Hope?

[[AK]Clay]

Sadly, I missed the President's first national address the other night. I didn't do much follow-up, and only recently got some feedback on it.

What I hear is the guy who's entire campaign was built on hope, basically spent the entire speach predicting little more than gloom and doom. The word "Crisis" was used 25 times. Assessment was that the speach was little more than pre-setting the excuses. If he fails, he can say he warned us - not his bad. Damn man, the buck stops there - take it on the chin even if maybe it's NOT 100% your fault. I'll give Bush his due, he never pussied out like this. It goes with the job, have some balls. This coupled with some serious scare tactics to ramrod a questionable stimulus package.

I hope that this is an unfair characterization - because frankly what this country really needs (and I thought voted for) was some serious optimism and hope. An economic depression is as much a national state of mind as anything else - and a leader who preaches fear and dispare like this is a pretty big dissappointment.

[[AK]Bribo]

Even Bill Clinton agrees with you.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/President4...6916695&page=1

[[AK]Beaker]

Of course my boy doesn't have time or energy to drop the wife a note that says hi or anything but he can post political rants here

[[AK]Squidly]

Hi Pharm.

Obamas doom and gloom talk was all about drumming up public support for a raft of new liberal spending.

[[AK]Beaker]

You are so not helping me guilt Clay,

So phhht Squiddie

[[AK]Clay]

Of course my boy doesn't have time or energy to drop the wife a note that says hi or anything but he can post political rants here

Says you! Called you 3 times today and emailed too!

[[AK]Nuts]

Don't worry... he only called me twice!

[[AK]Beaker]

Ok. I just heard excerpts from Ronald Reagans first state of the Union address. He too ran on a platform of reform and " hope". However his first address did talk about crisis and despair. So do we have a count for pessimistic words for that address as a reference? It was my desire to use that as a benchmark for language tone after all he was called the great communicator.

[[AK]Clay]

Doesn't completely address the current question, but it's a pretty cool graphical representation of our current expenses in the USA. Nice baseline data from which past and future discussion of expenses can be discussed.

Will take quite a while to digest it. The one nugget that jumped out at me in the few seconds I scanned a couple items: we spend over 1.3 Bn just in operations of the Legislative branch. That's some serious coin IMHO.

[[AK]Nuts]

I'm too lazy to find the source but I heard this on the radio: In just 30 short days, Obama has signed legislation that will cost more than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the relief effort for Katrina and Ike... combined. 8 years of national defense and humanitarian aid = 30 days of pork and fascism.

[[AK]Clay]

I'm too lazy to find the source but I heard this on the radio: In just 30 short days, Obama has signed legislation that will cost more than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the relief effort for Katrina and Ike... combined. 8 years of national defense and humanitarian aid = 30 days of pork and fascism.

It's all good, he's going to reduce taxes and cut the deficit in half in 4 years.

And you can do that too - it's called print money 24/7. Of course, the money in your wallet starts becoming worth a whole lot less...

Financially, I haven't a clue how to advise people on what to do - invest in the market looks like a loser. Hold it as cash, and watch the value of that cash drop. I guess buy goods, but really, what goods can you buy that you can actually resell as an individual that will keep up with inflation? Gold? That cat's out of the bag - gold prices are rediculous.

Actually, NIB firearms tend to hold value well. Hmm...

[[AK]Bribo]

Don't panic. Stay calm. Stay the course.

[[AK]Abaddon]

Don't panic. Stay calm. Stay the course.

... right into that iceberg.