Your approval of the President so far

[Gary]

For the LAST TIME.

THERE IS NO CONTEST.

YOU DO NOT "WIN" A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

IT IS "AWARDED" .

Really?

[AtticaFlinch]

Just a bunch of wacko, socialist Europeans. I am sure they pee their pants when rock-star Barry appears.

Damned socialists, with their sharin' and their peepee pants! Don't they know Jesus don't want no sharin' and no peepee pants in Heaven? God'll make you have a job in Heaven too. Cain't be no lazy good-fer-nuthin's sponging off the God teet.

[gto250us]

Damned socialists, with their sharin' and their peepee pants! Don't they know Jesus don't want no sharin' and no peepee pants in Heaven? God'll make you have a job in Heaven too. Cain't be no lazy good-fer-nuthin's sponging off the God teet.

You ain't gitten none a mine. I ain't sharin nutten wit yew. Even if yew axe me nice.

[barracuda]

The award does seem premature considering he's only talked about the things the award represents. But I don't get all the anger coming from conservatives. Obama was very humble in his acceptance and did not ask for the award. I figure we should just be honored to have the award bestowed upon our president.

[kylejack]

The award does seem premature considering he's only talked about the things the award represents. But I don't get all the anger coming from conservatives. Obama was very humble in his acceptance and did not ask for the award. I figure we should just be honored to have the award bestowed upon our president.

Anyone seen if he's going to take the cash prize?

[gto250us]

Anyone seen if he's going to take the cash prize?

He going to take the money and buy some good Maui weed and sit in the middle of the oval office with Rham and load up a big bowlfull in his new bong and get soooooo wasted. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[AtticaFlinch]

He going to take the money and buy some good Maui weed and sit in the middle of the oval office with Rham and load up a big bowlfull in his new bong and get soooooo wasted. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And then they're gonna socialize the crap outta everything!

You know, if he does accept the cash, since he's such a rich person hatin' socialist, he's going to get taxed heavily on it. It solves a small portion of that budget deficit, no? Obama's doing his part to pay for universal healthcare.

[Gary]

Man, this site has become a hotbed for liberals making the same sweeping judgments of Conservatives as they do regarding liberals. HAIF is dying a quick death. I say that not because of Liberals consuming the site, but because of the unbelievably asinine remarks made of late.

Let the genious insults begin.

[AtticaFlinch]

Man, this site has become a hotbed for liberals making the same sweeping judgments of Conservatives as they do regarding liberals. HAIF is dying a quick death. I say that not because of Liberals consuming the site, but because of the unbelievably asinine remarks made of late.

Let the genious insults begin.

You're wound up really tight today.

I suppose the "asinine remarks" are mine? Do you not like the humor in the remarks, or are you just annoyed my politics disagree with yours? Reasoned discussions are far superior to ones steeped in shouting and rhetoric, but there's no reason we shouldn't be able to crack a joke on occasion.

[TJones]

No worries, it lost its legitimacy ages ago when they gave it to Arafat and Kissinger.

eh......you forgot AlGore also.

[west20th]

Man, this site has become a hotbed for liberals making the same sweeping judgments of Conservatives as they do regarding liberals. HAIF is dying a quick death. I say that not because of Liberals consuming the site, but because of the unbelievably asinine remarks made of late.

Let the genious insults begin.

Read the quotes on FoxNews and the Chron regarding this story (Obama's Nobel prize)and get back with us. IMO the discussion on this forum is mostly pretty civil. Any examples of "the unbelievably asinine remarks made of late"? I may be less sensitive but I haven't seen many.

[lockmat]

EDIT: I think everyone should change their vote accordingly, even those that previous strongly disapproved or approved of his performance and it would be interesting where the polls are now.

I was thinking about just creating a new poll in January.

[AtticaFlinch]

Read the quotes on FoxNews and the Chron regarding this story (Obama's Nobel prize)and get back with us. IMO the discussion on this forum is mostly pretty civil. Any examples of "the unbelievably asinine remarks made of late"? I may be less sensitive but I haven't seen many.

So anyhow, I was just reading about the Nobel prize, and the book mentioned it was never awarded posthumously. Does anyone suppose, given the rabid and often irrational hatred some people have for Obama, the committee awarded the prize to him now because they weren't certain he'd be around for the next round?

Edit: Fox news update: 4100 AWPs have weighed in now. Good god. It seems that not a single AWP has the slightest idea how to use a comma or has even a remote understanding of the number of periods in an ellipsis. These people can't seem to form a coherent sentence, but they're allowed a voter registration card? It's a travesty.

Hey everybody, the reason the whole world is scared of us is because we allow these goobers to participate in the election of the leader of the free world:

[TheNiche]

Hey everybody, the reason the whole world is scared of us is because we allow these goobers to participate in the election of the leader of the free world:

Hey now, I resemble that redneck. Except I have more disheveled facial hair and a bigger mullet.

Seriously,......,..,....,,.(commas and excessive ellipses added for effect),..,......,,,,...,are you suggesting that we have poll tests just like back in the day!? There's probably a supreme court decision that disallows it, but all the same, I think you'd only end up disenfranchising minorities again.

[AtticaFlinch]

Hey now, I resemble that redneck. Except I have more disheveled facial hair and a bigger mullet.

Seriously,......,..,....,,.(commas and excessive ellipses added for effect),..,......,,,,...,are you suggesting that we have poll tests just like back in the day!? There's probably a supreme court decision that disallows it, but all the same, I think you'd only end up disenfranchising minorities again.

I wonder what the Mulleteer would do if he learned the St Louis Cardinals were named after Roman Catholic clergy and not a bird.

Anyhow, does anybody else laugh when they hear the name Pujols?

You want to re-enfranchise some minorities? Give 'em some Pujols!

The crazy funny thing is about the professional farter, Mssr Pujol (Singular, yes I know). Google this guy, or should I say, Poogle this guy.

Yeah, I avoided the question. So what? The box wine is working on me pretty hard core.

[bachanon]

Damned socialists, with their sharin' and their peepee pants! Don't they know Jesus don't want no sharin' and no peepee pants in Heaven? God'll make you have a job in Heaven too. Cain't be no lazy good-fer-nuthin's sponging off the God teet.

yur funny! i laughed out load for the first time this weekend. thanks.

[Heightsite]

1-year poll shows changed views on Obama

USA Today & Gallup published results of their poll yesterday. In a nutshell they found that Americans are slightly less glum about the country's dirction, and slightly less optimistic that Obama's term will make things better.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-10-27-obama-year_N.htm

[Original Timmy Chan's]

My personal approval rating of Obama dropped significantly when I woke up this morning to read the news that the FDA is banning sales of raw Gulf oysters.

It's by far the biggest mistake he's made in his 9 months in office.

[crunchtastic]

My personal approval rating of Obama dropped significantly when I woke up this morning to read the news that the FDA is banning sales of raw Gulf oysters.

It's by far the biggest mistake he's made in his 9 months in office.

Save The Gulf Oysters Petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-raw-oysters

[Heightsite]

I'm running to Captain Benny's right now! Oh wait, it's almost November...

[musicman]

Cash for Clunkers Results Finally In: Taxpayers Paid $24,000 per Vehicle Sold Reports Edmunds.com

[20thStDad]

My personal approval rating of Obama dropped significantly when I woke up this morning to read the news that the FDA is banning sales of raw Gulf oysters.

It's by far the biggest mistake he's made in his 9 months in office.

That is idiotic!!! I can eat any damn animal I want to. No one can stop me!

[ricco67]

That is idiotic!!! I can eat any damn animal I want to. No one can stop me!

Then by all means, feel free to dive after the oysters and have at them.

I'll buy half a dozen please.

[AtticaFlinch]

Cash for Clunkers Results Finally In: Taxpayers Paid $24,000 per Vehicle Sold Reports Edmunds.com

Sorta...

690,000 vehicles were sold under Cash for Clunkers. That's 125,000 more than Edmunds had predicted. What Edmunds did was take the entire amount the government spent on this program and divided it among just those 125,000 sold. That's where the $24k/car came from. In reality, the government spent just $4k per car sold.

[TJones]

Sorta...

690,000 vehicles were sold under Cash for Clunkers. That's 125,000 more than Edmunds had predicted. What Edmunds did was take the entire amount the government spent on this program and divided it among just those 125,000 sold. That's where the $24k/car came from. In reality, the government spent just $4k per car sold.

I loved it when someone would come in the showroom waving an Edmunds.com report, trying to tell me how much their piece of crap trade-in was worth. I would tell them "No Problem......see if Edmunds.com will write you a check for that car and take it off your hands." Never did see anyone bring in a check from Edmunds but I usually wound up taking the customer's car in on trade no matter what Edmunds had said. People never seem to get it through their thick skulls that Edmunds is JUST a guide, just a guide people.

[musicman]

Sorta...

690,000 vehicles were sold under Cash for Clunkers. That's 125,000 more than Edmunds had predicted. What Edmunds did was take the entire amount the government spent on this program and divided it among just those 125,000 sold. That's where the $24k/car came from. In reality, the government spent just $4k per car sold.

it's 125k units more than the norm, which is based on previous sales data. so the 3 billion spent only resulted in 125k more sales than would have happened without government assistance.

[RedScare]

it's 125k units more than the norm, which is based on previous sales data. so the 3 billion spent only resulted in 125k more sales than would have happened without government assistance.

I notice that the "norm" prior to the Cash For Clunkers program was 9.14 to 9.85 million annual vehicle sales, but, miraculously, Edmunds.com's 'team of PhDs and staisticians' believes that the "norm" for July to December 2009 would be 10.11 to 10.89 million vehicles per year. In other words, Edmunds.com claims that vehicle sales would suddenly jump by 500,000 vehicles in the 2nd half of the year on its own. IF you believe that, then the program cost $24,000 per vehicle. I am not at all sure that I believe that.

For whatever else you believe, the Cash for Clunkers was successful in causing the 'official' recession to end...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091029/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy

...for whatever that's worth.

[AtticaFlinch]

For whatever else you believe, the Cash for Clunkers was successful in causing the 'official' recession to end...

http://news.yahoo.co...c_fi/us_economy

...for whatever that's worth.

Which is a pretty big deal. Getting people to spend money on big ticket items during an uncertain economy when businesses are hemorrhaging jobs and not many people feel terribly confident about the future is a pretty big deal.

My only complaint is that I don't think the program really benefited the people it intended to target. With open credit lines dried up like prunes, and with banks only being willing to lend at exorbitant interest rates, the only people who came out ahead were those whose credit was so stellar as to qualify them for the ridiculously low interest rates - people who in all likelihood would have purchased cars anyhow. Those with less than exemplary credit would have been hit with rates that almost entirely ate up any gains they would have gotten from the Cash for Clunkers incentive. It seems to me to have been more a cleverly disguised addition to the bank bailout. The real beneficiaries of this incentive were the wealthy, GMAC, Ford Motor Credit and all the other lending agencies taking part. An interest rate increase of 3% on a $15,000 vehicle would more than have eaten up the $4,000 rebate. Unfortunately, most people's interest rates climbed considerably higher than just 3%. Had most average credit level consumers purchased their new vehicle a year earlier, before the banking collapse and even without the four grand, they'd have paid less by the end of their finance term.

[ernie5823]

"The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures."

Has the NBER weighed in on end of "official" recession. Seems like it would take more than one quarter for that to happen, but I might be wrong.

[TJones]

"The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures."

Has the NBER weighed in on end of "official" recession. Seems like it would take more than one quarter for that to happen, but I might be wrong.

Not sure Ernie.....has there actually been 4 continuous months of economic and job GROWTH ? As I believe it takes 4 continuous months of economic and job decline to be considered a recession.

I found this neat little article that I think helps explain it. http://www.westga.edu/~bquest/2000/dec21.html

Also, as far as the C4Cs is concerned.......look at the new declining car sales numbers and you will see that without a $4k incentive, people are staying away from the dealerships again. October is traditionally not a good month in the business, even in a GOOD economy though. November and December will be able to cast more light on the subject. With the C4C program......those extra 125,000 cars would have been a negative 125,000 units, making a 250,000 unit market swing from the previous year.