Reply #54: So you have a different opinion.

[Milo_Bloom]

My opinion happens to be a little bit in the middle. I agree we need to spend our way out of this recession; however, I also believe this administration is wasting billions of dollars... a large part on the war on terror (afghanistan) which I believe Obama is smart enough to know is unwinnable but feels he MUST continue the war to save face with the hawks. Earmarks are at the highest level EVER, DESPITE the "reform" of having to post the request online and state a purpose.

There have to be cuts somewhere... significant cuts AND an additional revenue source. We are going to spend 400 BILLION on interest on the debt this year... MORE next year and it is only going to get worse and worse and worse unless we both cut spending and increase revenue.

So, yes, we need to spend money on job creation! However, there is billions being wasted (And I am not talking about "government waste").. I am talking about the US making difficult choices about what is most important.. fighting a nebulous global war on terror vs job creation at home... but I suspect we actually agree on this point.


So let's get down to the REAL problem and why independents are turned off, as I have explained in this thread... Using the guild lines this administration put forth.. the stimulus failed. They warned that WITHOUT the stimulus, we would hit 10% unemployment... well, we hit it WITH the stimulus. People now argue that their predictions were wrong and we WOULD HAVE hit 12-15% without it. Maybe that is the case.. but it remains a MAYBE. It's the same junk logic that gets people to believe the war on terror is working because we haven't had an attack since 9/11. Whenever you start trying to argue what COULD have happened or MIGHT have happened, you wind up being able to go anywhere you want, since there is not actual universal agreement among economics about how to solve our particular problem.