He’s right but he fails to recognize that it’s all these failed ‘liberal social programs’ that have provided our very comfortable lifestyle. If Will and the other neocons had their way, we wouldn’t have to worry about gas prices and buying a house. That would be only available to the rich. Instead, the ‘liberal social programs’ have allowed many to reach at least lower middle class who would have otherwise lived in borderline poverty. So when their safe comfortable world is threatened, of course they’re ‘whiners.’ They should be rich like George Will.

Will and Barnes are two guys who even got beat up in prep school. Hannity was more likely to be one of the guys doing the beating. Sadism favors no class.

I hope most people are aware that Phil Gramme has escaped from three mental institutions.

I am so sick of people like George Will quoting statistics that boost their agenda without giving the entire picture.

First, an unemployment rate of 5.5% is nothing to brag about. That’s still high enough to hurt.

Second, that unemployment rate doesn’t take into consideration the following:

1. The UNDERemployed. These are the people whose unemployment insurance payments have run out and they have to take any burger-flipping job they can find, even though they have a master’s degree. They’re not counted in the statistics.

2. Temporary workers. These are people who, having been downsized out of their jobs, have signed on with temp agencies, hoping to get any kind of work they can (without benefits, natch), and hoping that will eventually lead to a permanent job. They’re not counted in the statistics.

3. Part-time workers. Many people who can’t find full-time employment will take any kind of part-time employment that comes alone, even though there are seldom any benefits attached. They’re not counted in the statistics.

4. Self-employed workers. Many of these are suffering because they aren’t getting as much business these days, since all their customers have had to tighten their belts. Plus this group includes all the mom-and-pops being driven out of business by the big boxes like Wal-Mart — ah, but that’s another thread.

All of the above groups of people have a few things in common. First, they aren’t part of that 5.5% figure Will brags about. Second, they all have less money than they once did — due to reduced income and increased outgo (gas prices, food prices, health care prices, etc. etc.). And third, most of the above people don’t have benefits that full-time employment often gives, such as health insurance, life insurance, sick leave, etc.

George Will using the unemployment rate to “prove” that no problem exists just shows his cluelessness.

We don’t use the guillotine in this country, but we DO use the voting booth. And we shall.

Part 1: If only everyone would get over the Vietnam fiasco and give Bush and the neocons a free hand to do whatever they wanted in Afghanistan and Iraq, we’d have won by now and gas would cost under $1 a gallon.

Part 2: If only everyone would get over Watergate and give Bush a free hand to spy on whoever he wanted, all the terrorista and traitors would have been rounded up by now and we’d be living happily ever after.

Part 3: If only everyone would stop criticizing the president, he’d be able to stop defending himself and do a much better job.

Part 4: If only everyone would stop saying we were headed for a recession and plow ahead confidently, there wouldn’t be any recession.

Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

The lowering of the interest rates this time has had zero positive effect for the consumers.

My understanding of economics isnt great (probably still better than McSame’s though) but isn’t it conventional wisdom that the government strive to reduce debt when the economy is strong, and then resort to deficit spending when the economy is struggling?

Well, Bush turned that on its head with his first round of tax cuts, and dove into deficit spending in a strong economy.

Thus, when the slowdown hit, he had nothing to turn to except MORE deficit spending, which eventually took its toll on the international position of the dollar and credit-worthiness of US T-bills.

The “Bush recovery” was an illusion too, financed primarily at home by expanding consumer debt. The housing bubble, fueled by unregulated sub-prime lending, which drove demand for housing, allowed people to feel comfortable “taking equity” out of their homes, which was just another way of saying “take on more mortgage debt”. On top of that, when 9/11 hit, Bush’s “call to arms” was “go shopping”. So Americans took him at his word and spent more than we earned, adding to record credit card debt.

This debt-fueled spending was all that kept the Bush economy afloat the last five years.

Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

The lowering of the interest rates this time has had zero positive effect for the consumers. Mortgage rates are higher today than they were 10 months ago when I got a new mortgage and the interest rates have been cut 3-4 times since then. The way it is affecting the consumers is that I am now only getting 2.5% interest on my CD’s whereas I was getting 4.5% 10 months ago. It seems to me that the lowering of interest rates this time is only helping the banks and not the consumers.

There are, or rather, were, a lot of different mortgage instruments, esp. 10 months ago. The interest rates on some were ridiculously low but they had escalator clauses or balloon payments factored in. The 30yr fixed was 6.25 in Jan this year, it’s now [Jun] 6.88. Ten months ago, however, it was 6.83. I got no clue what to make of that; perhaps it was just a seasonal surge (Sep is a month with lots of relocations). Some of this latest rise is risk premium, I’m sure. Some is just that the most shady brokers have crawled back under their rock. Your last sentence is absolutely spot on, an excellent summation of what’s happening to normal Joes and Janes.

I’m thinking you mean whiney, not whinny. But, Will does act like a horses A$$ so maybe whinny is right after all.

The lowering of the interest rates this time has had zero positive effect for the consumers. Mortgage rates are higher today than they were 10 months ago when I got a new mortgage and the interest rates have been cut 3-4 times since then. The way it is affecting the consumers is that I am now only getting 2.5% interest on my CD’s whereas I was getting 4.5% 10 months ago. It seems to me that the lowering of interest rates this time is only helping the banks and not the consumers.

Good luck with all that “politicking” _sshats.

The Country, nay, the World is sick of your shit.