The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute

Obama Moves From "Yes We Can" to "No End in Sight"

By Steven Pigeon

Often in difficult times, the American people look to their President for reassurance and guidance. Think for instance of Franklin Roosevelt declaring that the “Only Thing We have to Fear is Fear Itself," Ronald Reagan talking to the nation after the Challenger explosion, or Gerald Ford declaring the United State’s “Long National Nightmare is Over,” and most recently, George W Bush addressing the nation after September 11th, 2001. All of these words resulted in a calmer, reassured America and made the country think that though things are tough, that everything will be okay.

Having only studied recessions in a classroom, and never truly experiencing one, I was hoping that our new President would be able to offer great words and sentiment that could calm my fears about my employment, retirement savings, and a potential decrease in future income possibilities. President Obama’s relative gloomy inaugural address in addition to his regular references to the “continuing disaster” that the United States economy is in, clearly tells the American people that President Obama is shirking his “Cheerleader-In-Chief” responsibilities and is instead is becoming a “Dictator of Doom.”

With President Obama’s “Yes We Can” mantra being replaced by “No End In Sight,” America must seek out positive economic news with some grassroots efforts. A Google search reveals a number of websites and bloggers have already starting cheering on the economy. The website, www.positiveeconomicnews.com , reminds us that Warren Buffet’s Geico plans on hiring 870 employees in the first quarter of 2009. The website also tells us that the Panera Bread Company is planning on opening two stores a week in 2009.

The “Good News Economist” at www.goodnewseconomist.com makes note of recent rises in consumer confidence and highlights firms that are currently hiring a large number of employees such as T-Mobile and Whole Foods, who are currently trying to fill 2100 and 800 jobs respectively. The site also estimates that firms in the Fortune 1000 are currently looking to fill over 700,000 positions.

Specifically in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has recently highlighted SoloGear who has experienced tremendous growth by marketing its solidified ethanol flammable BBQ disk. Fortune Magazine also recently named 3 Wisconsin companies (Johnson Financial Group, Robert W. Baird and SC Johnson & Son as one of the top 100 Companies to work for. Monster.com also has over 3,400 job postings for the State of Wisconsin.

One can also dig into the piles of data on the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website, www.bls.gov, to discover that over 143 million Americans are currently employed, with approximately 2.8 million of them living in Wisconsin. You can also learn that today’s national unemployment rate of 7.2% is well below 10.8% that we experienced in 1982. America survived 1982 and enjoyed an economic boom shortly thereafter; America can certainly do this again.

With negative economic news swarming around us, Wisconsinites and America as a whole need to realize that it is not all that bad. Depression Era breadlines are not forming, inflation is not currently rampant, and social safety nets are catching those in need. Americans will work its way out of the current recession just like we did in the in every decade for the last 70 years regardless if we have a President cheering us on.

-February 5, 2009

Obama Moves From "Yes We Can" to "No End in Sight"

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