President George W. Bush - credit where credit is due

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

If the banks were able to pay it back with interest so quickly, did they really need it? I mean, *really* need it?

The worst that could have happened would have been a run on the money - total collapse of the finacial system. If nothing else, TARP had a calming effect stemming off that run and thus the collapse. And yes, that was needed.

[luckytxn 2,265]

It was probable that unemployment and the economy would have gotten better and faster if we had not interfered as much as we did. It would have meant that the banks and financials would have under gone a change as the weak failed and the strong would have taken them over and thus had better leadership at the helms of them today. We allowed the politicians to bankroll their favorite companies and now those same yahoo's will still be running them. There were actually banks and financials not in much trouble and some none and it would been great to have them take over the bad companies. Right now we could have been looking at lower unemployment and the economy and stocks rising further. Of course it is a killer on the economy when you have the Socialists throttling the very indistries that employ us all.

Edited December 3, 2010 by luckytxn

[Dan J 277]

It was probable that unemployment and the economy would have gotten better and faster if we had not interfered as much as we did. It would have meant that the banks and financials would have under gone a change as the weak failed and the strong would have taken them over and thus had better leadership at the helms of them today. We allowed the politicians to bankroll their favorite companies and now those same yahoo's will still be running them. There were actually banks and financials not in much trouble and some none and it would been great to have them take over the bad companies. Right now we could have been looking at lower unemployment and the economy and stocks rising further. Of course it is a killer on the economy when you have the Socialists throttling the very indistries that employ us all.

Stock market performance and unemployment do correlate. They may have in the past when growth often meant the company needed to add jobs. But now and into the future, there are many ways to increase the stock value of a company without adding a single job, often the stock price for a company rises when they cut jobs.

You can largely see that now, where wall street has more or less recovered, but job growth has been stagnant.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Stock market performance and unemployment do correlate. They may have in the past when growth often meant the company needed to add jobs. But now and into the future, there are many ways to increase the stock value of a company without adding a single job, often the stock price for a company rises when they cut jobs.

You can largely see that now, where wall street has more or less recovered, but job growth has been stagnant.

Yes. If a companies sales are down and the workforce is the same then the profits are being eaten up (If any) by labor. This will depress the stock. Layoff the labor to where the production and labor more match up (Even better lower than) and the outlook becomes better and thus the stock will recover. Right now the stock markets is pretty much flat. Companies are starting to recover somewhat but they are reluctant to do much if any hiring right now. They are doing more with less. As stability stays over time they will become more confident and tentatively at first hire as they see the need. Soon they will be seeing what the new taxes will be and any costs associated with all the new mandates. If in the next year or two they are not hit with new costs then they will absorb or increase their prices to where they can compete then they will start the recovery. We actually seen all this before.