Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 2/26/09
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As an educator, I'm quite saddened by the state of our educational institutions. I hope this recovery plan helps the places that need it most.
Anderson-according to my military cousins–logistics people are considered "in the rear with a gear" 😀 funny that you asked- two of them are in logistics...
the question whether they can and should fight in case of emergency–why shouldnt they? they're all trained for this job.
David, great analysis of why Obama might want to leave some troops to prevent Iraq from imploding if we left. However, what happens AFTER we leave? 2, 5, 10 years from now? I don't think we'll ever secure the place regardless of how long we stay so why not bring our troops home sooner ..
Ew! I Can't that there are poor conditions in public schools throughout America. No wonder Obama didn't bother to enroll his two girls in a public school.
I wouldnt blame him.
I'm so glad that POTUS is investing big in Education. The schools out there need help.
Good evening, Erica; thank you for chatting.
I am thrilled that the ban on the coffin images has finally been lifted. It's about time.
Does the president's budget factor in N Korea testing missiles and possible action there?...
Hey Anderson! Whats all this doom and gloom about the new reform. Its about time someone is going to show us where the money is going. This is what the country voted for so pick up the moral a little bit. Go Obama.
So glad we are talking about education. We are in trouble people!
@Mike...great remarks about the troops.....
As one previous blogger has already noted, Pres. Obama has only been in office 36 days....and it would seem most of us voted for him.
I know he seems to be spending a lot of money, but did anyone track Bush's consistent "supplementals" spending bills on Iraq for 7 years??
Great remarks David G.as always....and we do need to let our President have time to assess what the 2 wars need, and how much more we really ethically and monitarily afford.(afford...anymore).
Glad about the flag draped coffins with family permission, that is the right and best choice.
@Mike- please explain what gimmicks Mr. Obama is using. It is a known fact that Mr. Bush used gimmicks to hide the cost of the war, you may be correct Congress knew about this but this is still no excuse for Mr. Bush not to include it in the budget. I think if he did include the war cost more outcry from the American people would have been made. Kinda how he banned media from viewing fallen soldiers from being seen.
With all the current number of troops in Iraq , there is no peace and democracy happening, Think of what will happen with just 50000 "Advisorsary Troops" there ? I am scared for the lives of those 50000. Would have been nice if there was a more gradual withdrawal than sucha drastic one.
I hear some say the money should go to the people and not big business. Do folks really understand the trickle economics factor? Sure we help the unemployed and layed off, but the money that would be given would not provide long term relief. Employment, employment, employment... getting folks back to work will create the spending the country needs.
PLEASE – making trillions understandable to us, the ordinary types is easy. One trillion dollars is a million million dollars. Spanish speakers do not speak of a billion, they call it a 1000 million dollars. YES!!! That's the only sane way for us to grasp these hideously large numbers. Or...eventually you simply devalue the money to absorb what amounts to an extraordinary inflation of costs. Come on Anderson, David Gergen, try using it... if you're serious about making these numbers comprehensible.
Hello Bloggers! It's great that Pres. Obama has issued out the budget for all of us to see but it really doesn't give us too much regarding details. .
Agree with Mr. Gergen, I was thinking the same thing about the President being more conservative about Iraq. On the other hand, he cannot just indescriminately throw good money after bad, as the last adminstration did. Obviously that did not work.
Thank you to Michael Ware and David Gergen for helping us sort all of this out. Really good to see Michael again.
I think the Obama admin is doing too much too soon. Frankly, I can't keep up with the daily announcements. Just as I begin to decode one plan or strategy something else pops up. I'd advice for the govt to focus on the most immediate and dire need; which is the economy and gradually ease the other items in.
Obama is asking the weathy to sacrifice more. Most already sacrifice precious time with their families because they have to work round the clock... He should also ask anyone receiving government aid to make some sacrifice too, No Cable TV, No expensive cell phones/plans, no Nike shoes, etc
David G. I'm glad that POTUS ios being cautious on the domestic front. No need to rush things, POTUS should make a sound thought out decision like he did.
I think President Obama is being pragmatic
when it comes to Iraq. I think he is finding a
middle ground with the generals.
Michael Ware,
i absolutely adore you and your passion for your work! im so glad you are out of iraq too. too much for too long.
Perhaps I should have asked if you don't know what a deficit is
It's when you spend more than you take in (earn)
hello to Anderson and Erica
Little late tonight
I think the schools are in deporaple shape here My high school had 3 to a locker and mice problem yikes!
Why do we keep saying that the budget figures are so big no one can really understand them. One trillion dollars is about 7 percent of the U.S. economy (measured as Gross Domestic Product). What's so hard to understand about that?
Going with 17,000....military wanted 30,000...which means we really need 60,000...
There has been little mentioned on how retirees who are on a fixed income will be affected by President Obama's tax plan. Please explain.
Maybe the administration should ask Paris Hilton and Co. for a loan. Sell a couple of mansions here and there, or maybe a few purses. We probably have the makings of some progress towards that mark then, right?
We paid close to 1/3 of our income for taxes and don't get me started on health care coverage, medical social security etc. The only reason we didn't pay more in taxes is because we put 20K into 401K which we promptly lost in the meltdown. Seems no matter how much you make, if you work your tail off, are paying your bills and try to plan for the future as responsible people do, you can't win. People making 250 K a year pay a lot of taxes but so do people making 100K if they don't have children or are single.
The Octo-Mom is in thjis all for the money! She is all ready bank rupt and then inplants 7 fertilized eggs (babies). SHE IS OBVIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL!
Obama promised the troops out in sixteen months, now it's nineteen months.
I think unusual measures are needed to get this extra ordinary situation under control. Spending was out of control with the rich getting richer during the Bush years & the middle class & poor left out.
You know, Erica, I feel the same way there are only so many hours in the day to read various newspapers and watch newscasts and absorb information!
What do they think will be happening on the ground bu 2010? 50k combat ready troops advising Iraq ies about transitioning to???? a system never been tried before??? Lots of luck....lol
We need to get out of Iraq. We've needed to for a while.
a trillion dollars is a outrages number! i do understand how much that is and how big of a deal that is. so i don't understand how politician are giving obama a hard time. at least he is trying to make a effort to change that number to a smaller domiantion.
i've worked hard for 30 years and last year risked everything to open my own business which employs 5 people. i have borrowed 700K to get up and running. I pay 90K /year in loan payments which counts as income on my taxes. in order to stay in business with obama's tax increases i will have to cut benefits and or an employee or two. please explain to me or my employees how this is helping the country.
Yes, the numbers are staggering. Not that anyone can aptly conceive $1T, but most people who voted for the President understood knew that the things he was campaigning on would cost big money. The difference is that for years, our country has been spending unbelieveable sums of money primarily for war and for the benefit of the few (so that they could become billionaires). At least with this budget, if we're going to spend these kinds of dollars, they'll need to be spent for the good of the whole instead of the few. To me, this budget says that we're finally at least willing to try to make our walk match our talk.
anderson, i must have missed the comment about families running a deficit, you seem to be getting reamed for it. 🙂
i understand that statement, families dont get access to unlimited funds for their deficits, perhaps that explains it a little better? families can only go so far, and its no where near as far as the government or corporations get to go.
I seem to remember many years ago, Republicans whining about leaving a deficit to our children. For a while, we weren't. I think it was under Bill Clinton that we had a balanced budget until Bush exploded it. So, I'm kind of over the whole 'leaving debt to our children' argument. I'm concerned about now, not 20 years from now.
I want to know how much 'off balance sheet' costs attributable to the Iraq war have inflated the trillion dollar number.
Nice see Michael Ware tonight on AC360....... He is great!
Iraq needs to be fixed: it is the gatway to Africa, when the United States Postal Service Passes through, and a way must be made or purchased to herd cattle from Sinai to Afghanistan.
Anderson,
Why is it that the President and much of the media refer to those households which earn over $250,000 per year as "the wealthiest Americans" whereas they refer to everyone else as "working families"? Everyone I know who earns over $250,000 per year works many, many more hours and endures much more stress at work (and at home, thinking about work) than the 9-5 employee who leaves the job behind at the end of every day. Why do we continue to demonize the hardest working, most successful citizens that this great country of ours has produced? It is class warfare at its worst.
Richard
With this debt building up as it has in the past month we are going to find The United States of America more vulnerable than ever. Going to be a pretty big rabbit the president is going to pull out of his hat to weather this storm. I wish him the best!
Why try to scare people about the $3.7 trillion deficit -perhaps couching it in "education" appears justification, but the hype becomes clear when you follow it up with the desperate schools where students bring their own toliet paper or the mother of tuplets getting an offer from a porn magazine.
Anderson, it's hard to separate the hype from serious reporting.
.
I hope POTUS pulling troops out of Iraq works out. This war needs to end already.
Megan, sure, everyone wants 3 trillion dollars. It's a huge load of cash, but it won't all be spent at once.
These spending prioritys are, as the President said, "laying the foundation for the future," we can "decorate the house," once we've got our finances worked out.
I knew Obama would have to leave a substantial troop count in Iraq!!
I love seeing Mic on 360 again!!
Cindy..Ga.
EJ (USA), If shows like 360 would stop talking about Suleman the porn industry would not be interested in her.
Always great to see Michael Ware in the studio! It's been a long time!
Anderson-How about a direct stimulus package on an annual basis! The majority of American people need to be made aware that they pay a private owned banking cartel (Federal Reserve owners) interest on our national debt. When will you do a story exposing the Federal Reserve system for what it is?