So what do you think of the State of the Union?
- Thread starter AnimusOra
- Start date
So... I don't even know where to begin with the State of the Union Address...
I didn't watch it live because I knew Obama was going to say a bunch of stuff that I didn't agree with - and since I actually pay attention, he's not telling me anything new.
... But I heard some of the chatter about what he said... and was absolutely floored.
I don't think there is one fact contained within his introductory speech. What numbers he does give are complete fabrications or so selectively constructed that they ignore reality. Reduced the deficit by 2 trillion? How is that even remotely true when we are currently running 1.3 Trillion dollars in deficit spending for this budget year alone... FOR A BUDGET THE PRESIDENT SIGNED OFF ON!?
By WHAT line of reasoning does that equate to "reduce the deficit by 2 trillion dollars?" We have spent a MINIMUM of 1 Trillion dollars over budget since this president took office (not that it wasn't bad before). I mean... WTF.
And created 6 million jobs? Even the most optimistic CBO estimates are around 1 million jobs - and those metrics are understood to be very, very imprecise gauges.
Then, as if a tongue full of lies wasn't enough... we had to compound it with economic stupidity: "Set a national minimum wage to the cost of living."
... Because we just want to turn this into 1920s Germany?
Here's what happens when we do stupid stuff like that: Minimum wage goes up. That means everything tied to a job that frequently pays lower than minimum wage must increase in price to cover the difference. A value meal goes from $6 to $8. The costs for shipping go up (all of the people who handle packages), in short - the cost of living goes up. The minimum wage worker doesn't end up being able to afford a higher standard of living, because the price for that standard of living increases.
Now, it's not completely symmetrical as the costs of goods from China will not have to be raised nearly as much as those made in the U.S. ... but that is a strong argument, right there: "You'll be able to buy more stuff made in China so more companies will move over there and take their jobs with them."
In the mean-time, the pay of those making just over minimum wage cannot be adjusted to afford the same standard of living it once did.
For example - you live in an area where minimum wage was $5. You room up with a few other people working minimum wage (maybe a few of you get promotions and go up to $6 an hour) and you get by while going to college and looking for career placement opportunities. Let's say you start off in an apprentice welding position - you work directly under a journeyman or higher welder for $7 an hour. It's not stellar pay - but it's pretty good and pays roughly 40% more than minimum wage - which was able to cover your costs of living and allow you to save a little on the side - not much, and you had to skimp here and there - but you were intelligent and didn't try to buy your own house while working minimum wage. So, with this, you begin to contemplate perhaps making a real-estate purchase. Perhaps just some land that you can build on later - or maybe you want to buy a small house that you could one day start a family in.
Then Minimum wage goes up to $7 in your area. ... At first it doesn't seem all that bad, until the price of gas starts to go up a little bit. There's a few extra dollars spent each time you go grocery shopping, and the property you were looking at starts getting competitive bids from the several hundred more people now making about the same as you are. ... A year or two later, you find that you're paying just about the same percentage of your pay-check into cost of living as you were when you were making $5 an hour.
But things are looking up. You got your journeyman qualifications and started welding for $10 an hour with further raises to come. It's roughly a 35% pay increase, so it's not too different from what you got before. Again, you start looking at property and some other interesting things (and having remained intelligent, you do actually have money in the bank to make a substantial down-payment).
Then minimum wage goes up to $9 a year later.
You cuss and spit. Sure - you like welding and all, but you went through training and certification processes (as well as years of qualifying experience) to earn those titles that were worthy of, back when minimum wage was $5 an hour - $10+ an hour - TWICE the minimum wage. Now it's barely a dollar more.
Of course... your employer could pay you $20 an hour and end up having to charge more for the same product... but remember that China's goods only increase marginally in price (someone working here still has to ship the things and stock the shelves) - while the cost of labor for production alone (to keep pace with minimum wage increases) must practically double.
And those same increases in product costs will be used as justification for further increasing minimum wage.
I, honestly, don't know if the President is just retarded and believes what he is saying (or is even consciously aware of what is spewing from his mouth)... or if he's intentionally trying to pull the wool over people's eyes.
I honestly cannot believe he gets up there and spouts such... complete and utter nonsense.
Maybe I should just fall in line and praise the glory that is Great Leader Kim Jong Il... er Barrack Obama.
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I didn't watch it live because I knew Obama was going to say a bunch of stuff that I didn't agree with - and since I actually pay attention, he's not telling me anything new.
... But I heard some of the chatter about what he said... and was absolutely floored.
I don't think there is one fact contained within his introductory speech. What numbers he does give are complete fabrications or so selectively constructed that they ignore reality. Reduced the deficit by 2 trillion? How is that even remotely true when we are currently running 1.3 Trillion dollars in deficit spending for this budget year alone... FOR A BUDGET THE PRESIDENT SIGNED OFF ON!?
You must be registered for see links
By WHAT line of reasoning does that equate to "reduce the deficit by 2 trillion dollars?" We have spent a MINIMUM of 1 Trillion dollars over budget since this president took office (not that it wasn't bad before). I mean... WTF.
And created 6 million jobs? Even the most optimistic CBO estimates are around 1 million jobs - and those metrics are understood to be very, very imprecise gauges.
Then, as if a tongue full of lies wasn't enough... we had to compound it with economic stupidity: "Set a national minimum wage to the cost of living."
... Because we just want to turn this into 1920s Germany?
Here's what happens when we do stupid stuff like that: Minimum wage goes up. That means everything tied to a job that frequently pays lower than minimum wage must increase in price to cover the difference. A value meal goes from $6 to $8. The costs for shipping go up (all of the people who handle packages), in short - the cost of living goes up. The minimum wage worker doesn't end up being able to afford a higher standard of living, because the price for that standard of living increases.
Now, it's not completely symmetrical as the costs of goods from China will not have to be raised nearly as much as those made in the U.S. ... but that is a strong argument, right there: "You'll be able to buy more stuff made in China so more companies will move over there and take their jobs with them."
In the mean-time, the pay of those making just over minimum wage cannot be adjusted to afford the same standard of living it once did.
For example - you live in an area where minimum wage was $5. You room up with a few other people working minimum wage (maybe a few of you get promotions and go up to $6 an hour) and you get by while going to college and looking for career placement opportunities. Let's say you start off in an apprentice welding position - you work directly under a journeyman or higher welder for $7 an hour. It's not stellar pay - but it's pretty good and pays roughly 40% more than minimum wage - which was able to cover your costs of living and allow you to save a little on the side - not much, and you had to skimp here and there - but you were intelligent and didn't try to buy your own house while working minimum wage. So, with this, you begin to contemplate perhaps making a real-estate purchase. Perhaps just some land that you can build on later - or maybe you want to buy a small house that you could one day start a family in.
Then Minimum wage goes up to $7 in your area. ... At first it doesn't seem all that bad, until the price of gas starts to go up a little bit. There's a few extra dollars spent each time you go grocery shopping, and the property you were looking at starts getting competitive bids from the several hundred more people now making about the same as you are. ... A year or two later, you find that you're paying just about the same percentage of your pay-check into cost of living as you were when you were making $5 an hour.
But things are looking up. You got your journeyman qualifications and started welding for $10 an hour with further raises to come. It's roughly a 35% pay increase, so it's not too different from what you got before. Again, you start looking at property and some other interesting things (and having remained intelligent, you do actually have money in the bank to make a substantial down-payment).
Then minimum wage goes up to $9 a year later.
You cuss and spit. Sure - you like welding and all, but you went through training and certification processes (as well as years of qualifying experience) to earn those titles that were worthy of, back when minimum wage was $5 an hour - $10+ an hour - TWICE the minimum wage. Now it's barely a dollar more.
Of course... your employer could pay you $20 an hour and end up having to charge more for the same product... but remember that China's goods only increase marginally in price (someone working here still has to ship the things and stock the shelves) - while the cost of labor for production alone (to keep pace with minimum wage increases) must practically double.
And those same increases in product costs will be used as justification for further increasing minimum wage.
I, honestly, don't know if the President is just retarded and believes what he is saying (or is even consciously aware of what is spewing from his mouth)... or if he's intentionally trying to pull the wool over people's eyes.
I honestly cannot believe he gets up there and spouts such... complete and utter nonsense.
Maybe I should just fall in line and praise the glory that is Great Leader Kim Jong Il... er Barrack Obama.