It's been three years, as of Tuesday, since Congress last raised the federal minimum wage. And many advocates for the poor say that with low-wage workers struggling, it's time to do it again.
A group of prominent liberal-leaning economists including Joseph Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sachs, Laura Tyson, and Robert Reich sent a letter Monday to congressional leaders urging them to raise the minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 per hour to $9.80 by 2014. "At a time when persistent high unemployment is putting enormous downward pressure on wages, such a minimum wage increase would provide a much-needed boost to the earnings of low-wage workers," the group wrote.
Stiglitz is a former chief economist for the World Bank, Sachs runs Columbia University's Earth Institute, Tyson served as President Clinton's top economic adviser, and Reich served as Clinton's Labor Secretary.
Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. George Miller, Democrats from Iowa and California respectively, have introduced measures to raise the minimum wage to $9.80. But President Obama hasn't made the issue a priority. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has twisted himself in knots on the subject, first saying he supports indexing the minimum wage to inflation, then backing down after an outcry from conservatives.
A coalition of liberal and labor groups is organizing rallies Tuesday in support of a raise, in 30 cities across the country. Some rallies will target companies owned by Bain Capital, the private-equity firm founded by Romney.
A raise wouldn't just benefit the roughly 20 million American workers who make the current minimum, supporters argue. "Another nearly 9 million workers whose wages are just above the new minimum would likely see a wage increase through 'spillover' effects, as employers adjust their internal wage ladders," the economists wrote in the letter to Congress.
Advocates of a raise note that the value of the minimum wage has steadily declined in recent decades. In 1968, it was worth over $10 in 2012 dollars, almost one third more than it is today, according to the chart below, which was compiled by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), a labor-backed group.
Opponents argue that the move would raise the cost of hiring for employers, especially small businesses, exacerbating the unemployment problem. But in their letter, organized by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank, the economists noted that "the weight of evidence now show[s] that increases in the minimum wage have had little or no negative effect on the employment of minimum wage workers, even during times of weakness in the labor market."
Indeed, they added, a raise would likely stimulate the economy and boost job growth, because low-income workers have little choice but to spend new income, rather than save it.
In addition, new data compiled by NELP (pdf) show that two out of three low-wage workers are employed not by small businesses but by large corporations. Most such corporations have recovered from the Great Recession and are in strong financial positions, NELP's data show.
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It's a known fact that worker's wages are well below what they should be and that the money earned sees it's way into the economy faster than anything else because if folks have money, they will spend it and we all know that means more than what little the big oil and corporate world puts in towards the economy.
Please, Please, Please raise the minimum wage. Long over due!
SH!T - By The Time 2014 Rolls Around - Min. Wage Should Be $16 Per Hour !!!!!
In Addition - The Cost Of a Desent Vehicle Will Cost $65,000 Dollars - And What Will Car Insurance Cost ? Let Alone Rent And Food -etc.etc.etc. !!!!!!
I Cant Wait Until the Chinese Begin Demanding Higher Pay and Better Working Conditions - Better Hours and Health Care - etc.etc.etc. !!!!
MD have you been out in the sun too long?
They say we may get some rain..I hope we do and its enough and in time. Crops are in dire need of rain what's left of them. And now I see one more page turning..
After the third seal is opened a black horse and rider with balances will appear. This indicates that a great famine worldwide will occur on the earth. The affects of no rain and plagues by the two witnesses will only magnify the situation. The devastation of war will produce disease and hunger. Only one tenth of the normal food supply will be available. Many will suffer starvation. Others will steal to survive. It would not surprise me if strict rationing legislation were passed internationally, and the death penalty imposed for anyone caught stealing. These will be desperate times and certainly a time of lawlessness.
The warning “see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” is also mentioned. This indicates that even though the poor will be at starvation levels, the famine won’t have the same effect on those
I Guess So - There Must Be Something Wrong With Me !!!!!
Increase Taxes on The Wealthy and CLOSE Loop-Holes = DUH !!!!!!
LINK for above
http://www.calvaryprophecy.com/3rdseal.html
I just heard that people are selling off their gold and buying commodities of corn wheat ect.
Did you hear that MD. gold dropping?
OH - And Make it Illegal or Have Limitations On Offshore Bank Accounts in Order To Keep American Money IN America !!!!
xo - Price of Gold is still up there --- I Wonder where All of this Gold is Going ???
In Glenn Beck's basement, I think, MD.
Hey Kathe - G.Beck and R.Laimbrain -- Now There Are Two Mental Issues That Need To Be Dealt With In OUR Country - hey !!!!! 2 More Sociopaths That Endanger OUR Country !!!!!
SHUT-UP !! Just WHO Asked YOU ????
No, XEPpy. And, you should be banned from any job that pays by the word too.
If Obama is reelected, by all means, raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour !
It might help dig this country out of this stagnate hole. But I see the price of gas going up and down like a yo yo its needs to be addressed and a wage increase might rise inflation. Do you think the Teapublicans would ever allow it? Ha ha ha! <s>
Good luck with that. Repubs want cheap labor. They don't want to pay $7.25 now. You'll never get them to RAISE it! They want everyone working for two dollars an hour.
Jacking up the min wage will not put anyone back to work.
More deflection from the over 8% unemployment for the past 41 months.
More smoke & mirrors to cover up the over 40 million on food stamps.
Much like a neutered dog, you don't get it holy @!$%#. Putting more money in ppl hands means the more they will spend, the more they spend the better the economy becomes, and what happens when the economy increases? Bingo!...more jobs! Damn you ppl are dense.
John - They Just Don't Get It - They Are Tooo Self-Absorbed and Selfish to Share !!!!!
In A Word - Sociopaths = I Mean - Haven't We Been Discussing Mental Illness The Past Few Days !!!!!!
If the President and the Dems found a cure for cancer the brain dead teabaggers would b**** about it MD. Probably say he was messing with population control or some nutty crap.
You Got that Correct - Bud !!!!
No people at that wage rate wuold save that money not spend it.
Furthermore going a $9.80 an hour wage after taxes is only around $65-$70 a week.
And again give that to the min wage people they will save it.
That is what poor people do when they get extra money or a wage increase.
If they don't then they will always be poor no matter what the min wage is.
It's called money management.
Should we raise the minimum wage in a struggling economy?
Raising the minimum wage right now is more important than ever. Minimum wage increases stimulate the economy by increasing consumer spending, without adding to state and federal budget deficits. Consumer spending drives 70 percent of the economy, and increasing demand is key for jumpstarting production and re-hiring. A raise in the minimum wage puts money into the pockets of low-income consumers, who immediately spend it at local businesses. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that President Obama's campaign proposal of restoring the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011 would generate $60 billion in new consumer spending in communities across the country. Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago have found that every $1 increase in the minimum wage boosts consumer spending by a low-wage worker's household by $2,800 over the following year. Strengthening the minimum wage can help build a sustainable economic recovery – without increasing costs for taxpayers.
And more families than ever are relying on low-wage and minimum wage jobs to make ends meet. This is because job losses during the Great Recession hit higher-wage sectors like construction, manufacturing and finance hard, while new job growth has been concentrated disproportionately in low-wage industries. For example, the top three occupations in industries that experienced job growth in 2010 were retail sales persons, cashiers, and food preparation workers – all occupations with median wages below $10 per hour. This is not a short term trend – seven of the top ten growth occupations projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for next decade are low-wage jobs, including home health aides, customer service representatives, food preparation and service workers, personal and home care aides, retail salespersons, and office clerks. Raising the minimum wage would boost pay scales in these types of jobs where millions of Americans today spend their careers.
Does raising the minimum wage cause job loss?
No. The best economic research, and real world experiences with minimum wage increases, confirms that raising the minimum wage does not cause job loss. The decade following the federal minimum wage increase in 1996-1997 ushered in one of the strongest periods of job growth in decades. Analyses of states with minimum wages higher than the federal floor between 1998 and 2003 showed that their job growth was actually stronger overall than in states that kept the lower federal level. The most sophisticated minimum wage study to date, published in November 2010 by economists at the University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina, and University of California, compared employment data among every pair of neighboring U.S. counties that straddle a state border and had differing minimum wage levels at any time between 1990 and 2006, and found that minimum wage increases did not cost jobs. A companion study published in April 2011 found that these results hold true even during periods of recession and high unemployment. As five Nobel Laureates and six past presidents of the American Economic Association stated in joining hundreds of other economists in calling for raising the minimum wage, a higher minimum wage "can significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed." For more research on the effect of the minimum wage on employment, click here.
Yup, just like a neutered dog....
John - For SOME Reason They Just Cannot Fathom Reality !!!!!! They Continue to Support ALL of The Wealth Going to the Top !!!!!???????? I Hope that Their Jobs Get Taken Away From Them --- Then What Would They Do or Say !!!!!?????
$1 increase in the minimum wage boosts consumer spending by a low-wage worker’s household by $2,800 over the following year
1x40=40. 40x52=2080.
A $40 a week raise after taxes is about $30-$32 bucks, multiple that by 52 weeks $1562 & $1604.
Furthermore people tend to save more of that than spend it.
I never hear anyone say "I need a raise so I can spend more money" only tax-n-spend liberals think like that.
The rest of us say "I need a raise so I can save more money".
Then prove their facts wrong, I'll be waiting. Now go run to the small business sites and bring back some BS.
Reality is a concept they can never grasp MD. All that teabagg'in yaknow.
Let me help you.
Go here, federalreserve.gov
Next do the math, a $1 hourly increase in no way equals $2800 at the end of the year.
John - Here - Hear !!!! Those Goofballs !!!!! No-Comprendo !!!!!
OH - Listen To You - Fairy-Duster !!!! Ha Haaaaaa !!! By The Way " TAP "- Howzit ???
And you don't know what fomrula they used...Do minimum wage workers work overtime? Of course they do. Now disprove the rest of how it boost the economy because THE SPEND MORE......More fun facts:
73% of Americans SUPPORT a raise in minimum wage including..
50% republicans
74% of Independents.
Guess you teabaggers are in the minority again.....See you boys at the polls!
Another r/tp elite code word for "It's all good if the 2%'ers
earnrip off all they can, collect welfare and put everything between their knees. It's all going according to our plan."Kathe, and this is the party thats supposed to be the friend of small business. I guess they proved that when the teabaggers filibustered the small business tax cut bill presented by the Dems. They are truely the FOS party indeed.
John = Thats RITE - As WE All Well Know --- What Ever SPEWS From Their Pie-Hole - You Can Best Believe That - They Mean The Exact Opposite !!!!!! hey !!!!!
go get any high school economics textbook. employers have a certain number of dollars to spend on labor. if they pay each one more, they have to lay some off. if not they have to raise the price of their product or service. get it?
Yeah - I Get It - When They Flush ALL Of The Profits To The Top - It Reduces At The Bottom And Increases the Prices For Their Products Also --- Do YOU Get IT ???? You Dont get Jack !!!!!
"Certain number of dollars to spend on labor'. If they had their way, two dollars an hour would be their figure. Thats why we have a minimum wage. If a company cannot afford to pay at least minimum wage, they should'nt be in business.
jack that doesn't get jack ------ must be a "Book Boy" -- Cannot Figure Out Common Sense -- What Does that Book Tell You of Common Sense ???? Hmmmmm ??? NOTHING !!! That Book Must Be "Business 101" of Which - I Have Seen That Book Make Dummies even More STUPID !!!!
for 16 years i have operated an independent business that employs 15 people that are adults. they all make well over minimum wage. almost no adults make minimum wage; that's for teenagers. yes, i had help. my mom and dad started it. yes, they had help. my grandad helped them purchase the property. the federal government has not helped me or my family build that business. they just regulate and tax.
Now John and MD, we all know these trolls are much much smarter than any stupid economist. The proved it with 8 years of GWB. hahahaha
'Almost no adults make minimum wage? Drive through a buger king or any other fast food joint and get back to me.
Don't forget Wallmart, Fred Meyer, etc.
Don't feed the trolls or milk the cow!
Lets just bbq some ribeyes xxx ooo.
Sounds good to me!! LOL!
an example of the federal government's "help:" this year i was required to install a handicap lift for a swimming pool. cost $5000. guess how many handicap swimmers have requested use of this pool in 16 years: zero. $5000 from the greedy capitalist; zero benefit. would love to hear opposing comment that goes beyond namecalling and hyperbole.
How stupid are the writers at MSNBC? This brain dead philosophy has contributed to high unemployement over the years as well as the high rate of teenage unemployment. The party time entry level jobs are gone. Min wage was never designed to feed, house and clothes a family of 4. Employers used it and created entry level employment to train people and teach them new skills. These businesses created low level employement and those who stayed may have had lifetime employment as long as the business needed them. My union jobs were created using this set up. Govt created it at the start to control employers by forcing them to pay on the books. The employers also decided to keep it low at the time so employment would not be hurt, well as soon as politicans used it as a political football, rates increased, employers cut hours and fired staff. Small business owners cannot afford the current rate and higher means fire. In addition, the whole point is if you can justify $7.50 and hr, why not a min rate of $50.00 an hr? No you say, well the same logic applies.
Right never mind that the cost of living has increased while workers wages stagnated but that is ok CEO's saw their increased by more then 400%. But gosh darn it workers don't need a pay raise they just need to live on less while everything costs more. Typical GOP twisted logic, ignore everything but make sure the wealthy gain more.
I want wages like Willard wants them in China...Then people in China can afford to buy our exports..What every that might be?
You got it, whom! I think I just read one of slack's spider webs.
Fast forwarding past the other BS....the r/tp's would be *thrilled* if they could get the whole nation down to minimum wage level pay.
No matter what the level is or becomes, they'll strike back with a vengence and offer even more people these low wages saying "well, you wanted this, now here it is" as if they are only just complying with the law. Smart asses.
These people's vision for the future of American prosperity is not what normal thinking people's would be. Their definition of "Ameican prosperity" has nothing to do with anyone not in the "7% Club" and it ain't pretty for the rest.
Shhhhh Kathe, don't tell them their 'baggers filibustered a Dem bill to give tax breaks to corporations that bring jobs back to the US and end the breaks for companies that don't. That right, the republicans passed a bill giving tax breaks to corporations that send jobs overseas.....They live in their own delusional world yaknow.
Wow, corporations screwed the american ppl, imagine that...
thegazette.com Copyright 2011 SourceMedia Group. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CEDAR RAPIDS — Republicans are hoping to use one of President Barack Obama's campaign tactics against him.
One of the ongoing criticisms the Obama campaign has made of Republican candidate Mitt Romney is that he was involved in outsourcing American jobs overseas as governor of Massachusetts and as a partner at Bain Capital.
The Republican National Committee took the occasion of Obama's campaign stop in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday to level the same criticism at the president during a news conference in front of Cedar Hall at Kirkwood Community College.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Ben Lange, a candidate in Iowa's 1st District House race, laid out evidence that federal stimulus funding was supporting businesses in other countries.
"He promised the stimulus would create millions of shovel-ready jobs," Priebus said. "Instead, he sent our recovery overseas."
The RNC created a website to keep track of its concerns about the Obama stimulus, which includes tax credits, loan guarantees and direct funding for overseas companies across 22 nations.
Some of the complaints were in relation to foreign companies whose promises to bring work to America did not turn out as expected. For example, Italian company Brevini Wind received $12.75 million in tax credits to make wind turbine gearboxes in Indiana, but only 70 of its planned 450 employees have been hired, according to the GOP website.
Other incidents involved stimulus-receiving American companies sending their work overseas, such as Fisker Automotive putting its new car assembly lines in Finland after getting $500 million in loan guarantees, the site says.
Most federal stimulus money originates from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which spread more than $800 billion across a variety of public and private projects. Priebus did not know what percentage of that funding has gone to overseas companies based on the RNC's estimations; he said that was "tough to answer" since loan guarantees and tax breaks were hard to nail down to an exact number.
A statement from the Obama campaign in response pointed out the president's record in fighting to end tax breaks for companies that outsource work and creating incentives for companies to bring jobs back to America. The campaign also renewed its criticism of Romney's record in this area.
Romney "vetoed legislation that would have prevented outsourcing and supports a tax policy that would encourage companies to ship American jobs overseas," the statement said.
Bauchmann is trying to introduce a bill that would eliminate the minimum wage. She's brought it up 3 times but Boehner won't put it up for vote. Too many BS bills need voted on. Also talking about rolling back child labor laws.
I would Collectivley Bargain for $11.00-$13.50, But I'm a thug, So what the heck do I know
I meant to say govt kept the rate low in the start not employers
Let's just pick one number and require that that is what everyone makes, from the janitors at Penn State to the Bozo economist that did this study. $22.60 per hour, Forty hours per week, 52 weeks per year. $47,000 per worker
Because, really, is anyone average?
Ha Haaa - You Dont even Know What DAY it IS !!!! GOOFY !!!!
Not P&L:
I take it that you don't care about what God did for us just by looking at your avatar. It may be nostalgic....I used to have one.....but, anybody who has progressed past the '60's knows that a bent cross is a symbol of tremendous disrespect towads the Son of God. Oh wait....I get it....it's only a joke and you need to have your fill of humor just like the rest of us....can't fault you on that, bud.
I find you disrespectful in so many other ways too. Carry on.
By The Way "TAP" - Howzit goin' ?? Still in Virginia ???
Remember, Vietnam era hippies
pervertedused the Victory sign when people created the "V" with their fingers and claimed it as their "peace sign".I sure do, P&L. Still use the sign as I feel is appropriate for both purposes. It's a hand sign just like the ones I use in my job to communicate to others at distances when I don't have a radio close at hand. I don't consider any of them are sacrilegious either. Carry on.
Is that my 'ol buddy tippy tap?
I have a good hand signal for peace. It sure aint 2 fingers.
the minimum wage is so low now, people can't afford to work. they should raise and index it.
Great idea. It really worked well in Florida. We voted to raise the minimum wage, and presto! Small businesses had to raise their prices to keep pace, tourism was hurt (raw dollars went up but the number of tourists went down, so when the economy turned south, the raw dollars turned south as well), and the standard of living remained unchanged. Brilliant! Liberals should not be allowed to call themselves economists any more than conservatives should be allowed to call themselves compasionate.
People should never get raises it hurts the JOB CREATORS! Ha ha ha ha!
Wow,maybe they should just work for lodging and meal's like on the plantation's of the 1800's.
Commonsenseisdeadwhenitcomestoteabaggers, wasn't 'lil scotty just bragging the other day about how the economy was doing great and unemployment was down in florida? He was bragging so much the teabagger leaders told him to shut his trap because it reflected on the presidents policies? Hmmmm.. somebody is FOS, is it you or your idiot Governor?
So what would you do commonsenseisdead? Just wondering?
thumbs up joca41!!!!!!!! the south shall rise again they say.........Koch's dream of paradise for all...........
Every time we have raised the min. wage here, the only thing we noticed was more revenue, more business, people spent money of all things, and a few jobs. Wow what a disaster.
For the people who think this is a good idea, ask yourselves why if raising the minimum wage to $9.80 is good, raising it to $50.00 wouldn't be better?
Might it be because such a high minimum wage would put everyone out of work who didn't have the skills to command such a high wage?
Minimum wage laws are the most racist laws in the nation today. They ensure poor minorities that lack job skills will face an uphill battle when trying to find a job. Minimum wage laws are universally lobbied for by all trade unions, because they restrict new entrants to the job market.
Only a communists like Reich and Stiglitz would think this is a good thing. They obviously hate minorities and want to keep them out of the labor market.
Drama queen alert.
Actually it should be $400 per hour minimum as that would put people on par with what the average CEO's pay went up the past 20 years....
hell most people working for minimum wage just want the teapubs to get off their asses and create some more jobs like they said they were! you know before they got all tied up in religion and vaginas............
Ifor1 That's golden!
hes - Dont Forget the Norquist BS - Also !!!!
MD/MI...Norky is gettin twisted about repubs wantin to raise taxes for defense contractors....seems loop holes in Norky's plan is beginning to be a serious discussion....by the republicans no less.............
MS:
Your fairy tale was entertaining. Thanks, bud.
BTW, who the hell is holding a gun to employer's heads, threatening to shoot, if they pay more than a minimum wage? Sounds like a serious problem to me that needs looking into.
Kathe - Did Ya Get My Songs For You Yesterday ???? ♥♥♥♥♥
Kathe - Are You OK Today - Sweety ?? ♥♥♥♥♥
Hi, cutie!!
Yes, I did and appropriate as per usual, my friend. Meant to mention it later tonight.
I'm okay. Thank you for asking and I'm still a Patches Pal...always will be. My ex brother-in-law gave me an autographed picture of J.P. and Gertrude for a Christmas present in a frame that he made from scraps of an exotic wood....his job is detailing yachts. My father-in-law commented on my reaction to the gift a few years later and said "I could tell you were very moved when you opened that gift."....he was correct and it was a bit of an understatement too. JP said "Hope you're still a Patches Pal, Kathe." I still have the picture.
My Mom's husband's obituary is in the paper today.
You still haven't answered my question from a couple of days ago when you, six and I were conversing. I know for a fact that you knew what I asked. So answer, please. <s>
Hey Lass = Geeeez sounds like Your Walls are Falling in !!! Just Remember the Good Times hey !!! I don't know why - but Mr. Patches Rings a Bell for Me !!?? ----- I Do Not Recall Your Question !!! Sorry - Re-Iterate To Me Please !!!
Willard bla bla bla has been shovelling his sh!t to the Veterans! How dare this double talking draft dodging yellow bellied blue blood dare talk about the sacrifice of American lives. Willard the Chicken hawk go back to France and hide.
Just like Willard hide from the draft in a church sanctuary and hide your ill gotten gains in another country! A real true American Hero if I ever saw one!
YEP - What a Patriot - HUH !!!!~
Romney's is a real spinner ain't he?
hes - There Are Many MORE Words For Him Also - Yes a spinner Is One !!!!!
being polite for our trolls MD/MI. don't want them to get the idea that I think Romney is a status quo anaaaaaaaaaaaal! you know the anal that the teapubs didn't want?
hes - I Knew that -- And THEY Still Don't Want Him -and Yet They Support him -- Go Figure - hey !!!!!
MD/MI you I thought for sure Jeb was gonna give it a shot. then he started a round the barn conversation that teapubs were let's say a bit toooooooooo extreme for his taste....then I went whewwwww....that's just toooo much truthfullness from a republican.............and especially a Bush.........
hes - I Hear That ------ NO More Bush's ---- Please !!!!!
Look around see all your tea bagged republican friends that is what it will look like come november, you tea bagged republicans will find yourselves left out in the cold again because your wealthy masters gave you a twit named Mitt.
Purposeful Ignorance - I Tell Ya !!!!
so much for peace and love. hey peace get a clue. Clinton ain't runnin for pres.
ROBME is............now where was he with all that patriotism? oh yeahhhhhhhh.....he was in France saving soles and probably had the same lawyers as Cheney back then. well Cheney is a different chicken hawk anyways.
oh....remember what democrat is cleaning up the Bush/Cheney mess. seems all over the world tooooooo.
now back to your patriot Robme.........
Tap - TAp - TAP !!!!!!!!
here news for ya.....Obama ain't cleanin up Carter's or Clinton anything....but....he is cleaning up the Bush/Cheney problems. and what Bush didn't have time to do, Obama got er done..........
oh never said a word about Kerry but if you must....seems he was in combat when Bush was kind of......lost..........
Which you know nothing about because you spent the GWB years hiding under your bed wetting yourself every time GWB raised the terror alert from yellow to orange.
Like he did during the 2004 elections for no reason except to instill fear?
The Hill Poll: Voters blame president most for slow economic recovery
By Sheldon Alberts - 07/23/12 05:00 AM ET
Two-thirds of likely voters say the weak economy is Washington’s fault, and more blame President Obama than anybody else, according to a new poll for The Hill.
It found that 66 percent believe paltry job growth and slow economic recovery is the result of bad policy. Thirty-four percent say Obama is the most to blame, followed by 23 percent who say Congress is the culprit. Twenty percent point the finger at Wall Street, and 18 percent cite former President George W. Bush.
Fairy Duster !!!!
what next by the fairy duster....Cheney has a higher poll rating than Bush?
Ewwwwwww coooties
Public Blames Congress, Not Obama, For Sour Economy From US News and world report
By Paul Bedard
November 30, 2011 RSS Feed Print
Congress gets virtually all of the public's scorn for the sour economy and Washington gridlock in a new poll obtained by Whispers—a finding that supports President Obama's 2012 reelection strategy of running against Capitol Hill.
The non-partisan group "No Labels" also found that virtually all Americans, 94 percent, say congressional inaction is harming the economy. [See editorial cartoons about the economy.]
"Nine out of 10 citizens blame Congress for the most pressing problems Americans are facing," said No Labels Co-Founder Bill Galston. "We saw from the failure of the Super Committee that gridlock and hyper-partisanship have utterly impeded Congress' ability to carry out its responsibilities to the American people. We see good people stuck in a rotten system, and we have to change the rules to fix what's broken."
While the poll doesn't mention Obama, it's about the best news his campaign strategists have heard this year. That's because Congress takes most of the punches. The No-Labels poll finds that 86 percent disapprove of the job Congress is doing. [Subscribe to U.S. News Weekly, now available as an iPad app.]
The poll also backed up efforts by No Labels to push congressional reforms. According to the group, "85% understand the necessary urgency of reducing gridlock and would support a reform package that could address the structural problems facing Congress in as little as 24 hours. 59% think that this strategy would have the most immediate impact, which is more than double the 28% who prefer conventional campaign finance reform, and more than four times the 13% who prefer redistricting reform. In fact, 67% were willing to go the extra mile and call their congressman in support of a rule reform package."
They have just issued a 12-point reform plan that includes unusual ideas like copying Britain's question and answer period in Parliament. [Read Schlesinger:No, Both Sides Aren't to Blame for the 'Super Committee' Failure.]
The full plan will be unveiled at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Dec. 13.
"The agenda is the only proposal today aimed at fixing the broken Congress, and it has powerful citizen support behind it. With congressional approval at 9 percent, we don't have any more time to waste," said No Labels Co-Founder Mark McKinnon.
Their poll was taken through an online survey of 800 registered voters, with a margin of error of ±3.5 percent.
The Hill Poll: Voters blame president most for slow economic recovery
By Sheldon Alberts - 07/23/12 05:00 AM ET
The poll, conducted for The Hill by Pulse Opinion Research, found 53 percent of voters say Obama has taken the wrong actions and has slowed the economy down. Forty-two percent said he has taken the right actions to revive the economy, while six percent said they were not sure.
itis - The Disease ----- Fairy Dusting AGAIN !!!!!! Next You Tell Us That norquist has a Favorable Percentage of Americans Behind Him !!!!!!
MD/MI....no....registered dems want Norquist for pres...................
Look tea baggers got themselves a bad case of cooties.
p&l == Ha haaaa ===== THINK !!!!!!!!
Running AWAY -- Yep !!!!! THINK !!!!! REALLY = THINK - IF Ya Can !!!!!
peace bro peace....Norquist got ya goin. well at least your readin all this lib stuff.......oh.....Norky probably has more of a chance runnin for pres than all them teapubs that didn't want Robme.............
He might as well hesback, all teabaggers signed his 1% a$$ kissing pledge
Norquist couldn't do any WORSE then President Obama already has!!!
President Obama and Norquist used to think the same regarding NOT RAISING TAXES DURING A RECESSION:
Flashback: ‘You don’t raise taxes on anyone during a recession’
So says… Barack Obama?
"Well first of all he's right. Normally, you don't raise taxes in a recession, which is why we haven't and why we have, instead, cut taxes" Obama told NBC's Chuck Todd in 2009 when asked to explain how raising taxes during a deep recession would help with the economy."
The president then added: "You don't raise taxes in a recession. We haven't raised taxes in a recession… we have not proposed a tax hike for the wealthy that would take effect in the middle of a recession… The last thing you want to do is to raise taxes in the middle of a recession."
Disease = Go Ahead Support Communism and Anti-Constitutionalism ---- Go Ahead !!!!!
Apparently Your Purposeful Ignorance Will NOT Allow You To Read In Between the Lines -- HAH - DUH !!!!!
Roger. We heard your message from the r/tp mothership, spammy. Roger...over and out !
Declining confidence in the nation’s economic prospects appears to be the most powerful force influencing voters as the presidential election gears up, undercutting key areas of support for President Obama and helping give his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, an advantage on the question of who would better handle the nation’s economic challenges, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
Despite months of negative advertising from Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies seeking to further define Mr. Romney as out of touch with the middle class and representative of wealthy interests, the poll shows little evidence of any substantial nationwide shift in attitudes about Mr. Romney.
But with job growth tailing off since spring and the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, wondering aloud whether the labor market is “stuck in the mud,” the poll showed a significant shift in opinion about Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy, with 39 percent now saying they approved and 55 percent saying they disapproved
Aren't Those Straws Getting Awfully Short ?? Fairy-Duster !!!
Only thing getting SHORT are President Obamas Chances for Relection!!!
p&l - Most Of Those Things Are Facts --- From YOUR Side --- Duh-Dip-Da-Dip-DUH !!!!!
now come on sitis....remember how good you felt before all them teapub candidates were let's say not wanted...............Norky probably has a better chance than them....well..............
TAP / p&l -- I Had You Figured Out the Other Day ---- Bud !!!!!! Ya Still Put Up A Good Battle !!!!
MD/MI....that's coward in them. they can't just say howdy I'm back. got to sneak around and play little mind farts.
must be a lonely world when all ya got is obstruction...........
Poll: Romney preferred over Obama to handle the economy
By Susan Page, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Despite concerted Democratic attacks on his business record, Republican challenger Mitt Romney scores a significant advantage over President Obama when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit and creating jobs, a national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds
By Charles Dharapak, AP
Mitt Romney is preferred over President Obama on the economy, despite attacks on his record at Bain Capital, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.
By Charles Dharapak, AP
Mitt Romney is preferred over President Obama on the economy, despite attacks on his record at Bain Capital, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.
By more than 2-1, 63%-29%, those surveyed say Romney's background in business, including his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, would cause him to make good decisions, not bad ones, in dealing with the nation's economic problems over the next four years.
The findings raise questions about Obama's strategy of targeting Bain's record in outsourcing jobs and hammering Romney for refusing to commit to releasing more than two years of his tax returns. Instead, Americans seem focused on the economy, where disappointment with the fragile recovery and the 8.2% unemployment rate are costing the president.
Conservatives are nothing but total hypocrites. Conservatives are in desperate need of having someone with steel toed boots giving them a swift kick in the groin. Conservatives bitch, howl, moan, and complain about the welfare state but you do not want to pay your workers a living wage with decent benefits? Conservatives always say to people on welfare or unemployment benefits "Go find a job etc." The problem is that American wages have been flat for forty years for middle class and for working class Americans the minimum wage has actually shrunk in constant dollars.
Do you have any idea how expensive most cities are to live in all across America? $40K to $50k annually in a city like Denver is chicken feed. You just try and raise a family on less than $40K in most major cities across America. Rent, car payments and repairs, health insurance, and other fees and taxes will eat all of this up faster than you can say the words "W-2". We should have raised the minimum wage long ago to $10 per hour which for the math challenged works about to less than $20k per year. We also need to make sure that all workers have decent health insurance. If we are going to be an opportunity based society where merit matters than we must pay people for their time so that they can live on what they earn. If we do not pay people enough money to buy a small condo or house we can forget about them getting married or raising families. If you want to have a strong country we need to have people who are paid adequately so they can actually afford to get married.
Right now a majority of young couples just live together with the woman staying on the pill. Young couples can not afford to have children in our economy anymore. The U.S. has become an awful country for young people to live in because of the lack of decent wages and benefits plus the huge expenses facing these young people. Germany and other European countries at least pay their young people decent wages and give all their citizens universal health care and decent educations. Europe has lots of unemployment to be fair but our unemployment is also bad. Our situation in America is really abysmal because not only do we have high unemployment but we also rely more heavily on our ability to earn money to pay for everything. Huge student loan debts averaging $30k or higher for a Bachelor's degree is abysmal especially when you can not find a job. America is rapidly declining as a place to live. Those who have jobs have to constantly worry about their bosses shipping their jobs overseas. Health insurance, college tuition, and other necessities of life are continuously rising.
America only works for the top one percent who make all the money. The top one percent of households owned 34.6% of the total net worth and 42.7% of the financial wealth in the country in 2007 (Domhoff, 2010). More importantly the bottom eighty percent of households owned just 15% of the total net worth and a mere 7% of the financial wealth in the country in 2007 (Domhoff, 2010). Go read Professor G. William Domhoff's, "Who Rules America? Wealth, Income, Power."
Another startling fact is that in 1929 the richest one percent of households owned 44.6% of the national wealth and the same one percent of households owned 34.6% of the national wealth in 2007 (Domhoff 2010). We got the Great Depression in 1929 when the widespread speculation by loans from banks in the stock market collapsed. We got the Great Recession in 2008 when the widespread speculation in the real estate market financed by loans from banks collapsed. In both cases, the lack of disposable income amongst the middle class brought America into a prolonged and serious economic downturn. 2008 would have been as severe as 1929's Great Depression had it not been for the strong intervention of the Federal Reserve by Ben Bernanke and Secretary of the Interior Hank Paulson. Total actions taken by the federal government including the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC have been at least $12.8 trillion to rescue the economy since 2008. Checkout this story with a video by Alison Stewart, September 3, 2010. "The True Cost of the Bank Bailout" at the www.pbs.org website.
XEPTDX: I gave you sources, with explanations, about wealth inequality and the dire consequences for the middle class. Rising health insurance and huge college loan debts make it much harder for college educated young adults to start families. If you want to debate you need sources, solutions, and or policy alternatives. If you can not do this why not leave the blog because you cut and paste on small part of a long post, make vile remarks, then offer zero solutions to help make America better. You just prove that conservatives want to tear America down rather than build it up.
President Obama inherited an awful economy in 2008. We lost about eight million jobs along with having many millions of foreclosures of homes. President Obama really had few choices in the actions taken to save the U.S. economy from disaster in 2008. We need to remember how we got into the mess we all face today. We had the GOP pushing for the deregulation of the Big Banks in 2008 under the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999. The GOP has been pushing for this deregulation hogwash for the last 30 years. President Clinton should have vetoed this bill in 1999. The GOP still insists on trying to loosen up the Dodd-Frank financial reforms by any means possible. The GOP wants to return to the bad old days of 1999-2007 when greed ruled the big banks speculative ventures. Canada did not deregulated its big investment banks and their were no Canadian bailouts for its investment banks.
It must be remembered that the GOP under Mitt Romney wants to repeal the Dodd-Frank Wall Street financial reforms including the Volcker Rule that would prevent banks from making proprietary trades with investors money. The recent losses at JP Morgan of $2 billion in losses (now estimated to be over $4 billion) takes the rug out from Mitt Romney's assertion of wanting to repeal the Dodd-Frank reform law.
Source: Brian Buetler. May 2010. "New Wall Street Scandal Threatens Romney" Talking Points Memo. www.tpmdc.TalkingPointsMemo.com.
Yes, the same genius economists who got us into this mess now think it's a brilliant idea to increase the minimum wage? Nobody doubts that workers are underpaid and deserve to be paid more. But talk about "trickle down" economics?! You're asking businesses to front the money for this on the assumption that this increase will put more money into the general economy -- and thus put more money back into the pockets of those same businesses. Duh! Don't you get it, many businesses, even big ones, are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy as it is. And even in the best scenario the increase in the minimum wage would take years to produce any discernable effect on the general economy; and of course that effect could not possibly translate into enough profit to pay for the wage increases. Meanwhile, if you increase the minimum wage but don't also increase the pay levels of salaried workers, then what you're doing is really just social engineering -- you're closing the gap between what unskilled, sometimes uneducated workers make and what highly skilled, highly educated workers make. A noble goal but one that further erodes the incentive to become highly skilled and educated. The object of the game should be FIRST to help businesses with policies that allow them to make greater profits; and when this has been achieved THEN increase the minimum wage. If you do it the other way around the businesses will just end up firing more people to pay for the increase and try to survive.