back and rewrite his first two years but you can bet the Republicans will attempt to change some of Obama's policies.

If anything the Bush Tax Cuts cry out for a complete overhaul of our archaic Income Tax System especially for businesses..

[floridayankee]

I voted yes....but IMHO, it's going to depend on how dedicated our politicians are to reducing the deficit and balancing the budget. Over time, the economy will recover fine if they quit trying to screw it up and take care of everybody's needs with expensive, unpaid for, poorly managed feel-good giveaways.

[reformeddaytrader]

I voted yes because Nancy Pelosi no longer sets the agenda in the House with a liberal majority to pass legislation that did nothing to help our economic stagnation and unemployment..IMHO.

I look for Republican Congressmen Paul Ryan, Ron Paul, Eric Cantor and John Boehner to do some good things..

[vl]

Basically, the Party of NO figured out that America is pissed at ALL of Congress, not just one party. The antic exacerbated an alreadsy tense and tender area. The two years ahead MUST deliver two things... JOBS and JUSTICE. I'm inclined to think they are intertwined.

BTW... reports indicate that housing values will continue to fall through the first quarter 2011 and not climb until late 2012. It's more likely that values may recover where jobs start up but will fall where wealth has bought and barricaded itself. A gated community is also a prison.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Dec 23, 2010 17:23:49 GMT -5 @vl said:

Basically, the Party of NO figured out that America is pissed at ALL of Congress, not just one party. The antic exacerbated an alreadsy tense and tender area. The two years ahead MUST deliver two things... JOBS and JUSTICE. I'm inclined to think they are intertwined.

BTW... reports indicate that housing values will continue to fall through the first quarter 2011 and not climb until late 2012. It's more likely that values may recover where jobs start up but will fall where wealth has bought and barricaded itself. A gated community is also a prison.

So is that a "yes" or "no?" I find it interesting that you call Republicans the party of no, and yet you say no to anything Republican ideas.

[vl]

It's a "no" unfortunately. The way this works is-- at some point we have to cover the cost of padding the fall. We have been falling steadily without particular cost. Rehiring, on-boarding and acclamation are hefty expenditures (two or three-fold if done poorly).
Most "big" businesses have relied heavily on credit to float the cost of stagnation. Expect a massive increase in the Bank Rate to start recovering revenue suppression. All syndications are variable-rated so-- direct impact on the bottom line.
Some of us will see direct appreciation in our real property by location. Some others may not ever recover (review your 1930s history).
I heard today that as most first generation boomers hit retirement age, many expect to keep on working. Every DAY they do will cost us more than throwing them out the front door with a gold watch in hand. These folks are in pretty good shape and need to wake up to what they are doing to the country. If they let go of the show and returned as consulting businesses, it could be very good for our overall recovery but NOT as wage-earners.
Income tax may be static for two years but sales tax won't be and goods inflation will take us well-beyond affordability for many taken-for-granted items. We can't avoid THE COST.

My hopes are-- that MARKET TALK will return to its sharp-shooter level and collectively keep up with the emerging horses. Expect significant variance between talking head info from the likes of Kramer. I think even Fleckenstein will be chasing the facts.
I'm heading into this with all my eggs and the basket, but I'm looking forward to making up a lot of stagnant time.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

I'm not saying things will get better overnight, but I am optimistic that the next two years can go a long way in getting us on the right track.

[Value Buy]

I voted "yes"
All bets are off though, if retail gasoline prices are above $3.25 a gallon nationally this winter. It will suck the consumer dry, faster than a sixty year old overweight guy in the desert in July, without a tee shirt.

[Value Buy]

Now, if the poll was about Politics, I would need another vote.
We have to remember, we, the American people, vote our pockebook, not our politics.
Unless you are a liberal leftwinger. Then you vote "our pocketbook".

[deziloooooo]

"All bets are off though, if retail gasoline prices are above $3.25 a gallon nationally this winter"

It's at $3.15 now in places and I am sure another 8 cents in Boca over that as they have there own local tax , lots of $ there, but why wouldn't it go up? The rest of the modern world is quite a bit higher then we are , even the subsidizes of the Iranians are gone, there going up 9 times. Granted it will go down again for a while while they manipulate the prices..but if you notice, never down to the lowest.
Possible we will come up with a national policy of alternate fuels, less harmful to the economy, economics to scale might be seen and more and more changing over to start cutting our dependence on fossil fuel.
How to wean ourselves from the worse , coal, haven't a clue, we have so much, comparatively cheap, ways to transport in bulk, the railroads...... it's a puzzlement.

[sanityjones]

Only on P&M can you have negative karma with only an Exalt option. LOL

[deziloooooo]

Jobs and debt are the big things...you take care of that , not solve it but work on it, then it's a improvement.
Obama put together a Bi partison commission who listed the problems..and all, legislators, ran, away from even discussing them, let alone actually dealing with them. To hot a potato.
Those are the real problems , there is the possible solutions..even if they don't do all that was suggested..but to run away from them?
Actually if they dealt with them , the electorate will start screaming, here too because we all will be affected , depending on where we fall on the different issues acted on.
Defense, suggested $100 Billion in cuts..how do the ones who feel defense should never be cut feel about that.
Seniors...pay more for medicare and the RX program..how do you feel.
and on and on.
There are 24 pages here, well you are talking about $200 billion in suggested cuts and major idea changes, did you expect a 50 word summary?
You can scan it but we are not the ones who are deciding, and from what I understand in reading the rejction of, geting it to the Senate floor to discuss , not actually agree and implimenting, just discuss they wanted no part of that. Senators, both parties, couldn't get even that passed, so how do you expect anything of consequence to be done.
Blame the president/ ?He has great powrs, but here he has none, it's up to the Senators themselves and both sides have to have the will power to look at where the major problems really lie.
They won't so they spend time on issues that get some all up in arms, such as here, pass or don't pass the over throw of DADT. Since one of the ideas on the commissions report was to let the Bush Tax cuts expire on the top earners, , they settled that for two years anyway, they passed the extension of , so that will teach the commission to meddle where they are not wanted, LOL.
Those who supported those who felt that way are still here complaining about how bad the debt is and whoe is us.
By the way , I heard on NPR radio yesterday as I drove to nephews for Christmas dinner, a english commentator explain why so many average citizens who are not affected by the upper levels of the Bush tax cuts are so in favor of them..which to me never made any sense..his reasoning, even though the majority of American will never even sniff those levels to be affected..they think they will be , thus their support of.
Interesting idea..flawed, wrong , but perfectly logical in a sick way. What do you think.[ I know, I degress but had to throw that in. ;D
www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/Illustrative_List_11.10.2010.pdf

[deziloooooo]

Were back to the karma's again? LOL, and I haven't even done any commenting to speak of and I am at a -6 already, LOL, Moon darlin..I feel so unwanted.
Would love for you to put up who is doing the smiting..bet you see a correlation of past differences being acted out..I make book on it. Oh well {sigh, back to the shrinks coach and my feelings of not being understood by my fellow man, OR possible I do some smighting on my own. Now That is a neat idea..so let the smighting begin..

[billisonboard]

dez,
I will be working to improve your karma

[deziloooooo]

Appreciate it..think you get back where you were..I like the positive parts , that's good , the smiting..on this thread, politics, Naaaa, naybe EE and others but here it was a disaster waiting to happen, thanks for the umprovement of ..LOL..possible stay off the shrinks couch now.

[reformeddaytrader]

Dec 23, 2010 3:28:20 GMT -5 Politically_Incorrect12 said:

Are you optimistic about the next 2 years of the Obama presidency?

Are you all less optimistic??...Why? Because you have no idea and doubt anyone else has about the challenge for Obama with the new congress realigned reality which begins in January 2011. Obama has little choice to narrow his liberalism or socialism or face the harsh reality of gridlock.

But we still have high unemployment. We still have Iraq and Afghanistan. We still have Pelosi although in a lesser congressional role. American Politics in Washington DC are now in the same state of volatility, gridlock, corruption and incompetence that stirred anxieties of the Great Recession.

[upstatemom]

All bets are off though, if retail gasoline prices are above $3.25 a gallon nationally this winter"

Its already 3.27 in my area and seems to go up every day a few cents. Its not pretty

[skweet]

Continued Bush tax cuts for two years. Of course they will be better, everyone cut down in prep for high taxes in 5 days, but now they have a repreive. It may not be like 2002-2007, but it will be better than Obama's first 2008-2010.

[ugonow]

Of course they will be better, everyone cut down in prep for high taxes in 5 days, but now they have a repreive

The economy is already picking up thanks to the anticipation of more republican held seats.

[goldenrun]

RDT said: "Obama has little choice to narrow his liberalism or socialism "

Please explain how President Obama is a socialist. Give examples and please be specific. Thanks.