They’ve got no problem spending money on tax breaks for folks at the top who don’t need them and didn’t even ask for them; but they object to helping folks laid off in this recession who really do need help.
President Barack Obama • Trying to cast the GOP as the party of the rich. The crux of his argument is that the party pushed through the Bush-era tax cuts for the rich, but are unwilling to help out the unemployed in their time of need. Or another way to put it – the GOP prefers to allow a trickle-down from the rich to the poor, while the Democrats would prefer that the government help the poor. However, it’s worth pointing out that while Bush cut taxes, he also extended unemployment – with GOP support. So take from that what you will. source
As I and others have been arguing at length, penny-pinching in the midst of a severely depressed economy is no way to deal with our long-run budget problems. And penny-pinching at the expense of the unemployed is cruel as well as misguided.
New York Times columnist (and “Get Him To the Greek” co-star) Paul Krugman • Discussing the bizarre situation which led to the lack of unemployment extensions. He’s pushes hard on the issue, saying that the solution is worse than the problem. “Cutting off benefits to the unemployed,” he writes, “will make them even more desperate for work — but they can’t take jobs that aren’t there.” source
The overall picture isn’t so much of a double-dip recession as it is of a badly wounded economy recovering at a slow pace.
New York Times “Economix” blogger David Leonhardt • Analyzing what these job numbers mean. Essentially, Leonhardt thinks the economy needs something else to prop it up and encourage growth. There is silver lining, though – fewer people are looking for part-time work at the expense of full-time work, and the recovery may not be so bad. “History suggests that true job growth may also be a bit better the Labor Department is estimating,” Leonhardt writes. “That’s the usual pattern in the early stages of a recovery.” source
The world has changed and we have to change with it. There’s still hope for change, but we have to create our own way forward and not wait for change to come to us.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm • Saying the most mind-numbingly obvious thing we’ve ever published. Ever. With a state that has as high of unemployment as hers and a main industry struggling as much as the auto industry, the time to act is not now. The time to act was 20 years ago, when Michael Moore was making “Roger and Me.” We’re from Michigan, so we have even less sympathy for statements like this. No talk. Just make it happen. And don’t pretend that you haven’t had your opportunities. source