10 things you should know about Obama’s plan (but probably don’t)
The plan:
- Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.3
- Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won’t go up one dime.4
- Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.5
- Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.6
- Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.7
- Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies. 8
- Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.9
- Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.10
- Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.11
- Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama’s budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America’s priorities are, what they cost, and how we’re going to pay for them.12
This is the change we voted for. President Obama has done his part, now we need to do ours.
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2 responses so far ↓
marissaonbroadway // March 2, 2009 at 1:13 am
I find this stimulus plan interesting because I can’t figure out, essentially, how much good will come of it. Yes, grants for college students are promising (considering I’m about to embark on that part of my life, this is encouraging), and a promise to halve the country’s deficit by 2013 sounds nice, but I can’t help wonder if that’s even possible given the state of our debt.
Look at the New Deal, it created government jobs, taxed the rich, and tried to control the economy through central economic planning, and it only increased the rate of unemployment (from 12 to 24%). Much of our debt, actually is owed to this portion of history from the 1920’s.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I think that’s what’s bound to happen here…
Now I’m not trying to bash Obama, I think whoever held office at this point would be in trouble as well, but I don’t agree with the way he’s trying to bring about change.
cards6 // March 2, 2009 at 11:05 am
Given the state of the economy with nearly four million people laid off because of downsizing or whatever the case may be. I agree that it seems like this in an unheard off amount of money. But what are the alternatives? I speak as one who was laid off in December. I have yet to find a job. I have a pre-exiting condition, that is life threatening and my insurance will run out in June. I will have to pay well over $1,000 per month for health insurance on Cobra and I do not have a job.
I think people must take a moment to walk in the shoes of other people and know that we need universal health care. We need a hand up for all the people who have been deceived by employers all these years; while companies have been interested in profits, could care less about the plight of those less fortunate. Yes, it is a lot of money and there is no guarantee that it will work. But all bets have always been off in life. All of us are one disaster away from financial devastation. We have no control over that or the future. Our best laid plans can go awry even if we spent time meticulously planning out your future. Millions of people have seen their plans shattered and cannot pay for their bills or provide for their families that they disparately them. The questions we should ask ourselves are these……. What is my current status in life; do I have a guarantee that it will always be this way? Is my life good with no worries? Can I be assured that I will have health care forever and I will live comfortable for the rest of my life? Will we have an economy that allows us to have a job for everyone who wants it? The decision to do nothing…… is this the best decision for now and in the future?
No one has the answer to those questions, but people are reacting to situations based on their current condition. Which could change at any time. Life is fragile and unpredictable. There are no guarantees. Thanks for your post and good luck to you.
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