Iamsemisweet
Posts: 3651
Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
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There were things I liked about it, politically and practically, and there were some things that just pissed me off.
As a practical matter, in terms of job creation, I am a small business owner, there are 5 of us, 3 income producers and 2 staff. We will take the tax cut, but it won't cause us to hire anyone. We have actually prospered the last 4 years, but we are starting to see storms on our horizon. We recently scaled back the size of our offices, we have reduced staff (used to have three staff people). We have contracted to a sustainable size, and we aren't hiring anyone, I don't care what the size of the tax cut is. I think most small businesses are in the same boat.
I was more favorably impressed by the commitment to education, although, very vague in practicalities. I heard a lecture at a business event, and the economist said that higher education will end unemployment. Nice thought, but state college tuition went up 17% this year. People can't afford to commit to college knowing tuition is going to skyrocket. So, if Obama can find a way to pay for it, great.
I also liked the tax credit for hing vets, just because it is the right thing to do. Still won't make me hire anyone, though.
The payroll tax cut sounds great, but it will just hasten the demise of social security. I have always heard people my age say we would never get a dime of social security, but I never quite believed them. Now I do. Sucks, because I have paid in for 36 years.
The whole reliance on infrastructure projects to boost the economy is bullshit. It is too fucking late. That is what they should have done with either the first or second stimulus packages instead of squandering the money. It takes far to long to get these projectsnoff the ground. The Columbia river crossing near Portland was supposed to be one of those shovel ready projects. It has been years of debate, they have spent 25 million for consultants, and the basics haven't even been agreed on, like how to pay for the goddamn thing. If that is where the "summer jobs" are supposed to come from, we are all screwed.
I was similarly dismayed by the tax credit for hiring the long term unemployed. That doesn't create jobs, it just creates competition. That is just pandering on Obama's part. Realistically, though, the unemployment benefits have to be extended. We can't have people living on the streets. My former executive friends who are part of the long term unemployed don't need more education. We all need to suck it up and realize we are going to be supporting the "99"sweepers, although now it has been for more than 99 weeks, forever. They have somehow become a protected class.
All in all, I think our economy is destroyed beyond repair, at least in terms of returning to the way it was 5 or certainly 10 years ago. Overall, I didn't find this speech reassuring, although I will keep an open mind until the actual bill or bills are published. In many ways, I thought it was very effective as a campaign speech though. Nothing super quotable. It is pretty bad when you have to quote Kennedy as the rhetorical highpoint of your speech.
Forgive my lack of paragraphs, my iPad is kind of tricky.
< Message edited by Iamsemisweet -- 9/8/2011 9:21:24 PM >
_____________________________
Alice: But I don't want to go among mad people.
The Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.
Alice: How do you know I'm mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here.
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RE: Opinions on President Obama's Jobs Speech... - 
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