The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost a third of its value since Obama's been in office.

[katibear]

"Okay, let's see. We had a $1 trillion stimulus package, and today Barack Obama proclaimed that it saved 25 jobs. So that means we spent $40 billion per job. Yes, I know it's worth it. I mean, those people will eat for a year

Comments

[katibear]

I want people to be able to keep their money that they earn so that they can make the choice to give it away to charitable organizations who do a lot better job at taking care of the hungry than the government ever has or will. Since not all people are necessarily that generous with their money, offering a tax cut for giving to these organizations seems like the best way to get the money to the people who can use it most efficiently without removing the people's choice in where that money goes.

The programs offered through charitable organizations like the Doe fund and Goodwill offer ways for people who maybe traditionally think they can't earn a living to find work and be self-sustainable. Places that train people for jobs and help them help themselves instead of just giving handouts are the places we should support, not the government who wastes unbelievable amounts of money (doesn't matter who is in office for that one) and doesn't really make the situation better. The "War on Poverty" has been going on by the government since the 1960s... and it hasn't improved one bit. Some serious reform is needed, like NOT offering unwed mothers more money for having more babies, but instead hooking them up with a charitable organization that teaches about sex ed and how to get a job, to be a productive member of society.

Most non-profits are extremely frugal with their donated dollars, while the government is just not. The money given to non-profits to help the homeless and hungry would go so much farther and helps so many more people with a long-term solution and care, vs temporary poor shelter or a single hot meal. Taking away the tax-credit for the wealthy (those making $250,000 and above, major donors) who donate to non-profits is just going to make the situation worse by making those organizations flounder. Even without taking the tax credit away, over-taxing the wealthy in general will make them give less than they have in the past because they will have less money to give.

I would rather let people make their own decisions about who they want to help with their money than let the government have it. I think we can all admit that there has been some ridiculous spending on both sides of the fence that was unnecessary and ineffective (I was never behind the Bush stimulus package, btw... that wasn't a conservative move). The government should tax people LESS to get out of this mess. Let them keep their money and give them more incentive to give by giving them more tax breaks if they choose to donate it to a charity.

The government does not need more of our money, they just need to be smarter with it. I have to budget frugally to live... shouldn't they do the same? Then maybe we can truly help the people in need by getting them jobs and having them have a sense of pride in themselves that will help them make the choice and have the confidence to be self-sufficient. If all you ever get is handouts, the idea of earning money for a living and working for your food is completely foreign.

Sorry this was so long, but it is a loaded question. I also have little faith that Obama will create ANY long-term, sustainable jobs with the stimulus bill. What he needed to do was give tax breaks to small businesses to let them have more money to hire more employees, and there was nothing about small businesses at all in the bill. Really a shame for all those small businesses who could employ so many people in the US if they just didn't have to pay more taxes. That would make more jobs than any temp government jobs that come out of this bill.