[pickledpepperRN]

Why did the President sign all those "pork" laden bills into law?

[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

From The Nation:
With the collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's career took a big hit. Pawlenty, currently chair of the National Governors Association, has built a career on a no-tax-increase pledge, and he's risen in the ranks of national Republicans because of it. Among other feathers in his cap, he twice vetoed a gas-tax increase that would have provided money to the Department of Transportation, whose purview includes bridge inspection and repair.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070827/rubenstein

And thank goodness he did. I agree with him.



[/quote]

Except that the transportation bills were passed with bipartisan support to address the real economic development needs of MN both in the urban areas and in the outstate areas of MN. Pawlenty was irresponsible in his making decisions based solely on ideology rather than what represented the broad interests of the citizens of MN.

To try and bring this thread back on topic.....Recovering even half of the productivity lost to poverty would generate 250 billion dollars per year for the economy.

Early intervention programs pay off at around 12 to 1 for the dollars invested in savings on welfare, correctional funds, and so forth...

Your tag line reads:
"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor ever perish" Psalm 9:18

How can you argue against a safety net with that tagline? A safety net established through government by the people is an expression of commonly held values. I have very consistently argued for welfare reform that works. A key part of welfare reform lies in developing real job skills that lead to a living wage.

[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by spacenurse

Why did the President sign all those "pork" laden bills into law?

Especially when he had a Republican house and senate? I guess it "wouldn't be prudent" to be responsible. It is just another example of republican led influence peddling and corruption.

[HM2Viking]

Economic Indicators: Democratic Versus Republican Presidents
In six major criteria - GDP growth, per capita income growth, job creation, unemployment reduction, inflation reduction, and federal deficit reduction - for the ten post-World War II presidencies until Bush, there is a record to track the reality of Democratic versus Republican economic success.
Democrats

• Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" created robust economic expansion, first in both GDP and personal income growth. He also reduced unemployment from 5.3% to 3.4%. Economic growth remained robust through most of LBJ's presidency.
  
• John F. Kennedy campaigned on the idea of getting America moving again, and he did. Under Kennedy, America entered its largest sustained expansion since WWII. GDP and personal income growth were second only to Johnson, all with minimal inflation. Contrary to Republican attempts to say Kennedy's tax cuts are like Bush's, Kennedy's were targeted at middle and lower incomes.
  
• The economy added 10 million jobs under Jimmy Carter despite high inflation; Carter ranks first in job creation next to Clinton during just four years in office. Carter also reduced government spending as a percentage of GDP.
  
• Harry Truman's second term saw the fastest GDP growth and the sharpest reduction in unemployment of any president surveyed (of course, FDR's post Hoover-depression New Deal jobs are first).
  

Republicans

• Ronald Reagan focused on reducing the cost of capital through cutting tax bracket highs for the rich and reducing the size and scope of government. But, instead of lowering spending, Reagan shifted money to the military (i.e. Star Wars) and the deficit tripled with the tax cuts and military spending - as under Bush II.
  
• Under Gerald Ford, the deficit soared and the unemployment rate grew from 5.3 - 8.3% in just 2 years. His "WIN" (Whip Inflation Now) buttons were no match for economic inactivity.
  
• It was under Richard Nixon that inflation started to spiral out of control, from 4.4% to 8.6%, and the deficit shot up from $2.8 billion to $73.7 billion.
  
• The Eisenhower years were characterized by slow growth (2.27% annualized GDP growth) and relatively high unemployment (7.7% at end of term).
  
• George H. W. Bush had the poorest record for both GDP and income growth. During his single term, the deficit ballooned (from $152 billion to $255 billion) more than under every president but his son and Ford.

(Sources: White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and White House Council of Economic Advisors)
AlterNet is making this material available in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107: This article is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

http://alternet.org/workplace/60217/?page=2

[HM2Viking]

[calliesue]

Just one more post on an old site then I am going to bed.
When my husband and I married and started our family I really thought we would last. I didn't know that ten years and three kids later he would bail. I mean we met in our high youth group at church.
So anyway despite pressure from his family to get a job at the DQ to support my three stair step kids , we relied on charity to get through.
For the year and a half that it took to get through lvn school.
Food stamps, free school lunches, free peanut butter and cheese,
child support and help from my mom with utilities, reduced rate daycare. Govt asst for job training for displaced homemakers we used it all. Even Christmas presents from the church, it was humbling in the extreme. I can still feel the sting of judgment at the grocery store when I shopped for food with the old school food stamps. People can be so harsh. Though it was somewhat humiliating I was grateful for the help I received .
Now years later my kids are grown. I have one son who is a nurse and another son and daughter in college. I think if we had not received government help and charity our outcome would not have been so good .
I think we are an example of what the system should do . Help people cycle out of poverty.

[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by BSNDec06

I would like to see data from a respected economist to back up these claims.

This plan would be impossible to implement without steep tax increases, which would negatively impact economic progress. Also, there is no data to suggest that increasing the minimum wage and unionizing industries would do anything more than push more American jobs overseas.

I am all for doing more to help the poor in their time of need, but increased government handouts will not solve the problem. There is a saying that goes "If you give a man a fish, you feed him today. If you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." The French economy is currently in shambles because their government basically functions as a welfare state.

IMO tax money would be better spent on infastructure, education and economic incentives for small business owners.

Click on the links to read the studies......I agree that we need to spend money on education and infrastructure BUT NOT SMALL BUSINESS SUBSIDY. Our investments in education and infrastructure are direct subsidies for small business. We don't need to spend anymore than we already do on small business subsidy.....

[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by calliesue

Just one more post on an old site then I am going to bed.
When my husband and I married and started our family I really thought we would last. I didn't know that ten years and three kids later he would bail. I mean we met in our high youth group at church.
So anyway despite pressure from his family to get a job at the DQ to support my three stair step kids , we relied on charity to get through.
For the year and a half that it took to get through lvn school.
Food stamps, free school lunches, free peanut butter and cheese,
child support and help from my mom with utilities, reduced rate daycare. Govt asst for job training for displaced homemakers we used it all. Even Christmas presents from the church, it was humbling in the extreme. I can still feel the sting of judgment at the grocery store when I shopped for food with the old school food stamps. People can be so harsh. Though it was somewhat humiliating I was grateful for the help I received .
Now years later my kids are grown. I have one son who is a nurse and another son and daughter in college. I think if we had not received government help and charity our outcome would not have been so good .
I think we are an example of what the system should do . Help people cycle out of poverty.

EXACTLY!