Romney blows it during debate

[Hoss]

This might be the funniest thing I'll see all day.  LOL.

[Conan71]

I was thinking about Mitt's lack of details earlier and it struck me as odd that the people who cry that "uncertainty" in Obama's policies is holding back the economy. Isn't there a lot of uncertainty associated with Romney's policy proposals? After all, they lack details such as whether or not the mortgage interest deduction will go away or what he plans to replace Obamacare with or how his Medicare "reform" will work. Yet another example of people completely unable to think straight, I guess.

Obama hasn't been terribly specific either.  He's never raised taxes on the rich, he just likes using the wealthy as a bogeyman to fool the middle and underclass into believing that he's their ally.  I've never seen any evidence Obama consorts with anyone other than the wealthy and famous.  Is he going to raise taxes on the wealthy if he's re-elected or isn't he?  Is he going to hit oil companies with more taxes and onerous regulations to try and benefit green energy or isn't he?  No one will fully know the costs of Obamacare until all of it is in effect.  Even the CBO realizes it is a moving target.  Does Obama have a jobs plan or doesn't he?  Where's the specifics and don't cite the pile "jobs act" as a specific jobs plan, it's not.

His jobs plan he trotted out in Dec. of '08 hasn't turned the jobs picture around, it's the typical raft of government spending meant to benefit his supporters:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16258.html

—ENERGY: "[W]e will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won't just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work."

—ROADS AND BRIDGES: "[W]e will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We'll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we'll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn't act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they'll lose the money."

—SCHOOLS: "[M]y economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen. We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools."

—BROADBAND: "As we renew our schools and highways, we'll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they'll get that chance when I'm president – because that's how we'll strengthen America's competitiveness in the world."

—ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS: "In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the Internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the Internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I'm proposing will help modernize our health care system – and that won't just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctor's office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year."

Regardless of what you believe from using FRED charts as a crutch, the threat of:

-Higher taxes
-Higher payroll costs (Obamacare)
-More regulation

are an anathema to the creation of new jobs to small business.  These are the business owners who are more prone to hold off on hiring in what they consider an uncertain environment, real or imagined.  Large corporations like IBM or Ford fluctuate their payroll based on demand, not emotion.  Only problem is large corporations don't employ the majority of the adult workforce in our country.

Wealthy small business owners who pay quite a bit in payroll tax, property tax, income tax, etc. don't respond well to rhetoric telling them they don't contribute enough.  That is something Obama has never realized: you cannot bash a huge percentage of American job creators as ungrateful takers when they create the majority of the jobs in our country.  I really don't understand why that doesn't resonate with people like you.  You work with small business people on a regular basis as do I.  I listen to what they tell me their concerns are in the current environment so I don't pull this out of my exit.

Here's Romney's plan:

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics...,7556272.story

Achieve North American energy independence by increasing access to domestic fossil fuels, streamlining regulations and the permitting process, drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and approving the Keystone oil pipeline from Canada. "No. 1, we're going to take advantage of our energy, and that's going to create millions of jobs."

Improve education and job training, in part by increasing school choice and changing the way teachers are hired and evaluated. "We've got fix our schools.... It's time for us to put the kids and the parents and the teachers first, and the teachers union behind."

Curtail unfair trade practices, especially those of China. "I will call China a currency manipulator and stop them in their tracks from killing American jobs."

Cut the federal deficit by reducing federal spending below 20% of GDP. "You're not going to get entrepreneurs to go out and start an enterprise ... unless they realize we're not headed to Greece."

Champion small business by cutting taxes and regulations, and by overturning Obamacare. "We need small business to grow. ... Small businesses have been crushed these past four years."

See the contrast?

[heironymouspasparagus]

That is something Obama has never realized: you cannot bash a huge percentage of American job creators as ungrateful takers when they create the majority of the jobs in our country. 

And yet, according to the MurdochianBizzroWorldLackOfNews organization, not only have jobs not been created but are being lost at record rates.  So raising taxes won't make a difference to job creation, since these alleged "job creators" aren't doing their job to start with.  So if they aren't gonna do their job, they can still make a contribution by paying a couple extra dollars in tax.

But of course, jobs are being created, but just at too slow a pace (still...+200,000 is much better than -800,000).  And not due to any kind of uncertainty, but due to the fact that so many of them are no longer here, but in the Pacific rim.  The slow pace we see now if due to what is left in this country of the job creation machine.

[Conan71]

And yet, according to the MurdochianBizzroWorldLackOfNews organization, not only have jobs not been created but are being lost at record rates.  So raising taxes won't make a difference to job creation, since these alleged "job creators" aren't doing their job to start with.  So if they aren't gonna do their job, they can still make a contribution by paying a couple extra dollars in tax.

But of course, jobs are being created, but just at too slow a pace (still...+200,000 is much better than -800,000).  And not due to any kind of uncertainty, but due to the fact that so many of them are no longer here, but in the Pacific rim.  The slow pace we see now if due to what is left in this country of the job creation machine.

You don't get it either, apparently.

[guido911]

I have never seen so many adults fixated on big bird. You want PBS, you can have it. Just frequent their advertisers just like any other tv network has to. If you folks want big bird, he'll be around in the same manner as spongebob or scooby.

[Townsend]

I have never seen so many adults fixated on big bird. You want PBS, you can have it. Just frequent their advertisers just like any other tv network has to. If you folks want big bird, he'll be around in the same manner as spongebob or scooby.

I'd rather not have 100% of my news chosen by Nabisco.


http://www.nextgenjournal.com/2012/10/the-case-for-keeping-pbs/

Romney sees the subsidy to PBS from a business angle, not a news one. PBS is currently one of the only channels on television that provides programming with limited commercial interruptions. PBS' "NewsHour" is highly regarded as one of the best news sources around because of its in-depth analysis, innovative news angles and hard-hitting stories. You'd be hard pressed to find another news show on television that gives you a straight hour of news, without a company trying to sell you something every 10 to 15 minutes.

And the main reason PBS is able to do so is because it's not dependent on ad revenue to sustain itself. The government subsidy and private donations work together to make PBS the only network that is insulated from the ratings-obsessed corporate culture that is the news industry. PBS can provide in-depth news coverage and can showcase programming like "Frontline" and "NewsHour" because it's not forced to cater to advertisers and, in turn, it's not forced to play the ratings game. By pushing to eliminate the subsidy, Romney is pushing to eliminate that very independence. In fact, Romney himself has claimed that PBS could use a few more commercials.

[patric]

Higher taxes are inevitable regardless of who gets elected.

Remember the last president put (not one but) two wars on credit.  
Every president before him knew you had to raise taxes to go to war, but someone figured out a way to make it someone else's problem.

[guido911]

The lack of a teleprompter was apparently the problem.

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=69016&sitesection=breitbart&VID=23834113

[guido911]

I'd rather not have 100% of my news chosen by Nabisco.


http://www.nextgenjournal.com/2012/10/the-case-for-keeping-pbs/

What do you have against these:


As for your link, here is a passage from nextgenjournal's "about" page:

NextGen Journal is the website for the 'next generation'- our generation. Run by a nationwide team of college students, NGJ features focused reporting, sharp insight & analysis, timely music and sports coverage, and more. Above all, though, we aim to engage our generation, showcase our voices and opinions on topics that are relevant to us, and bring those voices into the national conversation.

http://www.nextgenjournal.com/about/

The opinions from a bunch of college kids means less than little to me. Besides, if I want news, there is so much out there in cable, internet, and whatever. I do not see a need to drop $400M on PBS when we need to look at spending cuts. 

[Teatownclown]

The only disturbing thing I see coming is that after the landslide, your kind will still be out there hammering away with ridiculousness instead of moving forward.

[Townsend]

What do you have against these:


As for your link, here is a passage from nextgenjournal's "about" page:

http://www.nextgenjournal.com/about/

The opinions from a bunch of college kids means less than little to me. Besides, if I want news, there is so much out there in cable, internet, and whatever. I do not see a need to drop $400M on PBS when we need to look at spending cuts. 

Those look delicious.

As for my link, you watch Fox?

I see a much bigger need to drop $400M on PBS than on outdated text books, for profit education, and funding for coal.

[heironymouspasparagus]

You don't get it either, apparently.

Unfortunately for the Murdochian, I do get it.  Along with the other 47%....

[Cats Cats Cats]

"Wealthy small business owners who pay quite a bit in payroll tax, property tax, income tax, etc. don't respond well to rhetoric telling them they don't contribute enough."

Cmon Conan.. Its all about money.  They aren't hiring cause their feelings are hurt.  Also if they aren't meeting the demand required of their customers then somebody else will fill the need.

[guido911]

Those look delicious.

As for my link, you watch Fox?

You think I would, but I rarely watch anything other than food network, travel channel, and sports. That's it.

[Conan71]

"Wealthy small business owners who pay quite a bit in payroll tax, property tax, income tax, etc. don't respond well to rhetoric telling them they don't contribute enough."

Cmon Conan.. Its all about money.  They aren't hiring cause their feelings are hurt.  Also if they aren't meeting the demand required of their customers then somebody else will fill the need.

Nobody said their feelings are hurt. You obviously don't understand the concept of a hostile business or regulatory environment in the mind of a small business owner. 

My company, like many others in the energy and construction segments, is quite busy right now and we are more than taking care of demand of our customers.  They simply wait longer for projects to be finished these days.  The owner won't hire anyone else until after the November election and we aren't doing any major capital spending right now in case the economy falls back off a cliff or if the tax situation changes.

Start a company and employ 25 to 50 people then I think you will get it.