September 21, 2010

Told You So

Told You So: The President addressed a live audience for CNBC this past Monday. He fielded questions from several audience members, ranging from a Wall Street banker to a middle class worker, and covering a number of topics that focused on the economy and jobs. I won't create a synopsis here because The Huffington Post has already done so. But there are two points that Obama makes which I would like to point out. First, he says the programs that were put in place to stop this recession are working as evidenced by the increasing stability of the financial system. The analogy that he uses is one of us trying to dig ourselves out of a deep hole. A few months ago he would make remarks about how we are in the bottom of a deep hole and that we must stabilize our financial sector as a first step towards digging ourselves out of this recession. Well, here we are with several reforms (though not as many as was hoped) effecting the financial sector aimed at equality and transparency. We still have work to do, he implies, but we also have accomplished much.


The second point is found in the second video. He remarks that he warned Wall Street in 2007 that we were heading towards a collapse and that Wall Street's tactics in getting money out of consumers was a big part of the impending collapse. He said that reforms had to happen right then. Those reforms did not happen, our markets did collapse, and now we are starting to see reforms. But he repeatedly stresses that we must continue these reforms until we can be sure that we won't face the same problems later on down the road.
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Republicans Prepare

Republicans Prepare: for victory after November. The GOP is expecting to win a few seats this November and are planning to use the small amount of leverage that this affords them to enforce changes to the White House's legislative agenda. A few of the plans include forcing any legislation to cite it's constitutional authority and to vote against appropriations funding for certain aspects of the already voted on and passed health care law. 

The health care laws were discussed and filibustered for months, with a lot of trading, compromising, and mud slinging. Some of those laws came to vote, and were passed. Kind of. Words on paper are great, but nothing will get accomplished without money or action. And those same laws which have already been passed must once again be put to vote: How much money will we allocate for this law? If the money allocated is nothing at all, then the program cannot proceed. If, as is most likely, a pittance is allocated for these programs, than these programs will fail (which sets up a perfect "I told you your plans would fail" moment for the republicans a few months down the road. Never mind their attempts to make them fail any way) and what's worse, the offices and personnel and taxpayer money becomes a useless and costly appendage to our government. The laws have been passed and regardless of their personal thoughts on the matter, our elected governors have sworn to uphold the laws of this nation, and have dedicated themselves to a system in which all vote and all abide by the vote. These recently passed laws are laws and therefore must be upheld until we openly and honestly discuss the need for these laws in the forum designated by the structure of our government and it has been decided that these laws are no longer necessary.

But that quibble aside, some of the GOP's other initiatives are worth investigating, such as extending insurance pools to those with pre-existing conditions.
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