Reply #34: That's a terribly weak defense...

[Iowa]

Hello_Kitty wasn't elected to address the nation's economic issues. She/he probably has enough to do in her own job; she shouldn't be required to do Obama's job too. She is simply commenting (as many here are stating) that these proposals are weak, half-ass, "throw-the-dog-a-bone" gestures that won't amount to squat in the large scheme of things. If you disagree, tell us why you believe this isn't a marginal, incremental, "nipping-at-the-edges", typical DLC half-measure, and how it will provide meaningful help to the millions who are sinking into the abyss.

As for alternate proposals... multiple alternate proposals are posted on DU every day (and on countless other sites). There's no lack for better proposals - what's lacking is any sense of passion or creativity in the WH and Congress when it comes to addressing the structural issues that are destroying the middle-class. There's always plenty of passion for serving the needs of corps, Wall Street, and the M.I.C. But when it comes to addressing the needs of the rest of us 1) it's always an afterthought after the fat-cats are taken care of, 2) it usually gets dropped by the wayside or compromised away long before it reaches fruition, and 3) it is always accompanied by much angst and hand-wringing over the deficit.