Obama's Rhetoric is the Real Catastrophe

[DrPhil]

As most of us are not experts regarding this, what are the realistic options on a National level? We know the options on local and individual levels, seeing as though some of us know how to prepare for the future and adjust for difficult times so that really isn't the issue here.

I do not know if there has been a false sense of hope instilled in the population. There has been a lot of big talk that has resulted in an imbalance between optimism and realism. I think people are expecting longterm improvement to come too quickly (beyond Stock Market fluctuations and a few companies hiring). This is another reason why it's difficult to know when and how to assess the effectiveness of policies and programs. You can compliment what sounds like a good approach and criticize what sounds like a bad approach. Too much more than that is presumptuous.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

As most of us are not experts regarding this, what are the realistic options on a National level? We know the options on local and individual levels, seeing as though some of us know how to prepare for the future and adjust for difficult times so that really isn't the issue here.

I do not know if there has been a false sense of hope instilled in the population. There has been a lot of big talk that has resulted in an imbalance between optimism and realism. I think people are expecting longterm improvement to come too quickly (beyond Stock Market fluctuations and a few companies hiring). This is another reason why it's difficult to know when and how to assess the effectiveness of policies and programs. You can compliment what sounds like a good approach and criticize what sounds like a bad approach. Too much more than that is presumptuous.

This is part of my concern; people want the quick fix, and aren't concerned about the longterm. There are people who want stimulus money pumped into companies (whether they are banks, auto manufacturers, etc.), but then what happens next? Is a there management audit, so to speak, to find out the management issues? Do you then examine the company's business practices to make sure they're not getting back into bad habits If we pump money into saving jobs, or offering some sort of financial bridge during unemployment, what are the after-effects? Where is this money coming from, and how does it all balance out? Is it just a Band Aid, or a real solution? And, is the government really the best body to be examining "best practices" for private industry?

It's also a subject where most people can't be objective about it. You have people living in economically-depressed areas who are saying "You can't understand, because you don't have friends losing jobs." Or you have people who have lost their investments because their investment companies have been mismanaged. In those circumstances, it's impossible to take a longview.

Plus I have my own opinion that Presidents have very little impact on the ecomony anyway, either positive or negative...