http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/busheconomy/ en-us Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:11:11 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2166393/posts "... to win over Senate Democrats, Mr. Bush both phased in the tax rate reductions and settled for politically popular but economically feckless tax rebate checks." "...Mr. Bush's spending record is less admirable, especially during his first term. He indulged the majority Republicans on Capitol Hill, refusing to veto overspending ..." Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2166393/posts#comment Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:11:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140548/posts If you had any questions about how differently the economy will be covered with Barack Obama in the White House they were answered by George Stephanopoulos on Sunday when he credited the president-elect with causing the recent stock market rally as well as better than expected sales the day after Thanksgiving. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140548/posts#comment Mon, 1 Dec 2008 00:04:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2140077/posts In his book "The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse," Gregg Easterbrook, senior editor at the New Republic and contributing editor to The Atlantic, castigates the media for dwelling on minor problems without celebrating the broader, more upbeat context in which they exist. One of the broader, more upbeat events of recent years is the significant and dramatic increase in real GDP per-capita worldwide. Using world GDP data from the IMF and world population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the chart above shows real world GDP per-capita from 1985 to 2013 (data from 2008 -... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2140077/posts#comment Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:35:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133373/posts Last week, assembled at Miami’s InterContinental Hotel for a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, the governors seemed cheerful. The G.O.P. had lost only one statehouse on Election Day. The prospects for a Republican pickup in Virginia in 2009 were decent, and good candidates were plotting runs in states like California, Pennsylvania and Ohio in 2010. There was even a sense of liberation in the air. For the last 14 years, there has been either a Republican Congress or a Republican White House, or sometimes both. Now the Republican governors are free of those heavy taps on the shoulder from... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133373/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:16:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2115720/posts DALLAS (January 21, 2008) – As Congress debates whether to renew tax cuts enacted early in the George W. Bush presidency, as well as various economic stimulus plans, critics often label the measures as "tax cuts for the rich." Yet a new report from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) says the Bush tax cuts made the tax code more progressive, no matter how progressivity is measured. In fact, the report concludes that every major tax change (Republican or Democrat) over the past two decades has increased the share of taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans. The top 1... National Center for Policy Analysis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2115720/posts#comment Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:18:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2112433/posts DOW currently down 561 points. tatown http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2112433/posts#comment Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:38:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104654/posts Stocks rallied Monday afternoon, with the Dow up over 800 points during the session, as investors bet that the worst of the credit crisis is over, following a series of global initiatives announced over the last few days. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained as much as 814 points and over 9% before pulling back a bit. The advance was the largest ever during a session on a point basis. CNNFN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104654/posts#comment Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:04:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2102122/posts <p>Bloomberg television states Bush to address the public later this morning.</p> <p>Bloomberg states: “Bush to assure the American Public he’s going to do all he can.” Now there a confidence building snippet.</p> Bloomberg Television http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2102122/posts#comment Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:41:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2101192/posts US administrations typically suffer temporary loss of international influence as their time in office draws to a close. But rarely has Washington’s global prestige and leverage fallen so low as in the dog days of US President George W. Bush’s eight-year reign. This debilitation is a source of concern for the US’ friends — and a dangerous opportunity for its enemies, who hope such weakness can be both exploited and made permanent. The US-triggered economic crisis has reinforced hostile perceptions of US vulnerability. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gleefully invited Iranians to listen to the sound of global power crashing to... Taipei TImes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2101192/posts#comment Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:29:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2089744/posts "I'm ill about the position that America is in and that we have to look at a $700 billion bailout. At the same time we know that inaction is not an option and as Senator McCain has said unless this nearly trillion-dollar bailout is what it may end up to be, unless there are amendments in Paulson's proposal, really I don't believe that Americans are going to support this and we will not support this," Palin said in the interview. Couric pressed Palin on examples of how McCain, a 26-year congressional veteran, had led the charge for more oversight. The... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2089744/posts#comment Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:27:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085487/posts Eager to show that he feels people's pain, President Bush told the country Thursday his administration is working feverishly to calm turmoil in the financial markets. With reports swirling of possibly imminent new government action, the president met with his treasury secretary and the head of the Federal Reserve. Nothing was announced immediately after the 40-minute meeting at the White House, which included Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, along with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. White House spokesman Tony Fratto would not comment on whether any decisions were made at the session, or whether... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080918/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_markets&printer=1;_ylt=AiEgqLZ6uoD9nqYmnUgo2 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085487/posts#comment Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:02:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082962/posts Bad day for Wall Street Google Finance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082962/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:16:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080851/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer confidence soared unexpectedly to an eight-month high in September as lower fuel prices soothed inflation fears and made Americans more hopeful about the economy, a survey showed on Friday. The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said its preliminary index of confidence jumped to 73.1 in September, the highest since January, from 63.0 in August, for the biggest monthly jump since January 2004. September's reading was well above economists' median expectation of 64.0, according to a Reuters poll. The sunnier mood can be traced mostly to lower prices at the gas pump and consumers' one-year... Reuters via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080851/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:41:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075277/posts Unemployment Rate Hits 5-Year High As Economy Continues to Shed Jobs By BRIAN BLACKSTONE September 5, 2008 9:27 a.m. WASHINGTON -- The U.S. jobless rate unexpectedly jumped in August to a nearly five-year high as employment fell for an eighth-straight month, raising the risk of recession as households face a struggling labor market and high inflation. The data, which included a modest rise in wages, suggest Federal Reserve officials will hold interest rates steady when they meet later this month and at subsequent meetings through the end of the year. Nonfarm payrolls, which are calculated by a survey of establishments,... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075277/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:55:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069710/posts <p>Second-quarter GDP revised up to a surprising 3.3% annual growth; initial jobless claims declined last week. More soon.</p> CnnFn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069710/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:38:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058574/posts Inflationary pressures were subdued, the data showed, with real hourly compensation falling -- a hopeful sign for the fight against inflation, but troubling for economic growth. Productivity in the nonfarm business sector rose a 2.2% annualized rate in the second quarter, a bit slower than the 2.7% rate that economists surveyed by MarketWatch had been looking for. See Economic Calendar. Unit labor costs -- a key gauge of inflationary pressures from labor markets -- rose 1.3% compared with the 1.6% rate expected by economists. Output rose an annualized 1.7% in the quarter, while hours worked dipped 0.5% and real hourly... wall street journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058574/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 14:41:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044952/posts US retail sales in surprise climb Consumers spending is the biggest driver of the US economy. US retail sales climbed by the largest amount in six months during May after spending was helped by tax rebates. Sales rose by a better-than-expected 1% in May, the Commerce Department said, the largest rise since November. It also said April's figure had been revised up to a rise of 0.4% against the previous estimate of a 0.2% fall. Economists said the rise indicated that the economy had been given a boost by the stimulus package under which millions of Americans got tax... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044952/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:09:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031025/posts The $48 billion in tax rebates sent out to American consumers this spring has helped keep the US economy out of a recession, but analysts believe the impact may only be temporary. The rebates, approved by Congress earlier this year, helped push May retail sales up at twice the expected rate. But consumers are still facing rising gas costs, falling home prices and the struggling job market, so the rise is probably short-term, says Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com. "Come October, there are probably going to be weaker numbers," Zandi said. "People are spending the rebate checks very... CMBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031025/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:37:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013196/posts Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday that the worst of the credit crisis is over, according to attendees at a New York speech. Greenspan also said house prices still had a long way to fall and it was unlikely they would stabilize by year-end, according to meeting attendees who provided Reuters details of the speech delivered at the Alternative Public Strategies Conference. The attendees, who declined to be identified by name, said Greenspan mentioned that U.S. growth was likely to be sluggish for an extended period of time. The U.S economy is reeling from a housing-led slowdown,... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013196/posts#comment Thu, 8 May 2008 19:35:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009600/posts I once heard Rush Limbaugh say the way he deals with a recession is to “not participate in it.” Today we found out that in our current so-called recession, the economy itself is not participating. You’ve heard, of course, about the “recession.” The Associated Press has been referring to it as an established fact for much of the year. Every day, we see interviews with economists who grimly warn that we are surely already in a recession. The only debate is how bad it will get. Oops. Some facts just arrived, and they’re not what the media, the economists and... North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009600/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 11:35:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007784/posts AND NOW, FOR SOME GOOD NEWS: THE OTHER SHOE isn't going to drop. After a winter of discontent marked by massive write-offs on Wall Street and a wilting economy on Main, America's portfolio managers have declared that the worst is over. More than half of the institutional investors participating in our latest Big Money poll say they're bullish... More than 55% of pros think stocks are undervalued, and most plan to boost their holdings... Much has changed since we took the pros' pulse last October, little for the better. Oil is up, profits are down, credit's constrained and a major... Barron's http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007784/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:42:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982122/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Employers made their deepest cut in staffing in almost five years in February, the Labor Department reported Friday. There was a net loss of 63,000 jobs, which is the biggest decline since March 2003 and weaker than the revised 22,000 jobs lost in January. Economists had forecast a gain of 25,000 jobs. The weak report fueled already mounting recession fears and is likely to keep the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates further when it meets later this month. "Based on today's Employment Report, if we are not in a recession, it is a darned good imitation... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982122/posts#comment Fri, 7 Mar 2008 20:50:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953036/posts FOR YEARS, AS the economy has boomed, the permabears have said recession is just around the corner. They've been wrong. Now there's a little bit of evidence of an economic slowdown, and those same bears are declaring victory — they're saying the recession is right here, right now. We shouldn't be too surprised at a bit of a slowdown here. After all, despite the housing downturn, 2007 was a high-growth year by and large. It wouldn't be out of pattern to have to give back a little for a couple quarters just in the normal cycle of things. And with... TrendMacro/SmartMoney.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953036/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:07:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939594/posts Following last week’s solid jobs report, the New York Times got back to its Bush-bashing recession mantra with the front-page headline: “Slowing Growth and Jobs Seen as Ominous Sign for the Economy.” This chant has been going on for quite some time. Doom and gloom from the economic pessimists has been political sport for seven years, even though the Bush boom just celebrated its sixth anniversary. The current expansion is now in its 74th month — 17 months longer than the average 57-month business cycle since World War II. NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939594/posts#comment Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:06:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919481/posts (2007 Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association Fall Conference) Renaissance Hotel Washington, D.C THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Please be seated. Billy, thank you. I asked Billy where he works. He said, well, I run Sunny Delight beverage company. I said, well, Billy, I quit drinking. (Laughter.) He said, that's not that kind of alcohol. I thank you all for having me. Billy, thank you for your kind words. He's from Cincinnati. I was in Cincinnati the other day, stopped off and got some ribs, and he tried to ask me to compare Texas ribs with Cincinnati ribs.... whitehouse.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919481/posts#comment Thu, 1 Nov 2007 14:17:15 GMT