I don’t know if there are any times that aren’t strange politically but the last 5-10 years sure have had some massive volatility. I usually refrain from much politiking as it’s just as hard to talk through with people as religion can be. I want to live in a country where civility and common sense rules and where we can verify then trust through transparency. That’s not such a big ask is it?
Just to be clear I’m a humanist/centrist with fundamentals rooted in the Libertarian party. I don’t think either party is serving us well. The infighting, positioning is like watching animals in a hen house and while they bicker nothing gets done. I’d rather things get done that can be refined in time than nothing at all. Inaction causes far more problems.
DailyKos had a few great questions and answers which I thought I’d share because it is worth keeping in mind as you enter the election booth. The real curiosity is why we don’t hear more of this.
Questions
- What was the average monthly private sector job growth in 2008, the final year of the Bush presidency, and what has it been so far in 2010?
- What was the Federal deficit for the last fiscal year of the Bush presidency, and what was it for the first full fiscal year of the Obama presidency?
- What was the stock market at on the last day of the Bush presidency? What is it at today?
Answers
- In 2008, we lost an average of 317,250 private sector jobs per month. In 2010, we have gained an average of 95,888 private sector jobs per month. (Source) That’s a difference of nearly five million jobs between Bush’s last year in office and President Obama’s second year.
- In FY2009, which began on September 1, 2008 and represents the Bush Administration’s final budget, the budget deficit was $1.416 trillion. In FY2010, the first budget of the Obama Administration, the budget deficit was $1.291 trillion, a decline of $125 billion. (Source) Yes, that means President Obama has cut the deficit — there’s a long way to go, but we’re in better shape now than we were under Bush and the GOP.
- On Bush’s final day in office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 closed at 7,949, 1,440, and 805, respectively. Today, as of 10:15AM Pacific, they are at 11,108, 2,512, and 1,183. That means since President Obama took office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 have increased 40%, 74%, and 47%, respectively.
I don’t think our country is reaching escape velocity or the world is going to end tomorrow. We’re in a pickle to be sure but we’re always in one. Life is messy.
Last I leave you with a clip from Jon Stewart’s recent Rally to Restore Sanity. Jump to 3 minutes in where you can understand more of the common sense we need to restore.
| Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear | ||||
| Jon Stewart – Moment of Sincerity | ||||
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I just want people to think, ask good questions, and seek good answers. I’d love to see more political parties enter the fray and root deeper so we could have a more balanced view of all of us. Not only would it be healthy it would allow for far more compromise to be reached.