The State of the State of Wisconsin and the United States

The right-wing chatter boxes continue to provide flawed analysis about the national and Wisconsin economy.

They ignore the fact that the U.S. economy was permanently and critically altered by NAFTA and other trade agreements that allowed $2.00 a day workers to replace American workers. They miss the point that a nation cannot engage in two wars at a cost of billions of dollars a week which do little to contribute to the productivity of the country.

When we look at the depth and breath of this depression, the worst economic crisis facing the nation since the 1930's, it is beyond fascination to see these extremists demanding the economy they destroyed be repaired in a year.

It took five years to come out of the Great Depression. That depression saw an expansion of jobs as the advent of World War II and American industrial might combined to right the greatest economy in the world.

The Republican banking crisis, the trade agreements pushed by the right and accepted by some Democrats, will take more than 12 or 18 months to fix.

It is time we come to recognize that 20% unemployment was avoided, that the majority of troubled financial institutions are now above water, and that depression did not cut deeper.

Comments

[AG]

In other news, Andre Dawson going in the HOF as an Expo. HA!

[antpoppa]

Five Questions to ask the Conservative Candidates.

Tea Party Rules

1. H ave taxes so low that government must borrow from IMF or foreign sources to subsist.
2. A dopt private ownership of traditional government services, fire hospital, police, roads and security.
3. I naugurate private ownership of all property, lakes, streams, water rights, mineral and airspace.
4. T rade shall have no tax or any restriction as to ecological safety or accountably of product.
5. I nsure that democratic political representation is not functional and subject to overthrow or recall.

There are 200,000 slots in HAITI available if you really want to live under these rules.

[Brian (neaguy)]

It is also time to recognize that Obama had the chance to be another FDR. Instead he has already failed.
His first fail was to keep Robert Gates on board to run the American empire instead of beginning the dismantlement of this wasteful project.
Number two was putting Tim Geithner in charge of anything. Money that could be plowed into rebuilding America's infrastructure, building more schools, and creating badly needed jobs programs is instead being poured down the sinkholes in Afghanistan and Iraq and in the more than 700 military installations we maintain worldwide.
Number three was bringing Larry Summers on board to run the council of economic advisors, and keeping the foolish mind of Robert Rubin close by.
And recently, this deeply conservative president has decided that the useless regulator Ben Bernanke deserves another term. Apparently competence is irrelevant when Obama makes personnel decisions.
Some economists have pointed out that a two trillion dollar hole was blown in the economy when the meltdown occurred and that the federal government needed to fill that hole just to keep the economy where it was when Obama took office. What did Obama put into that hole, three hundred billion?
Fail.

[Ty O'Mara]

No Bobby Jindahl to give the rebuttal tonight, damn, how disappointing. I didn't see any Republicans sitting down too long tonight. They just kept standing up and applauding. Barack Delano O'Bama spewing common sense as if it were free for the taking. Combat troops out of Iraq this August, Hallelujah. Withdraw from Afghanistan in 2011, am I dreaming? No.

This is the worst period in American history for most of us, we have only one alternative, make this country better.

About a third of the way through the speech, I saw McCain smiling and leaning over to whisper to a colleague, " He is unbelieveable, what a speaker." The colleague with tears in his eyes just nodded. It was R.J.

[R.J.]

2012. I only hope the NYTimes is still around to see it.