You're Part of the Problem if...

Well said and so true. If Obama is elected I fully expect the applications for welfare to triple. They just don't get it. These are the same ones who demonize places like Walmart and want it closed down because of supposed living wage issues. Never mind closing it down would leave thousands with no job at all. As if to say if they can't make this wage they shouldn't work at all. They also don't get what the American dream is all about. It is not being handed anything, it is the opportunity to do anything. The right to succeed, and yes, the right to fail and try again.

"If you think it's the federal government's job to micromanage local and state governments... you are part of the problem." Wanted to touch on this one first. You'd be amazed how many people I talk to thought the governors of states were answerable to the president and worked under his authority and the astonishment in people's eyes when I tell them, no, they aren't, the state governments are not subserviant and under federal authority. the president cannot directly order a state to do anything essentialy, if there is a discrepincy in the legality of something a state does, the federal government must go through the same legal channels everyone else has to for rememdy and in the end, the states governors is only anserable to the written law and the people of that state. Now on to the rest of it. I think it is a case of lack of information. People don't take the time to educate themselves on proper governance. I will blame many things but a lot of it has to do with the media's hyper focus on national elections, especialy the big 3 national 24 hour news agencies. People have lost interest in local and state elections and governments and forgotten the importance of them, the far greater importance. so now, what we have, is a generation comming up that believes the federal government is the be all/end all of our nations existence. If the federal government disapeared tomorrow, we as a nation could in fact survive for a time because we are already set up in duplication at the state level, the only issue being money flow, the states would have to become more economicly self sufficiant. I have already given up on this election, I know the guy I'm voting for can't win and we are looking more and more like it's going to be an Obama whitehouse with a dominantly Democraticly run congress, followed by our federal court system becomming secondary legislators and advocates instead of constructionist authority on the written law and constitution. So, after this election, I am going to be exponentialy involved in my state, educating the public in ways our school systems don't anymore, pointing out violations by the federal governments, pointing out that we DON'T have to just lay down and take it, getting laws passed that make my state more autonomous in law and economicly. We're a pretty independant state and have stood up against national directives like REAL ID and others, but it is still going to be tough disodging the entities in our government that seem to be getting more and more nationalist.

Government policies and systems greatly influence the health of the economy,both at macro and micro levels. Inefficient governance creates considerable pressure and problems for the people at the grass root level. Government needs to create a healthy and level playing field where people at large can easily and safely manage their financial problems.General Public has very little control over the mismanaged Government,public service and financial institutions/banks on which they heavily depend. Thanks.

Couldn't have said it better myself - I think you took the words right out of my mouth (LOL) I also think that those who are thinking that things will get better with a Democratic president are deluded in their thinking - we have had a Prsident who had a Democratic Senate and Congress and look where we are - I dread to think what it will get like if we have a Democratic President to go with it. Perish the thought.

ParaTed2k, I hope you did not forget who Alan Greenspan is and for what he had said. Just who is he, you may ask. Well in brief, he was the most powerful central banker in the world. Markets moved when he spoke. His proclamations were taken as reassuring gospel: [b]- No, there's no bubble in the US housing market, it's just some "froth"; - Yes, the US financial system is sound and all those complex financial derivatives spreading around the world is just a healthy distribution of risk.[/b] After the bubble that didn't exist burst, Mr Greenspan changed tack and said, well, actually, the Fed has no way of spotting bubbles in real time and, anyway, it's more effective to mop up afterwards than to try to deflate a bubble before it bursts. He was horribly wrong on all counts and we're still trying to mop up the damage. Some US$16 trillion (S$24 trillion) or about 80 per cent of the value gained by stocks worldwide in the last five years has been wiped out in less than year. The biggest of banks have gone under. Several currencies and emerging market economies are on the brink of collapse, with the world facing the prospect of a deep recession. Faced with these facts, Mr Greenspan finally admitted last Thursday that his belief that markets should be left free to regulate themselves was 'flawed'. So, I don't think you should point that finger of yours at the micro economics when the macro is the very fact and beginning of the downfall today. So now we're living through what feels like a scary movie. Here's how the Washington Post descibes it: 'Like the plot of some blockbuster horror movie, the financial crisis shifts from scene to scene with terrifying speed. It opened with a real estate crunch, which hit homeowners and mortgage lenders but left much of the economy unscathed. It continued to a broader banking crunch, in which car loans, business loans and all manner of lending unconnected to real estate suddenly became impossible to obtain. Now, simultaneously, come three new phases of the turmoil in split-screen Technicolor. The non-financial, or “real,” economy is collapsing. Once-solid emerging markets are imploding. And trading strategies predicated on the robustness of those emerging markets are being dumped hastily, driving brutal volatility in markets around the world.' And if you think that the government could not be trusted to give us protection, direction and making catastrophic mistakes, then I think capitalism and democracy will come to a fateful end and communism will have another excuse for another go.

Theoretically, you live in a democracy, never mind that most politically educated people see it as an oligarchy. If it is s democracy, then by definition is should be government of the people, by the people, for the people, and if that were so, then the government's job is PRECISELY all those things you listed. However it's quite clear that most so-called democracies are actually government of the people, by an elite, for an elite, which is pretty much oligarchy. And what astonishes me about so many of the American contributors here from the Republican side of the spectrum is that they seem to be perfectly happy with that state of affairs. In a democracy the playing field is level so that each person can genuinely sink or swim on their own abilities; in an oligarchy, the odds are set against anyone who is not somehow embraced by the ruling elite. All the demands for government intervention now are attempts to redress that institutional inequality, an inequality that Nobel Prize winner (Economics) Arthur Lewis suggested was an integral part of a free market system, without which it cannot work. The problem is the system. Lash

Well at lest there is one thing no one can blame me for. No I do not think it is the job of the federal government to micromanage local and state governments, nor is it the place of federal government to be involved if education, nor is it the place for government to make sure I have a job, nor is it the job of the federal government job to keep me out of debt. I could go on and on but I think you get my point there ParaTed. At some point in someones life people need to take ownership over their own life. If you do not own your own life what are?

yes,governmet have not worked perfectly as we imagined.but we still need them.we shuold know govenment respent some classes not all the pepole.government gover the rest to satisfied the others.all government what to do is keeping balance in the sociate.

Rather than continue that discussion under someone elses reply I thought I should do my own. I know what you are talking about but capitalism is not the answer. Before it got out of control and greed took over capitalism actually worked. What went wrong was the explosion of people who believed that the end was the only thing that mattered, that getting rich was the important thing and if you had to screw everyone in your path to get there then that was ok. I do not agree with this attitude. It is like looking at a logged forest. There is the clear fell where they went through and wiped out every thing in their path and just left barren earth and the properly cared for forest where they log the good trees and make their money but they leave the habitats behind and the forest continues to live after they are gone. The first is greed, the second is making money but leaves a forest behind that will regrow and will provide earnings in the future. To have that second scenario we need to curb the greedy people who would strip and destroy to make themselves money and who do not care about the future. The only way to do that is to have regulation, which requires government. I do not expect the government to solve my problems but I am glad that the safety net is there when I crash and it cushions the crash and helps me get back on my feet. That is what government welfare does. You cannot rely on people voluntarily helping each other because one or two might but many will not and that means that most will get nothing and will suffer through no fault of their own. It is not their fault their employer borrows too much and goes bankrupt but they are the ones that starve.

Amen! Hubby and I went to a McCain/Palin rally last week and there was a teen boy there with a t-shirt that said: Raised Republican - I can take care of myself, THANK YOU! I just wanted to hug him. I'm not sure why or how it came to be that Americans started thinking that the government is the solution to everything. I'm totally shocked that so many people think that it's okay to take more money from the so-called rich and from businesses because they think, "they have money, let them pay." Small businesses in this country (and larger ones that started out small) and the "rich" already pay a higher percentage in taxes than everyone else. The top 2% already pay 60% of the taxes collected. And what a surprise it was - to me, anyway - to find out that 40% pay no taxes at all. And yet they are the ones who will benefit from additional government and programs. Or so it would seem... The more the government does, the less anyone else has to do or to learn to do. When I was a kid and there was no work in one state, we moved to another one. When that work dried up, we moved back. When there was no work again, my dad worked in another state and stayed with a bunch of guys in a cheap motel and came home only on weekends. That's what people did. Now...people sign up for unemployment and then hope that they get extentions. And complain if they don't.

Well, let me get in on this! I can care less about any of this! Sorry to tell u guys, but haven't u noticed, man cannot govern himself, no matter who's in office!!! Republican, Democrat, Pope, Priest, Reverend, Skin Head, KKK, Muslim, Homeless, Bill Gates! It doesn't matter! Regardless of what you say, the economy is in turmoil because of sneaky underhanded individuals who can care less about anyone but themselves! I'm not about to debate with anyone about political terminology, the history of this that and the other! I really don't care. I agree with some stuff Obama says, and some McCain says, but no one is saying what I want to hear except me! U handle your business, your business gets taken care of, period! That's it, no one is going to perform some magic trick, they all say they will! Whatever, everyone is too hung up on promises and crap, take care of yourself n it'll be ok! Make your own opportunities, funds are always there, go get it! It's trillions of dollars floating around, regardless of what the economy says! Yeah, it's bad, but within lies opportunity!!! Just move on let it happen, I trust in myself, no one man with a plan, period!!! If I would, u already know who I'd vote for, that's only because he doesn't have sticky fingers like them others, but that's what I've heard and what's been proven!!! Taripre$

yeah i accept with you.

i agree with you... there are a lot of people who keeps on blaming the government for all their faults. just like what the character of Pierre Dulain of Take the Lead movie which stars Antonio Banderas had said that it's easy for people to give the blame to the government for all the problems they have.

Sorry to say that i'm not an American.I don't knonw if you were part of the problems.But it's obviously that you are lifes is in confusion,especially about the politics.Every candidate put out some ideas to win more votes from your guys.It sounds strang to me,but you pride yourselves on that democracy.Always,you take socialism as a pejorative,maybe you fell happy to say that,if you find the people in socialism at more peace and fell more happy with the society,do you still stick to you are opinions?

Very well thought out and food for thought. another part of the problem we are involved in is that we have played a part in allowing this to happen. And right now we as Americans are fighting over who is either a Savior or a Defender. When in actuality we should be angry at the ones who are setting us against one another to do this...which is not the general public. A huge part of the problem is the Media who comes into our households on a daily basis teaching us what we should believe in instead of ethical standards of living. These issues that are being questioned, denied and ridiculously reported should prove to us to exercise the fact we can read, write and decide. Not regurgitate what we have heard. Maybe we should all reread the first statement of our US constituion : "We the people of the United States of America." We should Unite and not keep dividing. Has history not taught us anything?