Re: How might Obama's stimulus package affect you?

Bike paths comments:

I think bike paths are great and am all for expanding paths and lanes, but I understand Rep Boehner's point that congress needs to be a bit wiser with the taxpayers money. Taking dollars out of Americans pockets when there is a recession and when there are fewer people paying taxes isn't the time to focus on non-necessities. We have too many requesting unemployment benefits and needing essentials to be focusing on more recreational "bike paths" etc. (widening lanes when repairing roads and bridge  infrastructure is another thing.)  Let's get the economy growing again, then work on beautification and recreational projects.

Rep Boehner's comments referenced:

         From "Americans addicted to oil" to creating green jobs is quite a leap? 

        Wish I lived in a warm place to ride a bike it's, 5c outside!!! 

       The chinese ride bikes and all the jobs are over there,I just wander how cold.....

Mike Briggs

Look at the people he has nominated to cabinet positions - by far the most balanced and capable group of nominees I have ever seen.

Treasury Secretary designate Tim Geithner is one good example. A lot of messages with this one.

Is the the message: If the overlord of the IRS & the one we are trusting with our money can't even file his income tax correctly, then the tax code is to complex. If he can't do it, it must be simplified.

Or is the message: Why have we been paying our taxes? US citizens must be just plain stupid pay them if the guys running the country aren't paying theirs until forced.

Or is the message: Maybe Obama should have been a small town mayor 1st & learned something about running government & hiring people.

Martin   

FWIW, the main thing I learned this election cycle, because of the Minnesota senate recount, was that I've been turning in invalid ballots(write ins) since I've moved here. I've been wasting gas, time etc going to vote. I'm still laughing about it. It's almost as good as the picture of  Franken in a diaper. Thats right he didn't pay his taxes either until it came up during the election.

Great role model?

perotter

Mike, "And Obama has never promoted ANYTHING like Reaganomics. Reaganomics was purely trickle down economics. Obama has been pushing bottom up economics."

1st he said raise taxes on the "rich". Then not raise them on the rich. Now, $100 billion tax cut/tax rebate to corps.

Trickle-down Reagonomics? Even Dem Sen Harkin says so.

www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/politics/09obama.html

Ahhhh, so if a senator looking for more money for his state complained that "I am a little concerned by the way that Mr. Summers and others are going at this in that, to me, it still looks like a little more of this trickle-down, if we just put it in at the top, it’s going to trickle down", that he is accurate in that criticism, and suddenly Obama is pushing Reaganomics? Reaganomics is trickle down theory applied to tax structure - cutting income tax rates on the wealthy based on the notion that that would increase investment and spur the economy. Obama has instead continually pushed bottom up economics, the approach of cutting taxes on the consumers in the economy (the lower and middle class), based on the notion that a capitalist economy needs consumers with money in their pockets more than it needs investors who have a little bit *more* money in their pockets. In no way has Obama wavered on that. Sure, some of the stimulus plan includes money for companies (in the form of loans, etc.) - that is not Reaganomics.

Read the "National Recovery Act" that FDR got thru congress. Read Hitler's econ program. If you haven't read them you shouldn't be commenting on what they were. If you have read them you would know that they were about the same. I'm only equating econ plans & nothing more between them.

There is no reason at all to equate FDR to Hitler. You know damn well what people immediately think of when they read/hear Hitler - and it has nothing to do with the economy. The fact though is that Hitler's economic policies *did* turn Germany from a country struggling to survive after WWI into a booming economy.

yeah war is great for any ecomomy. except the guys that lose by dying .  after the war is over  the countries  ultimatly win because they get rebuilt. by the winner war is good for the economy thats why weve had nothing but wars since the first world war. look at japan today and germany they are better off today than ever. so what if millions died and suffered? making more people is easy and even fun...lolol. the military industrial complex rules the people follow and end up as cannon fodder.

a good war when depression looms always serves to get things going again..

marc

Hi Rich,

I was watching DW news http://www.dw-world.de/english and they were showing a report about cars.  After the report one of the reporters asked the other what kind of car he had.  He said he did not have a car and that he rode a bicycle to work.  The other reporter smiled and said that she rode a bicycle to work also.

I talked to a person that had just returned from Germany  and he said everyone rides bikes there.

It gets cold there too.

There are alot of high tech electric bikes on the market right now .  In the near future very high tech electric bicycles and tricycles will be a common sight.

Change is coming ! ! !  

I'm not against bikes or bike lanes or bike paths. In fact it would be great to see more Americans ride and choose bicycles as a mode of local transportation. Unfortunately taking tax dollars from a higher priority area, when tax receipts will be lower and economic needs are higher, to expand bike paths is probably not a good idea. We may be overthinking Boehner's comment; I think he really was pointing to spending on beautification projects when families are struggling to make ends meet is not an appropriate use of 'the people' money.

stephend

 After the report one of the reporters asked the other what kind of car he had.  He said he did not have a car and that he rode a bicycle to work.  The other reporter smiled and said that she rode a bicycle to work also.

I talked to a person that had just returned from Germany  and he said everyone rides bikes there.

Hi dereckbc,

No.  That is what he said though.    I have never been to Germany.  I do know they are high tech and make great cars.    Why do you think they would want to ride bicycles ?  http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2332714,00.html

Hi Rich,

For some people  struggling to make ends meet includes riding a bicycle to work in heavy auto traffic.   I have reasons to believe that more, not less people will have to get to work this way in the future.

stephend

Hi Rich,

For some people  struggling to make ends meet includes riding a bicycle to work in heavy auto traffic.   I have reasons to believe that more, not less people will have to get to work this way in the future.

Perhaps for some people ... but something tells me that most Americans see a "car" as a necessity item. (especially those who have adopted the suburban sprawl lifestyle or still live in rural American). Few of us aspire to live like they do in China or southeast Asia and will probably do about anything before we go that far 'backwards.' (I know some might see 'bikes' as forward thinking -- but I'm talking about adopting them as a necessity) 

I enjoy riding a bicycle for recreation, but I'm not ready to accept  it as my primary means of transportation ... take away something else first. I'll adopt the NRA policy  of "prying my car from my cold dead fingers" before giving up my automobile. 

Hi Rich,  Right on ! 

So far they have bailed out bad business and bad banking.  Why not throw a bone to the people that already have been trying to be green and save money and be more healthy ?

Riding a bicycle makes more blood flow to the brain.  It really helps the thinking.

Maybe you  see it as third world but I don't think Portland is third world.

It does interest me why a city goes bicycle friendly like Portland did.   I wonder how it catches on like that ?  http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/16/odots-federal-funding-request-focuses-on-highways-and-providing-jobs-immediately/#more-13477

Check out this list.  Ohio is all over this list.  http://lungaction.org/reports/sota07_cities.html#2a

It looks like it goes from Detroit around lake Erie.    Big  3's  homebase.  They get bailed out.