Lets take stock for a minute
By lilwonders
@lilwonders456 (8214)
United States
July 21, 2010 10:37pm CST
While we all been preoccupied talking about who is and is not a racist...from the NBP to the Tea Party to Federal employees...what have we NOT focused on?
Well lets see...the new wall street reform bill was passed and signed without much press coverage or fanfare...do you read it? Do you know how it will effect you? Um...the gulf coast is STILL a mess with little aid coming from the feds. what the heck it has been over three months! Our ecomony still sucks and it not looking to get better any time soon. What is our government doing about it? The jobs market still is horrible. What is being done about that? The federal homeowners bail out program was a bust with billions of tax payer dollars wasted. Anyone outraged by that? Our borders are still in trouble. Our national debt is still growing. Does our government have a plan on how to fix that yet? We are still in two costly wars.
We have tons of real issues out there. Not that racism is not a real issue. But we seem to have forgotten our other pressing issues and what is or in the case of our government...is not being done about them.
While the media is covering stories on who is a racist and who isnt, stupid teen stars going to jail (lohan),Palin's kid getting engaged and sexy Russian spies the "real" news is being ignored.
What is going on to fix this mess we are in? What is our governments plan? Is what they did last year working? Or did it just dig us deeper in debt? Ecomonists are saying our economy is slowing down again and things are actually going to get worse. Has Obama or congress come out and said what htey are going to do about it?
Just what is the game plan?
We need real solutions to our problems here. Anyone else feel like the important stuff is being ignored?
3 responses
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Lil, I don't know about you, but I'm able to focus on several things at one time. 
I did see the signing of the financial reform bill today and I'm pretty up on the situation in the Gulf. What federal aid that is not coming are you referring to when BP has been paying claims? There's actually been talk here in Florida about doing new real estate assessments for properties effected by the spill. If Congress passes the unemployment extension, us Floridians still have to wait for our state to approve it. A county near me leads the state with 16% unemployment. I don't feel that important stuff is being ignored...other than maybe here. 
I did see the signing of the financial reform bill today and I'm pretty up on the situation in the Gulf. What federal aid that is not coming are you referring to when BP has been paying claims? There's actually been talk here in Florida about doing new real estate assessments for properties effected by the spill. If Congress passes the unemployment extension, us Floridians still have to wait for our state to approve it. A county near me leads the state with 16% unemployment. I don't feel that important stuff is being ignored...other than maybe here. @lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
22 Jul 10
JObless benefits went through today on a vote. So your state should be able to decide on approval soon.
As for the other. I don't think congress has focused on jobs enough. Florida may be getting help with the oil spill but in the marshes and byous of LA they sure aren't. I guess they are focusing on the beaches because they are easier and cheaper to clean up. Also they have not starting out on claims yet because the regulatory group Obama put up is taking them...but are waiting for "further clarification" from washtingong on a few things before they start paying out. Why did it take sooo long for them act? Three months? The feds should have been all over this from the moment it happened. the govnors of the gulf states have been screaming about the lack of federal response for a while now. most of them with anderson cooper on CNN. it is just about nightly.
The things congress did has NOT stopped the recession. Economists are saying they only delayed and prolonged it. We are about it hit another downward point. What is the plan now? More bail outs? The trillions they already spent did not solve the problem. So what now? I have not heard a peep from any of them about what they plan to do now. The only jobs growth we have in the government sector...the private sector is not growing much at all.
Ever sense the healthcare bill congress seems to be sitting on their hands. It is fustrating.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I heard about the vote this morning...now we'll see what Florida is going to do. I agree that congress isn't focusing on jobs as much as they should and could. There are creative ways to give the economy a kick, help employers put folks back to work, which could help millions but it doesn't seem like anyone is looking for solutions...just laying blame.
Speaking of Louisiana, I saw Bobby Jindal on the news the other evening talking about the marshes and the wetlands, which are more critical to the state's ecosystem than the coastline. He was saying that, dispite the efforts of BP, the parishes and the feds, the marshes have been seriously damaged but the clean up efforts continue. I know there was a big delay in getting help to his state but remember that his state was the first one threatened. I'm not thrilled with the federal government's response to the states either. I understand that they had to send resources to the area where the oil was leaking but the coast is just as important.
As far as claims, BP put on a good show about paying claims but they haveb only paid out about 12% of them. This has been mainly lost income, which is why the government is getting involved, to speed up the process and get other things covered like bodily injury and diminished property values. BP has put a lot of folks to work assisting with the clean up but they need to do more.
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
22 Jul 10
The people doing the clean up are not being protected properly and are getting seriously ill from the chemicals and fumes. They are being taken to a special hospital in Fl. that has been closed to all but them. The folks applying for money from BP have discovered that it is now practically impossible to prove their need. The fishermen are not going to receive most of the money promised to them. It will prove impossible to get into the marshes and bayous of La. so BP will concentrate on places that they can take pictures of to clean up. Hence the concentration of the Fl. beaches.
Each State should individually demand money from BP and then take care of their own clean up. At least then, maybe, it would actually get done. BP does not care.
Shalom~Adoniah
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
22 Jul 10
There are a couple of reasons that the debt is insane....The war is one, the bailouts is the next, the fact that we are basically a welfare state is another, and all of the little secret things going on that are not showing up in any of the budget is a huge draw.
This Gov. hands out money like it had an endless supply. The people have become convinced that they are owed a living by the Gov, which they are not. They are not OWED HEALTH CARE or UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. They are not OWED money for BAD MORTGAGE DEBTS. Where did they ever get the idea that life was a free ride? Most people have been living beyond their means for years and the chickens have finally come home to roost.
Maybe folks will get their heads out of the sand and vote the idiots out of office this time, but I doubt it. I am not sure there is anything better running against those already there. Good people rarely run. They are at home trying to keep their families together.
Shalom~Adoniah
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I agree. The government is spending like it is going out of style and the people think that the government should "take care of them". Well "taking care of them" takes money...where do they think that money comes from? the government does not produce anything. They only way they get money is from tax payers. So the supply of money IS NOT endless. We are in BIG TROUBLE. Most people don't seem to realize it anymore...but things are NOT getting better...we are digging the hole deeper and making things worse. Those IOUs from CHina will come due. All the debt and deficits will come due. When it does what will happen? Who will pay it? We will...the tax payers...and we don't have the money. People want the benefits from the government...but they don't want their taxes to go up. Well that is not the way it works. There is NO FREE RIDE. People fail to understand that. What do you think is going to happen when our government has to raise taxes ON EVERYONE to pay for it all? They are going to get mad. What is going to happen when the government also have to cut benefits to people? Because BOTH is going to have to happen to fix this mess (raise taxes and cut benefits)...they are going to get mad. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't get something for nothing.
Wait til the bill comes due.
Our politicans are lying to us...why? because people don't want to hear the truth. that the "free ride" is over. They won't vote for someone who tells them the facts..why? Because they are ugly. someone runnign on a platform of I am going to raise your taxes and cut your federal benefits is NOT going to get elected. Because a lot of american does not want to face the facts.
