In which we like the message here.

[jesshartley]

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm (in general) a social liberal and economic near-conservative. I think people should have the right to do what they want, as long as they're willing to be responsible for the results of their actions. Unfortunately, the richer/more powerful you are, the less likely that "responsible for your actions" seems to hold true.

Stocks fall but Exec Pay Doesn't (From April of this year)
Ailing WAMu pays millions to ousted/new CEOS (From September of this year)
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=5876413 (notice some familiar names here?)
This coupled with the fact that CEO payouts are apparently perfectly acceptable as part of the proposed 700 BILLION dollar bailout*? Yeah, I'm thinking a bit of responsibility for actions and choices is long overdue.

* Does that seem like a really big number to you? Apparently it does to the Treasury as well, as Forbes.com quoted one Treasury spokeswoman as saying: ""It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

Time for someone who's REASONABLE about what's good for those of us who are worried about keeping our house, not just those who can't remember how many houses we have?  Yes.

Time to quit relying on off-shore/over-seas/other-folks to bail us out, provide our fuel, make our stuff, buy up our debt? Yes.

Time for a change? Yes.

Comments

[generalbullet.livejournal.com]

Man, I almost wish i could vote in your election rather than ours. Why?

well, 1) I KNOW who I would vote for. Obama hands down. I understand and agree with his platforms.

2) I don't even know who's running here! I haven't seen signs, ads, nothing. Two weeks until vote day, and I dont know what anyone's platforms are, and I have no clue who to vote for.

There is one thing to be said for the year long run up to your elections - at least I know what the heck's going on down there. Now to find out what's happening here.

(I still think I should vote for the bird that took a crap on the liberal party leader's shoulder....)

[leshrac.livejournal.com]

I will not withhold the fact that I am a passive anarchist (that being I approve of anarchy as a tool of change but don't do anything directly to encourage it). So I cant help but find this entire system funny. My roommate panicked a bit when our bank collapsed and got bought out by another, I laughed.

Obviously an answer has to come up eventually though. This is mine, combined with ideas of a number of friends:

Let the giant financal system collapse, use the millions and billions the CEO's and their associates have squirreled to return investments back to those who are being ruined by them (only those whose lives are truly being ruined though, rich people can stand to loose a few million from an investment fund).

Take that 700 Billion and put it somewhere useful. INFASTRUCTURE! I dont mean financial infrastructure, but the actual physical infrastructure of this country. Use it to put to work the millions of the unemployed in this country into repairing our roads, Bridges, Railroads, ect.

Use it to fund massive think tanks with experience scientists, exceptional college students, and some normal people with brains (even those with a limited hard science background come up with awesome ideas, but don't have the technical know how to know if they are feasible). Let them work out was to make our energy system more self sufficient and sustainable, let them design technology that is cheap, safe, and green.

Do the same with automotives, industry, recycling. Sure all these already have small think tanks, but imagine how much more effective they would be with a few million dollars to buy materials and do research.

And of course don't let the money line pocket books any more then is necessary for survival, and some comforts.

and after writing this i think im going to post it in my journal too..

[sixswordsamurai.livejournal.com]

have you gone to the website and looked at the plan? that's my next stop.

[zenten.livejournal.com]

Well, there was that stupid bill. Then both the Democrats and the Republicans agreed to drop it, and a new one was put forth, that didn't have the same protections for the CEOs, and did offer help to the people who lost their homes.

The McCain went in and convinced the Republicans in the House (not the Senate) to drop that one too.

Now there's no plan.

So basically, yes, I agree.

[billzilla.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister; amen.

B.

Hey Jess, it's Jason (DP9)

[(Anonymous)]

I believe we do need a change, but I watched the video, and his message just sounds wrong. He mentions that money didn't trickle down but pain trickled up... does that mean that it's ok as long as the middle and upper class don't feel pain? He also says he will focus on the middle class.... again, where does that leave the lower class? I'd like to see a message focusing on Americans, and not classes. Having lived on the brink of middle/lower income for so long, this message came across as insulting. Could just be bad writing.

The economy is not going to magically be fixed no matter who is president, and when it does finally get on track whoever is in office will take credit even if they had nothing to do with it. Bush has, granted, made bad choices, but the shape of the economy as it is now has been a long time coming. The bull was let loose in the china shop long ago and they're just now realizing and reacting to the damage that it caused.

I'm no fan of Bush, but we really aren't the ones who will judge whether he was a good or bad president, history will. JFK was actually shaping up to be a pretty unremarkable president, but he was assassinated and people look now upon his presidency as if they had witnessed the second coming.

My point is, in an esoteric way, don't vote Republican, don't vote Democrat, Libertarian or even Vulcan. Now more than ever, read between the lines, scrutinize what each candidate says and make your own choice, don't follow what the crowd does.

Thanks, and I approve this message

Jason again...

[(Anonymous)]

Criminy! I nearly forgot the bailout thing... Those statement kinda support my thought on the whole 700b bailout.... This is just a band-aid to hold off a panicked run on the banks. The average American hears there's a ton of money being pumped into the economy they think it's all going to be ok. They admit it's an amount they pulled out of their posteriors. Why do that unless it's all a distrac... OOH SHINY OBJECT!