Obama says will do all necessary to boost economy

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

President Barack Obama promised on Saturday to do "all that's necessary" to boost the economy and warned, in an opening shot at critics of his budget proposals, that the country had tough choices ahead.

Obama, who has rolled out a series of proposals to address the economic crisis since taking office on January 20, expressed confidence those initiatives would work even as jobless figures rise and the economic picture worsens.

"From the day I took office, I knew that solving this crisis would not be easy, nor would it happen overnight, and we will continue to face difficult days in the months ahead," he said in his weekly radio address.

"My administration is committed to doing all that's necessary to address this crisis and lead us to a better day."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090307/ts_nm/us_obama_6

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Toward a Better Day
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/06/Toward-a-Better-Day/

[dkf]

1. How's about staffing the Treasury Department first?

That would be nice.

[stillcool]

6. The Treasury Department has no staff?

[dkf]

7. He is supposed to have 17 top deputies. Poor guy has none yet.

Understaffed Geithner can't keep up, critics say

By DANIEL WAGNER
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 5, 2009; 10:27 AM

WASHINGTON -- For five weeks, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has battled the worst economic crisis in generations with no key deputies in place. That's made for a rocky debut for the man President Barack Obama put in charge of addressing the financial crisis.

With an awkward first television appearance, a bank rescue plan that lacked promised specifics and two restructured bailouts that raised taxpayer risk, Geithner has failed to calm financial markets desperate for answers.

Critics say part of the problem is that Geithner is flying solo: Not one of his top 17 deputies has been named, let alone confirmed. And without senior leadership, lower-level Treasury employees can't make decisions or represent the government in crucial conversations with banks and others.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030501358_pf.html

[ixion]

2. Then stop shoveling money at the banks, and start bottom-up, grassroots programs

to help We, the People.

Top down solutions serve only to make things worse.

[stillcool]

5. I agree we should let

the financial system crash and burn. If you're waiting for 'we the people' to solve any problems from the bottom up you're going to be waiting a long time. People can't even bother to phone their own Representatives when a vote comes to the floor.

[madville]

3. It's sad to think that all this money is evaporating into bank debt

A couple of trillion probably could have covered our healthcare costs for a year.

[quidam56]

4. We need a cure for health care in America.

http://www.wisecountyissues.com

[depakid]

8. Listening to Joseph Stiglitz would be helpful

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/130535/the_only_way_to_avoid_wasting_many_billions_more%3A_take_over_the_banks/?page=entire

Joseph E. Stiglitz is University Professor at Columbia University. He received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001 for research on the economics of information. Most recently, he is the co-author, with Linda Bilmes, of The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Costs of the Iraq Conflict.

[Skink]

9. He could replace Bernacke with Volker, Krugman or Reich any time.

[ohio2007]

10. Confidence seems low in stimulus pork ?

find stimulus projects near you;
Take the quick start video guide first
http://stimuluswatch.org/home/tutorial