"computers and software but we have lost that edge to other countries"

Our CPUs are going into pretty much ALL of the world's computers. If there is any significant non-US competition, please enlighten.

I thought that Obama wants green technology to revitalize the U.S. economy. Too bad the backward thinking Republicans can't...or won't...see that.

Youreally unintelligent person. Backward thinkers!!

The jerk we have in the white house is looking ata n economy that is at minus 1% minus growth and continues to try to pass a insuravnce bill that will devastate us, a climate bill that will raise unemployment about 2.5 % and the price of power about 30 % Oh yes you person, we're backward thinkers.

Stan H. The republicans have nothing to do with the lack of green technology. The cost of green technology outweighs its use right now.

Wind turbines do produce electricity, but not always. Wind has to be present for it. When they are not producing electricity then what is supposed to take its place?

Solar panels can only produce electricity when there is sun. What happens when the sun goes down over the horizon?

The only real way to produce clean dependable electricity is by hydroelectric dams. Now you can't tell me that the republicans are against that. If they could they would be building more dams to help in aiding in reducing the grip on foreign oil to produce electricity. Do you know who is stopping things like this from happening? I will give you a hint. It is the environmental groups. Do you know what party they belong to? Let me give you another hint on this one. It isn't the republicans. It is the, yea you guessed it, the Democratic Party.

I am one who is tired of people blaming one party or the other for what is happening. Last time I checked, we were all AMERICANS and so I think it would be good to blame the real culprits here. The American population as a whole is responsible because for some god awful reason they can't see to see eye to eye. One group thinks that their ideas are better than the others and if they don't get their way they will take their case to a sympathetic judge that will favor them and shut any project down.

CPUs in computers, well Intel and AMD are listed on US stock exchange but I think AMD has manufacturing facilities abroad. Maybe that one part of the computer can be said to still US dominated, but how about all the other hardware parts, or assembly, or software development and testing or after sale support?

Hmmmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!!!!

Again, many good comments about Americans not spending their money, especially to help the rest of the World.

The number I saw mentioned about the loss of value in the Stock Market in the past year was 7 Trillion dollars (??). And some people think the present and future retirees should go out and spend money like it was water ?

Is there a recovery ? Don't know ? I really don't think anyone truly knows. We have too many unknowns caused by Government intervention or the lack of it.

The U.S. Congress and Administration is planning on massive taxations on energy and massive increase costs for Medical Care to pay for an ADDITIONAL 47 million people being put on health insurance.

What will all those people do to the cost of Medicare ? You can bet your last dollar that the cost will not go down ! and if it does, it will be because of the reduction in benefits to the retirees on Medicare.

What we need is REFORM in health care, not government intervention ! We need to fix the Lawsuit problems, the lack of Ethics and Transparency in the Medical community, the Ethics of the Pharma companies, and we need to fix the Ethics of health insurance companies. All this can be worked on without the government pushing Universal health care !!!

Will it happen ? Probably not, since these issues are not being presented as problems that can be solved without massive government intervention.

Can the government run the Post office efficiently ? Can the Government achieve the goal of energy self-sufficiency after 30 years of creating and running the Energy Department, can the government even be expected not to mess up the U.S. auto industry and their cash for clunkers program? They helped to create Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac to help the housing industry--where did that get us? No--No--No--No

All of us need to Remember the Third Great Lie ! Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."

Americans are still losing jobs at a record pace!  Why?? Business does not trust this Administration!  They are afraid of the Taxes that are coming, Cap and TAX.  Tax penalties on Health care.  Not one of this Administrations Policies is business friendly.  And you wonder why they are not hiring?  We are in the Largest Recession since the depression directly caused mostly by the housing market of sub prime loans.  Yet the Stupid Democrats Barney Frank, Chris Dodd still take no responsibility for the mess.  Yet is was them who block every effort by Bush and Republicans to regulate Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac.  But you stupid liberals just keep Blaming Bush and the wars!  We all know that the US Economy grew faster than any time in history until 2006.  If Obama and the Stupid Democrats would wake up and realize that the Government can't employ all Americans and they should create a positive atmosphere for Business.  Then Business will start hiring and people will start Spending.

too much BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG ENTERPRISE GREED/ CONTROL/ CORRUPTION...people get insecure/ leery with that...AWARENESS is Bigger Than LIFE IT"S SELF !!!.. people Globally I believe, want SALVATION !!!...

The only way to recover the economy is to put people to work. All we are currently seeing is an after effect of the injections by the governments around the globe. Unless we can recover our creativity and come up with some real innovation in goods and services then the a real recovery will take a long time. The basics need to be strong and not simple manipulation of cash flow.

Peter; you hit the nail right on the head. there can be no recovery, ever, unless America returns to a nation that produces, not just spend on other country's products. We have outsourced the middle class of our Nation. It's not a republican or democrat thing, it is a corporate bottom line decision, based on the most profit at the least labor cost.

japans export growth was all the cash for clunkers money being spent on import cars. we shot our selves in the foot,

Good point, CVA. I've been saying for years that the country can't survive without a manufacturing sector (and preferably local consumption).

Investors had better not count on Americans spending a lot of money when so many are jobless and many more have reduced incomes. We've lost 30% of our annual income since the financial industry tanked last year. We have no discretionary income at this point, and that won't change until our income rises again.

Our CPUs are going into pretty much ALL of the world's computers. If there is any significant non-US competition, please enlighten.

This would be a nice comment if a computer was only a cpu and a case. Just abouth everything in one now including the CPU is manufacured offshore. What was your point anyway?

CVA, I agree with you we need to become more of a producer of goods again. But you know what-------our current situation , while the recession is very real, finds ours and the world's economies improving. Then one analyst somewhere comes out with a "yeah, but" negative view on "long term" progress. When FDR said many years ago, that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" he was right. If, when things start getting better all of the media, financial wannabes, etc would just report the positive and not start looking for some negative aspect , the general public would gain confidence a heck of a lot faster.

Our corporate/government media keeps reporting that we are going to have a jobless recovery....but No One is reporting on what is going to be done for the jobless. Have the jobless become a statistic? Have they lost presence due to the angry mob media shouting louder.... even though they have nothing to say? It's time for our corporate/government media to wake up and get their head out of their stats and get human.....

I'd like to know where they get these great figures. Do they just pull them out of the air or what? If the World Economy depends on us they are in dire trouble. We have way too many unemployed and a government that is doing nothing to help our businesses and manufacturers get going again. Obama is too busy taxing every angle of capitalism and that simply hurts the employers which in turn hurts workers and loses jobs. Unemployed people don't buy luxury items.
The Cap and Emissions is a perfect example of just that. You can't drastically increase a companies expenses without losing jobs. The Stimulus Plan has been a massive flop and government spending is now predicted to be 2T more than previously said plus they can't stop spending with their new airplanes and this terriblly expensive Healthcare Plan no on wants. They refuse to fix what we have that they screwed up.

Now lets have the real green tech revolution start here. More battery development for small and cheap electric vehicles. More photovoltaic and wind generator development for grid independence. These are technologies that are not only good for US consumers but to world-wide consumers. We really need to get with it people.

CVA: I totally agree with you but with the way our Corporate Whores work the trade deals; and with the likes of the thieving Chinese trade secret stealers operating in OUR country..........good luck. The working men and women of this country lost their edge to the corporate entities and their own God Damn government thirty years ago. So by the time the Whores finish knocking your wages down far enough; and by the time people like Johnnie BONER (Boehner) (R) OHIO gets done legislating what's left of your pensions away; and by the time the ass hole oil companies get done ruining the possible recovery with four dollar a gallon gas so THEY can make a 15 BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT by the end of the next quarter.............and on and on and on! You aren't going to see the USA return to production like the old days in any regard. Those days are over and you can thank your ass hole government and their buddies in big business..............Money talks and S--T walks when you work as a Representative in the Federal Government of the United States of America.

The uncertainty of the impact of health insurance reform and cap and trade cause corporations to be very cautious with hiring employees. Those of us who have jobs, have seen our homes lose significant value, our 401ks lose value. All while our hours have been reduced, some of us have taken paycuts. This is reality. It isn't about republicans and democrats. Until there is some clear direction with this economy, I will continue to pay down my house payment and save money and buy the necessities.

What our country needs is to create the largest revolution not seen since the Highway expansion. We need to immediately start transitioning from foreign oil to domestic natural gas. It eliminates US Dollars being spent on foreign oil and keeps that revenue in the US. It creates a transition revolution that allows us to manufacture automobiles and trucks that run on natural gas. It creates the need for transition kits for cars that currently run on gas or diesel. It establishes an industry that doesn't exist and creates sustainable, high paying jobs and is better for the environment. It is a bridge to provide us the time we need to develop alternative fuel sources that are viable on a grand global scale. It increases much needed tax revenue.

When you undermine econonomic recovery the way this administation is doing with numbskull thinking and no foresite then the chance of ending this financial fiasco is not going to be good. Cash for Clunkers was a dumbass way to sell cars, it was expediency over the future and undermining the future buyers, the charities and the used car sales. In about six months the repo's will start for a percentage of those cars they just sold and god knows when the car dealerships will be reimbursed.

I cannot believe anything this administration says or in what it does, chickens are smarter and they cost less to maintain in office. You voted for a bunch of turkeys, so why not chickens?

Unfortunately there are a few fear mongers who seem

to be able to influence those with limited intelligence.

This is not a majority of the population and hopefully

the world will allow us more than a few months to turn

around the train wreck known as the Bush years.

We must become a net exporter country again. Since we (the US citizens, not government) are net importer of everything including agricultural product. Yes, that is correct even agricultural product.

As far as manufacturing, I have been seeing for many years now the sale of used tooling (CNC, milling equipment, ect) as shops are going out-of-business. Those tools are being purchased by Chinese firms in a large degree. So my question is; who is going to make the dies, fixtures, and other equipment needed for a manufacturing base?

...and they should create a positive atmosphere for Business. Then Business will start hiring and people will start Spending.

Yeah...that's an idea. Go back to the George W. Bush era -- where the financial meltdown started -- and give yet more traditional Republican tax breaks to business and to the wealthy...yeah, that'll do it! Except that's what got us into trouble last year! And you're idea for implementing this is to call the Democrats names? Brilliant! Oh, and let's not forget to call liberals "stupid" and claim they think it's all Bush's fault for starting wars!

Look...Bush did start the wars -- or perhaps more accurately, Dick Cheney guided us toward them, especially Iraq -- and it's cost the lives of over 4,200 Americans as well as between $7 billion and $14 billion a month, every month for over six years and counting (http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aairaqwarcost.htm)...and that's just in Iraq. Overall? Try this http://www.costofwar.com/. Closing in on one trillion dollars...and for what? Where are those darned WMDs that Dick Cheney insisted were there? Where is Osama bin Laden, who Bush said was the reason we invaded Afghanistan? Have we really accomplished anything? If we leave Iraq and the government that we helped install there fails and they return to their Islamic roots, then all those lives and all that money will be wasted...and that's all on the Bush administration.

If we're supposed to return to the GOP's inane return to massive deregulation and tax breaks for the rich and for those big businesses that have screwed over the American public time and time again, then why did that same American public elect a Democrat as President? The Republican Party and it's agenda is dying a slow death, and until they come up with fresh ideas and fresh personalities -- not Sarah Palin, or Bobby Jindal, or Mark Sanford, nor any other Republican who has already humiliated themselves -- they will continue their decline. Until the GOP is reborn, they are going to become more and more marginalized...whether you like it or not...

Time to fire our economists and hire China's. They're 'only' having 8.5% growth this year, vs. our 1.5% decline. Then: 1)Erect trade barriers like China, Japan, South Korea, and India. 2)Ensure illegals within the U.S. are not hired. 3)Continue prohibition of Mexican trucks within the U.S. 4)Stop issuing H1-B etc. visas. 5)Reduce our health care spending/person to the levels of other developed nations - save $1.1 trillion/year. 6)Reduce our education, military, drug war, and interest on the national debt to levels comparable with other nations - save another $1.1 trillion/year. 7)Invest some of the savings in improved U.S. manufacturing, pay off national debt, cut taxes.

Every generation needs a new revolution. Thomas Jefferson Ours is overdue.

"France and Germany, the continent's two largest economies, reported recently that they had grown slightly in the second quarter of 2009."

Interesting. These were the same countries that RESISTED Obama's call for massive "stimulus" spending 6 months ago, and now they are recovering WITHOUT that massive increase in their National Debts.

Too bad we didn't follow THEIR lead.

Empire has its costs... better get used to it. Its not about America anymore. "America" doesn't exist at this point. Its a planetary cartel of financial interests & worker bees.

Buzz-buzz.

Hang on a second here. We can no longer think of ourselves as being alone thanks to the corporate and political geniuses who thought up outsourcing going back to Nixon opening up China for trade.... Right now if China collapses where are we going to get all of those products presently resting in our landfills? Where are we going to get all those nice foreign cars with the substandard parts resting in our junkyards? We did not ask for a global economy byt we got one and now we no longer depend on only ourselves but the rest of the world so we can make the top 10% richer and the bottom 90% poorer.

"Who cares what the rest of the world is doing..." How are things in Africa? Be glad you don't live there.

Ahh the moronic socialism arguement. How can socialism be any worse than what we have now. Top 5% OWN 80% OF THE WEALTH.

Indeed, that may be true. 5% deserve 80% of the wealth. The other 95% do nothing for themselves and look to others for a "job".

It's those who provide "jobs" that deserve the lion's share. Anyone who wastes money on college to beg someone for a "job" is a complete fool. Yes, that is 95% of the population. I admit it, I am one of the 95%. I depend on others smarter than me to provide me with a "job". Not once did it ever cross my mind to become an employer.

Every day my thoughts are:

How do I best serve my employer?

How can I become smarter to serve my employer better? Maybe he'll give me a raise if I get a "degree" or a "certificate".

I was taught this through years of public schooling.

Rickeroo, it is not that the richest 5% are smarter than you. It is the fact that they took the risk and made the personal sacrifices that come with running a business. Granted, there are wealthy families. But, it started somewhere. I will say that many politicians became rich through connections with lobbyists or inside information or connections. Take Joe Biden for example. He has been in public service for decades. He started off very middle class and now is wealthy. Certainly did not happen on a senator's pay.

Do you really believe someone deserves a $220 million dollar severance package after running a company into the ground (Robert Nardelli - Home Depot)? Or the million-dollar "bonuses" paid to the people who helped bring on the financial crisis because they made millions in fees - before it all went belly-up?

Sure there are some that do work incredibly hard, are smart, and deserve it, and do provide jobs (Bill Gates, Google founders, small & growing business owners, etc). But let's not generalize and say if you're rich, it's because you deserve it and you work for it. For every rich person that you find that works for it, I bet I can find one that doesn't (probably much more than that).

freudianslip, the whole "CEO" insiders (including many politicians), are exactly what's wrong with some corporations. Nardelli did not deserve his severance package. The question is who wrote the contract? The Board of Directors should be attaching performance contingencies to severance packages. After all, they are responsible for sustaining the corporation and protecting the interests of shareholders. Unfortunately, many board members become CEOs and therefore, they take car of their own. It's about greed and power. Sounds alot like Congress.

Logdump,

We have close to 50% doing nothing to contribute to this country by the way of paying taxes. That 5% won't be around much longer to support the lower 50%. Everyone says we have to manufacture in the US. How can a company compete when they are forced to pay some of the highest taxes on the planet. Accompany that with the federal, state and city regulations and taxes, unions and our inept legislators and there won't be any increase in US manufacturing anytime soon. Now our brilliant government wants to punish business more with the takeover of health care at the expense of small business, then throw in crap and tax and I don't see any kind of recovery for many years to come.

The US won't become competitive again until we give the power back to the people and the states and get the fed government out of our lives. They are sucking the life out of every hard working, productive American. There are 535 people in DC who are responsible for the safety and well being of the US. If they wanted a balance budget they could do it. If they were against high taxes they would not be so wasteful. Our founding fathers warned against career politicians and that is what we have ruining our country. Vote all incumbents out next election and keep doing it for the next decade. Maybe by then we will have people who are ready to live and die by the constitution. Until then, don't expect a recovery.

God Bless America

dave20121

Exactly my point. I get tired of hearing "tax breaks for the rich will stimulate jobs". Tax breaks for small business owners on their business, yes, I bet that will create jobs. But lowering taxes on a CEO that just pulled in $10 million - he's not going to go out and create new jobs. He/she just has more of that $10 million to play with.

"They'll invest it" - that's the comeback argument - that works ONLY if it's invested in U.S. companies AND the company needs the money to expand. For the first one - the hot markets right now, according to several sources including BusinessWeek, are China and Brazil - with the warning to NOT invest in the U.S. right now. So if I get a tax break and invest - chances are it won't be here. Second - if I buy Wal-Mart stock, they aren't going to open a new store or create new jobs because of that. Corporate will be happy, sure, but I doubt they're going to change any business plan because their stock went up $2. If it was only a tax break for investment in new companies (angel investors, IPOs, etc) that might have a chance.

Perhaps taxing corporations based on executive pay as opposed to corporate earnings would provide the motivation needed in order to reign in excessive executive pay, bonuses and retirement packages.

enoughsenough

I agree that eventually that 5% won't be there to tax, but I also don't see how you can honestly tax someone who's making $25K a year. It could be the difference between eating/paying rent and paying your taxes.

You're right with career politicians - no one's willing to make the hard decisions (or really even ask the tough questions). Can we honestly afford our military as it is now with bases around the world? How are we going to handle SS and Medicare? But right now, all you have to do is appease every special interest group so they don't run attack ads for your next election, and you keep your job. And further down the road to ruin we go.

I agree with your statement that everyone says that we need manufacturing back, but I don't see returning to create a new middle class (which is how some people picture it, it seems, although I don't think you do). People just aren't willing to pay for products that have $20/hour labor costs (I think even $10/hour is a stretch).

It's unfortunate that we have to put a stop to this guy to save ourselves , it's too bad we can't thik of a way to let the Obama supporters have what they want, , that would be poetic justice.

Tired old rhetoric without any substance. If you see a guy who is going down the wrong track and he is a competitor you let him follow that path and fall. If he is on the right track you try to stop him from getting his point across and making you look bad.

Your feeble attempts are akin to a gnat crawling up on an elephants behind with rape in his mind

I would really love to look bad logdump! I really would!

If we can stop this Ins plan and Obama's climate bill and keep him from adding 14 million illegal aliens to our population, we'll be oka in about two years, not good, but okay, the liberals have finally got it done they have helped the poor and deserving till we have taxed and regulated industry out of the country. If we can't keep him from buting a another 40 million voted from illegals, all bets are off, it will be a free for all.

If you have any money left start looking around, this country will never be again, what it was. If you are still worth anything look at moving out of the country, personally, I just bought aplace in Costa Rica, if we don't see change in 2010, I'm moving the business out of the states while I still have it.

You only have to look back at the end of Bush's term. He made some real peculiar comments as he tried to hang on during the collapse. Notably that this was a long term problem that would not be solved overnight and that the lasting effects including deficit spending would last for years probably. Think about that and remember he was trying to hide the real facts.

Why is that so hard for the squirrels in the administration to understand?

Jerry, Because they and a whole lot of other people in this world, have absolutly no common sense.

Don't forget about the gov't giving your hard earned moneyto the less deserving, and to everyone that puts out their collective hands ( banks, auto mfg, your neighbor for his home and his new car...........)

That would be just about everyone then. Greed is what makes the world go around.

The role for the Government in this has expired. Obama did what any president would have done had he been Republican or Democrat and that was to stop the bleeding. That has been done. next step is for the private sector to kick in and stimulate it for their own good. One bank who is trying not to lend money recently voted to give close to 1700 employees a million dollar plus bonus. Thats right and it was one of the ones on Paulsons bailout list. Now if everyone in corporate America would hire back 20% of those they laid off and slim down the big wigs bonus number a little we would be on our way. Will it happen? Nope.

GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Nancy, okay you win, Bush was , terrible and desrves to be whipped with bamboo canes for eternity. Obama is much better.

Now, can we do something about this guy, before he bankrupts us.

We are the world - what the he!!? Is Michael Jackson back from the dead? Did George Michael pull up his pants and leave his buddy in the stall? What brutal flashback.

Look - to those of you who haven't figured it out - people like NancyforO are telling you what the real plan is - It's one global government. Plain and simple.

This whole global citizen b.s. that NancyforO's messiah was pushing during the campaign is the real red herring.

The only way to do it is to socialize the only free market economy in the world.

As long as the U.S. is on a different system as the rest of the planet (and provides 50% of the "world's economy") it can't happen. But combine a punitive corporate tax system that sends corporations and production overseas and then run the economy into the ground as far as you can and you have the proper recipe for the Socialist utopia of a central global government that benevolently provides for all peoples of your mother the Earth.

We exported our largest resource. GREED

Go live in Africa.

In the first place a citizenry that has the wrong information is dangerous. You comment implires that the stimulus money will run out. Did you know that the nulk of the money is to be spent after the recovery is in progress and a large amount of that is in the form of tax relief for the average working person so they have something extra to spend?

"It all adds up to an improving picture ahead of an economic summit next month in Pittsburgh of the world's top 20 industrial and developing economies."

This meeting will be perfect opportunity to unveil the "Mission Accomplished" banner for the recession....of course no more has been accomplished than when Bush did the same thing. Get ready for a landslide of media B.S.

well said jeff..

pauldia , stop with the obama crap !!!!! it goes deeper than that . and for all the obama haters , you need to realize that.

bacalex...These are Obama's own words and claim about the deficit. The future is anybodys' guess & I hope I'm wrong but Nouriel Roubini, Robert Precter, Marc Faber and now Warren Buffet all express anxiety over Obamanomics.But, I know, it was Bush's fault!

Funny there was nothing in the first post about Bush.

This crisis is global. Our first taste of Globalization. President Obama is doing as much as he can with what he has to work with. One the numbers he got from the previous admin were either intentionally false or inept. In light of the Republicans actions for the last 8 years I would opt for the latter. There is nothing in history anyone no matter what his or hers politcal persuasion is has to go on. This is the first crisis that affected every economy in the world at the same time. In the past we could borrow from another country to get the ball rolling again. This one left us with no one to turn to except the Fed and the government.

I gues in some peoples lives it is best to castigate the only person who is trying to fix the problem and get some more Republicans elected so they can finish off the worlds economy and have us all digging through a garbage dump somewhere.

I agree with your statement. It's common sense that I'm sure many American's having been thinking all along. Perhaps the light bulb will go off soon for all the greedy corporations.

Fat Chance!

Corporate America is run by Heirs not innovators. Look at the top 10 billionaires in this country for a shock.

Which experts, would that be, all od the experst I have seen, are missing by 20 to 25% .

We have areal unemployment rate of 20.6 % and this idiot is talking about reurning to normalcy.

A rational poster who thinks maybe just maybe the Government and the elite crooks it entails is part of the problem. Is now and always has been since the Federal Reserve took over monetary making policies. Say it with me BAA! BAA!