jerseygirl—how are you? This is what Paul Krugaman thinks about it (as well as Glenn Greenwald). I do not agree with everything they say, but, I would be interested ina anyone’s dispute of his assertions:(Greenwald)

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/11-11

This is what Nobel prize winning econimist Paul Krugman sayas about it, in “The Conscience of a Liberal”. I agree.

“The progressive agenda is clear and achievable, but it will face fierce opposition.Republican Party conservatives, whose vision of what America should be is completley antithetical to that of the progressive movement.Because of that control, the notion, beloved of political pundits, that we can make progress through biparitsan consensus is simply foolish…

..to be a progressive, then, means being a partisan—at least for now…Political and economic reform turned the oligarchic America of the Gilded Age, a place of vast inequality, bigotry, an corruption, in to the imperfect but far better society of the postwar era. The challenge now is to do again what the New Deal did: to create institutionas what will support and sustain a decent society”.

I submit that you cannot do that with the people being suggested by the Obama Team—especially Larry Summers. YOu also cannot achieve it, with the neo-cons still on board. You should not achieve it, by implementing Clintons policies, while giving the Neo-cons a pass on their war crimes.

Things like “war crimes” damage the psyche of the people, and, cannot be “move on"ed away.

BTW, jg—I agree very much about the Third Party..

Kdelphi
WHY cant we get the rich to pay their taxes??

To make a long story short, “we” haven’t done anything about it because “we” haven’t done anything about it. As Doug Fraser, former head of the UAW (rest his soul), pointed out many years ago, capital has been waging a one-sided class war against the rest of us. His fellow labor leaders were playing and continue to play a quisling game of “class cooperation.”  It’s long past time we started to fight back in a concerted way, particularly in this time of a major—if not terminal—crisis in the global capitalist system.

Since Obama is apparently committed to pursuing a “bipartisan” course, while the Republicans’ aim is to torpedo any possibility that his attempts to lessen the severity of the global depression will succeed—knowing they face decades out of power if he does, in fact, succeed—it is up to us to provide the ongoing political pressure to assure that the upcoming centrist policy battles break to the left and not the right.

And while we’re at it, we must organize to form a third political party that represents the interests of the working class. As it now stands, many workers refuse to participate in the political process because they know their interests won’t be represented—and we all know where problems of “taxation without representation” can ultimately lead. We hope.

I see! You said POLITICS! I am sorry—I thought you said POLICIES, and I looked right at it..

YES!! It is GOOD POLITICS!

Raising taxes on the rich is good for jobs and the economy.

http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-sirota/economic-death-and-millionaire-taxes.html

“It has been so long since Congress needed to pass a huge and urgent package of spending increases and tax cuts that few people understand how the politics of such a thing might work..”

Are you kidding me?? Wasnt the Wall St Bailout a “spending increase”? Werent the Bush “tax cuts”, ah, tax cuts?? Whaaaa….??

I understand that it is a “first draft”, but it is full of more of the same! We just passed a huge bailout, following the biggest tax cuts for the rich in the history of the country!ANY country!

It didnt “work”..

The NGO of budget says that the NUMBER ONE cause of our current deficit is TAX CUTS!

Damn right, Shift! Folktruther—any detail on who and how much yet?

WHY cant we get the rich to pay their taxes??

Is the inclusion of $300 billion in tax reduction/rebate in PE Obama’s stimulus plan an act of political wisdom or of political bribery to gain Republican votes for his plan in the US Senate where their goal is 80 ayes? If your answer is “some of both” then you accuse the Obama team and those Republican Senators who are swayed by the bribery of political corruption because bribery in the guise of inducement is as form of corruption according to my dictionary. Judging from polls on this matter I sense that the American people have long ago concluded that our Congress is at least mildly corrupt.
Now, if you think that the $300 billion “tax” is not a form of bribery but is honest-to-goodness concern with the little people of our country, what about the so-called “earmarks”? In the many cases these are accepted in return for an aye vote on a bill by the “ear-markers”. That is not corruption?
The line between “legal” and “illegal” bribery is apparently so blurred that no expert seems to know where it is drawn if it has ever been drawn at all.
It all reminds me of a political slogan I noticed last year: “Support the USA, buy a Senator”.

<i>Recipients of tax cuts might choose to save rather than spend the money they get back, or else use it to pay down debt.

  Obama solves this problem in part by focusing so much of his tax relief on middle- to low-income Americans, who are more likely to use the money for consumption.<>

What?  Middle to low income are likely to have more pressing debt issues than high income Americans.  They probably won’t save the money but if they’re smart they’ll pay down debt with it.  Which means that we’ve borrowed more money to give to banks.

But sure, whatever, only government can break the viscous cycle that it did so much to promote.  Moreover, handing out money in hopes that people will spend, spend, spend is the viscous cycle.

Mr. Obama appears to be set to attempt a reinflation of the “new economy” model rather than fixing what’s broken.  If that’s the path we’re taking, we better hope that it works because if it doesn’t…well, that might well be the end of mighty America.

“Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy,” Obama declared on Thursday. “

Not true!  The super rich 1% that owns 80% of American wealth could be taxed to relieve the middle class and poor from the burden of paying back the deficit spending in future generations.  Taxing the rich is the elephant in the room that Washington ignores. Why?

This stimulus package is being put together while cutting social security and medicare.

do repugs and their Lap Dogs in Blue actually think Americans have not noticed that THEY & their Corp Friends are respsonsible for this economic down fall? Do they think we have not followed the Dots from the Reagan years through today and KNOW Who & what are Guilty of destroying Ameirca?
These Corp Whores keep talking about ‘Big Gov’t’ and ‘Deficits’ and THEY are the ones who have created a montrosity of Gov’t and dug the Biggest Deficit hole this country has EVER seen!
Pray Tell, Corp whores of both colors, if not the Gov’t then Who will help US out of the Pit YOU have dug? Your Corps??? Hell those assholes have proven they can’t even run a Company, except into the Ground.
If any of these Whores wish to persuade the American People we should not support this Stimulus package, they should at least Offer some alternative. But they haven’t and they Won’t because the Corps haven’t found another entity to throw the ‘Past Due’ Bill to.Are they daring to play National Economic Chicken?
If you are not part of the solution ,then you are part of the Problem.and we’ve had nearly 30 yrs of THEM being the Problem.Frankly I’d like to see many Hanged for Economic Treason.
My Only Question to all these ‘Fiscal Responsible’ drones is ‘Then WHO?‘Because your Corps and their Gamblers have run US into the Ground.
Sit down and Shut Up unless you enjoy serpentining your way around town from now on….It’s Open Season on Traitors, Embezzlers and Extortionists!!!
If they don’t pass that Package, then they have just light the match which will ignite the Powder keg- riots, ManHunts and Revolution!
How Dare they spew BS concerns about Deficits after the last 8 yrs of 10 Billion a Month for a Blood for Oil invasion! After a 700 Billion Gift to Wall Street! Not to mention the Feudalistic system called ‘Trickle Down’ they’ve used to destroy our Free Market Economy for 3 decades.
Remeber The French Revolution? they were not as ‘kind’ to their OverLords…We may just take a page out of their book! Be afraid ‘Public Servants’ Be VERY Afraid!

Oh yeah, and the fact that after flooding the fat cats with billions he now intends to take a clever to address “entitlement waste”—even Bush couldn’t get traction going there. It will insure that Obama will be little more than a house boy to the master.

The “pragmatic” pitch to promote the Obama brand ain’t nothing but the failed triangulation strategy with a new coat of paint. For all of Obama’s high- minded empty rhetoric about unity, if it means compromise, it means capitulation and there are times when it is necessary to take a stand in opposition. First Obama rallied Congressional Democrats to line up behind the greatest wealth transfer in history (John Conyers, after being questioned whether he was duped, claimed Obama promised he would “fix it” if he got on board). Strike one. Then he studiously ignored and cowered behind political protocol so he could avoid confronting Israel with it’s war crimes- while the carnage escalates. Strike two. And now he is talking about more billions in stimulus aid to private business. Well, that black hole worked really well in Iraq, didn’t it? That will be strike three. And it’s over before he even gets in the door.

The President is the leader and He/She sets the agenda for Congress. Obama would be well served to focus his energy on doing what’s right for the Country not to the Corporations and people who donated the most money. Setting an example for all politicians that pay to play is nothing more than BRIBERY and will not be tolerated. What’s best for the country is what’s best for all economies,Local,State and Corporate. With 200,000 businesses projected to close next year there is a lot of opportunity for start ups who just need some planning assistance and a fast tracked Micro loan to live the “American Dream”. A thriving Small Business community will save this economy much better than food stamps and unemployment insurance ever will. We need to quit framing our energy issues in the context of “Global Warming” and move to a National Security format while positioning our Industrial Military Complex to lead the charge in Green Technologies. Forget the Carbon Credit scam and let’s put solar on every roof in America and a plug in Hybrid in every Garage. If the technology said MADE in the USA we could guarantee Quality Manufacturing Jobs for Decades. We could be a Net exporter of coal in ten years. Roads and Bridges should be payed from the taxes of a successful Economy. Stimulus spending should be a long term Investment. A future for our Children. Don’t rush it’s a lot of money,be smart.