15 comments:

Koko said...

Well I can't say I'm surprised one bit Regs. I got exactly what I expected from you. And it's not that I mind critisim of the president. I have pleanty of them myself. But the narrow tunnel vision you have is exactly why it's so hard to change anything in this country.

Everybody just wants to win. No matter the cost. They just want to be right.

Why can't people actually look at a situation, break it down and see it for what it is.

Then we can critisize the points that actually need adjustments.

You're right, the economy does suck. But when you say something like, "it's not any better than it was 2 years ago," you're not trying to make a point or argue in a constructive manner. You're just trying to push your emotions over everyone as facts.

Is the economy good? No, but when Obama took over it was on the verge of total collapse. I was actually pretty scared back then. I do not feel great about this economy at all but I'm also not waiting to hear that the entire market has just crashed either.

Real critisim, Obama did stop our entire system from going under. I do not want to even think about what would have happened if it did. Can you honestly say we would have been better off with McCain and Palin during those first few very fragile months?

However he has NOT done enough to get it started up again. Plus, you can't just forget about what he inherited either. YOU JUST CAN'T. It's not a throw away point. He inherited the country in the biggest mess it has ever been in. That's not something that can be easily forgotten no matter how hard rebulicans would like us to try.

It's not like the country is something Obama can just clean up like a house party that got out of control. Especially when the opposition, both republicans and democrats, warp and skew every damn bill he tries to get passed to the point where it's unrecognizable.

I gotta give the guy the full 4 years, especially when considering that he's taken on an unprecedented situation. And yes it is unprecedented, the country is a million times more complicated than it was in the great depression days. The least we can do is give Obama his full time. We gave the witless wonder a full 8 years to screw it up.

August 24, 2010 at 4:54 PM  

Koko said...

He does need to get tougher on these policies though. That is my biggest complaint. He has very good ideas but like I said, by the time they get through congress they are destroyed. And it's his own fault. Ironically he needs to be more like Bush. Bush had all bad ideas, but he got them through no matter what. Obama needs to take that attitude. He needs to be able to take control of congess and do whatever it takes to pass his legislation.

And yes another good point you made is that more needs to be done to help the middle class. Again, his plans are very good, the problem is the execution. Some of his best ideas have been sacrificed in compromise. He can't get the government to run these programs so he compromises to let the established private companies take them into their business model.

What do we get? We get banks and insurance companies doing any and every damn thing under the sun to get around, bend, or loop hole their way through the orginal plans Obama had. That's that fantastic capitalism at work.

Obama has to stop trusting private companies and organizations and put through legislation that will force them to deal with competition and regulation.
NO MORE COMPROMISING!

As far as the military goes, I always think that everyone should have a right to their opinion. But I cannot help but lose my lunch when anyone who voted for Bush actually critisizes Obama for what he's doing with the military.

Personally I say take them all out. But at least he got them out of the country that never attacked us and put them in the one that did. Which by the way is exactly what he said he was going to do in his campaign. So no revisionist history please. He did exactly what he said he would do where the military is concerned.

I really hope Obama can get out from underneath the behemonth of crap that he took on. By the way, we still have to keep those horrific Bush tax cuts which helped only the rich from being renewed. With no surprise, the republicans are trying to get them reinstated.

And it not just a republican issue, there are a lot of whimpy Democrates out there that are just as much to blame for progress slowing to a crawl.

If Obama does not start to get changes pushed through, without all the earmarks, he will be looked at as a failure when his term comes to a close.

August 24, 2010 at 5:30 PM  

Regs said...

There have been no small business incentives passed to give the backbone of America the opportunity to grow. Why would a small business hire someone when they are forced to cover them or face a fine, when they may not see a positive return on their hiring investment (training, ect) for a year, and they cannot get a loan from the banks when most of them have seen a steep decline in profits and are operating with little cash flow?

There has been no relief given to the people who are barely hanging on. Relief only comes after a person has hit rock bottom. I.E. bankruptcy, or foreclosure. That is when they can get help from the government.

Investors and consumers are not spending money or investing, which is causing are economy to fall even further backwards.

This country runs on some sort of credit, whether it is a credit card, a mortgage, a car payment, or a business loan. The banks are simply not extending credit to an extreme and nothing has been done to fix it. i had to jump through so many hoops to get my home loan approved it is almost laughable. And I have very good credit, a high income, a lot of money saved, and zero debt.

None of the aforementioned points have been resolved at all. Until they are, we will go nowhere, regardless of how cool people think the president is.

August 24, 2010 at 6:14 PM  

Rich said...

NOBAMA!

August 24, 2010 at 6:50 PM  

Koko said...

Your absolutely right about the banks. They are the source of most of the economic problems.

You do realize though that Obama is not a king right? He can't snap his fingers and make the banks do what he wants.

Especially when the republicans fought so hard to deregulate them for so long.

Are you now saying it was wrong for all of the deregulations? I thought that's what you're all about. Let business flourish. No regulations. No ceiling. You do realize that banks are a business right? They have those same rights. Banks are not governed. That would be socialism. And socialism is bad, right?

So why hasn't Obama been able to make the banks do what he wants? Why hasn't he been able to get them reformed and regulated in under 2 years? I mean it's not like they've been gaining more and more power, right?

As the great John McEnroe would say, "YOU CAN NOT BE SERIOUS!"

August 25, 2010 at 8:59 AM  

The Swami said...

Regs:

Thanks for regurgitating the last two years of Fox News, it really and truly saves me wasted hours Beck crying and of the news commentators (not journalists) laughing at their own political jokes.
I understand your frustrations. I myself have had two businesses die off since the first quarter of 2008. But this is a reap what you sow kind of situation. You want deregulation and lax lending practices; this is the monster that those policies have yielded. And I don’t think that any government agent, senator, congressman or president foresaw nor intentionally created this ordeal. The idea of capitalism was stretched farther than before, and it collapsed back on itself from false inflation and the mentality that companies can be too big to fail. It is a shame that those companies with the greatest amount of lobbyists received the greatest amount of TARP money.
But one thing that needs to be considered, the president is one branch in a three branch government. It is just easier to see the less populous branch of government and point fingers at that person. When in truth, the ultimate legislative power is the congress.
On one final note: Did you two (Reger and Koko) vote last November?

August 25, 2010 at 9:58 AM  

Regs said...

obama may not be king, but I think it can not be disputed that great leaders are able to rally and lead people toward a common goal. Whether it is Lombardi coaching football or Macarthur leading troops or any successful CEO leading a business, being able to convince people to believe in your ideas and theories is crucial. Even Bill Clinton was able to rally both Republicans and Democrats to move in the same direction many times. obama has failed miserably to bring the parties toward a common ground and in many cases, has his own party turning against him. This shows a blatant lack of leadership that our country desperately needs.
This is what happens when you elect someone who has never run a business before and has very little experience as the head of the largest corporation in the World (our government)

And I am against government run organizations, but my point was that any stimulus money needed to come with more strings attached, especially to banks. It should have been, "ok we'll help you out so you don't collapse, but if we do, you have to do this, this, and this. If you don't like it, don't take the money". I do the same thing if i lend a friend money. I want to know what they are using it for and when I can expect to see my money. if I don't like their answers, I don't lend them the money.
Oh and yes, of course I voted

August 25, 2010 at 10:55 AM  

Koko said...

That's the point I agree with you on Regs. Why can't Obama get things done like Bush?

Is it a lack of leadership? I'm not sure, the guy is very charismatic. He's very educated, well spoken, and communicates his ideas in probably the clearest way I've ever heard a politican speak. It doesn't help that there are actually a ton of people in this country that will never listen to a word he says because they think he's a muslim or a nazi or they just don't like his skin color. How do you lead ignorance? How do you enlighten the moronic?

But really, how did Bush do it? How did he get every bad piece of legislation through? The only logical explanation is coercion. Bush couldn't communicate policy worth a dick. But he still got 95% of everything he wanted through. The deregulation that led to what we have now did not come to be by standard practices. If you believe they did, I'd like to introduce you to a South African prince that needs your assistance to move his fortune.

Should Obama take these kind of tactics? I don't know, maybe. Maybe it's really the only way to get things done in a system that has been tweaked for 200 years to keep things the same. Our checks and balances keep our country free and stop anyone from taking too much power, but in the same instance keep dramatic change from taking place in a timely manner.

So again, how did the Bush office take the most power the executive branch has ever had?

And you're completely wrong about the experience thing. Heading a corporation has nothing do to with running the government. If the government were a corporation it would have gone bankrupt a 100 times over. No CEO would run their coporation like the government. Because there are no checks and balance in AT&T, Wal-Mart, or Apple. What the top man says goes. No explanation needed as long as the profits keep coming in.

Bush is a great example. Maybe as bad a business man as he was a President, but he was still able to get all his policy passed right through congress. How? Only Cheney knows for sure.

If that's what Obama has to do, if he has to take those kind of underhanded and illegal tactics to get this country back on track, then I say more power to him. I just hope he doesn't get caught.

And how's that being against government run organizations working out Reger? How are all those private companies doing with the trust we gave them. The trust the repulicans fought so hard for these companies to have. Now it's like trying to get the toothpaste back in the tube.

Also, I hope you refuse any help from the fire or police department if you ever need it. I also hope you reject any kind of public school system and make sure to send all your kids to private schools and universities. You don't want to be a hypocrite do you?

And yeah Swami I voted, but even if I didn't it does not negate my opinion nor any other citizen of this country. The great George Carlin never voted. It was his protest to a system he thought did nothing but take advantage of the people it's built on. And his opinions were and still are absolutely priceless.

August 25, 2010 at 12:07 PM  

Regs said...

Nice deflection and going extreme on us. of course there is a need for government run entities and utilities. Fire, Police, schools, ect are vital cogs of our country. I never said we should do away with every government program.
My personal opinion about why Obama hasn't had his agendas passed despite having control of the house and Senate has to do with respect. I don't think the other politicians think Obama has a clue. That is where leadership and experience comes in as a trait that he lacks. I think most of Washington privately disagrees with what Obama is doing even if publicly they support him.

Experience dealing with people does matter a lot. I sell the same lift equipment as everybody else in the country. The reason I am currently ranked number 2 has nothing to do with the Hospitals or the equipment. It all comes down to how I deal with my customers and most of that came from trial and error. When is the best time to call (not Monday morning). what are the needs. how to be persuasive without being pushy. When to get personal and when to stick to business.
These are all things that i have picked up that allow me to be successful and i'm sure anyone who has had success in any industry will tell you the same thing. Bush was very good at "selling" his ideas to people and convincing them that they were right. Obama is not and that has to do with lack of experience. Bush was a Governor of a huge state and was the owner of a major league baseball team. He could site his experiences to convince people if something was right. Obama can't.
But I don't want to sit here all day and compare Obama to Bush. I want to compare obama to what is right and so far he has been wrong

August 25, 2010 at 12:54 PM  

Koko said...

What deflection? What extreme? You said you don't like government run organizations. I'm suppose to qualify what you do and do not include in that statemnt? I would much rather have the government running the loan modification program right now. The banks are intentionally giving people the run around until they either drop out of the progams or go into foreclosure because they actually lose less money that way.

And stop comparing your sales job to the President of the United States. It's absurd. His job is to convey his policy. And he does that in the most simplest of terms. It's incredibly easy to understand him when he's talking. There's no double speak.

Maybe that's what the congress doesn't like. The simplicity. Without everything being super complex it would be hard run business as usual. To get congress to pass anything that actually just helps the American public without some kind of kickback is like trying to fill a great white's cavity. They take Obama's policies and shred them to bits. That's the legislation currently in practice. So really what you're saying is that you want Congress to pass Obama's policies and not pick them apart until they are useless, right? Me too, good we agree.

And of course you don't want to compare Obama to Bush, because you can't win that argument. You'd like to forget about him completely even though you voted for him twice. Like I said before, if you want to heavily critisize Obama, fine. But do not blame him because he's trying to undo 8 years of the worst policy this country has ever seen.

It's much more difficult to rebuild than to destroy.

And as for Bush "selling," his ideas, is that what they're calling it now? I hope you put those quotes around the word "selling," because you don't really believe he sold anyone on anything. And did you really have the gall to cite his business experience? He bankrupted an oil company in Texas, and ran the Rangers into the ground. He was a joke as a governor and has failed at every endevor he's ever tried. The only thing he was ever good as was drinking. And the only reason he ever had any power to affect our lives is due solely to his last name.

August 25, 2010 at 1:30 PM  

Regs said...

Ask any successful person if they have gotten better at their job over the years by having different experiences and they will say yes. They will cite mistakes they made at lower levels that helped make them successful. I wasn't comparing myself to the president at all.
Obama was thrust onto the scene by the party as the anti-mcCain/Bush. Young, cool, eloquent. What they failed to realize is that he had such limited exposure to Government and politics, other polititions did not respect his opinion.
I will go back to my point that I don't think other polititians dems or republicans think Obama has a clue. it is not that they don't understand him or the way he speaks. It is that they don't believe in him.
And let's get one thing straight. If the country was in such a horrible state during bush's first term, they never would have elected him a second time (by a landslide). The American people are very fickle and would turn on him in a second. The only knock that the Democrats had on him was the war in Iraq and stem cell research. Nothing on the economy because the economy was in great shape in 2004. The democrats like to look at the last 2 years and make a summary of the entire term.

August 25, 2010 at 2:27 PM  

theJUANdiggler said...

WHoa step a way for a day and I miss a Regs rant.
I think the first statement said by Koko really summarizes the mentality of a lot of people in this country.
Nobody wants to admit even a bit that maybe what they thought was wrong. Everybody just wants to win the argument and stick to there guns , even liberals.
Swallowing some pride would change the direction in this country more than anything.
Am I surprised the economy is still in a bad state?
NOOOOOOO , it has been royaly fucked and might never be the same ever again due to the greed of corporate America.

I am very dissapointed with the War situation still being pushed by Obama. I feel anybody is too chicken shit to withdrawal from a conflict in order to not be deemed unpatriotic.
So what happens if we kill most al queda terrorists? Peace on Earth and never worry again.
The world has and will always be a cruel place , stop sending resources and young peoples lives and start worrying about protecting our own!

Also Reger , you said something about summarizing Bush because of his last 2 years being overboard?
So the analysis of Obama's short reign is just ?

August 25, 2010 at 3:29 PM  

Koko said...

Reger you should really go into politics because you certainly speak like one.

You say your experience in dealing with people made you better at your job and that is what Obama lacks. Then you say you are not comparing yourself to Obama.

Well yes your are! You sited an example that works in your industry and applied it to the presidency.

And besides if it's just people experience you're talking about. I believe Obama had quite a bit of experience dealing with people in many different facets before he was ever nominated as a candidate.

Regardless of that though, you're still being obtuse to the fact that it's the congress that takes apart all of Obama's policies. You say they don't think Obama has a clue? Wrong, it's congress who does not have a clue. Or actually it's more likely the opposite, they know exactly what putting through Obama's plans untouched would mean . . . less piece of the pie for big business and more regulations.

And boy I really envy your faith in the American public, "If the country was in such a horrible state during bush's first term, they never would have elected him a second time," HOLY SHIT! Maybe I do have a South African prince you'd like to meet after all.

I was outraged after the 2004 election. And anyone I knew with an IQ over 100 was as well. Why did so many people instantly know how much trouble we were in for. Although I do give Bush credit for surpassing our expections of just how grand he could further fuck the country up. If you really want to get it "straight," as you say, he was a disaster from the first to the last day of his presidency. It's so in your face, it's like arguing whether the sky is blue.

And Juan makes a great point as you contradict yourself again. You're summing up Obama's job in less than the 2 years he's been president and he didn't start with a record surplus from Clinton like Bush did.

Where Obama has failed is in his pursuit of his vision of change. He compromises too much. He doesn't compromise quickly, but he does it way too often. He needs to place more of his people in the committies to get the votes he needs to ram his policies through. He needs to get tough and maybe even a little underhanded.

As for the war, I hate that we still have toops over there. But I am not surprised. The guy I voted for did exactly what he said he was going to do. Get them out of the country that never attacked us and put them in the one that did.

I still think it's a great big waste of life, time and money though.

August 25, 2010 at 4:09 PM  

Regs said...

To be successful at dealing with people and communicating effectively is a trait common to most successful business people, whether it is in sales, construction, or the Presidency. The fact that no Republicans and many Democrats disagree with the president's policies tells me that he is not good at this, at least amongst other Politicians.
Members of the house and senate are like fair weather fans. Usually they will vote in a way that they look good for their next election. The fact that many of his own party are turning their back tells me that they think the President does not know what he was doing. If they thought the president had brilliant plans to resurect the country, they would hop aboard ASAP, so they could get credit when they were up for re-election.
Juan, like I said, this is a midterm progress report.

What I do know is that
-political confidence is low for Obama.
-Invester confidence is low
-Small business confidence is low
-Morale is low.

I didn't expect him to have turned everything around by now, but I did expect Americans to have more hope and confidence for the future and I don't see it

August 25, 2010 at 4:47 PM  

Koko said...

Republicans are very good at what they do. Creating distrust and fear with a whole bunch of filibustering mixed in. The democrates that side with them are nothing more than cowards.

Obama is dealing with a lot of adversity because his policies, in their original form, are ground breaking. So they get tagged with evil words like "socialism," or that he's a nazi. And this propoganda actaully works on more people than I'd like to admit in this country.

So you're right, they do vote in a high school popluarity vote kind of way. Because all they care about is getting reelected. They don't want to be responsible if a huge undertaking like "the public health option," does not work out. So they'd rather filibuster over an over until the bill dies or is completely neutered.

All you have to do is use simple logic when listening to his policies to see they would benefit the country as a whole. But that is not the main concern of the lobbyist and committies that really control the House of Representatives.

They don't think he's stupid Regs, they are scared of the radical change he represents and do not want to be held responsible for it. Change scares a lot of people.

August 25, 2010 at 5:31 PM  

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