Schieffer's True/False Test For Congress

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

---

This is not a commentary: It is a collection of facts.

598,000 jobs were lost in January. That's the largest loss in thirteen consecutive months of decline.

Since December of 2007, 3.6 million jobs have been lost, half of them in the last four months.

More than eleven and a half million people are now unemployed. Unemployment stands at 7.6 percent.

The underemployed - that is, those who have given up looking for work and those who are working part-time because they can't find full-time jobs - now stands at 21.7 million people.

More than thirteen and a half million Americans now owe more than their homes are worth.

Retirement accounts have lost more than two trillion dollars in a year.

The global economy is getting worse, which will make it harder to sell American goods abroad.

And the banking system is a mess.

The following is also not a commentary; it is a true/false test.

The process is underway, but in light of those numbers you just heard, wouldn't it be better for all of us (and for them, as a matter of fact) if Congress - Democrats and Republicans - now put less emphasis on partisan games from here on in and more emphasis on trying to resolve all of the above?

[valleej]

There are a multitude of ready to go projects around. The problem is that the money that is being given through the stimulus program comes up short every time. It is as if they do not want these programs to work.

[Richielakes]

Washington and Wall Street are now fully engaged in a shameless shell game designed to deceive millions.

The regulators? notion of ?stress? is a 3.3 percent economic contraction and 8.9 percent unemployment in 2009.

But the economy is already shrinking at the annual rate of 5 percent and unemployment is already at 8.4 percent.

Worst of all the rosy earnings that banks announced last week are based on jury-rigged accounting rules:

Rules that allow the banks? accountants to simply wave a magic wand and

* Instantly inflate the book value of toxic assets they own
* Miraculously vaporize liabilities they are responsible for
* Magically erase billions of losses in their quarterly reports ? treat them like they never even happened.

Put simply, Washington are so terrified by the true condition of America?s banks, they have resorted to COOKING THE BOOKS!

[cbsnewscomme]

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/w-house-knows-700b-bankbailout-and-787b-stimulus-scam-fraud....

Hello Bob,
Here is the real solution......

[MartyUrra]

When Bush lost the popular vote, everyone set asside that fact, and the contested election, and the failure to pay attention the the August 6 PDB which resulted in 9-11, and supported President Bush when he needed everyone's support after 9-11. The media went overboard supporting the Bush wars including holding back when the WMD reason for the war turned out to be a lie. So after such lack of a mandate, such failure, and such lies, the media hush was still obvious enough to impact the 2004 elections. Now, we would think that President Obama deserves at least some level of support to carry out the true mandate he actually brought to the job, particularly when America's future is just as much in need of unity as we were when we went into Afghanistan after those who attacked us and everyone supported it. And if not support, at least, less stumbling blocks to the recovery efforts

[homjett]

Gee, a Liberal Newscaster, now beggin the Repubs to get on the Obama bandwagon for the good of the Country. Where was this little man 8 years ago, or 7 or 6 or 5 or 4. The Dems trashed Pres Bush at every turn. No one was blaming Pres Bush when their 40lK's were making loads of money when the Stock Market hit historic levels. The Dems don't really need the Repubs, the control every thing. Those 95 % of folks that Pres Obama is going to give a Tax break too, are in for a mighty big surprise, when every thing is going to higher priced for everyone, heating, gas, road tolls, food, rent, etc.

[annaamed]

Mr. Schieffer, I really respect you a lot and want you to have some of the following question raised in your show. If you can get some answer from President Obama:
Why our $$ Billions is going to help failed Banks like CITI etc??
Why we are increasing force in Afghanistan, when nobody has ever won Afghanistan (read history) and will never be able to win. But we will have more $$ Billions pump in like Bush, and have more soldiers dead or broken legs and arms. Mark my word that Obama will fail there, unless he want to be remembered as Bush.
Thanks

[markangeloo]

Just admit the truth we are so bankrupt, amerikans
are the new slaves to the world. Bend over & be spanked.

%u201CU.S. dollars have value only to the extent that they are strictly limited in supply. But the U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost.%u201D
- Ben Bernanke

[choiceshaveconsequences]

In a perfect world, Bob, in a perfect world. Unfortunately, there are those who hold that a "fact" without partisan interpretation is as useless an exercise as putting lipstick on a pitbull. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe could no more support ANY idea coming from President Obama than GM could agree Ford Motor offers a better product. You recall the story of the scorpion who, assuring the bird it would not sting him, rode the back of the bird across the waters and halfway through the trip, stung the bird, killing it and guaranteeing a watery death for the passenger as well. Why did you do that, gasped the bird? It is in my nature; I am a scorpion after all, said the scorpion. Bob, it is in their nature. That''s a fact.

[eddiecurrent]

Here''s an idea to help restore America''s flagging faith in our government structure; Using some random selection process, choose 10% of the members from the House and 10% from the Senate. They might even make the selection process a media "event" of some kind. Once chosen, each "winner" must live as if THEY were just fired and they must keep a careful log. No help, no
warning, just kicked out with no instructions. Each would have to go through the same daze any other citizen does when fired; apply for and collect unemployment (let''s see how these guys do at $275/week), apply for food stamps, obtain whatever they need JUST as a common citizen would have to and do it all for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, each must summarize their logs and present the results to Congress, the House and the public. I believe several things would happen;

1) We the people will see that these guys CAN suffer just like us.

2) Each member will gain a whole new insight into just how bad it can be and how impossible the whole situation is for most.

3) Perhaps seeing what it''s like for once and not being so insulated from reality, both Republicans and Democrats would see that they really are the same when it comes to being out of work and perhaps that they should REALLY try to work together (for once) to solve the problems and SKIP the bacon.

[eddiecurrent]

Here''s an idea to help restore America''s flagging faith in our government structure; Using some random selection process, choose 10% of the members from the House and 10% from the Senate. They might even make the selection process a media "event" of some kind. Once chosen, each "winner" must live as if THEY were just fired and they must keep a careful log. No help, no
warning, just kicked out with no instructions. Each would have to go through the same daze any other citizen does when fired; apply for and collect unemployment (let''s see how these guys do at $275/week), apply for food stamps, obtain whatever they need JUST as a common citizen would have to and do it all for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, each must summarize their logs and present the results to Congress, the House and the public. I believe several things would happen;

1) We the people will see that these guys CAN suffer just like us.

2) Each member will gain a whole new insight into just how bad it can be and how impossible the whole situation is for most.

3) Perhaps seeing what it''s like for once and not being so insulated from reality, both Republicans and Democrats would see that they really are the same when it comes to being out of work and perhaps that they should REALLY try to work together (for once) to solve the problems and SKIP the bacon.