Barack Obama’s Weekly Radio Address
February 7, 2009
Yesterday began with some devastating news with regard to our economic crisis. But I’m pleased to say it ended on a more positive note.
This must be speech writing 101. I think that you started out last week’s address exactly the same way.
In the morning, we received yet another round of alarming employment figures – the worst in more than 30 years.
Okay, okay; I’ll give this one to ya. At least you didn’t bring up the whole “worst since the Great Depression” thang. So, while this may be as bad as the 90’s, it’s close. And yes, the last time we saw numbers this bad was in the early 80’s. About 28 years; so, okay, let’s go with 30.
Another 600,000 jobs were lost in January. We’ve now lost more than 3.6 million jobs since this recession began.
Right, and 3.6 million sounds like a lot, heck, it IS a lot. But, let’s take a look. Since 1981, the last BIG recession, the labor force has grown some 50%. So, while 3.6 million remains a lot of people, lets put this into perspective.
But by the evening, Democrats and Republicans came together in the Senate and responded appropriately to the urgency this moment demands.
Let’s be honest here sparky. Every single Democrat – ALL of them– and just THREE Republicans came together. This is not the partisan promise you sold me. Actually, I personally didn’t buy ANY of your snake oil, but you know what I mean.
In the midst of our greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression,
I knew it. I JUST KNEW you couldn’t make it through one of these infomercials with out a worst since the Great Depression reference. You do know that this just makes you sound stupid. I guess now I understand how the left felt about listening to Dubya. Change……
the American people were hoping that Congress would begin to confront the great challenges we face. That was, after all, what last November’s election was all about.
Legislation of such magnitude deserves the scrutiny that it’s received over the last month, and it will receive more in the days to come. But we can’t afford to make perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary.
Month? What’choo talkin ‘about Willis? This ain’t been no month! You have been in office shy three week. You know and I know that you are pushing this through before the American people support it less than they supported Dubya!
The scale and scope of this plan is right. And the time for action is now.
If by right you mean horribly horribly wrong, then yeah, I’m with ya. Action schmaction. If you do nothing, just NOTHING, we are out of this in less than 6 months.
Because if we don’t move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs,
Pssst, over here. Check it out….when Americans bring down debt -and they should bring down debt-it’s a recessionary action. We knew this going in. Okay, back to you.
their homes,
Pssst, over here. Check it out…..[wait wait wait–do I really have to be the guy to tell you this?] It was those poepl GETTING their homes that caused this whole freaking mess to begin with? What are doin? Hey man, don’t walk away from me…..
and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold.
Let’s be clear:
Okay, okay. Being clear time! Let’s go.
We can’t expect relief from the tired old theories that, in eight short years,
Clear–being clear. This is all George W. Bush’s fault. Got it. Not even three weeks in and I am tired of you! Clear my ass.
doubled the national debt, threw our economy into a tailspin, and led us into this mess in the first place.
Whoo sparky. “into this mess in the first place.” Do you read or study? I mean, you must have, right? Double Ivy? I mean, how in the HELL did you make it through? Let’s review:
- Democrats initiated a program that sold people homes they couldn’t afford. Bad bad bad.
- Democrats allowed Fannie and Freddie to go unchecked. This not only perpetuated the lending money to people who couldn’t afford it, but in fact, accelerated it by creating a market for OTHER banks to do the same thing.
- Democrats came in and INCREASED regulation changing basic as well as tried and true accounting principals.
- Google Mark to Market
We can’t rely on a losing formula that offers only tax cuts as the answer to all our problems while ignoring our fundamental economic challenges
Things like borrowing and printing money to spend our way out of debt. Anyone know the rat race that is cash advance from VISA to pay Mastercard? Would you consul your daughters to do that? No, then why are you telling me to do that?
– the crushing cost of health care or the inadequate state of so many schools; our addiction to foreign oil or our crumbling roads, bridges, and levees.
Look, we’re with ya on the whole schools, energy and infrastructure thing. Really, we are. But we are also not so fookin stupid as to think that they are the same thing as a stimulus bill. If you want money for schools, get out your Abe Lincoln oil lamp and craft such a bill. You should remember how to do it from your days in the Senate, right? I mean, hell, you were responsible for huge and important legislation while you were—oh my, how embarrassing for you. You weren’t were you? Huh, well, maybe that explains why you don’t know how this whole thing works.
The American people know that our challenges are great. They don’t expect Democratic solutions or Republican solutions – they expect American solutions.
From the beginning, this recovery plan has had at its core a simple idea: Let’s put Americans to work doing the work America needs done.
Except it’s not the Government’s role to create jobs. Just allow proper conditions to exist and we’ll take care of the rest.
It will save or create more than 3 million jobs over the next two years,
Umm, gosh, this is getting old, but you may wanna, you know, research this. Even your own peeps are not so much thinking 3 million…
all across the country – 16,000 in Maine, nearly 80,000 in Indiana – almost all of them in the private sector, and all of them jobs that help us recover today, and prosper tomorrow.
Jobs that upgrade classrooms and laboratories in 10,000 schools nationwide – at least 485 in Florida alone – and train an army of teachers in math and science.
Jobs that modernize our health care system, not only saving us billions of dollars, but countless lives.
Jobs that construct a smart electric grid, connect every corner of the country to the information superhighway, double our capacity to generate renewable energy, and grow the economy of tomorrow.
Jobs that rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and levees and dams, so that the tragedies of New Orleans and Minneapolis never happen again.
It includes immediate tax relief for our struggling middle class in places like Ohio,
We’ve been over this before as well. When you take steal money from me and GIVE it to someone else, that is neither a tax cut or a relief. All it does is PISS me off without benefiting anyone.
where 4.5 million workers will receive a tax cut of up to $1,000.
Okay, okay, you win. I agree, Uncle. Let’s give these people that $1,000. Just DO it already. In fact, if you PROMISE to just not talk anymore, I’ll double it. That’s 9 billion dollars. Just saved ya about 850 billion.
It protects health insurance and provides unemployment insurance for those who’ve lost their jobs. And it helps our states and communities avoid painful tax hikes or layoffs
Dude, DUDE! You SAID you studied Constitutional Law. It is not YOUR job to reduce State and City taxes.
for our teachers, nurses, and first responders.
Stop it! Shameless emotional garbage!
That’s what is at stake with this plan: putting Americans back to work, creating transformative economic change, and making a down payment
What? Down payment? A down payment is money that you ALREADY have placed down for money you are going to borrow. This, THIS is a lot of things. But isn’t most certainly NOT a down payment!
on the American Dream that serves our children and our children’s children for generations to come.
Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we’re equal to the task before us. Let’s show them that we are. And let’s do whatever it takes to keep the promise of America alive in our time.
If only you would!
Thank you.
Notice that I have changed the graphical representation some. Most graphs of the CPI show the % change from the month prior, in that case, the graph looks like this:
If you dial the Way Back Machine to the year 1980, specifically May of 1980, you will be looking 68 straight months of unemployment higher than 7.0%. Imagine! Imagine having to go through the last two months for most of 6 years! In fact, there were 78 months above 7.0% missing only one which came in at 6.7% And to make it even worse, at the height of it, the rate stood at 10.8%. Almost 11%.