Bush vs. Obama Tax Cuts!

The looming Senate debate on taxes sets up a showdown between George W. Bush and President Obama on tax policy — and the former president could come out the winner. The Senate is expected to hold dueling votes on extending the cuts before they expire on Dec. 31, and Bush’s policy could get more support in the Democratic-controlled chamber. Obama’s proposal to extend tax rates for middle-class families but allow taxes to rise for families making over $250,000 a year is given almost no chance of passing the upper chamber. Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is pushing an across-the board extension of the cuts. Senate insiders think the most likely compromise is a two-year extension of all the cuts, which formed the economic centerpiece of Bush’s presidency.

I am not one fully understands politics/economics, however I know enough to be able to determine whats better for our nation as a whole. Obama's plan may have flaws but I believe it is more beneficial to the country as a whole rather than Bush's which was only beneficial to the U.S.'s top 20%.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/131045-tax-fight-pits-bush-vs-obama

Poverty in the Red, White, and Blue

The federal government defines a minimum amount of income necessary for basic maintenance of a family of four. This amount may fluctuate depending on the cost of living and the location of the family. In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $16,530 was classified as living in poverty. The percentage of people living below the poverty level dropped from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.4 percent in 1978. But since then, it has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range. In 1998, it stood at 12.7 percent. What is more, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty. In 1998, more than one-quarter of all African-Americans (26.1 percent) lived in poverty; though distressingly high, that figure did represent an improvement from 1979, when 31 percent of blacks were officially classified as poor, and it was the lowest poverty rate for this group since 1959. Families headed by single mothers are particularly susceptible to poverty. Partly as a result of this phenomenon, almost one in five children (18.9 percent) was poor in 1997. The poverty rate was 36.7 percent among African-American children and 34.4 percent among Hispanic children.

Americans are proud of their economic system, believing it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives. Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem. Similarly, periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have helped reduce poverty but have not eliminated it entirely.

http://economics.about.com/od/howtheuseconomyworks/a/poverty.htm

Economic Indicators!

According to the United Sates GDP for the past 40 years, we have already hit the peak of the economic cycle and have started to decline. All economic systems go from high to low, high to low so there is noting to worry about. Our current GDP is 14.119 trillion dollars. A major concern is our unemployment rate. In 2008 our unemployment rate was 6.1 %, in 2010 it was 9.5 %, and in 2011 it is expected to reach 9%. Unemployment is a key indicator, in my opinion, to how a country is doing. A country can have a good GDP if they export a lot and keep the wealth in a small group, but the unemployment rate shows how the people are doing, which is what matters.
Our country is contracting because every is going down. What I feel we need to do is expand. We need to reduce the unemployment rate by creating programs that make jobs. This would bring a lot of wealth back into our country. Also we need to start producing more. Right now the US imports a ton but barely produces our exports any thing. If I was an economist with power, this is what I would do.

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

When Will the U.S. Economy Recover?

The U.S. job market and economy will improve only slightly next year, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists whose outlook for 2011 has dimmed over the past three months. The latest quarterly AP Economy Survey shows economists are pushing back their estimates of when key barometers of economic health hiring, spending, expansion will signal strength. In their view, shoppers and employers will stay cautious. Households will keep saving. Inflation will remain tame. And unemployment will dip only a bit from the current 9.6 percent rate to a still-high 9 percent at the end of 2011. I am a strong believer in the phrase, "it is always darkest before the dawn." I do not mean literally, but the metaphor symbolizing that things will get worse before they are better. Our economy is slowing improving, slowly drawing towards the dawn. God Bless America!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/28/business/main6999350.shtml

China vs. America

In the struggle for economic superiority, if China and the U.S. continue to follow their current strategies and directions, and there is no reason to think that they won't, China seems to be heading into the position of dominance. Right now China is making domestic and foreign policy moves that are based on growth and solidifying its economic foundation. On the other hand, the U.S. is pursuing strategies that have no clear formulas designed to spur growth, but, rather, strategies that are severely eroding our economic base. Either way, these two superpowers are drawing closer to a heated brawl for economic power.

http://www.economyincrisis.org/content/china-vs-us-economic-power-vs-military-might-which-will-prevail

Go Green!

The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a voluntary association of state green parties, and has been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties. The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP), a forerunner organization, first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. With the founding of the Green Party of the United States, the party established a national political presence. GPUS became the primary national Green organization in the U.S., eclipsing the earlier Greens/Green Party USA, which emphasized non-electoral movement building. The Green Party in the United States has won elected office at the local level; most winners of public office in the United States who are considered Greens have won nonpartisan elections. The highest-ranking Greens ever elected in the nation were: John Eder, a member of the Maine House of Representatives until his defeat in November 2006; Audie Bock, elected to the California State Assembly in 1999 but switched her registration to Independent seven months later running as an independent in the 2000 election; and Richard Carroll, elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2008 but switched parties to become a Democrat five months after his election. In 2005, the Green Party had 305,000 registered members in states allowing party registration, and tens of thousands of members and contributors in the rest of the country. During the 2008 elections the party had ballot access in 31 states, making it the fourth largest party in the United States (the third largest being the Libertarian Party, with ballot access in 46 states, and the fifth largest being the Constitution Party, with ballot access in seventeen states)

The Green Party seems like a cool party to join. I support their views. I wish they were more recognized and had more power in our government. I think if the Green Party had majority power in the U.S. Government, our nation would be a cleaner one, but not necessarily a happy one. The general public are far more interested in the protection of their social status rather than the condition of their environment. Then again there is a first for everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_%28United_States%29

The "Grand Old Party"

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party (GOP). The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the political spectrum, in contrast to the, more "liberal" or "progressive" Democrats. The Republican Party has the second most registered voters as of 2004 with 55 million, encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate. In the 2010 elections the Republican Party won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, the majority of governorships, as well as prevalence in the majority of state legislatures, and control of one chamber in five states. Previously, the Republican Party had held minorities in all three bodies. It will continue to hold a minority of seats in the Senate at the beginning the 112th Congress.

I have a lot of respect for the Republican Party even though I am a Democrat. Some of the nations greatest presidents were Republican. Like Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan (kind of). However over the past century, Republican presidents have decreased in popularity and respect, especially George W. Bush. His presidency hurt the Republican party or "Grand Old Party" terribly as a whole. Hopefully G.W.B's presidency helped the nation realize that you must vote for the right person for the job, not because the person is your party's candidate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)