Obama's New Year's resolution? Fix the economy (Good luck, America. You're gonna need it.)

Reuters ^ | 1/1/11 | Jeff Mason

[NormsRevenge]

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has set his New Year's resolution high for 2011: repair the struggling economy.

In his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, the vacationing president said recent data showed the economic recovery was gaining traction even as millions of Americans are still out of work.

"Our most important task now is to keep that recovery going," Obama said. "As president, that's my commitment to you: to do everything I can to make sure our economy is growing, creating jobs, and strengthening our middle class. That's my resolution for the coming year."

Unemployment of nearly 10 percent and dissatisfaction with Obama's efforts to spur an economic recovery from the worst recession in decades helped fuel Republican victories in congressional elections in November.

Republicans will control the House of Representatives this year and Democrats will have a smaller majority in the Senate, a new political reality that will affect Obama's ability to push through his policy priorities.

[NormsRevenge]

Considering his Job #1 from the gitgo was to wipe this nation out and make it pay,, these words ring hollow to me for some reason..

[Doogle]

Obama's New Year's resolution? Fix the economy

...that was a campaign promise from three years ago when he was going to focus like a laser...jobs jobs jobs

[Gene Eric]

>> That’s my resolution for the coming year.

Tacit acknowledgment that it wasn’t previously.

[NormsRevenge]

President Barack Obama, pictured in December 2010, Saturday vowed to keep the US economy growing in 2011 and reminded Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives that they have a "shared responsibility to move this country forward." (AFP/File/Jewel Samad)

[Paladin2]

Bammy would have to go live with Hugo and/or Raul and take the ‘rats with him.

[Howie66]

The first best step that Stroker could take towards improving the economy would be for him to resign immediately and take his countless Czars with him.

Will he do that?

In a Michelle’s eye, he would!

With apologies to pigs.

[cc2k]

I for one wish Pres__ent Obama would stop fixing the economy.

If he keeps "fixing" it, it will never recover.

[NormsRevenge]

but first, an extra day of vacation..

A palm tree against the sunset in Kailua, Hawaii, on December 28. US President Barack Obama is extending his vacation stay in his native Hawaii, delaying his return to a divided Washington until January 4, the White House announced Wednesday. (AFP/File/Saul Loeb)

[Moorings]

The laser is still trying to focus...focusing...focusing.

Now that the major socialist legislation has passed, the laser can now really focus. If the repubs try to roll back the legislation, they can be blamed for not focussing on the economy and jobs.

[Pollster1]

National unemployment rate when Pelosi took power as Speaker of the House in January 2007: 4.6%

National unemployment rate when Obama usurped power in our White House in January 2009: 7.6%

National unemployment rate two years into Obama's "recovery" in January 2011: 9.8%

Why do I not feel more secure knowing that Obama is promising to continue what the Dems have started?

[fhayek]

Everything that the man stands for - everything that he has ever stood for - is inherently business-hating and job-killing. The only thing that he could do to help the economy would be to undo the agenda items that he got passed in his first two years. I don't foresee him doing this.

[A_Former_Democrat]

The only thing this guy knows how to “fix” are elections

[grobdriver]

You broke it, and now you're going to fix it?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahaha! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[NormsRevenge]

add this to the mix.

ya got your renewable energy

..and then, ya got yur renewable chutzpah.

—

Oil’s surge in 2010 paves the way for $4 gasoline
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101231/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

NEW YORK - The price of oil is poised for another run at $100 a barrel after a global economic rebound sent it surging 34 percent since May. That could push gasoline prices to $4 a gallon by summer in some parts of the country, experts say.

[FrankR]

[Doogle]

.....notice how the commielib media ran stories about his “lifting” the moratorium on drilling.....then when he reinstated it....the MSM keep quiet. Many Americans think they went back to drilling....but DUMBO made sure they didn’t get the permits.

[Da Coyote]

I really doubt that the dufus-in-chief could make correct change on a $1.59 purchase when given a $5 bill.

Even with a calculator.

Yes, I really believe that he is THAT stupid.

[Mike Acker]

Blah-Blah doesn’t know how to fix the economy because he doesn’t know why jobs are created.

Jobs are created where an industry or business can produce produce that is of greater value than the costs of the inputs: labor and materials AND the product produced cand be priced and sold in the market.

This means the product needs an advantage in quality or price, preferably both.

Regulations and Taxes represent a penalty and in these united States the penalty has driven the production of wealth out of the country. We are but a fool, un-employed and living on a credit card.

[Twinkie]

Yep. “Jobs” was his initial claim that he was going to “fix”. Instead, he “fixed” healthcare, DADT and a few other social do-gooder things. If anything, the new dynamics of Congress “may” help the economy and jobs, NO THANKS TO HIM but you may be sure he’ll take credit for any improvement. If anyone falls for any more of his rhetoric, sheesh is all I can manage.

[fhayek]

Economics can be complicated in the details, but fundamentally it is quite simple. Wealth equals production minus consumption. If you consume more without producing more, you will grow less wealthy. If you produce more while holding or lowering your consumption, you will become more wealthy. This holds true for an individual, a family, a company or a country.

As far as the economy of a country is concerned, increasing its wealth provides more opportunities, more jobs and higher standards of living. It seems elementary, then, that a nation's economic policy should revolve around encouraging production, not consumption. Of course, it is more advantageous for politicians to encourage consumption and punish production to win elections. Hence, we get things like the extension of unemployment benefits which encourage consumption without any corresponding increase in production. If my original thesis is correct, then this will axiomatically decrease the overall wealth of the economy. Every liberal economic punishes production and rewards non-productive (and consumption-oriented) behavior. Barring being struck by lightning while traveling on the road to Damascus, Barack Obama is incapable of taking the steps necessary to insure long term health for the U.S. economy.