Hmmm.

I get the feeling there are many people who would complain if they were about to be hung with a new rope.

Those same people can take a tablespoon of ground black pepper and sprinkle it on a piece of white paper. After hours of searching, they might say they finally found a piece of fly manure.

Even though it was a very good speech, the president and congress cannot please all of the people all of the time.

Sometimes, with change there are many obstacles.

However, reasonably intelligent people, when in the presence of facts, and with common goals in mind, should not have too much trouble coming into agreement.

For all the people bad-mouthing the plans for recovery, what exactly would you be doing?

Why aren't you leading the charge in the recovery battle?

It is far too easy to be an armchair quarterback, instead of actually doing something that might make a difference toward helping others.

I may be a registered Republican, but I want to believe in Barack Obama's ability to change the good-'ol-boy politics. I listened to his speech last night, and was minded of a televangelist: "everything's gonna' get better; we're gonna' fix everything; I'm gonna do it". But no details. Nor did he address the PORK. Would all those Democrats have supported the bill, if there wasn't PORK in their pockets? And they say Illinois is corrupt! Let's toss out all the current congressmen (and women) and start with a younger set, who have a vision for their country - not just their back yards.

Sam Thayer
Olympia, Washington

My husband and I both thought that Obama's speech last night was historical and, as always, inspirational and filled with hope. I'm sure that a lot of the pessimists out there don't believe in hope, but President Obama has inspired millions of us to be optimistic and finally, after 8 years of shame from the Bush regime, feel proud that we are Americans! We don't feel that food is being taken out of our mouths to help the ones who have lost their jobs and homes! What stands out the most to me is that the critics of Obama's stimulus plans had no problem with the bail out money given to the big corporations being wasted by the ceo's. They do, however, have a hard time with a plan to help create jobs and help people survive these hard times. We all know that America is the land of opportunity, but we also should know that charity begins at home and the top 2 percent who get millions of dollare in bonuses each year will just have to learn to buy their shower curtains at wal-mart instead of Tiffany's!

Samual Thayer, right on, Darla, smoke another bowl

I have always tried to be a very positive person. After last nights
speech by the president I am even more positive.
1) I am positive he is a great orator
2) I am positive he is a master of smoke and mirrors
3) I am positive he that if he continues with the policies
outlined last night we are on a slippery slope to depression
4) I am positive that until he changes his economic policies
I am going to have to work forever, as I cannot afford to retire
5) I am positive the president does not have a clue as to what to do
6) I am positive that the president is in the back pocket of Nancy Pelosi
7) I finally am positive that the speech last night was outstanding,
“ear salve” for those who do not have a clue regarding what
President John F. Kennedy said when he said, “Ask not what
your country can do for you, ask what can I do for my country”
It seems that we have a whole generation that is asking, not what can
I give back to this country, which has given me the highest standard
of living on the face of this earth?
But instead, what can we take from those “Fat Cats”, that made this possible so that all can have an equal distribution in this fair land?

What did I think of President Obama's speech? To be honest, I was disgusted. His speech was full of the same rhetoric that his campaign to be president was full of: change. Also, he always seems to come across as trying to make sure he is liked. The president couldn't even get through 3-5 minutes of talking without Nancy Pelosi giving him a standing ovation. Was this supposed to be a brown-nosing session? I think Vice President Biden felt obligated to follow her every lead since the poor guy was sitting right next to her. Sure there were plenty of others constantly giving him a standing ovation every 5 minutes also. Each time the camera in the congressional room gave us an open shot of the entire room, you could see who was standing and who was remaining sitting and going along with the clapping. Here's something that is worth mentioning: it's good to not have everyone liking you or in agreement with you. It keeps things in check and keeps a balance in existence that would not otherwise be there. The way this stimulus bill was passed so quickly is not good. There should have been plenty of time allowed to comb over the details of such a huge bill. Instead, the president seemed to feel a need to 'talk it up' and get Americans sold on it and gently placed blame on some Republicans for slowing down the passage process deliberately. And now this speech that said nothing but good about the stimulus package and all it will accomplish from ensuring that every single child/person will have the right to an education to the federal deficit will be cut in half by the end of the President's first term... Give me a break. Everyone already has the right to get an education, through hard work on your own and planning! That opportunity has been there for anyone in this God-given country who has wanted that for themself. I put myself through school without any help except student loans which I pay back. The last time I checked, student loans were still available for anyone who applied for financial aid for their education. Does President Obama plan to make sure those loans will still be there for anyone who desires a college degree? Or is his plan to just give every single person the money for free so they don't have to put themselves through college and pay the money back? Cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his term is hysterical. How does one create all of this money, and give it away, and then cut the money that is owed back, in half? Wake up people!!

I wonder how good of an orator he would really be if he actually wrote his own speeches! Lots of promises and no details on how to back them up. My grandfather used to say that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Hope? Inspiration? Not until there's hard facts to back up all those promises! So far all I've heard are pretty words.

7 comments? There should be 700 comments. But then, maybe people just don't give a rat's tail end anyway.

I had to laugh at the Republican response. It was Mr Rodger talking down to 3 year olds. I thought I was dreaming there and really saw the cho cho train in the background.

Mr. D:

Since you're so positive about all of those things it seems you would have overwhelming proof of your positive assertions. I'll be anxiously awaiting your response.

Obamas has followers, people who dont think for themselves & just follow whatever he says, their gullable & just plain stupid. SPEND, SPEND, SPEND, RAISE TAXES then SPEND more, doesnt make sense. Obama makes Bush look good, thats sad

Dave .. Uhm .. we have to spend some money right now to solve the stuff that our previous president got us into. Oh .. and we do get the taxbreaks that you Republicans wanted.

We had no deficit before the Republicans got in office 8 years ago and spend a small fortune on a war that shouldn't have happened. What have I missed?

I think for myself .. I have a brain and after having listened to Jindal last night .. I doubt that those that listened to him had anything more developed than a 3 year old, but I guess that is the attendance they are aiming at.

Dave. I find your comment interesting. I liked what C said. Well put. At any rate, you talk about Obama supporters not thinking for themselves. That's just plain laughable. For years after 9/11 Bushies did and said everything they were told. Does any of this ring a bell?

~You're unpatriotic if you question the Commander & Chief or "The Decider".

~Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Then we're liberating them. Then we're providing democracy. Then we're stabilizing them. Then... Bushies were lock step with all of that rhetoric.

~Speaking of Iraq. . . oh yeah. . .we're winning. Thing's are great. They're voting. So on. . .

It's funny because everything I heard The Decider say on Fox News and his little cronies Sean Hannity and Rush L-something-or-other I heard all of my ultra conservative family members mimic them just like Polly.

Furthermore, Dave, you should be careful when you call someone or a group of people "stupid" when in that same sentence you misspell "They're". See "They're" stands for "They are". You used "Their". That signifies possession. You should watch that next time.

Intellectuality doesn't come with a taxbreak ;)

The economy in this country is failing because the country has NO confidence in this President.
He has no economic, business or practical experience. No leadership experience, no grasp of how to run a company, let alone city, state or country.
WARNING: The "tax break" we'll start to "see"
in June is a simple reduction in payroll taxes.
They are NOT going to change the tax tables next year so you will be paying taxes on your so-called tax break from this year! Effectively elimiating this "tax cut". FOOLED YOU!!
He's quite the Deceiver In Chief!

I spent most of my life as a Republican. I voted for Bush against Gore and Kerry. At the time I thought he was better than they were; Gore has since become a man of the environment. BUT, for the last six to eight years I have seen this party present ideas that have almost destroyed our country. They talk of the economy today...It was Bush's economy, Clinton had balanced the budget when he left. The War in Iraq, no matter how we may have thought when we went in, has cost us Trillons. No one was doing anything about the banks and their loan policy's. I said something 12 years ago. So, don't blame the current administration about the economy.
Obama is TRYING to get us back to reality and get rid of those crap programs of yester-year. Yes, it may cost us to clean up this mess; but what is the alternative. The Senate Minority leader said, we may as well just say we're broke. Okay, give up, rip up the dollars and go our separate 50 States way. Oh, by the way, the States are broke too. This is a WORLD recession. Let's fix America.

What a bunch of petty political crap-speak. I don't care WHO is in charge of government. If the policies are causing financial harm then they obviously aren't helping the economy. How profound! It doesn't matter who implemented them. Have you looked at Wall Street lately? I think they'd rather have us at each other's throats, arguing about which political party is "right". This just distracts from the real issues. Come on people. Get on the same page or we all go under!

I cannot believe that so many people think that it is fair to take money from people who earned it and give it to those who did not. What is greed, expecting to keep what you earned, or feeling entitled to money that someone else earned?

People work hard and take risks for incentive.

If we punish those who are succesful and responsible, and reward those who fail and are irresponsible, do you think people will strive to work hard for success?

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"
-Karl Marx

Kayam
You want proof!!!
1) The stock market has tanked over 1500 points in the last 30 days. Wall Street loves the man. My 401K is now half of what it was 2 years ago. Add to that, the double-digit inflation which will come in the next 1 to 2 years, the buying value of my and everyone’s retirement will be greatly reduced. By the way, in two years, I want you to write into a NWCN Blog and say, "Mr D, you were right, double digit inflation did come and I couldn't see it coming." And I will say, that's OK, you are getting just what you wanted, you voted for Obama, I didn't because I could see through him from the very beginning for what a fraud he was.I will give you this, he has done everything that he has promised plus more.
2) Every month unemployment is growing. The only thing that he can propose is more big government spending to send our way out of this mess. And a proposed budget that is completely out of control. Do you or he even have a clue who is going to pay for this?
3) He proposes making health care equal for everyone from illegal aliens up to corporate president one and all the same with no one having to pay. Do you or him have any idea just who is going to pay for this spending?