Bush Presses Senate To Pass Stimulus Plan

President Makes Appeal On Heels Of Discouraging Labor Report

(AP)  President Bush pressed Congress to pass an economic rescue package, saying Friday's labor report marking the end of a 52-month streak of national job growth was another "troubling" sign that the economy is sputtering.

Bush toured Hallmark Cards Inc. in the nation's heartland to push a plan of tax rebates for millions of people and tax breaks for companies. The stimulus package, passed by the House, has hit roadblocks in the Senate.

The president spoke just hours after the Labor Department reported that employers cut 17,000 jobs in January - the first such reduction in more than four years.

"Interest rates are low, inflation is low, productivity is high, but there are certainly some troubling signs," Bush said. "There are serious signs that the economy is weakening and that we got to do something about it. Today we got such a sign when after 52 consecutive months of job creation, we lost 17,000 jobs."

His message to the Senate at the greeting card maker, however, seemed more softly worded than in recent days.

"I appreciate the fact that the Senate is trying to work through this as quickly as possible, so I'm just urging them to get it done," Bush said. "Because the sooner this package makes it to my desk - that actually focuses on ways to stimulate growth - the better off our economy is going to be."

The House quickly adopted a $161 billion economic stimulus plan this week that would send $600-$1,200 rebates to more than 100 million Americans in hopes they would spend the money quickly and give the flagging economy a shot in the arm.

Senate Democrats are pushing to add elements to the House plan that they say will add a bigger boost, including smaller rebates that would go to more people such as low-income older Americans, wealthier taxpayers and disabled veterans, plus heating aid for the poor. The Senate plan, estimated to cost $204 billion, also would extend unemployment benefits.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the jobs report showed that Bush's assessment of the economy is "greatly misguided." He pushed for the Senate version of the stimulus package, which would extend unemployment insurance to the jobless.

"We hope Republicans similarly recognize the urgency of helping Americans who are being pushed out of the work force, and our stimulus bill is one important step in that direction," Reid said.

While acknowledging the negative jobs report, Bush said the underpinnings of the U.S. economy remained strong. "We're just in a rough patch," he said, adding that Congress could help by passing free-trade pacts, reforming the housing administration, renewing his education law and keeping taxes down.

Bad economic news has followed Bush on his three-day swing through California, Nevada, Colorado and Missouri to highlight themes of his State of the Union address and raise more than $4.7 million for the Republican Party and its candidates.

Just before Bush spoke Wednesday at a helicopter factory in Torrance, Calif., the Commerce Department reported that the economy nearly stalled in the last quarter of last year, growing by just 0.6 percent, half the pace economists expected. A day later, the department reported that consumer spending was up just 0.2 percent in December, the weakest in six months.

Bush's trip was overshadowed by a busy week on the campaign trail. Republicans and Democrats vying for Bush's job debated in California. And the GOP's Rudy Giuliani and Democrat John Edwards both bowed out of the race.

That didn't stop Bush from having some fun.

At Hallmark, he stepped into a veritable kid's dream - an interactive playhouse filled with art supplies and colorful props. As kindergartners buzzed from station to station, Bush patted the kids on their heads and leaned way over so he could talk to them face to face.

When he sat down to make his own card with a red marker, Bush looked at reporters and asked, "Who deserves a valentine?"

Hallmark is having some fun this Valentine's Day with a line of cards that poke fun at politicians. One card, featuring Bush as cupid, reads: "My arrows are weapons of mass seduction!" Another with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as cupid says: "I'd vote for Valentine's Day fun! (and, by the way, speaking of votes ...)

Bush said one Hallmark employee made him a card that said: "For your daughters."

"It was sweet, but it just didn't have any warning in there about how to conduct myself for the upcoming wedding," the president joked, referring to the future marriage of his daughter, Jenna.

[lovegetpeace]

This is a paid commercial for JT_Lancer,

If you vote for me, I will pass tax cuts so you can keep more of your hard earned money. Its OK to be selfish with the next generation that will have to somehow pay down the $10T and counting federal debt. Come-on, its not greed to have more $$$ in your pocket. You know better how to spend your money on a jumbo (subprime) loan. I promised not to be buying your vote. Time is running out, this is a special limited time offer for all Americans.

[lovegetpeace]

Americans!

You got exactly what you deserve for been selfish, greedy, lazy, irresponsible, mean, arrogant and idiots. My grandfather used to say to me when I was only 5 that "Government is a rear mirror image of the people". Who else put our current government in office?

[jt_lancer]

How can the government ''stimulate'' the economy anywhere without ''destimulating'' the economy somewhere else?

The government does NOT have its'' own money, people. Everything it has was taken from someone who earned it. It was government ''stimulation'' (out of control spending, taxation, regulation, etc.) that got us in this mess in the first place.

Fortunately for the politicians, most Americans are economic illiterates and don''t know the difference.

[jt_lancer]

Fortunately for the politicians, most Americans are economic illiterates (thanks to government-run education). So, they will buy into whatever BS the politicians feed them.

[jt_lancer]

Politicians produce nothing; they spend other people%u2019s money and, in the process, interfere with people%u2019s productive activities. Why would anybody think they could stimulate an economy?

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
To Stimulate the economy, Americans must go out and consume (buy) via Cash, Credit and Assets. We all know Americans have no savings (cash). The Average Credit Card debt is $10,000.00 and maxed out. Therefore, our only option is to sell our assets such as our homes to foreigners in order to buy and stimulate the economy. $1200.00 in tax rebates is only to pay down my credit cards.

2)
This is a paid commercial:

If you vote for me, I will pass tax rebates and cuts. Its OK to be selfish with the next generation that will have to somehow pay down the $10T and counting federal debt. Come-on, its not greed to have more $$$ in your pocket. I promised not to be buying you vote. Time is running out, this is a special limited time offer for all Americans.

3)
I wish to be named temporary conservator of President Bush. He is out of touch and control.

Also, I wish to be named temporary conservator of all 88% of Americans that approved of President Bush to invade Iraq the day after Bush announced on nation TV about this decision.

I want to save the poor idiot America.

4)
In Communism, the dictator is responsible for the welfare of the people. In Democracy, the people are responsible for their own welfare.

Given our situation today, WE THE PEOPLE are lazy, greedy, selfish and irresponsible just like the dictators. Therefore, the democracy system is just as bad as the communism system.

[amishcar]

Ron Paul is the one person running who isn''t talking about attacking IRAN. Obama has talked of attacking Iran and Pakistan and dragging the USA into deeper Debt and destroying the US dollar and the Middle Class. www.Ronpaul2008.com Donate and Spread the word.

[taotxzen]

Dave Lindorff
Who''''''''s minding the store in Washington?

While President George W. Bush was standing before the members of Congress on January 28 laying out his plans, such as they are, for the final year of his second term in the White House, he was also seriously and perhaps fatally undermining the authority of Congress with a new signing statement, attached to the latest National Defense Authorization Act, in which he declared that he would simply violate or fail to comply with four provisions.

Let me say that again. The president states in writing that he is not going to obey and will not be bound by four parts of a law duly passed by the Congress.

Just so you know that we''''''''re not talking about the naming of a bridge or a new ship, the four provisions of the act which the president is going to ignore are:

* the establishment of a commission to investigate contractor fraud in Afghanistan and Iraq

* the protection for whistleblowers who report contractor fraud from harassment or official retribution

* a requirement that U.S. intelligence agencies respond to Congressional requests for documents

* a ban on funding for any permanent military bases in Iraq, and on any actions that would seek to give the U.S. control over Iraq''''''''s oil resources or oil money.


Still think we are in Iraq to get the ''terist?''

[taotxzen]

Great article on Rolling Stones'''' site:

Truth or Terrorism? The Real Story Behind Five Years of High Alerts.

A history of the Bush administration''''s most dubious terror scares %u2014 and the headlines they buried.

''''Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. There were times when some people in the administration were really aggressive about raising the threat level, and we said, ''''For that?!''''''''%u2014 Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, May 2005

Check it out.

[grumpas]

Bush''s #1 pork project! Buying Republican''s votes in the 2008 election. True to his nature if he can''t win one way he will resort to a criminal way!

[juwboy]

Oops, "civilsed" obviously should be "civilised".

[juwboy]

lexluthor5:

The SS, following in the wake of Rommel''s Afrika Korps'' eastward advance across North Africa, recruited Moslem North African Arabs to work in European Jew-exterminating concentration camps. They were especially renowned for the sadistic avidity and enthusiasm with which they performed their appointed tasks.

So, yes, it is too bad Hitler didn''t run them up the chimney. The world would now be a far better place.

brianbwb:

My evidence is the lesson of history. Time and time again, a single remark has created an anti-Semitic lynch mob, all over the "civilsed" world.

[brianbwb-2009]

"When that racist bigot, Louis Farrakhan, made his "Judaism is a gutter religion" insult, he came within an inch of creating a lynch mob that would destroy anything and everything Jewish" Posted by juwboy

And your evidence of this is...?

"Islam isn''''t a gutter religion, it''''s a cesspit religion, a pschitthouse religion." Posted by juwboy

So it is bad for Minister Farrakhan to say what he said, but good to say what you say?

More than a bit hypocritical, that...

[juwboy]

Right on Spinster2!

When that racist bigot, Louis Farrakhan, made his "Judaism is a gutter religion" insult, he came within an inch of creating a lynch mob that would destroy anything and everything Jewish in its path, a lynch mob of the kind that we Jews have seen thousands of times over the last millennium.

Islam isn''t a gutter religion, it''s a cesspit religion, a pschitthouse religion.

[spinster2]

OBAMA''S RACIST PASTOR DISSES NATALEE HOLLOWAY

http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2008/01/post_25.html



BARRACK OBAMA''S CHURCH HONERS RACIST NATION OF ISLAM LEADER,
LOUIS FARRAKHAN WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/farrakhan_support/2008/01/17/65177.html

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
To Stimulate the economy, Americans must go out and consume (buy). Cash, Credit and Asset are required to purchase anything. We know Americans have no savings (cash). The Average Credit Card debt is $10,000.00 and maxed out. Therefore, we need to sell our assets such as our homes to foreigners in order to buy and stimulate the economy. $1200.00 in tax rebates is just to pay down my credit cards.

2)
This is a paid commercial:

If you vote for me, I will pass tax rebates and cuts. Its OK to be selfish with the next generation that will have to somehow pay down the $10T and counting federal debt. Come-on, its not greed to have more $$$ in your pocket. Please do not delay, this is a limited time special offer to all Americans.

3)
I wish to be named temporary conservator of President Bush. He is out of touch and control.

Also, I wish to be named temporary conservator of all 88% of Americans that approved of President Bush to invade Iraq the day after Bush announced on nation TV about this decision.

I want to save the idiot America.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,

In Communism, the dictator is responsible for the welfare of the people. In Democracy, the people are responsible for their own welfare.

Given our situation today, WE THE PEOPLE are lazy, greedy, selfish and irresponsible just like the dictators. Therefore, the democracy system is just as terrible as the communism system.

[anonbene]

Note to Senate; If the White House calls, don''t answer, let the machine get it. Listening to anything Bush thinks up should, by now, make you do the opposite. Base whatever decision you make on his past performances. I''ll bet Bush misses Tom Ridges fake terror alerts right about now. Yeah, and how is that Katrina rebuilding plan going? It''s not? Oh and did we forget how you let us all down and didn''t protect us on 9/11 even after you were told the attack was imminent. 4000 of our guys and a million dead iraqis. no wmd''s, OBL still on the loose. Trillions in debt, more people losing homes and sinking into poverty. But Y''no that Jessica Lynch story was a good one till we found out a day later it was a fake one. More than half of all americans want you impeached and a high percentage want you jailed. You are leaving office a disgrace and a failure.

[sophielhu]

I want to see Barney the dog lead Bush on a leash out to the helicopter on the lawn next time. Barney has better direction than George. And I choose the Germanic version, Georg (GAAY-org) when referring to him.
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----------------------------------------
Internet is a good place to share information and meet friends. I recently found a nice web site called pubspa.com where you can meet friends who have same interest in beauty care, massage, wellness and spa treatment. You can also share blog, video, game, photos, etc with people from all over the world. Unlike other online dating sites where you have to pay membership fee, this site is totally free. I already made several interesting friends there.

[jerr11]

Impeach the LYING CROOK in the white house.

935 LIES.

4000 DEAD AMERICANS.