« Change You Can Believe In: Here Comes A VAT | Main | Wistful Thought For The Day »

May 28, 2009

"We're Already Seeing Results"

Why, yes we are

(CNN) -- President Obama marked another 100-day anniversary Wednesday -- this time the anniversary of the enactment of his $787 billion economic stimulus package.

Addressing a crowd of military servicemen and women at Nevada's sprawling Nellis Air Force Base, Obama said that "we are already seeing results" from the federal government's economic boost.

Among other things, he said, the spending has saved or created roughly 150,000 jobs while providing sorely needed infrastructure repairs and fueling increased demand for businesses.

I love how they pull these jobs saved/created numbers out of the air. According to the BLS here's the unemployment rate data for 2009:

Jan 7.6%
Feb 8.1%
Mar 8.5%
Apr 8.9%

How many jobs "saved " do you see there? While I don't doubt that Obama has in fact created a bunch of new government jobs I fail to see how growing employment in that particular sector of the economy helps the recovery in any way, shape or form.

Going purely by anecdotal evidence I see *no* increased business demand what-so-ever. Every one I talk to says business is down and they don't see any sign of recovery, and with the banks that were bailed out using taxpayer money now effectively declaring war on us folks who pay off our bills...well, I frankly have no desire to use my credit card at all. Screw the banks. If I'm going to buy something I'll pay for it in cash...but chances are I will simply cut my spending way back and not buy anything. And if I'm right I think that there are a lot of folks feeling the same way, which tells me that we are a long long way from seeing the economy improve.

Add to that the deadly combination of falling IRS tax revenue, the exploding deficit

and the corresponding explosion in interest rates that the Treasury has to pay to borrow all this money to spend. Multiply a debt of several trillion dollars by even just a few tenths of a percent and it soon adds up to real money, my friends. The only ways out of it are either to drastically cut spending or print lots of money.

So yes, we're already seeing results of Obama's policies: they're putting us well along the road to 1980's Argentina.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at May 28, 2009 07:39 AM

Comments

Screw the responsible ones. Same old song and dance.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 28, 2009 08:55 AM

Someone mentioned Zimbabwe in another column.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at May 28, 2009 01:54 PM

I think that, in a few years, we'll envy Zimbabwe.

Posted by: JeffS at May 28, 2009 02:29 PM

Just wait until the porkulus money for those "jobs" runs out and the respective states are caught on the fiscal hook to maintain those "jobs".

I think we'll be envious of Haiti by the next Presidential election.

Posted by: Gunslinger at May 28, 2009 04:15 PM

ioZbVV

Posted by: Sxxitxtc at July 14, 2009 02:36 AM

ioZbVV

Posted by: Sxxitxtc at July 14, 2009 02:37 AM