Listening to George Bush talk about the economy is like listening to Paris Hilton give a lecture on differential equations.

The difference is that Paris Hilton knows she's way over her head, and her mistakes don't result in an entire nation being burdened with them.

Opinions of Bush aside, he is right in saying I don't care what they call it.

I like political gridlock -- neither party gets to play Fixit with the country. And while economists like neatly-defined labels, the price of gas and rice and so forth are more important to most people.

One of the current problems is the mortgage meltdown. Seems to me that's the direct product of the gov trying to fix the way banks used to get so fussy about whether you really could be trusted to pay back the loan.

So: gridlock now, gridlock forever!

Gee y'all I just care about the free money I'm gittin. That's s'posed to fix everythin right?

... Thank God that man is wearing his flag pin. Otherwise I'd have a hard time believing he gives a good damn.

Who really cares what President Bush thinks about the economy? Congress gave him what he wanted for six solid years, and with their help, all he managed to do was to drive the economy into a ditch. His 'sensible and effective' measures to address the issue seem to include taking a cash advance on our VisaChina card and then throwing money at every American. I'm sorry, but didn't this President say that 'throwing money at education' wouldn't fix its problems?

I've heard enough from Mr. Bush. The faster he's evicted from his government housing, the better.

266 more days

I somewhat agree with Bush, if only because some of the what the Federal Reserve has done hasn't exactly been welcomed by a number of businesses.

I'm personally more concerned about inflation.

I care about it, like I care about my inflatable raft having a hole in it. I don't care if you call it an "air-pressure adjustment", all I care about is the damn thing is sinking in shark-infested waters.

I hope that wasn't too alarmist...

That the president is buying and wearing $4 green ties is proof enough we're in deep doo-doo.

Let's call it Fred. Or Susy.

The average person doesn't need the government's help to know if we're paying higher gas prices. We've already figured out that difficult question.

What we can't figure out is why Bush and Republicans have blocked attempt to end the multi-BILLION dollar subsidy to oil industry.

[Despite a corporate tax rate of 32 percent, the oil industry has an effective tax rate of only 11 percent. Major multinational integrated oil companies pay even less. A conservative estimate of subsidies going to the petroleum
industry each year places them at $84 billion]

I've actually been patiently waiting for the White House brain trust to invent a new word, so that they can say that this is clearly something other than a recession. I guess no one has come up with any bright ideas yet!

@Scalvo2:
More exciting than X-mas countdown as a kid. Can we get an advent calendar made up??????

I dont care what they call it.... I just want them to DO something about it! I really think they(those in power) could care less how much the common man has to suffer to survive these days. As long as the rich can keep being rich.

LOL, are you kidding EWGF? Businesses should LOVE bush. He lowered their taxes, reduced federal oversight of banking and investments, reduced or obstructed environmental controls on pollution, and on and on. Oh... you mean small businesses? Sorry. All of his changes were for the big businesses. All he did for small businesses was make sure the IRS audited them more.

It is not a recession, it is Mission Accomplished wealth and prosperity!

I'm counting the days until this underachiever is gone...

Three little words:

Windfall profit tax

Call it whatever the hell you want, but do something about it that doesn't involve blaming another party for it.

He should have had a sign behind him that said "Books Balanced!" then maybe I would know what to expect...

Oh, also, I don't really care what they call it, I know what it is when I see it. I'm surprised he didn't call it Billy Bob so that he had an easier time spelling it.

End distortionary government subsidies (which would be all of them). That's the best anyone can do, and I'm glad to see Bush is open to doing so.

i think i'd prefer to call it "epic government failure". so much for we the people.

wow, he actually makes sense. honestly, who the heck cares what they call the recession. They could call it electric bugaloo for all I care. The economy sucks no matter what you call it

Totally with Dubya on this one.

The media is completely and totally obsessed over nomenclature; whether or not we meet the arbitrary definition of a recession or a depression or a correction or whatever.

As if a working family is going to suddenly not be able to pay their mortgage just because the vocabulary has changed.

@zentec: thanks for reminding me, i have a my Diff Eq final in an hour

@BigElectricCat: you know the average work week with the republican majority congress was two days. since dems got it it's been 5. i wish they'd grow some balls and make sure all the other plans go into action. freaking pussies.

@Erwos: actually if we just taxed the top 10% of the income bracket at something like 80% and the lowest at 0% (which is currently 25k and under) they'd still be surviving and the taxes would be a little fairer. also huge corporate profit taxes would be awesome. ending government subsidies just screws over people like farmers and teachers, you know, people we like, NEED.

@Carencey: My bet is that they'll call it an "economicatastical victorybration."

Either that or "it's the Democrat's fault."

Yay Bush. Closing the barn door after EVERYTHING is out. Woulda been nice if you didn't create this mess in the first place.

@katylostherart:

Word.

My conservative associates point at Congress' low approval rating and crow that obviously, duh peeple must hate that Congress is trying to stop President Bush. Strangely, when I point out the President's low approval rating, they're not so quick with a soundbite.

IMO, Congress' lousy approval rating is reflective of its utter failure to do anything to restrain this President and hold him accountable for his (thus far) admitted lawbreaking.

President Bush = EPIC FAIL

frightening, i agree with him. granted i can count these times on one hand, but it's still disturbing when a new one pops up.

worst president ever. If there was a douchebag more incompetent than Herbert Hoover, Bush-lite is it.

@bohemian: I don't necessarily disagree with you, but what do you think the criteria should be for such a tax? Dollars per share, Dollars per market cap, per market cap per shareholder?

Because obviously Exxon is going to have more profit than a smaller oil company or an independent -- but what if an independent is more profitable per dollar of market cap?

I think there's definitely some excess in the system, especially with regard to the tax breaks, but I haven't seen a concrete proposal for what constitutes a windfall profit other than "that guy's business is more profitable than mine and that's bad"

Can we please fast forward the calendar to January 1st, 2009? The faster we get Mr Brainless Idiot Bush out of this country's hair, the better off we'll all be.

@katylostherart: I've got the Legislative Calendar for this week here at my desk:

Monday: No Votes
Tuesday: Votes postponed until 6:30 PM
Wednesday: Votes
Thursday: Votes
Friday: No Votes

It's easy to criticize members for not working hard, but tell that to Sen. Inouye or Murkowski who have a 7 hour commute.

There are some things that the Dems have done differently for better or for worse, but the Legislative Calendar is virtually the same.

@BigElectricCat: i like how if you do the math bush's current approval rating is almost equal to the percentage of the population that actually voted for him.

@m1k3g: yeah i'd say that'd be great, except i think mccain's gonna be the next president. which probably won't be any better.

@RagingBoehner: what smaller oil companies? at this point they're all pretty giant. any corporation that generates enough profit to be considered a windfall will be able to afford it. any company that couldn't afford it didn't have a windfall. there would just have to be some really really intricate specifications in the wording of that tax law in regards to the profit margins. until they figure out yet another way to get around it.

"Bush then went on to explain that he wants to end farm subsidies..."

Cool. Slap the folks that elected you twice now that you're on the way out.

I guess cutting farm subsidies would work...if people can't afford to grow food anymore, you won't be able to eat, so you won't buy food, so you'll have more money for gas.

Sure. It's all the Democratic congress' fault.

Even though they've held a very slim majority for less than 18 mos.

Even though we're in an endless war that's sucking us dry.

Even though the Republicans were in charge since 1995, and have held the executive and legislative branches since 2001.

Sure. It's all the Democratic congress' fault. Whatever. Mr. 24%-and-falling should try something else - like rescinding his tax cuts for the rich and inventing a time machine - or he's going down as the worst president in the history of this nation.

@m1k3g: Oh the new president takes over Jan 1st? Nice.

Bush is right here. Congress blocks him in everything, ever since 2006 when congress became majority democrat.

And if you look at all that is wrong with the economy, and look at H.C or B.O's promises, you'll see they will just make it worse. Congress currently has a fundamental ignorance with big oil, and how it all works.

You can spout that Bush is stupid all day long, but really you just don't like his policy. And I agree his policy isn't always spot on, but the othersides solution will upgrade this fake recession into a real depression.

With adding global healthcare to the mix, and getting government involved in oil. I wish you guys would learn about how oil works before you shoot your mouth off.

Regardless of the attacks I'm about to be faced with, ALL of our problems stem from when congress went Democrat in 2006. ALL. Look it up.

The only exception would be the war, which currently is a great success.

@Bladefist: You can spout that Bush is stupid all day long

I'm just going by his record of failed business ventures, inability to actually win the 2000 election, and his failed initiatives - from the war on terror (where's Osama?) to the Iraq war to "privatizing social security" to his inept cabinet.

I love the way Republican will blame EVERYTHING on Democrats - even when the democrats haven't held a majority in either house since 2001. Get real, dude.

@RagingBoehner: i'm not going to feel bad for any senator that fails to show up to do his job. if you don't want to do it DON'T RUN FOR OFFICE. they vote for their own pay raises, after two terms they're paid for life at full salary and so far, they've helped screw this country into the ground. i'd especially like to mention my senator, joe lieberman, who lost the democratic nomination because he was a dick and then ran independent because "that was what he felt was better for the voters". so he split the party vote between dem and independent and got back in when he clearly did not represent his party's values. if he had, he would've been voted in.

i have no sympathy for politicians who bitch and moan about the requirements of their jobs considering their idiocy has consequences for usually everyone but themselves.

I call it the "Bush Depression" -- the worst since the dustbowl days of the 1930s.

People, tinkle-down, I mean trickle-down economics doesn't work!!!

It didn't work for Hoover, it didn't work for Reagan, and now it's made the American dream a nightmare for millions of us.

I am a boomer, an Ivy League grad, and I am the first generation since WWII who will do WORSE financially than my parents.

We're in deep shit here, and I don't see much light at the end of the sewer...

Thank god we got a president with an MBA. I don't think he's used it even once so far in the past 7+ years.

@CaliforniaCajun: I love the way democrats blame everything on republicans.

He won the 2000 election. Learn how our government works. You can debate our election process, don't debate he didnt win.

Well since we haven't found Osama yet, I guess we shouldnt try? Just let those terrorist attacks go? Forget the fact we got Suddam.

Privatizing social security is not realistic in our current dual-party system. It'll never happen.

@Bladefist: What color is the sky on your planet, and how are you judging the war in Iraq as a "Great success"?

Because from where I'm sitting, simply asserting that everything is the Democrat's fault (even though Bush used his veto power for the first time to push back on Democratic-sponsored bills) isn't enough to make it so.

But then again, that's a common Republican tactic - repeat something enough, and people will fall for it. See also: Saddam Hussein, 9/11, war on terror, etc. Even though Hussein was an enemy of al-Quada and actively denied them safe haven, we invaded, and now al-Q uses Iraq's lawless lands and inept army/police as a safe haven. Because your president's advisors decided to disband the Iraqi army, there was no hope for securing the country after "Mission Accomplished" - you know, when Bush declared that major combat operations were over - FOUR YEARS and 3500 dead troops ago.

Seriously. You are deranged. A war that will cost over 3 Trillion when all is accounted for in a country that can't govern or police itself, you call that a success?

"The average person wants to know whether or not we know that they're paying higher gasoline prices and they're worried about staying in their homes," he said.

Wait, now he's implying that he can lower gas prices? I thought he had no control over gas prices. Which way is it?

I think Pinget is right. We're in a Fred now but might soon be in a Suzy.

@CaliforniaCajun: I'm deranged? No, I'm informed. I can tell by the way you speak you're repeating some other nut case. If you spend less then 2 hours a day reading about politics and news, you're uninformed. You're just regurgitating the same crap the rest of the people in here are.

So passionate about something that you know nothing about. You are all that is wrong with America. More misinformed then a box of rocks but a damn good keyboard warrior for the left. The joke is the two democrat nominees, the punchline is you.

You know what country you live in? We are the ones who time and time again have come to the rescue of other nations. We disassembled the nazi's. We have a free market where if you work harder, and are smart, you can become a billionaire. This is the way it has always been. Your socialist buddies can comment on here all day long, you're liberal friends can only interrupt the process, not change it.