Originally posted by Velociryx
I think it's possible...how likely remains to be seen, but I agree with Colin Powell...Obama is a transformational figure.
And while I agree with the gist of what Agathon says, I think there are enough people who really WANT to make that kind of difference left in the world that something like a "new, new deal" might have a shot at happening.
One thing is certain, we shall continue to live in interesting times...
-=Vel=-
(one thing can be fairly said...the current system, in its current form, isn't working--if it was, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now, and our beloved conservative pres (aren't conservatives supposed to be FISCALLY conservative as well?) wouldn't have added nearly eleven TRILLION bucks worth of new debt in eight years--if we don't try SOMETHING else, we're fools of the highest order)
I think it's possible...how likely remains to be seen, but I agree with Colin Powell...Obama is a transformational figure.
And while I agree with the gist of what Agathon says, I think there are enough people who really WANT to make that kind of difference left in the world that something like a "new, new deal" might have a shot at happening.
One thing is certain, we shall continue to live in interesting times...
-=Vel=-
(one thing can be fairly said...the current system, in its current form, isn't working--if it was, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now, and our beloved conservative pres (aren't conservatives supposed to be FISCALLY conservative as well?) wouldn't have added nearly eleven TRILLION bucks worth of new debt in eight years--if we don't try SOMETHING else, we're fools of the highest order)
The "OLD" way of doing things is for home owners to borrow big amounts of money for houses they want but don't need with the expectation that their value will just magically keep going up, up, up. Financial fat cats lending big amounts of money to people who have never shown they can pay it back and then trading around the securities to get their profit now and pass on the risk to someone else. And governments who borrow, borrow, borrow to fund expensive tax cuts, wars, bailouts, pork and entitlement programs without ever expecting to have to pay back trillians of debt. Saying that our economy is big enough that the debt doesn't matter.
Instant gratification and ignoring longterm consequences has been the rule so far.
What does Obama (not that McCain is any better) want to do? Give out big tax cuts, boost health care spending and put us deeper into debt. And that is a more modest agenda than the "new, new deal" that some here are talking about. Such a "new, new deal" would be an even worse continuation of the OLD way of doing things.
The "Something else" you are looking for is real fiscal responsibility, paying down the debt, addressing the looming social security crisis, and making some tough decisions to keep the whole system solvent.
Both parties have demonstrated they have little interest in such responsibility.
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