Comments on: Early Morning Swim http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/ Firedoglake weblog Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:04:28 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: MarkH http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782499 MarkH Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:43:48 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782499 <blockquote><p>Some of my conservative friends keep bringing up the argument that it will be unfair for the government to help people who signed mortgages they couldn’t pay for, when others have to continue to honor their contracts and pay the mortgages they signed. I tell them that we are in very deep shit and need to do what we need to do to try to crawl out of it. Then we can go back to keeping neat little right/wrong, good/bad, books on each other.</p></blockquote> <p>That’s a pretty good way to put it. I’d only add that we should differentiate between people who bought second homes they aren’t living in and those who really really need help with a mortgage on the house they’re living in. Cost to government for people thrown out on the street is probably much higher than cost to fixing a stupid mortgage. And, for people who really thought they were getting a home to live in for the long term there is every reason to believe they had some ability to pay for a decent mortgage. We ought to help them get there.</p>

Some of my conservative friends keep bringing up the argument that it will be unfair for the government to help people who signed mortgages they couldn’t pay for, when others have to continue to honor their contracts and pay the mortgages they signed. I tell them that we are in very deep shit and need to do what we need to do to try to crawl out of it. Then we can go back to keeping neat little right/wrong, good/bad, books on each other.

That’s a pretty good way to put it. I’d only add that we should differentiate between people who bought second homes they aren’t living in and those who really really need help with a mortgage on the house they’re living in. Cost to government for people thrown out on the street is probably much higher than cost to fixing a stupid mortgage. And, for people who really thought they were getting a home to live in for the long term there is every reason to believe they had some ability to pay for a decent mortgage. We ought to help them get there.

]]> By: reader http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782337 reader Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:06:37 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782337 <p>I only skimmed the wsj article but there are apparently tax cuts aimed at fast-tracking what would have been future non-Bush write-offs for businesses to 2009 and tax cuts for businesses that KEEP workers on and INVEST in their own operations in 2009. This makes sense to my uninformed and ill-schooled mind ~ this seems to be moving pieces of the puzzle around where they are most needed. If this is Obamanomics in action, I’m not offended. It sounds like a powerful move. If there are going to be ”tax cuts” I’d also like to see what Obama does about off-shore tax evasion and other enforcement at the same time. He could probably cut some taxes AND still take in more than Bush was if he picked up a portion of the taxes being evaded by better and fairer management. He’d get the Rs onboard AND make taxation ”more progressive.”</p> I only skimmed the wsj article but there are apparently tax cuts aimed at fast-tracking what would have been future non-Bush write-offs for businesses to 2009 and tax cuts for businesses that KEEP workers on and INVEST in their own operations in 2009. This makes sense to my uninformed and ill-schooled mind ~ this seems to be moving pieces of the puzzle around where they are most needed. If this is Obamanomics in action, I’m not offended. It sounds like a powerful move. If there are going to be ”tax cuts” I’d also like to see what Obama does about off-shore tax evasion and other enforcement at the same time. He could probably cut some taxes AND still take in more than Bush was if he picked up a portion of the taxes being evaded by better and fairer management. He’d get the Rs onboard AND make taxation ”more progressive.”

]]> By: plunger http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782169 plunger Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:28:22 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782169 <p>REQUIRED VIEWING in order to discern reality - in context:</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_f0QTIsasw&eurl=http://bigdanblogger.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded</a></p> <p>overcome the propaganda.</p> REQUIRED VIEWING in order to discern reality – in context:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..r_embedded

overcome the propaganda.

]]> By: Crosstimbers http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782164 Crosstimbers Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:16:56 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782164 <p>Some of my conservative friends keep bringing up the argument that it will be unfair for the government to help people who signed mortgages they couldn’t pay for, when others have to continue to honor their contracts and pay the mortgages they signed. I tell them that we are in very deep shit and need to do what we need to do to try to crawl out of it. Then we can go back to keeping neat little right/wrong, good/bad, books on each other. Now it looks like some of us are doing the same thing. I personally favored Obama as a pragmatist, following eight years of ideology. He needs to do what he needs to do, and I’ll judge him when I can tell how it’s turning out.</p> Some of my conservative friends keep bringing up the argument that it will be unfair for the government to help people who signed mortgages they couldn’t pay for, when others have to continue to honor their contracts and pay the mortgages they signed. I tell them that we are in very deep shit and need to do what we need to do to try to crawl out of it. Then we can go back to keeping neat little right/wrong, good/bad, books on each other. Now it looks like some of us are doing the same thing. I personally favored Obama as a pragmatist, following eight years of ideology. He needs to do what he needs to do, and I’ll judge him when I can tell how it’s turning out.

]]> By: selise http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782158 selise Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:09:53 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782158 <p>my concern is not with construction projects per se - it’s with what the construction projects are (personally i’d like to see a big k-12 school building project to lower class size to 15-18). puts a safet net under construction jobs and makes it possible to hire a lot of new teachers. and invests in the future (via human capital of our nation’s children).</p> my concern is not with construction projects per se – it’s with what the construction projects are (personally i’d like to see a big k-12 school building project to lower class size to 15-18). puts a safet net under construction jobs and makes it possible to hire a lot of new teachers. and invests in the future (via human capital of our nation’s children).

]]> By: Bilbo http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782154 Bilbo Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:05:35 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782154 <p>From Wilder,</p> <blockquote><p> I understand that investment in capital equals economic growth (anybody who has heard of Robert Solow would know this), but the economic growth path is based on technical innovation, i.e. productivity gains. And if long-term growth is the name of the game, why focus on inefficient domestic construction efforts? </p></blockquote> <p>Why? Because people our out of work, losing their homes, and the situations gets worse and worse every day. I certainly agree that we need to think about the long term as well, but given the desperate nature of our current condition, I think we need to do something about the short term as well.</p> <p>I’m outta here. Will try to catch up with this later. Good morning, all.</p> From Wilder,

I understand that investment in capital equals economic growth (anybody who has heard of Robert Solow would know this), but the economic growth path is based on technical innovation, i.e. productivity gains. And if long-term growth is the name of the game, why focus on inefficient domestic construction efforts?

Why? Because people our out of work, losing their homes, and the situations gets worse and worse every day. I certainly agree that we need to think about the long term as well, but given the desperate nature of our current condition, I think we need to do something about the short term as well.

I’m outta here. Will try to catch up with this later. Good morning, all.

]]> By: demi http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782153 demi Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:05:09 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782153 <p>The sky may or may not be falling.<br /> I’ve never been the leader of the Obamaniacs wagontrain, but it seems to me that all has not been set into motion yet. Not being an economist, I don’t know, but personally I’d rather have a stimulated economy Before I get my tax cuts, household stimulation. Then, I could make better use of my money.</p> The sky may or may not be falling.
I’ve never been the leader of the Obamaniacs wagontrain, but it seems to me that all has not been set into motion yet. Not being an economist, I don’t know, but personally I’d rather have a stimulated economy Before I get my tax cuts, household stimulation. Then, I could make better use of my money.

]]> By: sadlyyes http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782151 sadlyyes Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:01:52 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782151 <p>hey you,how are the tigres?</p> hey you,how are the tigres?

]]> By: SouthernDragon http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782150 SouthernDragon Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:01:15 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782150 <p>Parting shot.</p> <p>Dems = <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zSB-YQ4B8o" rel="nofollow">Snake Farm</a></p> Parting shot.

Dems = Snake Farm

]]> By: sadlyyes http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782149 sadlyyes Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:00:28 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/05/early-morning-swim-71/#comment-1782149 <p>SEC Probed Madoff 8 Times, Came Up Empty </p> <p><a href="http://www.newser.com/story/47030/sec-probed-madoff-8-times-came-up-empty.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.newser.com/story/47.....empty.html</a></p> SEC Probed Madoff 8 Times, Came Up Empty

http://www.newser.com/story/47…..empty.html

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