Obama presidency: Are you better off now than 4 years ago?

14 comments:

• jimg17 posted at 3:01 pm on Sun, Sep 2, 2012.

  Posts: 9

  No. Hell no.

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• downtownresident posted at 4:59 pm on Sun, Sep 2, 2012.

  Posts: 768

  If I were homeless and starving, I would not vote for Mitt Romney.
  His family, and cult, have no connection to common people.
  "You people" don't get it.[sad]

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• Dale Whiting posted at 5:10 pm on Sun, Sep 2, 2012.

  Posts: 3705

  Very few are better off today than they were on January 20, 2008. And many of us have predicted that because of that, President Obama will not be re-elected. But so what? Does government run the economy? No. Business runs the economy. Sure government can contribute both positively and negatively to the economy. And what can be positive at one time can be negative at another time.

  It will take us another 4 to 8 years to see significant improvements to our economy, if we are lucky, that is. But very little done by whomever is president from 2012 to 2016 will make a difference. If the president is re-elected, someone else, likely a Republican, will be elected in 2016. If Romney is elected in 2012, he'll have very little to cite to as having significantly helped in 2016. If Paul Ryan's idea of budget cuts [once called "tirckle down economics"] comes into play, we shall be witnessing the end of such overy symplistic and naive theories.

  So biring it on, Mr. Romney. Perhaps it's your turn to fail!

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• DemocraticDad posted at 6:27 pm on Sun, Sep 2, 2012.

  Posts: 137

  Are you kidding me???? Of course we are better off now!

  When Obama took office America was lying in the street dying from a near fatal wound from the last Republican president. The banking system collapsed. We were losing 750,000 jobs a month. Housing collapsed. Construction stopped. The auto industry was in a death spiral. America was in a state of complete panic. Our nation was dying under Bush.

  And the Romney/Ryan team wants to go back to Bush's failed policies that caused the GREAT RECESSION, and add the destruction of Medicare and Social Security to boot!

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• fae4now posted at 11:28 pm on Sun, Sep 2, 2012.

  Posts: 192

  Well said Dem Dad!

  How quickly some forget where we really were in 2008 and how far we've come. [thumbup][thumbup]

  Frighteningly, I think some want to go back to those days. Why, I cannot imagine.
  

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• soricobob posted at 5:46 am on Mon, Sep 3, 2012.

  Posts: 665

  Since my wife was refused insurance by Az BC/BS (she has ADHD), and since I didn't have a job the (I do now), and since our President had led us into a war in Iraq (I guess for some misguided reason), I would say I was better off, our State was better off, and our country was, too. If we were looking to streamline businesses in America, and we wanted to make factories more efficient (perhaps by outsourcing work), I would be in favor of Romney taking control, but, I think, that's his answer to most things (i.e. let the corporate managers run things, get richer, and the poor will be better off).. Not only do I disagree with that, but unless he moderates (as Reagan did) he would be a poor choice.

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• Juggernaut8000 posted at 12:52 pm on Mon, Sep 3, 2012.

  Posts: 576

  Demdad,
  I think you are sorely mistaked and a complete fool. While I agree Bush was one of the worst presidents in the history of our Counrty, Obama is a close contender. The only people he has helped is a bunch of illegals and the welfare sapping slime who want to leech government funds instead of working.
  And on another note, Bob, the reasson BCBS refused treatment is becaue ADHD is a BS fabricated disorder that is used by pharmaceutical companies to sponge money out of insurance providers and give people a reason to act like idiots and not work.

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• REG in AZ posted at 1:38 pm on Mon, Sep 3, 2012.

  Posts: 36

  Some want to blame the Democrats for the depressed economy, saying they had control for two years and then that the bills sponsored by Dodd and Frank (Democrats), which were intended to allow more to enjoy the American dream of home ownership and stimulate the economy, caused the mortgage and financial melt-down. If Obama can be blamed for anything, it would be for trying to work with the Republicans which they repeatedly turned against him with stubborn faulting and arrogant blocking of all efforts. Then the mortgage and financial crises actually developed not because of the bills but because of run-away greed, self-indulgence and gross dishonesty allowed by little enforcement, no oversight and excessive deregulation being rationalized as "conservative" and promoted under Bush-Cheney, as was so much else that developed to crisis proportions. This was seen in the aggressive overselling of the mortgages, their repackaging and reselling, their being repackaged again as derivatives with the risk hidden, resold and then having the insurance companies be on line for the losses - all for substantial profit gained by the few. The Bush-Cheney mentality was obvious as "give it all to "the money" who will then take care of them in return and together they can just con and manipulate the people".

  The Democrats aren't all "pure and holy" but they don't have the power, influence and mega-millions of "the money" behind them and they haven't come to be owned and controlled by "the money" without any sincere conscience or real concern for the people, as the Republican / Tea Party literally have. If people allow their biases, prejudices, emotions, fears and blind loyalties to be used to focus on the Democrats shortcomings and to be totally distracted from the reality we have experienced over the last twelve years, that being that the Republicans, in pursuing their political ambitions above all else at any cost to the people, are completely committed to serving only "the money", the 1%, and taking the majority, the 99%, for granted as being "pawns" to be used and abused, ... then we are very apt to be returned to "more of the same", Bush-Cheney style, and that resulting continual total neglect of the people. It really isn't about Republican versus Democrat or 'conservative" versus "liberal" today, it is about "the money" versus the people and the people better be able to take their 'blinders" off and see it.

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• professor posted at 2:07 pm on Mon, Sep 3, 2012.

  Posts: 5

  Please, we are out of Irag, getting out of Afghanistan, avoided sending troops to Libya, and more respected around the world than in years. Did Obama do everything he promised to do? No, he was naive in his thinking that the the Republicans would work together with him and other Democrats to improve the economy and other ills we were suffering in 2008. The House has voted 33 times to repeal ObamaCare (which is a figment of the Repubs imagination) knowing full well that it wouldn't pass the house or get through the President.

  So, let's figure out what Romney might do based on his record as a business man? He would take over our govt., borrow 20 trillion from the Chinese, or Social Security, give bonuses to all those who elected him, keep getting his CEO sheltered tax fund income for 20 years, and watch the rich get richer and the middle class and less middle class people suffer, and then sell us to the highest bidder so we can go totally Chapter 11.

  How about foreign policy experience? He did serve on a mission in France once. He was able to keep out of the military on that one as well.

  Of course, he has outsourced his intellect to Ryan; the guy who lied about his sub 4 hour marathon. What can you expect from someone who lied a dozen times in his acceptance speech. WOW

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• ringtone posted at 7:40 pm on Mon, Sep 3, 2012.

  Posts: 4

  The really sad thing is we are looking at two canidates who are both bad choices and we are now going to pick the one who we think will hurt us the least. SAD[sad]

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• Accuracy posted at 8:34 am on Tue, Sep 4, 2012.

  Posts: 1916

  “With the Democrat National Convention starting this week, we're wondering what you think: Are you better off now than 4 years ago?”

  ------------------------------------------------

  In 1980 Ronald Reagan presented the issue to the American people – "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" The classic question that sunk Jimmy Carter.

  Today, President Obama's economic record disqualifies him for a second term . . . And again, Republicans are asking Americans, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
  

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• mikewong27 posted at 9:31 am on Tue, Sep 4, 2012.

  Posts: 1

  Much better than Bushy was in office that's for sure!!! Politicians are born liars!!! They say anything to get your vote, once they are in office, they flip flop their policies just for their own gain...

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• REG in AZ posted at 9:30 am on Wed, Sep 5, 2012.

  Posts: 36

  "Are we better off today?" Actually we are far better off than we were with Bush-Cheney who stubbornly catered to the 1% and arrogantly took the 99% for granted ... and that is what they actually want to return to. Bush-Cheney and the Republican / Tea Party took us to the crisis point in several areas as they belligerently focused on serving only the few and just giving the majority subterfuge to rationalize and deceive, literally taking the people for granted as if "pawns" to be manipulated at their will. Today the Republicans are teamed with "big money's" power, influence and financial support and being emboldened by past successes they are cocky confident in their ability to deceive, to control and sway voters, to first, fault Obama for all problems, second, to have acceptance for their goals which deceptively always benefit only the few and last, to support a return to "more of the same". Can we really endure "more of the same", Bush-Cheney style?

  This list is just some of the deceptions included in "more of the same", without elaboration, and simply assuming that the arrogant and insulting, grossly self-serving and belligerently dishonest nature of the issues will be remembered. Remember: the multiple tax cuts heavily weighted for the wealthy; Global Warming stated as not a problem; private accounts recommended for Social Security; the actual minimized/ignored warnings before 9/11 while concentrating on Iraq; trumped up justification for attacking Iraq; abandoned effort in Afghanistan; Afghanistan presented as secure; the false coalition with America paying 95%+; Iraqi oil money never paying for the war as was proposed; pressure put on the intelligence community for finding justification; including the authorized departure from Geneva Convention rules; frequent misrepresentations to manipulate public opinion; no bid contracts ($100B's) to favored vendors; responsibility for port security offered to Dubai Ports; always excusing the growing deficit and unfavorable trade deficit in serving only the interests of "the money"; the apathetic reaction to the hurricane Katrina aftermath; blocking bringing less costly American drugs back into the US; vengefully exposing the CIA agent's identity; squelching the "wiretapping without court order" story; falsely raising the security threat level before 2004 election;

  .... the excessive deregulation and lack of any responsible oversight favoring the few and resulting in unchecked greed, gross dishonesty and criminal self-indulgence eventually bringing down the financial industry; encouraging the deportation of American jobs and taxes; the policies greatly favoring the oil companies; the sociopathic GWBush falsely presented as a "born again Christian"; ... and then after Bush-Cheney: the Republican's concentration on their political ambitions above all else; stubbornly obstructing and faulting all efforts to address problems; irresponsibly withholding any bipartisan cooperation; aggressively intimidating and coercing their own representatives to force unity; supporters organizing, directing and funding the Tea Party movement, like the "Swift-boat" propaganda and the manipulation of the conservative Christian all aimed to deceptively excite and sway public opinion; the constant catering to the interests of "the money", no matter what it costs the people; the absence of a conscience or real support for women's rights; the presenting and backing of Ryan's budget heavily favoring "the money" and costing the majority; ... continuing on and on, without any conscience and always aimed to benefit only the few, their supporters and controllers, while insultingly taking the people for granted as just "pawns" to be used and abused.

  
  It isn't a difference in philosophies. The real deception is in their concentration on serving only the few while taking the majority for granted. These elections are not about Republican versus Democrat, they are not about "conservative" versus "liberal", they literally are about "the money" versus the people, about whether the voters will be conned, used and continually be abused when giving "the money" the control they seek in electing their "puppet" politicians ... or will the people be strong enough and with the clear vision to cry out "no more" and reject the propaganda aimed to control them, reject the "puppet" politicians who will only serve their own ambitions and "the money's" interests and thus firmly reject the control "the money" has over government. Today the Republican / Tea Party, in alliance with "the money" as their masters, is steadily pushing for this country to be a two-class society with the 1% competing in having it all while the 99% continues to struggle. It is really up to the voters. Can they see through the mega-bucks being spent to con and control them or will they be manipulated into supporting "the money's" interests against their own interests? We will have to wait and see but just as "you can't get blood from a turnip", because there just isn't any there, all that is there in today's Republican /Tea Party is what is listed above.

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• Bluepoet posted at 8:34 pm on Thu, Sep 13, 2012.

  Posts: 444

  Am I better off today, than four years ago? Why, yes, yes I am...thanks for asking.

  Four years ago, my house was worth less than I paid for it. Now, it's worth a third more than what I paid.

  Four years ago, I had to hire out my technician skills, as a sub-contractor, to another company, and my working conditions were horrid...I coudn't complain, because, "at least I had a job". Now, I work in a company that has better conditions, there's more overtime than I could possibly want, even though the management still won't hire, because they've bought into the stupid conservative hype about Obama being "anti-business". Even though we have more business than we can handle, without hiring more!

  And so, we wait for another stupid election of another set of ineffective leaders, who, in reality can only influence the appearance of things being better--or not.

  It's all a matter of perspective, and who one asks, isn't it?

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