Originally Posted by itstarted
Reality Check

I think this article belongs here.
It's very wise, and brings together:

The Republican "trickle down"
The Democratic "create jobs"
The continued Bank stranglehold
The long term lower job levels
The need for safety nets

Unless and until there is a recognition of the macro, The "solutions" will come piecemeal, and will likely be doomed to failure.

I don't know if there is anyone in government with enough vision to skip the politics and offer a comprehensive resolution. Moving five years ahead, will we be a third rate nation, looking back to denounce the greed and intransigence of egoistic leaders, lost in their own tiny worlds?

The last paragraph:
Quote
Or alternatively, admit that full employment is no longer plausible, so we will build a strong social contract -- of training, guaranteed income, health care -- for those discarded from the workforce. Let's have the debate -- for the one choice that is socially ruinous is the one we seem to be drifting towards -- mass unemployment without a safety net.

Bob, I don't believe there is anyone in Gov with a degree of integrity muchless vision.

Imagine the the possible state of our nation without the burdens of the following:

On July 27, the U.S. Congress approved US$37 billion in funding for President Obama’s troop increase in Afghanistan. It took the Democrat-controlled Congress six months to pass the funding for the 30,000 extra troops being sent to Afghanistan. Additionally, the bill covers some expenses in Iraq and provides nearly US$4 billion for a related increase in economic aid to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The US$37 billion is in addition to the approximately US$130 billion Congress has already approved for Afghanistan and Iraq for 2010. Congress has approved more than US$1 trillion for the two operations since 2001. Link

Oh wait, I forgot, we've moved from an "oil" economy to a "war" economy. If the MIC's products and services were significantly reduced, our already fragile ecomony would most likely collapse here along with a few other major nations.

Turn on ANY brand of political machine - and it automatically goes to the "SPIN and LIE CYCLE" wink

Yours Truly - Gregg