dagblog - Comments for "Hell in a Handbasket (a special Sunday post)"

If we need to be craven about

Barth — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:23:58 +0000

If we need to be craven about this, how about only funding the projects in safe Republican districts. Then fund ones in safe Democratic districts.

But jobs are more important than political advantage right now. How would an incumbent Republican take advantage of funding her or she "got"? By extolling the virtues of government spending.

While my first inclination

acanuck — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:21:03 +0000

In reply to We already had $500 billion

While my first inclination would be say to fight for the stimulus, to go for the bold idea ...

Thanks for the chuckle, Trope. I needed that.

If I had a radio show (which

Richard Day — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 06:07:26 +0000

In reply to A shout out to DD - this one

If I had a radio show (which I did for a short time two decades ago?) this would be my theme song for sure.

If my Irish Catholic grannie were still alive I would have sent her disc. hahahahah

Just to piss her off!

Here's a 20% jobs plan that

jollyroger — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:38:02 +0000

In reply to Regarding Nocera's

Here's a 20% jobs plan that works: 4 *day work week. (already succeeding in European venues)

*day=8 hours, btw, no fudging. Also make overtime triple pay so they can't just work the existing staff to death.

Regarding Nocera's

Red Planet — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:33:13 +0000

In reply to I ain't no economist and

Regarding Nocera's suggestion, the question is, who would pay the other 80%?

This is the zombie tax credit proposal on steroids. It is based on the questionable premise that employers are in a hiring mood, but are held back by lack of incentives to hire.

The only real incentive to hire is demand, and demand is what's missing today. So why would any employer want to pay 80% of the cost of an employee that is not needed?

while the reporters used the

Elusive Trope — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:23:35 +0000

In reply to So the White House official

while the reporters used the term "mandate," there is no one in white house being quoted as such.

So the White House official

Dan Kervick — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:14:35 +0000

In reply to Let's keep in mind that as

So the White House official quoted is fictitious?

Regarding the first

Elusive Trope — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:14:34 +0000

In reply to I ain't no economist and

Regarding the first suggestion, given, as my latest blog shows, the incumbents already enjoy a 80%+ chance of being re-elected, there is no way the Democrats would in no way go along with a plan that would ensure the Republicans hold onto their gains from 2010.

The second one is more possible, and the indication is that WH would be open to such a proposal because it has the air of possibility of making it to the light of day.

A shout out to DD - this one

Elusive Trope — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:02:48 +0000

In reply to Hell in a Handbasket (a special Sunday post)

A shout out to DD - this one is for you

I ain't no economist and

Barth — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:51:00 +0000

In reply to We already had $500 billion

I ain't no economist and can't rub two nickels together, but here are two ideas I have read or heard about that could help, at least a bit:

Steve Benen:

how about a new stimulus package focused on granting Republicans’ requests for public investments?

Joe Nocera:

Someone suggested to me recently that the government could create a $50 billion fund for small business, and use it to pay, say, 20 percent of the wages of new hires for two years — first come, first served. Why doesn’t Obama suggest something like that?