CNN

Big Al:

ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Obama, since you and your economic team intend to bail out homeowners who won't pay their mortgages (contracts), please send me a lot of money, too, and by all means don't bother to find out just who will have to pay for my share - what family will give up what so you can run your Socialist/Marxist programs?

Thank god W will join the ranks fo the unemployed

To alvino

I agree with you, "W" acted too much like a democrat on this issue.

Oh WOW!!!

The unemployment rate has finally gotten near Clinton's worst month while he was president.

Thanks to the democrat congress, our economy is tanking. Everything was rosy until you foolish people put those goons into power. And now you have elected a Socialist/Marxist to "lead(???) them?

The sky is falling, the sky is falling..

"BUSH WORKED AGRESSIVELY TO ADRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF OUR ECONOMIC PROBLEMS". DON'T MAKE ME THROWUP, BUSH IS THE CAUSE OF OUR ECONOMIC PROBLEM.

Wait, let me guess.... they "didn't see it coming".

George W. Bush. Worst president ever. No wonder his dad hangs out will Bill Clinton. Junior has to be a great disappointment to him.

@ Big Al

Surely you gest !!!

Ken, you are right. I have been sayign for some time that the american worker is gonna get slammed and here it is. Illegal immigrants and outsourcing have just about destroyed jobs here. Not to mention your fact that we are being drastically underpaid and the median level of pay is well below livable means.

Big Al,

You can`t be serious!!

Sorry, I cannot accept that President Bush is working hard at anything other than trying to make himself look better. There is a reason that his popularity rate is the lowest we've ever seen for a sitting President since the polls started! But we are all to blame here...we didn't do our research, we didn't get out the vote in 2000 and 2004 (check the figures of how many actualy voted in those elections), and we didn't start screaming bloody murder when the government took away our Constitutional rights and legalized torture.

We here in Texas know President Bush well. Those three companies he ran into the ground and had to bailed out by his daddy were HERE. The people he put on unemployment were HERE. And it is my unfortunate privilege to know he will be moving into his new multi-million dollar house less than 10 miles from me while hundreds, including me, are fighting to keep our much more modest homes within that 10 mile radius, much less the tens of thousands across the country. Somehow I doubt I'll see Laura at the local grocery stores, or George out moving his own yard!

Yeah thats right Obama and there will be more job loses once you start taxing those buisness making over 250th. to pay for your tax credits.

Looks like unreality king is now posting under big al...

big al,
nope, no one except you has that point of view. the global economy is tanking because the effects of the last 8 years of bush-chehey policy are coming home to roost.

Brandon, don't forget bush did a number on the Texas Rangers...made the playoffs before him; never since, AND he traded away Sammy Sosa.

RealityKing January 9th, 2009 10:13 am ET

8% is considered an historically good unemployment rate. And how many people were working in 1945? 1975??
------------------------
In 1945, the US population was 150 million. That's half of today's population.

In other words, 8% unemployment today is equivalent to 16% unemployment in 1945.

Oh, and by the way, the US population in 1930 was 123 million, which is the equivalent of 20% unemployment in 1930. In other words, in absolute terms, 8% unemployment today is as many people as 20% in 1930. That's almost as many unemployed people as during the Great Depression.

Big Al, will you please share with us what it's like to live in that alternate reality in which you apparently dwell? Is it anything like "opposite day"?

Big Al, will you please share with us what it's like to live in that alternate reality in which you apparently dwell. Is it anything like "opposite day"?

Duhhhhhhh. 11 more days and our 8 year national nightmare will be over.

@ Big Al

You're welcome to go with them.

Cue the Republicans trying to pin this on Obama, or Clinton. Gotta give credit where credit is due, good job GWB and Dick Cheney! LOL

Has anyone ever considered that just maybe the reason our economy and the global economy is imploding is because Bush and Cheney are leaving office? If we kept them in for another 8 years I bet our economy would be soaring. When George boards his plane to take him to Texas, this will be a sad day for all of us.

Long live George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. You have served your country well and America will miss you.

There are only a few more people who MUST become un-emplyed before we can turn the corner. They are of course George W Bush, Dick Cheney and several members of their crew.

It is less than two weeks now and I can't wait.

If "W" only had a chance to start a few more wars, he could have lowered the high unemployment rate.

RealityKing?

It is "W" and his merry band of corrupt conservatives who have mortgaged our granchildrens future. (Can you say "Bailout?")

"W" has spent like a drunken sailor on shore leave, I am, however, impressed with your inane attempt to spin the last unemployment report as not that bad.

When George Soros wants to win an election and distributes all that money to the MSM and ACORN, its amazing what follows.

If you think Bush's progressively defined recession has been bad.., just wait until Obama's conservatively defined depression kicks in by the end of this year.

I am sorry extending unemployment benefits is necessary.

There is NOTHING bold about what Bush has done. He has never addressed any domestic policy issues. In his eight years we have gone backwards instead of forwards.

Reality King,
I think your name is a complete misnomer.
who controlled congress 1994-2007?
who started with a budget surplus and turned it into the largest deficit ever?
and the news is portraying the economy as very bad; same as the PE, so how do you come up with "things are not really that bad"?
Unreality court jester, is more like it.

@ RealityKing

And what window are you looking out of that things appear "not really that bad"? You're off your meds again, aren't you?

Bush is one of the worst leaders in America's history. I told G.W. not to go war with Iraq, and i feared it would wreck our economy and reputation. George insisted I didn't know what was best for me and my family and that he did. 6 years later we have a disaster.... I wish we could exile him from america.
signed
so disappointed in GA

Thank you, George!

This is truly another example of WHY America should never EVER SElect a president. GW Bush the worst U.S. President in history, but has anyone else notice that the media should had been VERY vocal under GW Bush's administration but came up WEAK. Why then is the media taking out their short comings on President-elect Obama? TRIFLIN!

"2.6 million jobs lost in 2008"

It sucks to be you man!! LOL!! I'm playing, I'm playing...I just won yesterday that's all.

Isn' this just way too little, way too late?? The last few days of these last eight years, the administration is working aggressively to help the problem. Give me a break!!

Mary,

Stick to clerking. Any other type of thinking is above your pay grade.

We're doomed .... the Bush Inc. spin machine predicts a turnaround, so clearly, things will only get much worse.

RealityKing,

Get an education before commenting. I've read som many of your inane, inaccurate and just plain idiotic posts to know that: either you have no education or the money spent on an education was wasted.

No matter what Any how stop it ,Without job .......think about Bills payment, Kids Food , House payment, cloth, Car payment, maney maney thing.Who can saved this country ? 85% people hope OBAMA , Obama is our MUM.

2.6 Million jobs lost in 2008 the largest amount in 54 years. Not, since 1945 have more people lost their jobs in 1 year. Almost 2 million in the last 4 months of 2008.

But, hey, Congress no worries, take as long as you want second-guessing the economic team's recommendations, only half a million more folks will lose their jobs in January. Of course, your jobs are safe so why worry about the common guy??

Another one of the shrub's legacy, but I am sure it will be better in 10 years...

RealityKing

I am looking out my window and am left with the thought of where your view is from? From my view it is terrible 2.8 million jobs gone and not to be found again worst rate since WWII and you think it is good. I want to live with your view because if I did I wouldn't have to be confronted with the reality that our country is in serious shape and that if something isn't done now it will only get worst.
And you don't have to be a liberal to see this.

RealityKing January 9th, 2009 10:13 am ET

8% is considered an historically good unemployment rate
--------------------------

No, it's not. 5-6%'s good, 7%'s a little above the long-term average, and anything at or above 8% indicates significant problems. 8% unemployment means 16 million people out of work.

More to the point, American businesses have been systematically devaluing labor to pump up their operating statements for the past eight years, and the demand side of the economy's out of money. If you drive wages low enough, the supply of disposable income disappears from the economy, and spending grinds to a halt. If we want people to start spending again, we have to provide them with useful work to do, and incomes to reward their work. The first $20,000/year anybody earns will get spent.

If we want to have an economy, we have to support a balance of supply and demand, even if that means the 10-20% annualized ROIs people feel entitled to just aren't realistic any more. Historically, an 8% annual ROI is pretty good; extracting more than 10% bleeds the economy white.

Brendan H., San Antonio, TX,

Bush ran every company he ever owned/managed into the ground. When he was elected the first time, I thought, how much damage could he do in 4 years. When he was reelected, I cried. I knew we would pay dearly for this mistake.

I honestly do not believe he set-out to fail. I think he tried. He just do not have what it takes to be a president of anything.

@Reality King.You must be able to see OZ from your window,well good for you.Those years and numbers for unemployment have changed and been fudged.The unemployed no longer collecting benifits are not considered unemployed thanks to Ronnie "the boy wonder"Reagan.

Worst unemployment rate since the Clinton years.

Not that 7.2% is really that bad in the big picture - and of course since, according to politicians, there are some jobs "that Americans won't do," things are even better. Imagine what the unemployment rate would be if we ensured only Americans were employed (and able-bodied people had to work when work is available): lower unemployment payouts, higher tax revenue, more dollars staying and being spent in the US, less burden on public facilities (schools, roads, etc.), less over crowding, ...

Sorry. I didn't mean to be a politically incorrect, racist, xenophobic, nationalisitc fear monger. I don't know what got into me.

Bush is making sure he leaves the same way he came in, doing nothing! What a complete joke and disgrace this lame duck is! This guy does'nt care about nothing or no one! He'll also leave office without pardoning those two poor border patrol agents! Incompetent idiot! Can't wait for him to go!!!

Stop looking backward, start looking forward. Obama wants (needs) us to stay actively involved in our government. Keep your eyes and ears open and don't let your elected officials get away with sabotaging plans to help us out of this mess. Ignore the sputtering from the right about "spending." You've got to spend money to make money. Your voice was heard on election day - don't stop now!

TOO LITTLE........ TOO LATE! Where has Bush been for the last EIGHT years? This DISASTER did not happen overnight!

From January 1994 through January 2007 the Congress (both House & Senate) was controlled by the ..........Republicans!

How can someone who has been in office for EIGHT years not SEE the coming DISASTER?????

And where were ALL the "holier-than-thou" Far-righ-complainers when Bush was SPENDING OUR NATION INTO OBLIVION??????????

BUSH LEGACY: $12 TRILLION IN NATIONAL DEBT! THANKS!

have faith huh? tell that to one of the 2.8 million who lost their jobs and can't find a replacement job.

7.2% isn`t good, but it`s not all that bad. The number of job losses compared to 1945 doesn`t mean much unless we know how many jobs ther were in 1945, and how many 2-income families compared to today. I am very disappointed in the lack of any real analysis of this situation.

one must ask: if the moron had been prevented from using the us armed forces as his own mercenary force to invade, occupy, and prop up a puppet government in Iraq (like many others, I would love to read the Iraqi constitution in its 'original' english:), by a republican AND democratic congress, if, at a cost of estimated 750,000,000 a day for almost 6 years, the country would be in the economic straits it is today...even with only 11 days to go in this administration, this moron we have suffered under for 8 loooong years, could still do the right thing and, even with only 11 days left, resign...the rermoval of this moron from the national psyche cannot come soon enough...

Reality King: What "reality" are you living in??

This is the real tragedy. 2.6 million jobs lost means a disaster for all of us. More foreclosures, unemployment, lost tax revenue, less hopefulness. Well lets all hope we can get out of this mess soon.

Why do the financial and banking sector who got billions NOT disclose to anyone what they are doing with it. If they want more they MUST account for it, every penny!

Offshoring of jobs must stop so there will be jobs for American workers and not just foreign workers, along with the visas that allow companies to import cheaper workers, displacing American workers.

Ever look to see just where most of your things are made? Bet it doesn't say "Made in USA". Why do you think WalMart sells so cheap?

More BULL--, BULL--, BULL-- as usual from this president – he thinks we are as stupid as he is. Like anybody paying a mortgage and losing a job can afford all the expenses on just unemployment benefits. We get unemployment (if we're lucky) and his rich patrons get huge bailouts to continue throwing lavish parties with. Yeah, that will solve things alright. Could Bush please move to another country (if anyone will have him).

Now that Bush will be FINALLY out of the WH, maybe 2009 won't be as bad, but then again it is going to take a lot longer than 1 year to crawl out of the hole we are in. I hope the Bushes enjoy their BRAND NEW HOME because millions are Americans sure won't be able to say the same. All I can say is let them eat cake!

With the spend/spend/spend socialist patterns we are already seeing from Obama, no, the economy will not improve this year. The government is spending money they don't have just like private citizens have been trying to spend money they don't have. This kind of debt privately and governmentally will only feed the upcoming depression.

reality king I suspect you have not actually looked at unemployment figures since WWII the average is 4% with 5% being a point of worry. The unemployment figures we ahve now have not occured since the start of WWII. Sorry to burst your bubble but 8% is NOT a good thing! No matter who you in the radical right try to make this look like everything is fine and that any problems are all the democrats fault the facts (I KNOW I KNOW you on the radical right (and those on the looney left) do not like to deal with facts as they smack too much of science and that terrible book learning but they are reality) show that WE ARE in dire economic straits and BOTH parties had a strong hand in putting us there.

and Brendan H I will take your bet there will always be those that think bush has done a great job.

idiots

How about, in one easy swipe of a pen, raise everyones credit score to 730. Then, everyone would be "credit worthy", able to get loans needed to purchase thus restarting the economy.

Dearest "RealityKing"

Obama won and you lost...get over it. Its a new world...OUR world. America said NO to the dysfuntional / biggotted GOP and that bimbo Sarah Palin.

Now have a nice day you silly repube

your dearest friend Mary

@ Reality King
Sorry, but no matter how much progressively corrupt liberals try to spin the bad news, Americans know from experience, not to mention looking out a window, that things are not really that bad.

-------------------------------–

Tell that to the over 2 MILLION people who lost their jobs in 2008.

I am SICK of you guys tryng to tell us not to believe our own eyes.

why did president bush and the republican party allow this to happen to the greastest country in the world?? make them be accountable.

bush has made a real mess of things along with the right wing nuts who have supported his worthless policies for 8 years. Can't he leave today?

Thanks Bush for destroying our country....I hope you rot in hell you pathetic Moron. What a sorry excuse for a man!!! I hope the memories of the 4000 + dead GI's who died for your lies haunt you until your dying day.

Thank god for Obama and a new dayand era he will bring to our country, God bless Obama and America!!!

Mary

from sunny Houston Texas

For the President to understand the depth of the problem and to work aggressively to solve it would mean President Bush has a clue. We know he doesn't have a clue, so no news here.

"Understanding how severe the problem was, the President worked aggressively to address the root causes of the current economic problems.."
WHAT!!!! IS THIS A JOKE!!!!
Do they really think that people are dumb enough to believe that the President is even aware of how much people are really suffering out there??
Are we being punked!?!?

Eleven more days.

8% is considered an historically good unemployment rate. And how many people were working in 1945? 1975??

Sorry, but no matter how much progressively corrupt liberals try to spin the bad news, Americans know from experience, not to mention looking out a window, that things are not really that bad. Certainly not bad enough to sale our grandchildren's livelyhoods to Obama and his drunk band of merry liberals.

The good paying jobs are gone for good with free trade giving them to the 3rd world countries. Anyone looking for work will have to be content with wages at or below the proverty line. That is capitalism at work.

Just imagine how truly bad the numbers would be if the Bush Administration didn't count temp-to-hire positions and fast food jobs as "new" jobs – the first and only administration to do so in history!

And this is supposed to be an example of a burgeoning economy? Take a page from W's bio – three companies owned/managed into bankruptcy. The legacy continued when he got his hands on the largest business in the world – the USA!!!

I'll bet within 1 year you won't be able to find anybody with a modicum of sense to admit that they voted for this drunken, coke-headed, frat boy lout!!!

Monica Lewinsky has been vindicated!!!!!!!!

WHERE'S OUR BAILOUT MONEY????