I dunno about up there, but we're just narrowly avoiding a recession up here, not even near a collapse, and the conservatives are using it to great effect, basically playing up the "why should we spend more money when we don't have any money to spend" angle.
Some of the more panicked people in the news today are talking about "worst since the great depression". Just starting today, because of today's news. I think they're probably wrong, but I'm now taking it seriously, at least.
See, the difference is that your conservatives actually spend less than your liberals...
They try to, anyway. Our current liberals are being largely run by the enviro branch of the party, so they're all in favour of imposing taxes on polluters and on gas companies as their top election issue, and it's not playing well in our election campaign at all.
I keep wondering when Republicans forgot what the party stands for (including being fiscally conservative). There are many ways in which, when looking at the 'classical' (pre-Regan) Republican platform, I identify with that party - sort of how Christine Todd Whitman's PAC wants to take the party back . . . but for their hawkishness, I'm actually right behind it.
uh, no. the last set of liberal governments was very fiscally responsible, and gave us a huge surplus (forgot the exact numbers, ~12 billion C$?), which in a mere 2.5 years under the conservatives has shrunk to ~2 billion and is projected to drop to ~1 billion next year; the lowest in more than a decade.
now part of this is of course the economy slowing down, but part is the election pandering of tax cuts. the conservatives' lavish spending lies in different areas than that of the liberals; they're always happy to cut social programs but much more likely to engage in corporate welfare.
"Starts this week"? I think we're already in it. As to the other - I can only hold Herbert Hoover out as an example and hope that we learns from history though we seem not to have learned from anything else.
We've been in something like a depression for a long time in my opinion. Educated people on the West Coast and Northeastern Coast have been doing pretty darned good in recent years. I define recent from the perspective of 96 to about now. That's when I saw my paychecks inflate. But, I rented out my spare room to people not as well educated and got to see how their paychecks stagnated and how few opportunities there are for people who only have the willingness to work hard and reliably. Also, in the Midwest, jobs that paid more than crap were pretty hard to come by in general these past fifteen years or so. Meanwhile, the cost of living on the coasts in metro areas with opportunities went through the roof. Philadelphia's been an island of stability, but that's more because Philly's been kind of an island of stagnation. The recent periods of great economic expansion have left a lot of people wondering where their payout was because commodities of labor have changed dramatically over previous decades.
That's like asking "If an asteroid strikes the earth this week, will that help Obama or McCain?" or "If Russia invades Europe...?" The same answer is "We're kind of fucked either way, but I'd rather Obama be in charge not to further the fucked-up-edness."
I have to say... it amazes me that McCain reports that the economy is strong and that the Bush admin strengthened it with their tax cuts for the wealthiest segment of the population. Somehow it seems like it should help Obama, but it probably won't. People are SO crazy. Putting less money in the pool to make the U.S. budget and spending more and more on war/foreign aid won't leave us with a balanced budget even if individual's bank accounts are bigger. It'll leave us with a bigger national debt, less leverage against China, and worse inflation than we already have.
Obviously it'll help McCain. We can't be changing horses midstream now, we just have to stay the course and finish the fight here! In fact, the only thing that will help THIS mess is to have MORE tax cuts--and rebate checks for $400 for EVERYONE!
Oh, and the only team with boobs on it is McCain's. He wins by hormonal default. Go team Palin!
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(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080914.wconservativelookahead0914/BNStory/politics/home)
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See, the difference is that your conservatives actually spend less than your liberals...
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tax and spend "liberals" -- a myth
now part of this is of course the economy slowing down, but part is the election pandering of tax cuts. the conservatives' lavish spending lies in different areas than that of the liberals; they're always happy to cut social programs but much more likely to engage in corporate welfare.
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--Jeff
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Cynical? Who, me?
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Oh, and the only team with boobs on it is McCain's. He wins by hormonal default. Go team Palin!