What is YOUR prediction for America in 2016 as a result of the

1. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 11 years ago

   
   presidency of Barack Obama?  Do you see America as BETTER or WORSE in the year 2016? Why? Why not?

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      Josakposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think we could be as badly off as we were in 2009 after the Bush presidency.
      
      Second worst economic crisis in American history, in one presidents stay we went from the fastest growth in American history to the second fastest collapse.

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         Lie Detectorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Except for years 2010,2011,2012.
         
         I know, Bush's fault.

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            Josakposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Economy stopped shrinking and started growing, deficits are down etc. it's categorically and factually better.

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               Lie Detectorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah, its a real pleasure cruise for so many!

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                  Josakposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Not what I said, I said better. It is a simple fact.

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         Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         We did do worse, with Obama.  Josak is getting his statistics. . . .
         
         It's all about how much of this "economic recovery" we the people are feeling.  I have yet to have a single raise since Obama has been president, my taxes went up in January, my health insurance skyrocketed under Obama, and I keep hearing, "You're lucky you have a job."  This is a recovery?  I had many raises under Bush.  I'm worse off now than I was four years ago, and my guess is that a lot of working people agree.  It's "categorically and factually" not feeling like a recovery for me. 
         
         How are you doing now?  Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

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      Uninvited Writerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If they can replace most of Congress in 2014, things will keep getting better.

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         independentmindedposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Here's a suggestion, Uninvited Writer:  Don't hold  your breath.

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            Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Agreed.
            
            The problem is that conservatives in the house only have to worry about those even further to the right challenging them to a primary.
            
            Unless the democrats spread out, its hopeless

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2. 68

   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   A fascist will get in.

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      Josakposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You use that word but I don't think you understand what it means. Every time you ignorantly throw it around you insult the memory and sacrifice of the millions who gave their lives to fight fascism.
      
      
      
      Fascism:
      a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

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      1. 68

         innersmiffposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I'm struggling to see how this does not describe the United States.

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            LauraGTposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Pick up a history book.

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3. 75

   Mighty Momposted 11 years ago

   Better or worse than what/when?
   I believe we are better off than we could have been or would have been without Obama.
   I believe Obama envisioned much better for the country but has been stymied at
   pretty much every turn.
   I believe that under Obama we have seen an unprecedented level of congressional dysfunction and pettiness, bordering on (ok, crossing the line of) lunacy.
   I certainly hope this is not the new standard.
   I see forces well outside of America's control around the world that would not be controllable no matter who is in office.
   But 2016 is still a long, long ways away.
   I think it's premature to predict where America will be in 2016.
   
   Education Answer:   Yes, you are lucky to still have your job and have health insurance.
   Have you talked to your employer about the amount of cash they might be sitting on? Or the people they are employing outside the country?

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      JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      it saddens me that people still can't see how bad off we are.
      
      Please, please, please, when it comes crashing down again, wake up! We *might* get another chance, and I really don't want to have to live through a hard reset.

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      GA Andersonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      MM,
      Do you know who EA works for?
      Do you know that it is some big evil corp with hidden assets and off-shore labor deals?
      Is it possible he is working for some small company struggling to stay afloat?
      What if he works for *gasp! the government? No wait, can't be them, they've had raises.
      
      If you do not know who employs him - just that you would pose those questions demonstrates a bias that taints your credibility.
      
      But, on the other hand... if you already knew that he works for Apple, then you may have been right in asking those questions. Good for you.
      
      GA

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         Mighty Momposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I had/have no idea who EA works for.
         My comments and questions stand regardless.
         All of us who have lived through 2008-present -- and I do not mean the first term of Barack Obama, I mean the Great Recesion,
         should not take having a job or the benefits received from employers for granted.
         It should not be this way. But is.

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            Lie Detectorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            No,no, no. The great recession ended in 2010, obama said so.

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            Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I've told you before that I am a teacher in a public school.  Why are you so bothered by my statement?
            
            I have had no cuts in pay, but my insurance, retirement, and federal taxes have all increased.  My quality of insurance has dramatically decreased.  Thus, my net pay has decreased.  It's a fact.  Yes, I am grateful I have a job with benefits.  Still, it's hard to celebrate that fact, year after year, when your take-home pay decreases and the cost of living increases.  I am not better off now than I was 4.5 years ago.  Take it for what it is or isn't worth.  It's not like it's some big study or poll.  It's one person's statement; that's why I'm so perplexed by why it seems to bother you SO much.

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      Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm a teacher in a public school.  I doubt your assumptions really pertain to my employer.
      
      I stand behind my statement.  I am lucky to have a job, but what happens when you're job isn't even coming close to keeping up with inflation?  I have yet to have a raise under this president.  My insurance has skyrocketed in the past 4 years.  My taxes went up in January.  It's a fact.  Take it for what it is or isn't worth.  I take home less money now than I did when George Bush was president.  It's really only one person's experiences, and I don't really see why this received a response like the one you made.

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         Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         "I'm a teacher in a public school."
         
         Well, there's your problem. Teachers generally don't get paid much. Specifically, you can blame your teacher's union for negotiating bad contracts if you haven't gotten a raise in four years.

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            Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            We are a right-to-work state with very little union power.  I am not a member of a union, and no union has ever negotiated our contracts.  It's all about how bad the economy is and how much funding we have cut each year. 
            
            I know of no teacher in my district who feels there has been an economic recovery when they look at their paycheck.  Some school districts in Arizona were issuing IOU's at one point.  Others shut schools down; ours shut 20% of all the schools, raised our insurance premiums, put more kids in our classes, and froze our salaries after reducing the number of teachers in the first place.  Then, the state of Arizona rasied our retirement contribution, so we effectively took a pay cut.  Couple that with the tax increase this last January, and I literally take less money home than I did under George Bush.
            
            I am not better off now than I was four years ago.  I feel no economic recovery.

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               Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               "We are a right-to-work state"
               
               There's your second problem...
               
               I would suggest switching careers, moving or electing a governor who understands that you need to pay for education.

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                  Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Our governor has actually helped us get money.  I could elaborate, but basically, she has been good to education.  She's not the problem.  When your state simply does not have money, because the economy is bad, you have to cut somewhere.  Cuts were made in many areas.
                  
                  The economy is to blame, not our governor.  You can't spend money you don't have at the state level.  Again, where is this economic recovery?  I don't feel it.

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                     Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     http://www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com/ … ry-5-2010/
                     
                     http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?Sectio … eID=108896

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                        Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        What's your point?  I've seen these and many more articles before.  Funding is down, because the economy is not good.  We've had to make painful cuts because of our economy.  Where's this recovery?
                        
                        PLEASE don't try to school me about education politics in Arizona.  You don't know what you are talking about when it comes to this topic. We can start talking about the intracacies behind proposition 301, Brewer's performace plan, or our state funding mechanism if you really want to get into it, but the fact remains that most Arizona teachers are worse off now than they were four years ago, economically speaking.

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                           Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Yes, because your state doesn't spend enough money nor are teachers able to negotiate decent deals for themselves.
                           
                           If the "money is down because of the bad economy" makes you sleep better, then by all means, I'll leave you alone.
                           
                           But if you don't think that perhaps its more likely that you are in a job that doesn't pay well to begin with combined with the fact that anyone who isn't in a union is essentially at the mercy of their employer to pay them a decent wage, I don't know what to say.

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                              Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                              You're actually right to say that Arizona teachers have NEVER had negotiating power and that our state has NEVER been a top spender in education.  This has been true for decades.  None of this has changed in the past 4-5 years or for decades; the economy has changed and stagnated though.  With our economic slide, Arizona had to cut many programs, including the biggest budget item in Arizona, education.  I, however, did not take a pay cut.  I am paid the same, but my federal taxes, insurance premiums, and state retirement have all increased.  Inflation continued in an upward direction while my net income slid downward.  I take home less money now than I did under George Bush.  It's a fact, though I doubt it's an important one; I'm still baffled that so many people have taken an interest in this single bit of "data."  I haven't benefited from an economic recovery.  To me, this doesn't feel like an economic recovery. Financially speaking, I am not better off now than I was 5 years ago.  I take home less money, and most things cost more now, other than the value of my home.
                              
                              Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have a job.  It's hard to celebrate that fact, year after year, when you feel like you are going financially backwards, and people keep talking about some economic recovery you have never felt.  This is a recovery? 
                              
                              I can't blame this on a lack of unions or the fact that Arizona doesn't spend as much on education, because this was true before Obama or even Bush.  This was true 20 years ago.  I'm not complaining about how much I make.  I'm only saying that I take home less money now than I did under George Bush, and that can't logically be blamed on something that was happening before Obama was ever even in politics.  Because of how bad the economy is, our education budget, along with the budget for just about every other state appropriation, has been slashed year after year.  That isn't due to the NEA or republicans trying to cut education funding.  That's due to the economy.  Now, if you want to talk about why my salary is low to begin with, you might have a fair argument.  If you want to talk about why it hasn't grown any in the past five years, it's about a bad economy.

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                                 Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 The state says that you have to increase your retirement contribution, so I'm not sure how that is on Obama or his policies.
                                 
                                 As far as your federal taxes, I'm not sure how that is. The social security tax went back up after a tax holiday, but that's a tax increase the same way working 40 hours in a work week after having a day off from school after a state or federal holiday . As a home owner, you get to deduct your mortgage interest right? That is a tax break that millions who don't own a home get. Maybe Arizona raised their taxes and that's the reason why you are paying more?
                                 
                                 The reason I bring up your profession is because my girlfriend is a teacher, and right out of college she made north of $40,000 and was getting raises in her first year even in this struggling economy.
                                 
                                 As for me, my income has steadily gone up over the past two or three years with a mere English degree. That's why I suggest looking for new work. I'm sure if you are good enough to hold a steady job as a teacher you can use those skills to make some extra money for yourself.

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                                    Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                    In many school districts in Arizona, you could work for 20 years and barely reach 40,000 dollars.  That's a separate but real issue.  I know of districts that issued IOU's in the past four years.  Others shut doors.  Our budget was cut, because Arizona was hit hard by the economy. 
                                    
                                    Many people got nailed with increased federal taxes in January.
                                    http://www.policymic.com/articles/19283 … -january-1
                                    
                                    I never said that the Arizona retirement increases were Obama's fault.  All I said is that I do not feel any recovery.  You may be seeing raises, but I am not.  I know of no teacher in my school who thinks there is a recovery.  Yes, I guess I could go get a different job, but there aren't many good jobs in my area right now.  Our school's custodian used to manage a business that grossed millions of dollars.  Now he's happy just to have a job.  I know it's really only one minute piece of "data," but I don't feel any economic recovery.

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                                       wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       Much the same in Idaho.  I'm an electrician, not a teacher, but we took a 20% pay cut in 2009 plus lost our insurance.  No raises since, either.
                                       
                                       Business may (may) be picking up slightly, but there are still lots out of work, drawing unemployment until it runs out.  Jobs are being bid at rates that will provide only a little cash flow to keep a company afloat a little longer, not provide any real profit. 
                                       
                                       The only sign I really see of an economic recovery is that my IRA is doing very well in the stock market.  Other than that, nothing in my area.

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                                       Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphilli … -and-more/
                                       
                                       Your tax bracket should be the same as it was last year.

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                  Lie Detectorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/11/since- … -election/

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                     Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Sure, and people in right-to-work states tend to make less than those in states with a union presence.

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                        Education Answerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        I am simply saying I take home less money now than I did before Obama.  That has nothing to do with whether or not Arizona is a right to work state, because it was a right to work state before he was president and while he was president.  That was a constant.  The only thing that changed was the economy.  Yes, I would likely make more money in a state with unions, but even the unions would have been hard pressed to get money in the past four years.  Have you researched how much money had to be cut from the Arizona budget?  Check it out, and then come tell me what you think.  It's about the economy. at least for the past few years.  If there is a recovery, I have yet to feel any of it.
                        
                        http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ … -cuts.html

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4. 78

   Uninvited Writerposted 11 years ago

   Yet, Forbes magazine has an interesting article that Obama might be America's best president economically. I know, a left wing rag right?

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      Zelkiiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That will always be certifiably false, because FDR existed.

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      Cody Hodge5posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I read that the other day...
      
      Very interesting.

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5. 0

   Beth37posted 11 years ago

   No matter who's in the White House, it's gonna be the same.
   "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

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      Zelkiiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      And out of humanity's 200,000+ year history, there are only 235 years in which the above did not happen.
      
      That prophecy is so stupid that it might as well say, "And tomorrow the sun shall rise, and then after several hours, it shall set."

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         Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Z, you are God's creation. The Bible is true, and without Him, you will surely perish.

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            A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            No, we will not perish, we will flourish and those who cling to ancient myths and superstitions will waste their lives in futile obedience to them.

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               Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               This is an insult. For some reason you don't know that. If you want to use veiled insults, you have to veil them.

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                  A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  An insult? All you managed to do with that response is show the observation is valid.

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   2. 57

      A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How very sad it must be to constantly be so negative about the world around them, always referring to doom and gloom verses in the Bible as ones worldview, never actually looking at the facts or what's really going on in the world.

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         Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Coming from the man who spends every second of every day on a website he doesn't even use save the forum. How did you even find it? Were you banned from whatever site you were trolling before you came here? How many sites have you been banned from already? What will you do when you are finally banned from this one? You're heart is black.

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            Zelkiiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            That's right. Attack the person, not the point they're making. That's how you win arguments.

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               Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               hahaha. Ok... I fell for it again. I share my beliefs and opinions, you ATM and Josak all go on the attack and then tell me Im bad for defending my faith against your attacks. I forgot how this works. I will leave you to it. Enjoy yourselves.

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                  A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, you forgot how forums work, you don't attack the person. Try to keep that in mind.

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            A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Petty insults. How very sad. Attack the person and not the idea.

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         GA Andersonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         But, if you were to view that quote as being the words of an early Greek philosopher, not a Biblical quotation - and you viewed subsequent world history, including our so-called "modern history" - would you still say it was just a negative view of the world? Or maybe a realist's perception of human nature?
         
         I don't stand with Beth on the religious aspects - but that quote doesn't seem so far off-base to me.
         
         GA

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            A Troubled Manposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            No, I don't see that at all a perception of human nature, I see it as just another ridiculous belief based on religious indoctrination. Beth's beliefs consider all mankind evil sinners, which couldn't further from the truth.

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6. 51

   Lie Detectorposted 11 years ago

   Certainly no shortage of true believers.
   
   Scary

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7. 66

   maxoxam41posted 11 years ago

   Why are you so excited about 2016? Will it be about us, the people? NO. Will it be a continuation of the precedent policies? YES. In what way will they be at our advantages? At the elite's?

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