Comments on: A New Chief Executive has been Hired

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:08:44 +0000

Victor, I believe you are mistaken about the popularity of hybrid cars. Sure some people have bought them, but they are so pricey that they make no economic sense, even with the better gas mileage. If people want to save the environment out of the goodness of their hearts, that’s fine, but we’re in a recession and people can’t afford to do that anymore. With U.S. auto makers failing at alarming rates, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to turn profits and get out of this hole.

By: Victor

Victor — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:55:58 +0000

Cyrus, you forget that current perception about environmental issues makes people want to buy cars which are better for the environment. The Toyota Prius is such a popular car that there are long waiting lists just to get one (or at least there were before the economic crisis hit). Cars which are not hybrid, but just get better mileage such as the Honda Fit, make great economic sense, and so people are buying them in droves too. The same arguments which are being made against the emissions standards, were made against safety standards- but now cars advertise how safe they are, and the auto industry has made millions off of coming up with BETTER safety features. Safety sells, and if we keep focus on the environment, soon low impact will sell too.

By: Cyrus

Cyrus — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:55:03 +0000

Kyle (second one): I disagree. I think that even if we save the economy, the environmental regulations will still hit the auto makers pretty hard. If we force auto makers to spend time and money on complying with complex government regulations, their business will be hit just as hard as if they were not in an economic crisis. Perhaps they will be even worse off, because of the hit they are taking right now. It is irresponsible to the people who make our economy go, to impose strict environmental standards to save a few caribou.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:45:12 +0000

I think that we are about to see a fantastic attempt by the White House to walk the fine line between bolstering business/the economy, and protecting the environment. I think that, far from being opposed to each other, the two are intrinsically linked. For example: one of the main environmental protections that Democrats in congress have favored are the emissions standards for vehicles, which release greenhouse gasses and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Republicans have traditionally opposed these standards on the premise that they will hurt the automobile manufacturers. Now that we are facing an economic crisis, new emissions standards will not be effective- because people will not buy new cars. The crisis provides perfect cover to save both our environment and the economy.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:39:21 +0000

Thank goodness Americans came to our senses’ and elected someone who will help our economy. I have been struggling to make ends meet, and I worry for the future of my children. Now that Obama has been elected, I have hope that things will get better, and that my country will not continue to fall into more crisis. We should all stand behind President Obama, and allow him to make the drastic changes we need to protect our way of life. I am optimistic that we can save our country, and that we have just taken the critical first step.

By: Stanley

Stanley — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:31:27 +0000

I think it will be interesting to see which direction President Obama decides to go in weighing the national debt and our current economic crisis. Over the past few years, we have heard the Democratic party calling for greater accountability, and in some cases even a brand of fiscal conservatism with regard to the deficit. The recent problems with the economy seem to indicate that we should head towards greater government spending to compensate for the struggling economy. There are certainly benefits to tackling both sides, in the short term- spending to help the current problems will certainly be a benefit to all who are invested in our economy, and in the long term- solving the national debt will help our children, and their children. I think that given the exit polls, the new administration would be foolish not to tackle the current problems first.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:22:55 +0000

President Obama has a mountain to climb regarding the economy, no question. The first few months of his presidency, and the way that he deals with certain key issues (the most important of which is the economy) will determine the rest of his presidency. Personally, I think that he can fix the problems, and set us on the right track to a stronger economy. He has shown a willingness to listen to experts, such as Warren Buffett, and to enact policies based on their advice. I think the most promising sign about President Elect Obama, is that although he is a very intelligent man, he is willing to admit that there are others who are smarter than he is, and is willing to listen to their advice. Contrary to a typical bureaucrat who surrounds himself with less competent people so that he can look good, I firmly believe that our policies over the next 4 years will be soundly based on good information, for maximum growth.

By: Allan Zimmerman

Allan Zimmerman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:14:28 +0000

I think that people greatly overestimate the power of a president to affect change in the economy. Certainly a collection of bad policies can make the economy less stable, and more susceptible to fluctuations (which has created our current crisis), but I think that it will be very difficult for President Obama to turn our economy around right away. Through better regulations, and carefully planned stimulus packages, we can turn the economy around, but ask any economist and they will tell you that economics is not an exact science- nobody can actually predict what will happen if a given policy is put into action. I wish President Obama lots of luck, but I am doubtful that even the most qualified economic policy experts can really fix our economy.

By: John Anton

John Anton — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:29:21 +0000

Jimmy: overrated? Yes, perhaps the president doesn’t have all-encompassing power over everything that goes on in the economy. But the president has many powers that allow him to severely help or hurt the economy. The budget basically goes through him. He appoints economic advisors and departmental appointees who control economic regulations. He has control over pork spending (especially if he has a line-item veto, which every president should). But of course, Obama will have extra power because Congress will essentially do what he says. I think that in and of itself means Obama has his work cut out for him.

By: Candice

Candice — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:28:14 +0000

I just heard on CNN that Obama is trying to get a stimulus package put through congress before he even gets into office. They did not give much detail, perhaps because the details haven\’t been laid out, but I think we need to be talking more about this. Do we really have the money to give out another stimulus package, no matter who its going to? I really do not know. I think we need to talk about this more than what Obama is going to do and who he appoints and should instead shift to what we can propose. The man has ideas, but so do we. We need to be talking stimulus and we need to be figuring out what to do about this mess.