Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-07-08/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
Disappointing job figures from the Labor Department – the June unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent. Meanwhile, thousands of Minnesota government employees filed for unemployment as the state shutdown continued. Federal budget negotiations inched forward: all eyes will be on the White House over the weekend. President Obama's Twitter town hall drew thousands of questions and comments. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney raised $18 million. And the Casey Anthony decision raised doubts about the jury system.
Guests
John Dickerson
chief political correspondent for Slate.com and CBS political analyst and contributor. Author of "On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star."
Laura Meckler
White House correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Dan Lothian
White House correspondent, CNN.
Related Video
Lisa, who describes herself as a disabled adult child, discusses her difficulty in living on a government benefit of just under $1,000 per month. She says she feels that the struggles of disabled people are being lost in the latest debt ceiling debates in Congress:
Comments
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Shouldn't we be talking about the man behind the Republican stubborness -- GROVER NORQUIST. Who elected him? Here is a man who has professed the desire to make the government so small it can be flushed down the toilet, who has all kinds of dirty connections to Jack Abramoff -- and it is his pledge that most of the Republicans are loyal to -- not to the good of their constituents! More light must be shown on this man behind the foolish stance the Republicans are holding. Please discuss him.
Does anyone on the panel have thoughts on why President Obama has moved so close to Republican positions? Is it because he feels he has no room to maneuver or does he truly believe what he is saying? I came across a comment today that compared Obama's treatment of liberal Democrats to Reagan's courting of Christian conservatives. They both wanted the support during elections but afterwards only gave lip service to their concerns. We all know politics is a tough game, but when leaders so clearly depart from the principles of those who voted them into office, it only increases the cynicism among the electorate and actually contributes to the radicalization of our polity.
Can there be any more stunning proof that keeping low tax rates for wealthy people (corporations) does NOT create jobs?
How long can the dumbed down populous continue to believe the crap being touted as reality by the elected rulers of our once-great nation?
Debt is created by printing money - debt can not be lowered with only a decrease in spending - there must be more income as well.
When will our leaders tell the people the truth? When will they open their real eyes and look around them to see what real people have to do to live in this world?
THe elected officials have no idea what it is like to live in this world - they are protected from the realities of less income, higher costs and fewer options.
They have in-house free medical care, huge salaries that are protected and they give themselves a raise every year.
We-the-people have no say in our government now since the officials we elect do not listen to us - only if we say what they want to hear.
The Republican spokesmen continue to claim that cutting taxes for the wealthy is necessary in order to produce jobs in the private sector. I wish that the media would ask them where these jobs are, since the Bush tax cuts have been in place for 10 years. This is not simply a matter of opinion or political philosophy; it is now a matter of historical fact. Jobs have been lost during much of the time that these tax cuts have been in place. Also, it seem ingenuous for Republicans, who voted for raising the debt ceiling up to 7 times during the Bush Administration, to claim they are taking a principled stand on this issue.
Hank Gromada
Mitchellville, MD
Every recovery is the 'worst' recovery. Every time our economy collapses (every 6-10 years) the American people lose ground.
The winners are large financial firms and international corporations (and possibly stock holders).
The transfer from pensions to 401(K)s really destroyed this country. The future security of people should not be in the hands of the casino mentality now seen on Wall St.
Re jobs loss, I think I have the short and not-so-sweet answer: China, greed, and outsourcing of jobs for the past four decades by large corporations. This president did not create the problem, but he's about to be blamed for it, I strongly fear. I'd love to hear your panel comment on this. Thank you. --Linda Stephan, Birmingham, Alabama
Mountainwomen:
We the taxpayers are up to our butts in paying taxes for those who chose not to work or to lazy to keep a job. Yet we have a bunch of enablers on both sides of the aisle, but mostly the Democratics that feel the "poor and disenfranchise" need more help. The results has meant more people relying on tax payer funded programs.
I have brought this up before, why is it that Asians and Latin Americans are dying to get to this country? They don't speak the language and in their culture any government assistance is looked down upon and yet they make it.
The only diffence is that Asians stress the meaning of higher education more than your Latin Americans.
Give us the middle classes a chance by letting us put our money in a private retirement accounts and let us decide to use private health insurance when we retire instead of forcing us to waste money on near to be bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid.
"Re jobs loss, I think I have the short and not-so-sweet answer: China, greed, and outsourcing of jobs for the past four decades by large corporations. This president did not create the problem, but he's about to be blamed for it, I strongly fear. I'd love to hear your panel comment on this."
Linda:
The US consumer has alot to do with it as well. We could not afford to have all the household (computer, flat screen TV's) items we have if not for them being manufactured in a lower wage country".
No the president did not create the problems but on the other hand he does not know how to deal with them, although during the election he made it sound like he was the best candiate to fix it.
I hope there is some acknowledgement that we are talking about two -- possibly irreconcilable -- issues. Dealing with the deficit effectively will depress the job market by pulling money out of the economy (that's what spending suts do), dealing with job creation effectively will make the deficit worse.
Is there any effective way to deal with both? I think at some point we have to acknowledge that one has to take priority over the other.
Jeff Dorsey Miami:
Given the employment numbers and the worse recession since the Great Depression, shouldn't we be increasing public sector employment and creating jobs like FDR did with the CCC instead of cutting government employment and services?
The Fed has done everything it can with interest rates near zero. Fiscal stimulus is needed to keep us from falling back into a deep recession, not cutting federal spending.
Your guests comments please.
Jeff Dorsey Miami:
Given the employment numbers and the worse recession since the Great Depression, shouldn't we be increasing public sector employment and creating jobs like FDR did with the CCC instead of cutting government employment and services?
The Fed has done everything it can with interest rates near zero. Fiscal stimulus is needed to keep us from falling back into a deep recession, not cutting federal spending.
Your guests comments please.
Same old counter factual Beltway conventional wisdom BS.
The American people are more concerned about jobs than the deficit and they do not want Social Security and medicare to be weakened at all.
Good Morning,
With the Republicans standing at the microphone day after day saying they will not cooperate with anything coming from the White House, not to mention the sole stated purpose and focus of the GOP is to insure the President is not re-elected in 2012, how is it possible to credibly say a government shut down will go badly for the White House and not the Republican party?
L.R. Dunn
Good Morning,
With the Republicans standing at the microphone day after day saying they will not cooperate with anything coming from the White House, not to mention the sole stated purpose and focus of the GOP is to insure the President is not re-elected in 2012, how is it possible to credibly say a government shut down will go badly for the White House and not the Republican party?
L.R. Dunn
Hank stated
The Republican spokesmen continue to claim that cutting taxes for the wealthy is necessary in order to produce jobs in the private sector. I wish that the media would ask them where these jobs are, since the Bush tax cuts have been in place for 10 years. This is not simply a matter of opinion or political philosophy; it is now a matter of historical fact. Jobs have been lost during much of the time that these tax cuts have been in place. Also, it seem ingenuous for Republicans, who voted for raising the debt ceiling up to 7 times during the Bush Administration, to claim they are taking a principled stand on this issu"
It is small business that creates the majority of jobs and those tax cuts are what help small business grow. You probably have forgotten that regulation has killed job creation thanks to the Democratics. Did you know that a very Blue state like California is 50th in job creation. That right. If I wanted to start a Carl's Jr franchise it would be around two year to get through all the gov red tape, in Texas it is 45 days. Makes you wonder why Texas is the leading state in job creation and we do not have thank god no state income tax.
Since 2008, I have been reading more articles and books on economics to understand what happened. Now I am reading Paul Krugman's blog, where he uses historical records to explain why "expansionary austerity" doesn't work. Sounds like an oxymoron without the explaination. What I don't understand is why our venerable politicians are like pit bulls in ignoring historical fact (depressions, recessions, failed trickle down economics, etc.). Instead they seem hyperbolic and seem to use "fairy dust" to tell us that what hasn't ever worked will work now. That is, in the face of corporations and wealthy holding onto their money (liquidity trap) rather than expanding business with jobs, politicians are still saying that even more money needs to be concentrated at the top tier in order to create jobs. It doesn't seem logical.
Diane, what I would like to see on your show is a discussion by economists from the conservative and the progressive sides so we can understand what facts they use to support their theories/perspectives on job creation and economic stability.
Thanks - from Chicago
Since 2008, I have been reading more articles and books on economics to understand what happened. Now I am reading Paul Krugman's blog, where he uses historical records to explain why "expansionary austerity" doesn't work. Sounds like an oxymoron without the explaination. What I don't understand is why our venerable politicians are like pit bulls in ignoring historical fact (depressions, recessions, failed trickle down economics, etc.). Instead they seem hyperbolic and seem to use "fairy dust" to tell us that what hasn't ever worked will work now. That is, in the face of corporations and wealthy holding onto their money (liquidity trap) rather than expanding business with jobs, politicians are still saying that even more money needs to be concentrated at the top tier in order to create jobs. It doesn't seem logical.
Diane, what I would like to see on your show is a discussion by economists from the conservative and the progressive sides so we can understand what facts they use to support their theories/perspectives on job creation and economic stability.
Thanks - from Chicago
It's disappointing that President Obama has done so little to educate the public about the deficit itself. Many experts have pointed out that the increase in the deficit during Obama's term has mostly to do with the loss of income tax revenues from the Bush tax cuts and the Great Recession; discretionary spending--which he seems to agree needs cutting -- has little to do with the growth in the deficit. When you empty the glass, you can't then turn around and claim that there's not enough!
Ask not what your country can do for you...
What if the real majority of us stop talking about what the silverspooners will do with their money as soon as they return from The Hamptons.
We should make individual efforts and if you own a business hire at least one more employee and if enough of us stop looking at what the big capitals are doing, we can pull ourselves out of the ditch.
Dunn:
Who can blame them (GOP). Do you not think the majority of the US population believes Obama. Yet the majority voted for him on all these promises that never came to fruitation. 5 million new jobs etc, etc.
For those of us who live in Texas the idea of Rick Perry running for President is a incredible. He managed to hide a huge debt till he was reelected as Governor; Texas has one of the lowest wages and a poor education system. He also has supported Texas succeeding from the U.S.
Isn't the Democratic party similiarly determined that a Republican candidate not be elected?
I am not rich by any means, but it is shamefully unfair to demand that the wealthiest be taxed to cover the federal governments exorbitant spending habits (Rep. AND Dem.). Either the federal government is not providing beneficial and necessary services that do not justify taxing everyone, or they are playing a game to gain the majority of votes at the expense of the minority affluent Americans. I think Republicans should propose the possibility of a small tax increase on everyone, since that is fair, forcing the Democrats to either admit that all the budget is necessary or make "tough decisions."
It is un-American by all definitions to snatch the wallets of the wealthy. It is an envious mob mentality and boils down to socialist wealth distribution.
Yes! Stop fretting that others are making more money. DO something useful. I think that it has been forgotten that what money one earns belongs to the earner, not the government.
Why does the media allow John Boehner to continue saying the "American people don't want a tax cut" when they really do. At least on the rich.
I think the question that is missing from the 'conversation' about our deficit and, more broadly, what track our country is going down, is what type of country do we want to be? What should our moral background be? Yes, budgets need to be balanced, but people--the elderly, the disabled, the youth, and the middle class--rely on such a wide array of government programs in an effort to live something resembling a normal life. This should be what the beltway calls a teaching moment and what we need is the academic/professorial/politician to not simply say "cut spending" but discuss at length what should be cut, who it affects, and the reasoning behind it. I might be naive, but I believe such a discussion would make the idea of raising more revenue an imperative and one supported by the vast majority of voters.
I believe anyone who believes less revenue = more revenue, as GOP has advocated for 30 years ought to be shipped on a permanent mission to Mars, so that people with slight grasp of reality can debate and solve America’s problems effectively. (You can put all those who believe man-influenced climate change does not exist [although 98% of qualified scientists world do] on there too). Allow those with mental faculties enough to comprehend up is not down, yellow is not blue, and less is not more, have an intelligent discussion.
Those who claim up is down may be acting in the monied interests of those that have much to do with elections, but they certainly are not acting in interests of American people.
To pay down debt, revenue is required. It’s not that tough to understand!
In what administrations in America’s short history was debt low, employment high, strong middle class, economy strong, etc.? What policies were in place? It’s not difficult to look up. Look it up and then speak intelligently so that our grand compromise to raise debt ceiling is not half policies that are good and half that are lunacy.
We need clear -eyed people at the helm right now.
Several of your commentators are quite adept at defending the Republicans, or deflecting some of the quite pointed listeners' questions. "Balanced" does not imply "fair," never mind "true."
They - the government - has promised to spend less if more is given, but that hasn't happened. The budgets in every dept. are increased every year. Neither party has behaved honestly - and it is OUR money!
Social security is not just about retirement. It supports the disabled as well as widows, and children whose parent or parents have died.