Gross Misconceptions

[vfpreacher]

This country is at a historic crossroads, and the path we choose can determine our future far beyond the next four years. Our children and grandchildren may someday bless us or curse us for what we do this Tuesday. Against that background, it is painful to see the petty talking points and gross misconceptions that seem to dominate this year's election campaign.

Take the question of jobs. How many times have we heard about how many jobs have been added during the Obama administration? Yet few people bother to find out whether these are net additions to jobs -- which is what is crucial.

The government can always increase some jobs, either directly by hiring more people or indirectly by policies that increase employment in particular industries or regions. But the real question is whether the government's actions create more jobs than they destroy -- that is, whether there is any net addition to jobs.

Yet who in the media even asks that question?

Instead, they focus on the unemployment rate. But people who have given up looking for a job are not counted as unemployed. The proportion of the working age population that is not working is higher now than it has been in many years.

Another gross misconception on the job front is that jobs created during a given administration are a result of the policies of that administration, as are any other signs of economic recovery. But this assumes that the economy is incapable of recovering on its own, without government intervention.

Yet the American economy recovered from downturns on its own for more than a century and a half, until President Herbert Hoover intervened after the stock market crash of 1929. Indeed, this was one of those bipartisan interventions so much hoped for by the media -- and the results were catastrophic.

The media misconception today is that what we need to speed up economic recovery is to end gridlock in Washington and have bipartisan intervention in the economy. However plausible that may sound, it is contradicted repeatedly by history.

Unemployment was never in double digits in any of the 12 months following the stock market crash of 1929. Only after politicians started intervening did unemployment reach double digits -- and stay in double digits throughout the 1930s.

There is nothing mysterious about an economy recovering on its own. Employers usually have incentives to employ and workers have incentives to look for jobs. Lenders have incentives to lend and borrowers have incentives to borrow -- if politicians do not create needless complications and uncertainties.

The Obama administration is in its glory creating complications and uncertainties for business, ranging from runaway regulations to the unknowable future costs of ObamaCare and taxes. Record amounts of idle cash held by businesses and financial institutions are a monument to the counterproductive effects of Barack Obama's anti-business policies and rhetoric. That idle money could create lots of jobs -- net jobs -- if politics did not make it risky to invest.

We often hear that President Obama inherited the worst recession since the Great Depression. But just how do you define that? By how high the unemployment rate went? By how long the recovery takes? Or don't you bother to define it at all?

The annual unemployment rate was as high under Ronald Reagan as it has been under Barack Obama. The difference is that Ronald Reagan did nothing, despite media cries for action, and Barack Obama did virtually everything imaginable, to the cheers of the media. The economy recovered a lot faster under Reagan.

If this is "the worst recession since the Great Depression," it is the worst solely in terms of how long it is taking to recover. But how long this has lasted is precisely what critics of Barack Obama are complaining about. Yet clever political rhetoric turns Obama's failure into an excuse for failure.

Contrary to political and media spin, President Obama did not "inherit" his unemployment from President George W. Bush. The annual unemployment rate never got above 6 percent during the eight years of President George W. Bush's administration.

Unemployment has never been that low under President Obama. Passing the buck backwards is a very poor excuse -- especially for someone using "forward" as his campaign slogan.

http://townhall.com/columnists/thoma...ons/page/full/

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by vfpreacher

This country is at a historic crossroads...

I just don't understand how you wake up everyday, all freaked out about our nation. I wake up every day, and am excited by all the things I can accomplish regardless who is president.

Our nation will always have challenges, we'll always have things to overcome. Big fucking deal! But, it seems to overtake your life.

A shitty economy and government gridlock are hardly new problems. Yet, I'm not worried about it, and it most certainly won't keep me from continuing to kick ass in business or in life.

At the end of the day, the power of 300 million citizens dwarfs the power of the president. So, it'll be the daily decisions of regular citizens will have FAR more impact on the future of this nation then the puppet in office.

Get a grip, man. You worry too much.

[the machine]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I just don't understand how you wake up everyday, all freaked out about our nation. I wake up every day, and am excited by all the things I can accomplish regardless who is president.

Our nation will always have challenges, we'll always have things to overcome. Big fucking deal! But, it seems to overtake your life.

A shitty economy and government gridlock are hardly new problems. Yet, I'm not worried about it, and it most certainly won't keep me from continuing to kick ass in business or in life.

At the end of the day, the power of 300 million citizens dwarfs the power of the president. So, it'll be the daily decisions of regular citizens will have FAR more impact on the future of this nation then the puppet in office.

Get a grip, man. You worry too much.

I couldn't agree more....Who is in the white house makes far less difference to our day to day lives than who is in our company's office. As long as this horrible president of preachers has been in the white house my business has grown and I have done just fine. Maybe if preacher worried more about his business and less about Obama he would be doing better, and wouldn't have such a hard time paying a few more dollars in taxes.

[vfpreacher]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Get a grip, man. You worry too much.

Brother -this is relaxing to me. Some like sports. Some like racing -I love politics. I love the personal political opinions that we all live by, individually -but have near no control of, collectively.

While I appreciate the concern -there's no need for it.

[raidmagic]

I have a better question, do you have any original thoughts of your own? All the threads you post are copy and paste from some other site and you don't offer any thoughts of your own to the thread. I usually don't even open your post because I know it's just something pasted from somewhere else with no added content. I really don't even know why you are on this site. You should stick to political sites.

[vfpreacher]

You have to start the conversation somewhere. I toss up an article -opinions are posted and grow from there. So, while the original post is someone else's thoughts -every entry after that, is original thought.

Originally Posted by raidmagic

I really don't even know why you are on this site. You should stick to political sites.

Wow. Really ?

[Geneus]

I'm having a blast watching O'Reilly on Fox.

Here is a message to the "party of no"...you lost...build a bridge and get over it.

[c6vettedude]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I just don't understand how you wake up everyday, all freaked out about our nation. I wake up every day, and am excited by all the things I can accomplish regardless who is president.

Our nation will always have challenges, we'll always have things to overcome. Big fucking deal! But, it seems to overtake your life.

A shitty economy and government gridlock are hardly new problems. Yet, I'm not worried about it, and it most certainly won't keep me from continuing to kick ass in business or in life.

At the end of the day, the power of 300 million citizens dwarfs the power of the president. So, it'll be the daily decisions of regular citizens will have FAR more impact on the future of this nation then the puppet in office.

Get a grip, man. You worry too much.

Well said! The way I see it, if your own back yard is full of sh!+, then you should start there. Pubs/cons spend all day blasting the dems.... take care of home first! I'd really like to see some rational conservatives taking on the problems of their own party first.

I'd like to see Dems do the same!

...and I've always said the same thing Patrick,... I make my own way and my own destiny. No president has even given me a job.

[c6vettedude]

Originally Posted by Geneus

I'm having a blast watching O'Reilly on Fox.

Here is a message to the "party of no"...you lost...build a bridge and get over it.

I used to like watching O' Reilly, but then he fell apart and lost it when BO won the first election. All rationallity was gone from his though process. Once in a great while he'd concede a point, but only if you were really good at boxing him in.

Hannity, well that's just a whole other nut case, the clearly has racial issues. It's comical to hear the stuff that he comes up with. I clearly remember him saying that troops should not listen to BO shortly after he was first elected. Can you say Sedition?? I wonder how much sleep this guys has gotten since BO's been in office.

[c6vettedude]

Originally Posted by raidmagic

I have a better question, do you have any original thoughts of your own?

I asked the same thing, but the answer's clearly "no".

Imagine if FNC and the Drudge Report didn't exist??

[blckslvr79]

I'd love to see some original thought from any liberal on this site. Instead you sit around in a circle jerk patting each other on the back.

If you've something better to discuss, then let's hear it and quit worring so much about your thanks count. It seems the libs around here have gotten some swollen heads from this weeks election. Enjoy it. It won't last long.

[c6vettedude]

Originally Posted by blckslvr79

I'd love to see some original thought from any liberal on this site. Instead you sit around in a circle jerk patting each other on the back.

If you've something better to discuss, then let's hear it and quit worring so much about your thanks count. It seems the libs around here have gotten some swollen heads from this weeks election. Enjoy it. It won't last long.

I'm not a lib, but go back and read my postings. Only the pubs here had negative things to say about my posts, but just as well as I didn't really expect to hear anything positive from you types.

[blckslvr79]

Originally Posted by c6vettedude

I'm not a lib, but go back and read my postings. Only the pubs here had negative things to say about my posts, but just as well as I didn't really expect to hear anything positive from you types.

If the Foo Shits. Wasn't talking directly to you, but seems we hit a sore spot. So what original thoughts do you have?

[the machine]

Originally Posted by raidmagic

I have a better question, do you have any original thoughts of your own? All the threads you post are copy and paste from some other site and you don't offer any thoughts of your own to the thread. I usually don't even open your post because I know it's just something pasted from somewhere else with no added content. I really don't even know why you are on this site. You should stick to political sites.

I have asked him this very same question many many times....I guess this is the only site he hasn't been banned from.

[the machine]

Originally Posted by blckslvr79

I'd love to see some original thought from any liberal on this site. Instead you sit around in a circle jerk patting each other on the back.

If you've something better to discuss, then let's hear it and quit worring so much about your thanks count. It seems the libs around here have gotten some swollen heads from this weeks election. Enjoy it. It won't last long.

Boy if this isn't the pot calling the kettle black. You and preacher and walley and arkay, constantly circle jerk and pat each other on the ass all day long...and preachers entire reason for living is his thanks count.

As for posting original thoughts, I always post original thouights with back up links to articles when needed, and you guys always call me a liberal, so I guess you have seen original thought from what you consider a liberal.