Obama in office for one month...
Posted by teade on Feb 09, 2009 · Member since Apr 2008 · 625 posts
Ho do you think its going?
Of course its waaay too soon to call him good or bad, but wanted to hear others voices!
Guantanamo is set for close, and there's a website up to show how the government spending of the ballout is...
interesting, eh?
I honestly hope all goes well... I really am not a fan of obama.
Actually, it is less than 3 weeks that he has been in office.
Not quite sure why I am finding political topics in my veg forums. . .
Actually, it is less than 3 weeks that he has been in office.
Not quite sure why I am finding political topics in my veg forums. . .
I thought politics was allowed in the news and debate section?
I'm sorry I didn't know it was just for vegan-related news.
I'll not post these kinds anymore
;)b
:-X
It is quite possible that I am wrong. ignore.
Yes, this is the News & Debate section. There are tons of political threads, but only in this particular section. :)
You're fine, Teade.
I think it's too soon to tell. I think Obama is a very driven guy, and I hope that he brings a breath of fresh air to Washington. But, I think it's a little too soon to tell if change is really happening. I'm hopeful, optimistic even, but I just don't know for sure yet.
;)b
No, teade! This is exactly what type of thread belongs in this room! Post away!
I think Obama is approaching things with sense, levelheadedness, and tact lacked entirely by the Bush administration. It is so very nice for a change.
I do worry about Obama being too concerned with making everything he does palatable to conservatives, liberals, republicans, and democrats alike. I think diplomacy is important, and showing a willingness to compromise and listen to other sides is critical, but not everything requires compromise. Sometimes you have to push for the things you think are most right even if they are not palatable to everyone.
I still am miffed about the way Obama handles LGBTQ issues and gay marriage. Along the lines of my last comment. There is no compromising--gays deserve the same rights as everyone, period.
But overall I'm really excited and optimistic. :)
I am very glad to see every optimistic..
I haven't really ran across anything he's doing that's bad or worse than the Bush admin. that's for sure.
I am very glad to see he's going to make the spending pretty public... I'm sure not everything will be public...
but if things keep rolling along, we might just see better times ahead!
Thanks both of you for being so kind about the post too.
I don't really want to debate anything (haha) but I enjoy to hear the bright points... it makes everything look less dreary.
I don't really want to debate anything (haha)
It's News AND Debate. Either one! :)
I'm a not impressed with his handling of the whole economic situation. No evidence has been presented explaining how and why a fiscal stimulus will stimulate economic growth. Or how best to allocate that money. All the reports issued from Obama's economists have been full of these pulling the bunny out the hat numbers. I thought Obama was suppose to be out "intellectual President"? In addition, no exit strategy is in place for next year when the stimulus money runs out. Are we going to raise taxes? Cut government spending? Print even more money? Why are these questions not being asked?
For those interested, Slate has a daily watch on Obama attempting to measure the change that is occurring: http://www.slate.com/id/2210870/
Thus far it is more of the "Politics as Usual" than "Change we can believe in".
I'm a not impressed with his handling of the whole economic situation.
Oh, THIS. Not impressed at all there either.
People, he JUST came into office! He can't just snap his fingers and fix everything or make members of Congress agree on what's right. Change takes time. At least he's showing much more concern about the economy and jobs than the Bush administration. And they released the act to the public. I think you can just Google 2009 economic stimulus bill and it shows all the proposed measures to spend the money.
Well, definitely its too soon to judge. But its okay to be clear on some of the stuff we'd like to see accomplished in the next 4 years. I just hope he manages to pull some of the economy through so that when I get out of college in May, I'm not screwed. lol. tough luck to me.
I'm glad he's open to talking to everyone and seeing everyone's pov.
I'm a not impressed with his handling of the whole economic situation. No evidence has been presented explaining how and why a fiscal stimulus will stimulate economic growth. Or how best to allocate that money. All the reports issued from Obama's economists have been full of these pulling the bunny out the hat numbers. I thought Obama was suppose to be out "intellectual President"? In addition, no exit strategy is in place for next year when the stimulus money runs out. Are we going to raise taxes? Cut government spending? Print even more money? Why are these questions not being asked?
For those interested, Slate has a daily watch on Obama attempting to measure the change that is occurring: http://www.slate.com/id/2210870/
Thus far it is more of the "Politics as Usual" than "Change we can believe in".
haha. thats pretty funny.
How do you guys think he should do things differently? I don’t really know too much about politics, but I’m trying to learn. I only have myself & my friends & family to look at for examples but the economy seems to be getting better already to me.
People looking to develop sites and build homes or retail hire my husband’s company to help them with a lot of the issues that can come up in the planning stages, such as soils evaluations, permits, site contamination, that kind of thing. Traditionally, January & February are his slowest months. This past year has been very scary for us. The Fall was extremely slow & we worried about things getting worse this past winter. He even applied for a part time job at a couple places. His partner picked up a part time teaching job. Somehow, things have picked up dramatically just in the past few weeks. People seem to be planning to build again. It may just be hope & optimism more than Obama’s actual plan, but I can see something working.
Additionally, I do design work & permitting for water & sewer companies and have been pretty slow over the past year, so slow I started helping out our bridge guys with their work. Just lately things have been picking up for me too. As part of the stimulus package, utilities are expecting to get some money to fix up their infrastructure. To get ready for the influx of money, they are already looking for design work & permits.
As result of this, my husband & I may be able to afford to get some work done on our house that we’ve been putting off. Then guys that install water heaters & kitchen floors may get busier. And I can see the economy start turning again.
How do you guys think he should do things differently? I don’t really know too much about politics, but I’m trying to learn. I only have myself & my friends & family to look at for examples but the economy seems to be getting better already to me.
People looking to develop sites and build homes or retail hire my husband’s company to help them with a lot of the issues that can come up in the planning stages, such as soils evaluations, permits, site contamination, that kind of thing. Traditionally, January & February are his slowest months. This past year has been very scary for us. The Fall was extremely slow & we worried about things getting worse this past winter. He even applied for a part time job at a couple places. His partner picked up a part time teaching job. Somehow, things have picked up dramatically just in the past few weeks. People seem to be planning to build again. It may just be hope & optimism more than Obama’s actual plan, but I can see something working.
Additionally, I do design work & permitting for water & sewer companies and have been pretty slow over the past year, so slow I started helping out our bridge guys with their work. Just lately things have been picking up for me too. As part of the stimulus package, utilities are expecting to get some money to fix up their infrastructure. To get ready for the influx of money, they are already looking for design work & permits.
As result of this, my husband & I may be able to afford to get some work done on our house that we’ve been putting off. Then guys that install water heaters & kitchen floors may get busier. And I can see the economy start turning again.
This seems so hopeful! I'm really glad you told us about all of this.
I don't know where the economy is heading... some say better, some say worse...
but its nice to hear that someone is at least living on the up.
How do you guys think he should do things differently? I don’t really know too much about politics, but I’m trying to learn. I only have myself & my friends & family to look at for examples but the economy seems to be getting better already to me.
People looking to develop sites and build homes or retail hire my husband’s company to help them with a lot of the issues that can come up in the planning stages, such as soils evaluations, permits, site contamination, that kind of thing. Traditionally, January & February are his slowest months. This past year has been very scary for us. The Fall was extremely slow & we worried about things getting worse this past winter. He even applied for a part time job at a couple places. His partner picked up a part time teaching job. Somehow, things have picked up dramatically just in the past few weeks. People seem to be planning to build again. It may just be hope & optimism more than Obama’s actual plan, but I can see something working.
Additionally, I do design work & permitting for water & sewer companies and have been pretty slow over the past year, so slow I started helping out our bridge guys with their work. Just lately things have been picking up for me too. As part of the stimulus package, utilities are expecting to get some money to fix up their infrastructure. To get ready for the influx of money, they are already looking for design work & permits.
As result of this, my husband & I may be able to afford to get some work done on our house that we’ve been putting off. Then guys that install water heaters & kitchen floors may get busier. And I can see the economy start turning again.
thats awesome! it's certainly nice to see that there are some improvements going on. it's starting!!!
Obama in office for one month...Ho do you think its going?
although i've still got a LOT to learn about American politics, i too feel it's still too early to say how it's going so far ...
... and yet, the world's eyes are upon his every move, him & his whole administration in fact, critics & naysayers on one side, fans & supporters on another, and a whole bunch of people across the middle.
there's no denying he's inherited some history making problems, both in their numbers & in their complexity, and that he had to 'hit the ground running'.
will follow with keen interest,
~ fr
I just received this in an email.....not good. Monsanto = Evil >:D >:D
Tom Vilsack's Kind of Agriculture
Another Shill for Monsanto
By RONNIE CUMMINS
The announcement that former Iowa Governor, Tom
Vilsack, had been selected as the new Secretary
of Agriculture sent a chill through the sustainable
food and farming community who have been lobbying
for a champion in the new administration.
"Vilsack's nomination sends the message that dangerous,
untested, unlabeled genetically engineered crops will
be the norm in the Obama Administration," said Ronnie
Cummins, Executive Director of Organic Consumers
Association. "Our nation's future depends on crafting a
forward-thinking strategy to promote organic and
sustainable food and farming, and address the related
crises of climate change, diminishing energy supplies,
deteriorating public health, and economic depression."
The Department of Agriculture during the Bush
Administration failed to promote a sustainable vision
for food and farming and did not protect consumers
from the chemical-intensive toxic practices inherent
to industrial agriculture. While factory farms and
junk food have been subsidized with billions of tax
dollars, the US industrial farm system has released
massive amounts of climate-destabilizing greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere and increased our
dependence on foreign oil.
The Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for
directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
its $97 billion annual budget, including the
National Organic Program, food stamp and nutrition
programs, agriculture subsidies, and the Forest
Service.
While Vilsack has worked to restrain livestock
monopolies, his overall record is one of aiding
and abetting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
(CAFOs, also known as factory farms). Vilsack's
support for unsustainable industrial ethanol
production has already caused global corn and
grain prices to skyrocket, literally taking food
off the table for a billion people in the
developing world.
Over the past month, Organic Consumers Association
members have sent over 20,000 emails to President-Elect
Obama's Transition Team, calling for the appointment
of a Secretary of Agriculture who would develop and
implement a plan that promotes family-scale farming,
a safe and nutritious food system, and a sustainable
and organic vision for the future.
"Obama's choice for Secretary of Agriculture points
to the continuation of agribusiness as usual, the
failed policies of chemical- and energy-intensive,
genetically engineered industrial agriculture,"
said Cummins. "Americans were promised 'change,' not
just another shill for Monsanto and corporate
agribusiness. Considering the challenges we
collectively face as a nation, from climate change
and rising energy costs to food insecurity, we need
an administration that moves beyond 'business as
usual' to fundamental change—before it's too late,"
concluded Cummins.
Vilsack's business as usual positions have included
the following:
***Vilsack has been a strong supporter of genetically
engineered pharmaceutical crops, especially
pharmaceutical corn.
***The biggest biotechnology industry group, the
Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack
Governor of the Year. He is also the founder and
former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology
Partnership.
***When Vilsack created the Iowa Values Fund, his
first poster child for economic development was
Trans Ova and their pursuit of cloning dairy cows.
***The undemocratic 2005 seed pre-emption bill
was the Vilsack's brainchild. The law strips local
government's right to regulate genetically
engineered seed.
***Vilsack is an ardent supporter of corn and soy
based biofuels, which use as much or more energy
to produce as they generate and drive up world
food prices, literally starving the poor.
Ronnie Cummins is director of the Organic Consumers
Alliance. He can be reached at:
ronnie@organicconsumers.org