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JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

U.S. Senate kills Obama's jobs bill

World Oct. 12, 2011 - 09:04AM JST ( 26 )

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26 Comments

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tajOct. 12, 2011 - 10:47AM JST

" the jobs plan would have been be paid for with a 5.6% surcharge on income exceeding $1 million that would have raised about $450 billion over the coming decade."

What? So that " massive tax hike that we know won’t create jobs, was on income over $1 million? Oooh. Poor rich folk. No wonder so many Americans are taking to the streets. Time for American Revolution 2.0.
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zurcroniumOct. 12, 2011 - 11:03AM JST

In 2010 the republicans ran their election on jobs, now they vote down the jobs bill. And they have proposed nothing at all on their own. The only jobs republicans care about are for the super rich. The other 99% of Americans can get along with their help. Bailouts for the rich and nothing for the rest, that is the republican formula. Has been for decades, since Reagan. Which is why the economy is in near depression now.
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just-a-guyOct. 12, 2011 - 11:13AM JST

Good job, the republicans! Keep that infighting spirits and America will be 'saved'!
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yaneeOct. 12, 2011 - 11:41AM JST

@zurcronium: What are you talking about??? The package of tax cuts and spending failed by a vote of 50 to 48 in the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED SENATE. How are the republicans to blame for this one? This is not even at the Congressional level yet. Obama doesn't even have his OWN house in order!
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smithinjapanOct. 12, 2011 - 12:44PM JST

"“have a hard time explaining why they voted no on this bill—other than the fact that I proposed it.”

Exactly! But then again, they don't NEED to spell it out to their fan-base: for they are equally clueless as to why their Republicans do this or that, and just hate any Democrat for no reason, so at least they won't have to explain it to their supporters.

Anyway, once again the party of 'no' does a diservice to the nation, and plunges the situation further into chaos (which they will blame on the Dems).
-1

tmtmsnbOct. 12, 2011 - 01:12PM JST

massive tax hike for vote buying had ruined England, till the Iron Lady came to its rescue.
0

Jared NormanOct. 12, 2011 - 04:16PM JST

I hate these greedy people, they will just be paying their fair share instead of these bush tax cuts.
-1

tmtmsnbOct. 12, 2011 - 08:25PM JST

massive tax hike for bribing stupid, lazy voters by crafty politicians had ruined the bogus socialist England, till the Iron Lady came to its rescue.
-2

yabitsOct. 12, 2011 - 08:41PM JST

The package of tax cuts and spending failed by a vote of 50 to 48 in the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED SENATE. How are the republicans to blame for this one?

The final vote was 51-48 in favor of the bill. The Republicans are to blame because 51 votes is not enough to pass a bill when a filibuster is called for. (Realize there is nothing in the U.S. constitution to say that a bill requires at least 60 votes to pass the Senate.)

If and when the Republicans gain a slight majority in the Senate and the Democratic senators employ the tactic that the Republicans are now using, what will you right-wingers say then? Back in 2001, the Republican hypocrites were moaning about "obstructionism" when the Democrats even mentioned the threat of a filibuster -- the tactic Republicans now use all the time.
1

SerranoOct. 12, 2011 - 09:00PM JST

Obama: "Republicans will "have a hard time explaining why they voted no on this bill"

No they won't. Neither will the Democrats who voted no. The bill was deeply flawed and would have wasted more taxpayer money.
1

Jeffrey DuelleyOct. 12, 2011 - 09:28PM JST

I agree with Serrano. It would have been a waste of money that wouldn't have solved anything. It would have made as much sense to burn the cash or toss it into a large hole.
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Taka313Oct. 12, 2011 - 10:21PM JST

Well I knew the republicans would do this and I think this is the issue that sinks them in 2012. Every Democrat running for office can tie the republican party to a big old "NO" on a jobs act when America is seeing 9%+ unemployment.

The Democrats have their issue. They voted for jobs for Americans and the republicans didn't.

That's going to play quite well in 2012.

Taka
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DSOct. 12, 2011 - 11:09PM JST

Obama's bill was useless. It would not have even made a small dent in the unemployment problem. Best case scenario, it may have reduced unemployment by 0.5%- hardly a radical or extreme change.

The problem is the debt. The US government is borrowing 4 BILLION dollars every day to cover expenses. You could have the IRS confiscate Bill Gates' entire personal fortune and it would only keep the government running for 2 weeks.

All these attempts at a soft landing are only prolonging the inevitable agony. It's like taking off a band-aid. Is it better to rip it off swiftly, or to slowly peel it off? I say the former.
1

SerranoOct. 13, 2011 - 12:09AM JST

The republicans are toast in 2012!
2

TriumvereOct. 13, 2011 - 01:34AM JST

And now Obama will cut the bill to peices and force congress to vote on every single one of them. And republicans, because of their political position, will have to publicly vote NO on every single job-creating item. He is going to rake them over the coals.

I'm sorry, but this is going to look very bad, save to a minority of right-wing partisans.
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yabitsOct. 13, 2011 - 02:06AM JST

The republicans are toast in 2012!

2012? They are s**t on a shingle today -- minus the shingle.

And now Obama will cut the bill to peices and force congress to vote on every single one of them.

Just watch. As he takes each one to each relevant Republican district so that the people can witness their rep voting NO on jobs for their district, the Repubs will be imploring to wrap them all back up into a package. More political cover for their sorry behinds that way.
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Taka313Oct. 13, 2011 - 02:49AM JST

Triumvere,

I think that was one of your most astute posts ever.

Taka
0

SerranoOct. 13, 2011 - 08:56AM JST

"He is going to rake them over the coals"

Wouldn't that be rather vindictive? Are you saying Obama is vindictive?
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DSOct. 13, 2011 - 09:48AM JST

Obama isn't a good enough politician to pull that off, yabits. And going to each district would be just the kind of petty political gamesmanship that he was supposed to be above.

Remember, they aren't voting "no" to jobs, they are voting "no" to increasing the debt. The US government is already borrowing $4 billion every day to cover what the government is doing. Yes, that's right. Four thousand MILLION dollars every day. Just in borrowing, not spending. Actual spending is closer to 10 billion. It's criminal to add to that total.
-1

NetNinjaOct. 13, 2011 - 10:31AM JST

Republicans aren't too bright these days. This is going to come back to haunt them. Every Democrat in the nation will be able to claim that Republicans voted against you having a job. We're saying create jobs and they're saying No.

What a sad day though. Not having a job sucks. No job, no money, perhaps homeless. Phew, rough times indeed.

CNN Polls show that American people are in favor of the bill. All one has to do is take a walk through the cities of America. It's easy to see that there's work to be done.

Going back to Katrina, the Republicans knew about the condition of the levees. Instead, most of the national budget went towards their war machine. Republicans have no interest in building a nation for it's citizens. The GOP is all about the USD and fattening up their own wallets

DS, before you forget.....it was the Republicans who created that debt. They want to take office but they don't want it to be broke when they get there. That's selfish politics.
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TriumvereOct. 13, 2011 - 11:11AM JST

Triumvere, I think that was one of your most astute posts ever.

Don't credit me; the strategy benhind this is pretty transparent.
1

DSOct. 13, 2011 - 11:17AM JST

Ninja, both parties have their share of blame for the debt. It's just getting higher and higher under Obama. Four billion dollars of fresh deficit every day. Not really a partisan political issue imho.

Government can't create jobs.
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unreconstructedOct. 13, 2011 - 06:33PM JST

And now Obama will cut the bill to peices and force congress to vote on every single one of them. And republicans, because of their political position, will have to publicly vote NO on every single job-creating item. He is going to rake them over the coals

Obama is lately making noises about bypassing Congress altogether to enact the portions of the plan that he believes will help him win re-election. But the nation has seen with Solyndra and other failed 'green' industries that this administration's brand of central planning - "venture socialism" as it is sometimes called - is just more proof that government can't pick winners in the marketplace, only favorites.

What really worries me are the anecdotes in the recently published Suskind book Confidence Men, as related in a review by economist Brad DeLong in the Huffington Post:

" ' [Summers and Romer] were concerned by something the president had said in a morning briefing: that he thought the high unemployment was due to productivity gains in the economy. Summers and Romer were startled. "What was driving unemployment was clearly deficient aggregate demand," Romer said. "We wondered where this could have been coming from. We both tried to convince him otherwise. He wouldn't budge." '
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Taka313Oct. 13, 2011 - 11:13PM JST

Government can't create jobs.

Lets just put this bad boy to bed. Ever heard of the CC camps? Here, here's a wiki link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CivilianConservationCorps

I'm sorry but the facts simply don't match up with your rhetoric.

Taka
-1

Taka313Oct. 13, 2011 - 11:27PM JST

The president is going to keep pushing and that's what the American people want. Support for this bill is growing.

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents to a survey from NBC/Wall Street Journal voiced their approval when pollsters were told them the details of the president's "American Jobs Act"-- including that it would cut payroll taxes, fund new road construction, and extend unemployment benefits. NBC reports that 63 percent of respondents said they favored the bill, with just 32 percent opposing it.

That's a pretty big swing. More than it was. Keep pushing Mr. President. You can sign it now, or you can sign it in 2013, but you will get to sign it.

Taka
0

NetNinjaOct. 14, 2011 - 10:10AM JST

You must have a cold heart if you have issues with a man who's trying to get you health care, trying to get you a job, trying to get the country cleaned up so you could go half a block on your skateboard without having to jump uneven pavement.

That's an American president. He's not talking about outsourcing. He's got a bill that can create jobs.

The U.S is going to be in debt for a while. Bill or No Bill. The Republicans will have us do nothing UNDER Obama's watch. They know this needs to be done, they just don't want a Democrat to do it.

Obama wants to see America get back to work. Average Americans. They need to keep working. They need to finish off those mortgages.

Of course it's easy to say that Americans overspend. It's true, but then there are also those who had the deck stacked against them. "How to resell a house 5 within a decade" is a scam in itself. Get those deposits, money exchanges hands, after that stack the deck on the customer. Reclaim the house and sell it again. Run the same gambit over and over again.

It's sad to see qualified people unemployed. Some guy in a suit decided to outsource their job to a sweatshop in China. My fellow American.

To boot, I think the Iran thing this week was a distraction. They need to investigate that. There are Deep Pockets in America that would love to see America still beating the war drum.

I think someone in this thread said it already but America needs to pull out and come back home to work on rebuilding our cities and country. Those soldiers can do some many things. We could have the most beautiful cities in the World.

Instead we are in debt cause Republicans dropped billions of dollars into Afghanistan while they harbored an International terrorist. That was job money.