The Stimulus Plan: saving jobs and “buying American”

i think that america should stick with the "buy american theory", because it will strengthen the u.s. and allow it to be more independent of foreign countries. i realize that we need these allies, however; america will do much better to depend on herself! we are in a rebuliding of our country , history, and everyting else, so there is no time like the present to get started dependeing on ourselves and taking redponsibiliy for our own actions!

Remember the 80's and that same " Buy American" motto was all over the place including bumper stickers. We still bought foreign because we don't act united like we are supposed to be. We still had industry then along with American jobs that produced american products. Now we have merely a handful of american products since all those so called Free Trade Agreements that turned out to be anything but free. It cost us big time and that is why we are in the financial mess that we are in today. We didn't use the Buy American common sense back then when we had some horses in the burning barn, but now the barn is darned near ashes and we are gonna close the door that is not there anymore. Too little too late I am afraid my fellow americans. We have hit the snooze button on the alarm clock too many times.

Maybe if we had been buying American all along we wouldn't be in this mess! It's almost impossible to go to a store and have an American made product as a choice. If anything maybe this would make it easier for the average person to make this decision.

I am a republican, however I voted democrat this election. The economy has crashed under the republican failed policies. Even though I am a republican, I work as an independant consultant. My contract ends in June of 2009; I am concerned that with the economy the way it is; I will not be able to replace this contract easily. You would think that since the republicans ruined the ecomomy, they have no leg to stand on. I support the stimulous plan proposed by President Obama. We really have no choice at this point. The only thing that concerns me will be how the money will be spent, no pork by the companies that receive it, cap on exects salaries, no bonus' and a tax reduction of single people. Dont forget the single people. It seems as though the single people carry most of the tax burden. we get no credits, no deductions. Please reduce our tax burden so that we can help simulate the economy by putting more money in our pockets.

OK HERE IS MY TAKE ON THE STIMULUS PLAN. I THINK IT IS A GREAT IDEA. I THINK IT'S A GOOD WAY TO HELP GET THE ECONOMY JUMP STARTED AGAIN. IT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO SPEND MONEY WHICH WILL PUT MORE BACK INTO THE ECONOMY WHICH IN TURNS MAKES MORE JOBS. WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THE PLAN SHOULD BE GIVEN A HUGE PAT ON THE BACK. I HOPE EVERYONE GOES OUT AND BUYS A HOME AND STARTS A GREAT LIFE. BUT NOT GO OVERBOARD. LIVE YOUR LIFE MODESTLY AND YOU WILL KEEP THE ECONOMY HEALTHY AND WEALTHY. IF YOU BUY OUT OF YOUR MEANS YOU WILL ONLY END UP IN THE SAME HOLE YOU ARE IN NOW. YOU WOULD END UP LOSING YOUR HOUSE CAUSE YOU COULDN'T PAY FOR IT AND BE BACK IN THE SAME SPOT. THOSE WHO BUY HOMES WITHIN THEIR MEANS WILL KEEP THOSE HOMES AND MOVE ON TO A HAPPY MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE. IT WILL HELP PEOPLE TO BE HAPPY AND MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES. I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND I AM TOTALLY FOR IT. JUST PLEASE FOLKS, DON'T BE GREEDY AND MESS UP A GOOD THING!! LOL!!!

We should be doing commercials like Jamaica did back in the 90's to all the american companies that have ran abroad to stay viable or to increase their profit margins. Come Back to Jamaica! Come back Home to America ! That should be our new song to lure the jobs back. We will also have to work with big business to make it possible for them to return and hopefully stay here. Tax breaks are in line for them along with tax breaks to consumers that buy american. Free Trade is a joke on the global market since the cheapest labor markets get the jobs and workers are exploited big time. It reminds me of the commercial with the mechanic holding an air filter off of a customers car. " you can pay me a little now.....or a lot more later...Its your choice!

Why are we taking an all or nothing attitude toward stimulating our economy. "Buy American" would stimulate our economy and negatively affect other world economies. Why not require a 50% "Buy American" policy which would stimulate our economy, but not so adversely affect other world economies that have relied so heavily on America for thier survival.

I think that America should stick with the “Buy American Theory”, because it will strengthen the U.S.

I've been in the industrial supply business for 37 years, and can tell you that this is nothing but "feel good" legislation. The unfortunate fact is that we don't have the manufacturing capacity in the United States to support this. It would only allow the US steel companies to gouge the public. Since it would only be temporaty, no new mills would be built to cover the gap.

I think many of us who didn't take economics were first exposed to the perils of protectionism in Ferris Bueller's Day Off...

In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the ... Anyone? Anyone? ... the Great Depression, passed the ... Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered? ... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this. Anyone know what this is? Class? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone seen this before? The Laffer Curve. Anyone know what this says? It says that at this point on the revenue curve, you will get exactly the same amount of revenue as at this point. This is very controversial. Does anyone know what Vice President [George H. W.] Bush called this in 1980? Anyone? Something-d-o-o economics. "Voodoo" economics.

I BELIEVE WE ALL SHOULD BUY AMERICAN PRODUCT. WE SHOULD HAD NEVER SEND OUR PRODUCT OVERSEAS TO BE MANUFACTURED THEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE US TO BE SOLD. THE QUESTION I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS WHEN BUYING A PRODUCT, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ALL PARTS THAT GOES IN TO THE PRODUCT IS AMERICAN MADE?

The biggest American export is JOBS! The real reason the world is in a tailspin is because it has desimated its number one customer – the American Middle Class. You want me to work 70 hours a week at three different jobs that pay $10.00 an hour and give no benefits and buy all the imoprted crap from the rest of the world while I live in a cardboard box and drive a shopping cart. All politicians are a waste of my tax dollars and all TV commentators only care about makeing loud, exciting noise to attract advertisers! I am supposed to work myself into an early grave ,that I cannot afford, just to carry all of you parisites on my back while nothing trickles down to me except urine and fecal matter! God bless you all when you greet the eye of the needle.

"Buy American" as part of government policy is too dangerous to enact. However, it would be a great policy for U.S. companies. I remember Sam Walton's “Made in the USA” campaign back in the 1980’s. I wonder how many jobs could return to U.S. soil if WalMart and others would start shopping at home?

I wonder how we are going to Buy American steel....Didn't all of our steel production go overseas....

Good morning. I have a comment on the buy American policy-something that I recall from the late 70's to early 80's. I am surprised that this is centered around iron and steel. What about aluminum? My husband and I have a small machine shop and have noticed for some time that aluminum products and raw material imported from China is of poor quality. If aluminum is not hardened enough, it is not only hard to machine, it makes for poor quality in the finished product. For years we have only used American made aluminum because of the quality even though it is higher in cost.

With our on going huge trade deficit, I for one am not worried about a buy American agreement. We need to invest in America again.

Putting this provision in the bill would definately result in retaliation from trading partners who don't play fair to begin with. Besides buying American should not have to be legislated. We all have the opportunity
and in my mind the obligation to buy American. Anyone who buys a foreign car for instance, should'nt complain about having to bail out our automakers...you helped cause the problem !

"Buy American" shouldn't even be a question !! This is only a concern because the people at the commerace department would be unemployed if they didn't have foreign products and services to PIMP to America. Why not take care of an American for a change instead of taking care of some foreign workers. I say to "hell with the rest and buy from the best"

Buy American for Americans !!!!

Protectionism like this proposal has preceded every major war of the industrial age. We can make a public campaign to convince people to buy American, but if they want to mandate it, they lose all chance of ever selling our products to them–and there are some very big markets that we might sell to.

we need to support american jobs before other countries. buy american is the only way to go. if companies want to go overseas then they should not be allowed to bring the product back in the usa for double the price.

If we take a "Buy American" attitude, how do we expect many other foreign countries to want to buy from us? True economic growth in today's global economy requires willingness to trade across borders. Our economy cannot survive from American purchases alone.

If it's not "Made in America", then maybe we don't need it as much as we think we do. America should be able to support itself without any outside help. Once we get to that stage then we will have a thriving economy.

We need to stick with "Buy American". Our so-called trading partners will survive. This nation needs to worry about this nation. Eliminating foreign goods will eliminate the lead tainted toys, and also cut off our funding to communist China.

Shouldn't we spend the money in the most cost effective way? If the US companies have the best prices – buy from them, if not then buy elsewhere. Maybe the US companies will become more profitable if they have to play ball with competitors. When will we realize we can not monopolize the world?

Buy American

I feel illegal aliens are more patriotic than the outsourcing benedict arnolds who sold us out. Maybe if the Nafta program would have had a wage protection clause so we actually might have had a chance to compete with the family overseas who make 30 bucks a month, we wouldn't be in this mess........
Ofcourse we should buy American, and bring back the tar and feathers for those who disagree!

The true reality is that the financial crash was "made" because the retiring baby boomers are hitting the top of the bell curve, and too much money is being lost. That's what big bonus receiving actuaries are for...........

every election we sit back up here in canada and watch the
US rant about protectionist policies. Same story this time!! The idea is good at the local level only. The fact is that your country exports a lot of your products to other countries.. want to close the borders?? go ahead, Imagine how many jobs will be lost when the rest of the world stops "buying American" . Here's another thought, 20% of your oil comes from Canada. Imagine if that were to disappear during a trade war. How much will you get done while you are freezing in the dark???

Are you kidding me? Have we learned nothing from history? Isolationism causes all other countries to do the same and simply makes an international economic crisis worse. You people are insane for thinking that it will be beneficial!

Back in the early 90’s when I was a kid I remember shopping at Wal-Mart with my mom or having Wal-Mart commercial push the slogan “made in America”. Everything you picked up in the store had a seal on the product “made in America”. What happened to that, now you can’t find American products, its all made in Mexico, made in China or India. Maybe if we made our own products and regulated them we wouldn’t have so many safety recalls or lead in products. Think how many manufacturing jobs were outsourced to foreign countries. Let’s bring back American made products, which leads to American made jobs!!! Americ needs to start looking out for her own people in many ways.

It would be great to buy American. Sadly, however, the problem historically is that the quality of American products have deteriorated dramatically over the last several decades. When it comes to spending hard earned dollars, you want the best quality for the best price. That motivation tends to win over any patriotic duty one might feel to buy American. If we once again produce the highest quality products at affordable prices, buying American will follow suite. Buying American for any other reason may actually backfire. We would be rewarding American companies whose products really don't deserve the market share. We all know that propping up companies is not a sustainable practice. Case and point is our auto industry. No amount of buying America will save Detroit. If Detroit made better cars than their competitors, their future would be ensured. Truth is they have not and their market share shows that.

the problem here in the USA is that big business has taken over and are destroying smaller American businesses. When a big corp. arrives, i.e. Darden Restaurants, or Wal-Mart arrives in town the smaller businesses that generally buy locally are put out of business.
Wal-mart buys factory direct and goes around importers and distributors, this makes US made products un competitive. Darden restaurants has such buying power that locally grown produce is too costly. So now we have substandard restaurants and all smaller restaurants are out of business

I think that America should adopt the "Buy American Theory", because for America buying strength generated job for other countries. And America have given monetary to other countries. Now is the time for America to go back to basic, to maintain its strength. Once we are strong again, then we are able to help other countries.

Steve: America depends heavily on exports, don't you think if there is a buy American philosophy there will be a boycott American in other countries... This will cause massive job losses.
What we need is to make America more competitive. If companies did'nt have massive Health insurance costs to deal with. They could compete. European companies do not have these costs

The concept of "Buy American" is good in theory, but it's flawed. Some supposed "import" cars are actually manufactured in this country, such as many Hondas, whereas many supposed "American" vehicles are manufactured in Mexico. In this case, if you choose to "buy American" rather than the "import," you're actually doing just the opposite of what you intended. On top of this, the quality of these "American" cars has declined so much that people are losing faith in then. Every vehicle I've own has been Chevy or Ford, and I'm not sure I'll stay with them in my next go round.

LET;S FACE IT WE ALL KNOW WHY THEY DON;T WANT THIS IN THE BILL BECAUSE THEN BIG CORP WOOD HAVE TO REINVEST IN THIS COUNTRY AN CUT IN TO THERE GREADY LITTLE BOTTOM LINE THIS IS WHY WE ARE IN THE STATE WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW !!!

I live in a rural Tennessee Mountain community that used to have several sewing factories providing military uniforms to US troops. These same uniform companies have been put out of business by uniform orders being diverted to foreign sewing factories. How can we justify US government purchases from countries that are not held to our manufacturing, safety, human rights standards – especially for our armed forces?
Americans will always demand the variety of goods that can only come with open trading with many countries. Our government funded purchases should be purchased from our US companies, or at the very least from companies that follow our US manufacturing rules.

i can remember growing up everything was made in america. our country was going strong . since the fair trade act came in we lost companies overseas as well as jobs being lost. 100 yrs ago there was no tax on this or that . now we are taxed to death. i say we need people in our goverment who arn't so greedy. it appears to me you have to be a crook now a days to get into goverment and run a company. what a shame it is

I cant help but agree, it all seems a little late just like with the auto industry we have done things " so wrong for so long" the only real solution may be to completly "re-think" everything, the problem with that however is the old folks in washington cant seem to make the jump. Im with Obama the same old ideals or ideas will get us all the same old results

In response to your question about buy American. I think it is a great idea ,but it needs to be a grass roots campaign by the people of this country. It should not be legislated by the government. It is about time people wake up to the fact that when we import oil we export money ,when we import goods we export our jobs. some imports are good but importing everything is a recipe for disaster. People need to BUY AMERICAN!

|I stopped bying american cars because they fell apart after a couple of years . Quality gave way to corporate greed. If america made a product that was equal to it's foreign counterpart, this would not be an issue.If the legislation was passed, people would still buy the best even if it cost a little more.

I support the "Buy American" plan because such a plan will put millions of Americans back to work MAKING REPAIRS ON THESE PRODUCTS. One only has to look at the track record of American workers to see what I mean.

A 'buy american' clause is absolutely absurd. It is a horrible lack of oversight and regulation by the US government that caused this mess in the first place, and the mess has caused the whole world to suffer because of our greed and corruption. Telling the rest of the world we will not do business with them after dragging them down into a recession for trusting us is the worst possible thing to do right now.

Even the foreign companies that produce or assemble their finished products should be allowed to be advertised as assembled in america if that is the case. We need to utilize the global engineering in re-engineering the U.S industry. Good products can be made here in this country again if we work with big business instead of making the potential impossible. Free Trade is a joke, and we are paying the price.

When Americans realize that we need to produce quality at cheaper prices then everyone will buy American. Sorry, but other countries do it cheaper and better. Whats sad is so many people think this stimulus plan will help, it wont. We need to realize a full cultural change is the only thing that will fix our economy and that wont happen until a depression.

Here in Florida we are facing an issue with contaminated dry wall from China that was installed in new home construction between 2004 and 2006. Now there may be thousands of homes with the potential of making homeowners ill – all for a larger profit line. Either other countries PROVE standards met equal to our standards or we simply buy American ONLY.

Here's some food for thought..... While we as Americans are debating to buy or not American, all other countries that one way or another depend on us economically don't even think about it. It is part of their culture and patriotism to prefer local over imported. Examples: Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brasil, the largest latin american economies all take pride on their own products. Why is this even a debatable matter? It is our responsibility as Americans to be proud of our country and consume our own!!! Why do we need governement to tell us that? And my last two cents........ Think of what you are doing to our economy for every penny spent at Walmart where more than 90% of products are..... Chinese!!!!

Regulating industry is not how the economy as we know it is fixed. Regulation will revive the economy in the image the government sees fit. Are any Americans even considering the fact that the more control we give to the government, the less we the people will have? It scares me to see this much blind support of something this huge. Let's look at the numbers. Let's at least debate this thing before we push it through just because our new Commander in Chief has told us that it has to pass immediately. The Congress and Senate are supposed to be there to check the sanity of bills like this. For once, I'd like to see them do their job. We are surrendering our freedom one bill at a time. WAKE UP AMERICA!

Buy American is good. Let's give up our Italian shoes and French wines Our foreign cars and Toys made in China.
The Iron and Steel industries are not the only ones hurting.

I smell another knee-jerk reaction from the American people on this one. And why not, it has worked so well for you so far. "USA USA USA!!!!!". Typical short term thinking from you guys.

Want a free tip: COUNTRIES MUST BE ABOVE THE PERSONAL FEARS AND BIASES OF THE INDIVIDUAL.

Thats why countries sign long term agreements, so they are not ruled by irrational whims and fears of citizens and politicians.

And why do you all want more government regulating you? since when is it anyone's choice but my own. Please explain what policy (not involving personal safety) the Republicans or Democrats have enforced that worked out? SS, Health care, so many more programs/ policies to name. Here's a huge tip, learn to function without the government telling you what to do! Educate yourself!

The subject of Buy American and the stimulus package is an all day discussion. NAFTA is what started this country on the downward spiral. We don't know how many jobs and companies went south of the border. How many small companies depended on the LARGER companies that disappeared.
The stimulus package as presented HAS a great deal of MONEY for PORK in it,.Money in there for the arts does not create jobs. MOney Sex education does not create jobs. this package should belooked at VERY closely prior to any vote. PERHAPS OUR NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT SHOULD TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT IT.

Our own government has abandoned american companies like Lockheed to purchase planes from Airbus for the air force/navy. We should of been making sure that our representatives in DC were representing americans when it came down to spending american taxes. Did someone finally wake up in DC, or did too many americans finally lose their jobs and now see the forest from the trees? Either way it is long overdue, about 25-30 years overdue, but hey better late than never right.

The goverment is not looking at the big picture. Tax cuts and stimulus money is not going to help people who have lost their job and aren't able to find another one. If our tax dollars are going to bailout these companies, we should also be able to demand that they do not outsource jobs oversee (i.e. India) or use companies that outsource oversee which is how they get away with outsourcing. That would bring jobs back to the states and put spending money into our economy. Don't these companies see that by outsourcing the spending money is going into foriegn economies which is causing that same companies sales to go down because that money they are paying out to there foreign employees are being spent in another store in another country.

I totally agree with the buy American clause. That is what's wrong with the economy now. We have been losing our good jobs for years to cheaper labor in other countries, The only way that the stimulas package will work is if they are required to buy American products and hire American workers for construction projects. They also need to hire government employees to oversee the spending of the money.

Of course foreign countries want to rebel against a, "Buy American" movement.! These countries are like parasites, dumping their goods in our country, using "sweat shops" and paying very low wages. They buy little or nothing from us, and the only way our money comes back from their shores, is in the form of loans to sap even more from us.

Remember how Wal Mart used to promote, "Made in America"...They sold us out by going to China, and allowing the domestic businesses that depended solely on them for their existence, to wither and die.

We allowed foreign automobile manufacturers to come to our country and compete in our market, imposing none of the burdens our domestic manufacturers are forced to live with. How can their be any surprise at the outcome???

I drive two Chrysler vehicles and own a Chevy truck for business.

I know evertime I buy a foreign product, I'm taking food out of the mouth of some American worker ...I'm sick to death of seeing products that advertiser, "Made in China".

It's time for a resurrection of American manufacturing...It's time for us to take care of ourselves first, and the rest of the world second. Except for our money, I don't believe anyone else in the world gives a damn about us.

re: the Buy American provision: Who is going to guarantee the structural quality of the non-U.S. metal, especially (but not limited to) structural steel? "Blogger Eva" had it right: she's in the business and buys American BECAUSE OF THE QUALITY. I can almost hear the ambulance chasers lining up at the docks and ports in anticipation... when does 'compliance' become self-defeating? Not to mention AMERICAN business? I think that McCain, Kyl and all the others who oppose this are NUTS, and I don't say that lightly.

Thank you. Great job, Robin!
–airframe44

Hi my name is darrell I'm from South Whitley IN, Like a who lot of people I know we dont know what to think, discounts on cars tax credits on new houses and all the other garbage they sday will help.-All I know Is I'm 59 and my wife is 35 and I just cant see were all that stuff is going to help maybe I just dont understand.we need jobs ya here me jobs jobs then the rest will come Worried-–Darrell & jenny

WHAT BOTHERS ME ABOUT ALL THE STIMULUS TALK IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING FOR THOSE WHO BOUGHT MORE HOUSE THAN THEY SHOULD OF, OR FOR WHATEVER REASON HAVE GOTTEN BEHIND ON THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS...WHAT ABOUT THE HARD WORKING FAMILY WHO HAVE CUT THEIR BUDGET TO THE BARE BONE AND ARE DOING WITHOUT MANY OF THE CONVENIENCES OF THE REST OF AMERICA AND THE STILL MAKE THEIR PAYMENTS AT ALL COST! BY ALL MEANS, LETS NOT PAT THEM ON THE BACK AND REWARD THEM!! NOOOOOOOOO, CAN'T DO THAT.

The only problem that I can plainly see with this Buy American Rally is that there is not much to buy that is American. Take all the foreign products off the shelves= one big empty walmart. I am still for it as an american, but we should of been doing this since the late 70's. We wouldn't be in this whole financial nightmare we now have woke up in.

The question whether foreign countries will respond in kind if we enact the Buy American policy in the president's stimulus bill, should be handled by decreasing or eliminating any foreign aid to a country that tries to "punish" the US for reviving manufacturing in our own country. Detracters of the Buy American provision like the US Chamber of Commerce are heavily invested in foreign companies and countries and have an un-Patriotic financial interest in the loss of American jobs to third world contries and/or the elimination of labor unions so they can turn the US into a third world country, or a fascist/corporatist state. That is, more than they already have. Sometimes I wonder who these organizations real loyalty is to?

BUY AMERICAN IS THE BATTLE CRY OF AMERICANS TODAY....EXCEPT peanut butter, peanut butter crackers, peanut oil, and mushrooms from Pennsylvania.

I remember when Lee Iacocca was on TV draped in an American flag tell everyone to "BUY AMERICAN" but in reality he and the other BIG 3 were building plants over seas for production. We must get the manufactoring back in the US! We must let the ecomoney take care of it's self, every time the governorment gets involuved it mucks it up and rich people get richer. Lets get back to the GOLD STANDARD control government spending and charge a flat tax or stright sales tax, no loop holes.

It's all borrowed money so let's spend it on putting Americans to work by buying U. S.made products.People in other countries only care about the almighty dollar,not us.

The Chinese are going to move into the drug manufacturing. They are coming out with their version of Viagra. They have a keen advertising campaign to promote it. They have a real old chinese guy clad in a fancy silk robe surrounded by chinese beauties. He winks at the guys in tv land and promises " Try our Chi-agra.....it will put some lead in your pencil !"

Honestly? "Buy American" is ridiculous. We are a global economy – I'm sure we would be pretty well destroyed by other countries having a "buy German" or "buy Russian" clause – why would we allow it with our own country, other than to give ourselves a feel-good sense of null accomplishment.

Look at some of the big compaines that outsource their customer support services. Verizon employs hundreds of people in India, along with other big companies, to take your customer support calls. American businesses must realize that if you put money into America, you will get that money and trust back. If the U.S. can build a fence to keep illeagal immigrants out, then the U.S. needs to build a fence around the country to keep the jobs in.!

We can limit the purchase of imports without making it policy and causing our trade partners alarm. Close Walmart.

We got change all right. America seems to be irrelavent. Same -O Same O

Seems simple to me, buy the BEST steel, if we're not making it, then we should work on that.

Responding to "Tina the Blogger" and her belief that we would be punishing the rest of the world by not trading with them to stimulate our own economy- When your oxygen masks drop from the overhead compartment on a plane, they tell you to put your mask on first THAN assist the person next to you. We have to stimulate ourselves before we can assist the other hurting countries. While I respect your belief that we shouldn't "punish" anyone, we need to fix our economy first. Our safety takes priority.

Its pretty hard to buy American when cars electronics are made overseas, assembled in Canada and Mexico. Televison, Dvd players, Radios, most are made overseas. The way to create jobs is bring those jobs that have been shipped overseas, including Canada and Mexico back to the USA. Wages and Corporate American will have to be reduce wages and profits to compete with foreign products.

Remember the good old days when Lee Iacoca was going to buy Coca-Cola after saving Chrysler. He was going to rename the beverage giant Iacoca-cola. Oh well, I wish we had him around today to save our butts again. Where are our Geniuses?

First, all of our trading partners don't seem to have a problem with protectionist policies in their own countries. Has anybody seen the trade imbalance with all of our trading partners? I think its only right to take care of our own house first. That includes buying american, including the transplants. While they do support the communities they are in, they do not do much for America as a whole. I have been buying american whenever I can. But, with all the incentives to sell out for cheaper labor, and quality I might add, it is extremely difficult.

Does the provision to buy American steel and iron mean the executes for these businesses will also have a salary cap of $500,000 since they will be directly benefitting from our tax dollars?

It's about time!YES Please BUY AMERICAN! I am totally patriotic and have always supported my country and the products we produce. I have always made a point to buy products Made in the USA. This is the way to rebuild our country's economy. This is the way to put Americans back to work. Let's focus on AMERICA, and for once not put all our worries and efforts into all the other countries.

Record job losses! Economey in the toliet! Greed out of control! No extra money for anything but bare survivail. Our Goverment officals have no idea what it takes for a family to live on a income of less then 24,000 a year. $8.00 a hour jobs do not make for a thriving economy! We have been on the short end of the trade deficiate for way too long, NAFTA & CAFTA, along with Globle Economy need to go away! Before these agreements the american dream was atainable, now it is just that, a dream! Buy American is just what this country needs to start Companies, and jobs. Not just Steel! Wake up Congressmen and Senators!!!!! Take care of us that is what you are susposed to do!!!!!!!

Buy American!! It's about time one of our problems is that we have bent over backwards to support foreign countries that have done little to help us. It's time for America to be concerned about America and stop worrying about who we offend, the other countries of the world don't seem to worry about us.

i do agree in part that we start utilizing more american made products, but the downfall we would have by cutting trade with other countries is worse than any benefit we would have by just buying american. if the US would work together with other countries to help benefit the world, not just the US, i think that we could be a whole lot better off.

It took years to get where we are, so we cannot return to where a large number of people would like us to be overnight. But we HAVE to start changing the idea that the lowest cost [ i.e. from china] is best for me when it drives our production overseas and kills our quality employment.

Instead of insisting on buying American, lets just do like the french wanted to do in the second world war.... Just give up and hope for the best. We are worried now that China might be upset that we buy U.S. toys instead of their lead based products, oh can't forget all the other stuff we all know China has messed up on. The U.S. media is teaching us to stay mute so we don't upset the very people putting us in a recession.
Please don't make the mexican president mad!!!!!!!!!! His people are taking alot of jobs here that i would be more than willing to work for, tax free like the illegals get paid to do tax free. I was born here so i have to pay taxes, but what forces illegals to pay taxes???

What's wrong with buying American? I'm all for free trade, but when we gorge ourselves with imports from toothpaste to cars, we will become a country of consumers.....not producers! If no jobs are available here, we will not be able to afford the imported products anyway. If we in the USA don't take care of ourselves...who will? We need to dust ourselves off....rekindle the American dream...and Buy American.

BUY AMERICAN. For all the folks that are against buying American, I suggest hey get their paycheck from those countries that they buy from. They should also go there and express their freedom of rights, lack of healthcare, and spend their $100 monthly paycheck in stores there. What is the actual import vs. export ratio. open markets mean the corner butcher buys his bread from the baker, who buys his milk from the farmer, who sells his beef to the butcher. We cant just buy things without creating anything. What are we going to do if there are no jobs here, sit around and wait to print more money? I hear there are jobs in china for $1 a day with the toxic discharge from your plant going into the drinking water.

I'm not saying we need to permanantly "Buy American" but we are in serious trouble of losing our trained manufacturing workers which we can't afford to do, And if our overseas trading partners want us as future customers we need to rebuild our economy and they need to understand that, We can't rebuild our own economy if were buying more than were selling it's simple economics. We all need to sacrifice going forward and that includes our overseas trading partners.

is there such a item made in the US??? everything i pick up says made in china.

WE should buy American but don’t need to broadcast to the world, The unbalance trade arrangements with other countries would be hard to change without pissing them off. So why say anything, JUST DO IT …by the time it realized it will by to late and may not have much negative impact from anyone

We often forget that in China, France, Israel and many other countries, it is against the law and taboo for companies and government agencies to buy foreign made products such as those from America.

I agree that the United States of America's government and U.S. companies should only buy American made products and support the country that voted them into office and/or business's that pay U.S. taxes!

The U.S. Consumer will still be able to buy imported products so this will not affect U.S . trade with our trading partners around the world.

Buy American or teach your children a Foreign Language

Captain Adams U.S. Navy (ret)

We need to get the best of the best to oversee the new stimulus plan. We need the likes of Iacoca as the car czar, Trump as the bank czar, Welch as the power and energy czar. Why do we have morons instead?

I’m not particularly sharp in either micro or macro economic theory. However, whatever the route we chose to reach this point, where it is problematic for us to suggest that we buy American, should be revisited so that we do not take that path again. It may make “economic sense,” at this point in time, to the intellectuals; but it defies the “common sense” of the common citizen. I guess that this is just one more thing that the “common man or woman” does not understand, and some of our politicians apparently do.

We need worry about AMERICA right now ! Not the rest of the world

Buy american only makes sense at this time of financial distress. I don't see how buying anything made in a foreign country can help us. Personally, I think the selling of america has started this whole problem. The NAFTA, CAFTA ,

Those who are protesting about the buy american clause most likly own a busness over seas. They avoid paying american taxes on their companies .The average american has very little confidence in our governments ability to govern itself.

I would like to buy American. It is just very hard and time consuming to go to any retail stores and find American products. China rules, Japan and Pakistan are a close second. American? Where are our products? Give it a shot. TV, Phones, might as well say anything electronic, all from other countries, NOT America! I bought a pair of boots from Cabelas Size 11, could'nt get my foot in, went to size 12, toes smashed against the toe! Made in China! I asked if they had a boot made in America and have yet to get a response since Nov 2008.
Tracy, Oscoda MI

Robin,
Please give me a little more time to think over this issue as I lean back in my chair made in Mexico and type on my keyboard made in China and looking around the room its possible I might be the only thing in here made in America..........I think.

The buy american provision in the stimulus package should not be up for any kind of debate. Anyone who believes spending money for foreign made products will help the american worker is living in a fantasy land of some kind. To say China is a trading partner is a real stretch of imagination, millons of our former jobs that supported the economy of the U.S. are now in China( among other countries) we import all the low quality junk they can dump here and export next to nothing back. To blogger Tina who says we have dragged these other countries into recession borders on lunacy!! Unless you have been living on another planet the reverse is obvious to everyone who has the smallest amount of common sense. (that must be where our law makers have been hanging out) Blogger Gail

Yeah, buy american. It can only help. But be advised it is very difficult to find american made products. Clothing, shoes, etc are virtually impossible to find. All the major outlets are about the bottom line. This is what has led to the state of the nation now. Further, lets keep the same people in charge who helped put us in this position. Duh!!!

Maybe we can strike a deal with China to make their Made in China labels. Oh yeah, and so far as Wallyworld goes, all you have to do their is let their employees get organized and vote in a union. Walmart will have its behing against the wall by americans finally. Either that or let them sell their chinese products to the chinese by closing their sweatshop outlets here on US soil. Walmart is off the beating path and Sam would be very dissapointed in where the giant is today.

"buy American" this is not a time to be building walls. This is a global problem. The world is now looking to America for "change" This sounds alot like lets look out for America first. Didn't you just finish eight years of that. And look where it got the world. Greed thats the bottom line, thats how we are all in this mess. Why don't we try something new, like working together to bring back a healthy and vibrant "world economy"
Judy

I BELIEVE THAT BUYING AMERICAN COULD BE A GREAT RECOVERY PLAN FOR AMERICA BUT COULD IT WORK , I WANT TO BUY A NEW DIGITAL TELEVISON BUT CAN
YOU TELL ME A BRAND NAME THATS MADE IN AMERICA
.

Just like the strings attached to the companies accepting bailout money regarding executive compensation, the buy american clause for the stimulus is totally justified! It's the American taxpayers who are fronting the money for the stimulus, it should be the Americans who receive the first return on the investment! Think of it as trickle down economics in reverse, as the american workers prospects improve, they in turn will drive the engine that leads to worldwide economic recovery. Conservatives have been selling this theory to the American people for almost 30 years, it's high time that they got a dose of the fertilizer that they have been shoveling!

Buy American is a great idea and very symbolic gesture. Problem is it would be nearly impossible to execute. Many things claim to be "Made in America" but are more realistically "Assembled in America".

How many of the electronics in my silverado were made in america? How many napa valley wineries actually use expensive US bottles? Are all these DTV converters made in america? I wonder what percentage of american oil used in our gasoline is...

So do we spend a lot more money ensuring our products are in fact "Made in America", or is "Assembled in Americ"a good enough for us to feel a little more patriotic?

Just for some people to know. Just because a company has a foreign name does not mean it is not American. Take Honda for example. Honda vehicles made in the U.S. have been made with 90% american parts. Compare that to an American car company such as Ford, GM or Chrysler. So some people need to do some research before they buy.

If you don't think buying American is a good idea, you my friend are asleep at the wheel.
We should be doing all we can to buy products manufactured as close to our own communities as we can. Keeping the money close to home means our local businesses grow, creating jobs and wealth for those closest to us.
Do you want the people in your community, state and country to profit from the sale of goods and services? Then buy american, buy local.

its time for fair trade-how many gm or ford plants are in japan wake up america or should i say united states of japan!!!!!

Maybe the politicans should take a pay cut,or better yet pay for their own health care. I dont hear of any of them being laid off or losing their homes, they live high on our money and dont even pay their taxes

Buy American may even be to a certain extent a good policy to face the mess. Personally, I believe that a country in economic decline can´t pull itself up by its own bootstraps.Globalization now is more important than never for the way-out. The governments themselves have to save money to assist laid-off workforce, cut taxes to stimulate the economy, create a massive front of infrastructural work , encourage and facilitate small companies opening to give job to jobless. In addition, all people have to submit themselves to a lower earning.The governments should stop throwing money around in bailouts, what is the same as to leave the fox taking care of the chicken. As to the mismanaged firms leave them to stew in their own juice. On the other hand, nobody knows either how long the mess will last or how deep it is. Nobody as well either understands how the crisis has been made up or to what extent of seriousness it might be developed. One thing,however is pretty sure. For too many years, and still now, the entire world has been attending mainly bankers and CEO´s practicing a greedy eagerness to make money hand over fist, both laughing off the ordinary people struggling to make a living. No one makes a lot of money by leaps and bounds without corruption,graft,embezzlement, lobbyism in the way.So, as a strategic and compensatory measure to be taken in face of the mess and take it it for granted, would be all governments auditing during two years everyone with income over $ 250 thousand dollars a year, with rates varying in accordance with the respective income.

How do we go about indepence when China owns our astronomical debt?

I believe that all American businesses should be "encouraged" to buy American-made products. There are a lot of factors to consider when attempting to determine the long-term pros and cons of this approach. On the one hand, it may upset our trade partners because it may lead to a decrease in the demand for foreign-made products. However, considering the current economic climate, I don't think this a a big deal because demand for those products has already decreased.

To help ensure the success of this approach, the US Gov't should set the tone by leading. It should be mandated that all Gov't. purchased autos and related products be American made. And of course this should be structured to include more than just the auto industry. State and local Govt's should be included. Any business receiving financial assistance through TARP or any other aid program should be required to buy American also.

I also believe that our trade programs, be it NAFTA or any other need to be amended to better meet the current needs of America. Bottom line, we need to employ more American citizens and programs which lead to outsourcing of jobs must be reviewed in light of continuing job losses.

Any way you look at it, change is needed more than ever. I understand that businesses outsource because it directly impacts the bottom line. But as I have heard numerous times, the bottom line difference when it comes to outsourcing jobs is becoming much smaller. Therefore, the financial advantages to outsourcing is becoming smaller.

Robin, thanks for getting my mornings off to such a good start. Continued success to you and Morning Express!

i think buy America is good. They need to do it more then just on steel and iron. The place that i did work at, started sending jobs overseas 3 or 4 years ago and it has cost over 1000 jobs. Eventually everything will be sent and everybody will be unemployed. Then who will buy other country stuff.

Will the "Buy American" clause hurt the US? I haven't heard the trading relationship with Canada mentioned, Canada buys more US goods from the US than any other country in the world, including all 27 countries in Europe combined. Canada is also the biggest supplier of oil and gas to the US. More than 1 billion dollars a day crosses the border in trade every day between Canada and the US. Protectionist measure would hurt both countries.

Retaliation?!!!?????!!! They are putting out products that are killing people with LEAD in it. Poisoned baby food? Arent we doing enough damage ourselves! It took me 3 stores to register (small) my wedding to get all USA made products. 3!

My Name is Darren Lincoln, I am the President of the USAChamberofCommerce.com, We have over 5,000 members/advertisers US Only. We don't accept overseas members.
The US Chamber of commerce has been an inept organization not benefiting US businesses and should have to drop the US tag as they do more for overseas companies than in the US.

Darren Lincoln Delray Beach Florida

If we would get rid of NAFTA we would'nt need the stimanulas plan or worry or about if we should buy A merican.

How sad that it seems the experience president Obama shows us is the gift of saying something opposite of what he is doing.

We out here in the world beyond the DC circle know what our problems are. So when we have our president repeating some of those problems instead of discussing solutions, that's a problem. His new addition to giving $15,000.00 for ALL NEW HOME SALES is not going to do a thing for the people struggling with their homes and mortgages now. To claim it is is irresponsible at least, a false claim at best.

Saying the stimulus plan will create jobs is misleading. The companies that are still up an running have a great deal of excess capacity. i.e., construction companies that could be working 10 projects vs. the 3 they currently have (without hiring any new employees). or the production line, that if demand existed, could turn out 100 items per hour vs the 10 it currently is due to low demand.

Short story – the only thing a trillion dollar package will do is burden America with debt.

For the last ten years or more steel for construction projects i worked on came from Canada or Poland , U.S steel was to expensive , by making the project skyrocket in price will that benifit the economy. Scott Vermont

Buy American is a great idea.... in theory. In practise it is impractical.
Simpler technologies are not even made here....
The simple hex nut in a fastener component would have to
be specially made to be "domestic."
If found here, it would be 10 times more expensive.
We don't have time to make thousands of exceptions for
Buy US vs competive pricing

When did America start allowing foreign powers to violate the Constution of the United States??? The President and the Congress are required to protect the American citizen by law and by oath of office. This is the main function of government under our Consitution. If buy America laws provide the best protection to the American citizen then no treaty has the right to supercede the Consitution of the United States. Tea party anyone.

Buying American sounds wonderful. I have always thought we should not depend on foreign countries as much as we do. Some trade yes but not as much. Will Americans be willing to pay the higher price for American made goods? Most Americans will not work for the low wages that other countries pay to keep costs down. I feel a job (even at lower wages) is better then no job but people would rather take unemployment, etc.

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If we pay 30% more for materials for projects for roads and bridges just to "Buy American" doesn't this mean that we get less of the projects done because they cost more. If you have cheaper materials, you have more projects funded and more people put to work.

This is all quite straight forward -

The buying decision is simple – you buy from whomever can legally meet your quality and service requirements at the lowest cost.

The federal government should act on items of national concern and not include state wish list items. This could be accomplished by items standing on their own merit and not as part of a major package. If items were discussed and ruled on individually each would be quickly settled – unique state earmarks would be denied and left to the states to budget and prioritize and only items of national interest would make it through committee, be discussed and ruled on. This process would increase the efficiency of government and focus the national v. state processes.

Yes, lets please buy American. I'm so tired of cheap metal products that don't work. Safety pins and straight pins that tarnish, won't puncture fabrics or will put a run in your fabric, and bend or break when you try to pin something. I'm tired of things like staplers that won't staple, and on and on. I'm very willing to pay more for quality products made in America.

BUY AMERICAN- OK. i brought a Ford van, made in Canada...
so i brought a Chrysler PT cruiser, made in Mexico. But the best one
is the TV converter box from the US govt., it is made in CHINA. Guess
i will buy Masda next time, as it is built in Flatrock, Michigan.

Please consider the fact that we are in world ecomomy and no country, including America can stand alone. Thousands of jobs have been lost to bad trade agreements and bad politics. As a former employee of a major federal agency for over 35 years, I know only too well how many polices were implemented to advance personal political agenda's at the expense of the the american people. Flag waving is an emotional smokescreen not a viable solution!

If america goes ahead with the buy america plan , a depression will happen, if you know you're history, last time was 1930s and it created trade wars. that is what caused the depression

Yes, We should buy american. My husband works for a steel company that is facing majors layoffs. I think this is a great idea.
We should use American steel to rebuild the nation, it only makes sense.
We as a country need to become more dependent on our own products to keep our nation strong.
God Speed President Obama

I would agree that in a free market a government mandated use of U.S. made materials would not be correct. However, in a crisis situation and when the government (all us taxpayers) are using 100's of billions of dollars to stimulate the economy then it is perfectly within the right of the government (the people) to say how that money is spent. As for the concern over our trading partners – don't be. Most foreign companies receive government subsidies that allows them to compete unfairly against our own domestic corporations. The fact is we need to keep this money at home in a closed pool until the economy re-stabalizes. We also need to realize as a country that all our trading partners need us much more than we need them. We are the largest consumers on the planet and they need us to make a profit and they simply will not retaliate. They may do a great deal of sabre rattling, but it will all be a bluff.

Oh yes, more Bushism's from Obama. Claim doom and gloom and threaten if his Stimulus bill doesn't pass, we are DOOMED.

He doesn't like the longer it's out there, everyone finds out this is one of the most expensive spending bills guised as a "Stimulus" for recession, when it's nothing but a huge give away to his donors and special intersts.

I will not forgive my Senators if they support this bill. Even though they feel secured being in office for 6 years at a time.

6 billion to colleges , not to the students who could use it.
300 million for contraceptives
600 million for government to buy new cars
100 Billion to people not even claiming income tax
650 million dollars for digital tv coupons
250 million for Hollywood producers tax relief
BILLLIONS for remodel jobs on their govt buildings

the list just goes on and on

I agree with "Buy American". I worked for a company that imported most of the materials needed to manufacture its product in the United States at a higher cost than market value for the material. It is a form of funneling money overseas without having to pay taxes to the our Country since they are willing to operate their U.S. based companies at a loss.

Let's not forget one that really deserves it's own attention,
4.1 billion dollars Obama is sliding in for ACORN and Community Organizers.

Oh yeah, a stimuls to reubild our country and create jobs.

Hey guys I just do not see how giving a discount on a new car or a big tax credit on a new home or tax credit on this or that is going to help the thousands of us who lost there jobs do the this crap - Give us jobs and we do'nt need your damn tax break we can pay for what we got I'm confused-Darrell

maybe instead of spending billions of dollars on wars and army stuff, that you think about healthcare first and start from there.

I believe in buy American, however I also believe in buying the best product for the best price. It used to be this way with the government as well, however I don't know if these provisions still exist. The requirement had been that procurement of American products for federal projects unless the product was not available from US sources or there was at least a 20% savings by buying the product from foreign sources.
I believe this remains a realistic provision and should either be re- instituted or enforced with perhaps some modifications.

In the discussion of requiring the projects using the stimulus funds, no one mentions that the current Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) requires that some government funded construction projects buy in accordance with the Buy American Act. Do the people wanting to not to buy American propose changing the FAR?

Instead of having a stimus plan to give billions to those that already have money, give the money to the working people. The same working people that have lost their jobs in the past few months. 700 billion has already been waisted. Give the money to the tax payers that have lost their jobs. If I had 100,000 stimus I would pay off my house. There's some money to the banks. I would buy my wife a car. There's some money to the auto makers. I DO NOT feel sorry for people that make 30 million a year. You see them on the news crying that THEY need a stimus package. Give it back to the working class.

Hey guys I just do not see how giving a discount on a new car or a big tax credit on a new home or tax credit on this or that is going to help the thousands of us who lost there jobs do the this crap - Give us jobs and we do'nt need your tax break we can pay for what we got I'm confused-Darrell

I SEEN THIS MORNING THAT AUTO SUPPLY MANUFACTORS WANT A PIECE OF THE STIMULUS MONEY WHICH COULD BE A GREAT RELIEF TO HELP THE AUTO INDUSTRY , BUT THEN AGAIN THERE IS A AUTO PARTS MANUFACTOR IN MY AREA THAT ON 2/4/09 THE 1400 UNION WORKER DOWN VOTED DOWN CONSESSIONS PROPOSED BY THE COMPANY TO HELP TO KEEP THE PLANT OPEN AN SAVE THERE JOBS AND THEY VOTED IT DOWN BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO TAKE A PAY CUT, SO THE COMPANY IS GOING TO START WINDING DOWN OPERATIONS AND FILL EXISITING ORDERS THEN CLOSE THE PLANT. SO THE UNION WORKERS ARE GOING TO GO FROM AN AVERAGE HOURLY PAY RATE OF $20.00 TO A RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT $10.00 PER HOUR FOR A FORTY HOUR WEEK AND THIS WILL LAST FOR SIX MONTHS. AND AFTER SIX MONTHS WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY CANT FIND A JOB WITHIN THE SIX MONTHS WHAT DO THEY DO , GO TO SOCIAL SERVICES FOR HELP FOR LIVING EXPENCES,MEDICAD AND FOOD STAMPS ,AND THIS WILL REALLY HELP THE ECONOMY WONT IT. SO ITS A CATCH 22 THE PLANT WANTS TO SAVE MONEY AND KEPP THE EMPOLYEE'S ,AND THE EMPLOYEE'S WANT TO KEEP THERE RATE OF PAY , SO WHAT COULD HAPPEN , THE COMPANY COULD MOVE OPERATIONS OR OUT SOURCE OVERSEAS, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL PAY THE PRICE AND HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER STIMULUS PLAN TO TAKE CARE OF THE STATE SO THE STATE CAN TAKE CARE OF THE WORKERS.

But what does "buy American" mean, a Chevy with parts from and assembly in Mexico and Canada, or a Nissan built in Mississippi with American labor? What is the "American" aspect of the "buy"?

Hey guys I just do not see how giving a discount on a new car or a big tax credit on a new home or tax credit on this or that is going to help the thousands of us who lost there jobs do the this stuff going on - Give us jobs and we do'nt need your tax break we can pay for what we got I'm confused-Darrell

PASS THE PRESIDENTS PLAN, AND BUY AMERICAN!

I'd like to know where the 9 billon is coming from. Do they just keep printing money? Soon the dollar will be as wothless as Monopoly money. Instead of paying unemployment why not use that money to get the shops that have closed back in bussiness.

Tracy, if you want to buy shoes made in America then buy New Balance. Their shoes are made in America, but they have to import some of the raw materials to make them because no one in America makes those raw materials. I haven't bought a pair of foreign made shoes since 2000!

To Lou-does'nt make since doesit? I think the union right up to high paid exective's ball players and all the ridiculosly high paid people need to wake up take a pay cut till the nation heals and then and only then go ahead and reap your bennifits Darrell

Choosing to buy American made products is, of course, the wise choice. Remembering that we are semi-dependent on other countries for selling as well as purchasing products is also important. More important might be to stop selling our banks and buisnesses to other countries. The money is not staying here.

Buy American, EMPLOY AMERICAN.....wouldn't it be nice to understand the person giving you technical advise....yeah, I'm talking to you Verizon, Dell, MCI.....

Come on people wake up. You the consumer creates jobs. You are the one that causes the money to start circulating. look at it this way.
If I give a business $1000, but the business doesn't sell anything because the consumer can't buy it. How long do you think he will stay in business? However, if I give you the consumer $1000, you will put some in the bank, and you will start spending. This causes the bank to hire a teller, the business to buy goods to replace what you got, and to hire clerks to take care of you. Also, some of that money goes back to the govenment. and the circle continues. Simple, but effective.

What happen to the real help that all the home owners need?
A 4 % intrerest rate will put money back into the pockets of real americans that need help now!
The stimulus package that I see will not help. You look around and everyone has there house for sell, people are selling to move to were they have found a new job. They are stuck with a house they can't sell. They can't buy because they can't sell. The 4% intterest rate would be the jump start to get things moving.
This would have far reaching effect s to include the vehicle market.

The problems with a BUY AMERICAN program is it would have to be
regulated by a new Gov't agency. More regulators hired to fill out more
red tape. And we have seen in the past how good a job they do.
Everytime a co. wanted to purchase something they would have
to hire Lawyers to go thru the 1000 page manual of buying practices
and submit 73 different forms to 8different offices and wait 12 weeks
for someone to look at them. Then 12 weeks later you would be told
a mistake was made on one form and you have to resubmit all of it.
The only jobs created , gov't jobs, they don't build,mfg, or produce.

How are we to save the American Economy by buying "American",when there isn't any jobs left in America to manufacture anything "proudly Made In The U.S.A?

The way I see it, theres no where to go but up. Bush has left a huge job for Obama, any way he goes, someone is going to hate him for it. We have people representing our nation that can't pay their own taxes, all the while, penalizing citizens that make the same "mistake". But that's ok, because they are better then us? Our system has failed us, we are handing our tax money to dirty hands despite our view. It failed us bailing out the banks the first time, I have very little faith a second will help. I do not want those greedy CEO's living off my paycheck, but what say do I have? Now for us to try to buy property, we have to come up with 35-50% down and pay it off in a year. If I had that kind of money, I wouldn't be needing a bank. If the gov't had given that money to tax payers, we would have a diff story, bt now our story worstens day to day. And if we "Buy America", in theory sounds great, but it's a little late for that isn't it? Still, we would never know if we didn't try, I think that it's worth a try. To turn our economy around, there will have to be thinking outside the box, and taking chances we never thought we'd have to.

In addition to using American made products, I think all government jobs and contracts should only be allowed to use American workers. NO outsourcing outside of our country. Do our citizens realize how many jobs are outsourced to in countries?

Buying American is a great idea, but has anyone payed attention to why other country's products are cheaper and better? In the U.S., we have so many big Corporate Executive salaries, bonuses and perks to pay for which requires us to charge a higher price. No wonder we can't compete! Not to mention, if the companies re-invested those funds in better quality materials, we might actually be able to compete better in the global market of not only our own country, but others, as well.

We should all make an effort to buy American goods. It's very telling, and sad, to see huge, foreign cargo ships come into the ports loaded to the water line and leave empty. It is a visual indicator of why our deficit is so large....and growing.

I live in the U P of Michigan and I have Iron Ore trains going by my home 3 times a day ,but when my Husband goes to buy steel to build things he is working on why is it he has to get from other states not here in Michigan?

my point exactly capmotion.

honestly my gut feeling is every government employee in Washington needs to be canned. Not one of these crooks holds our interests above their own. This "Buy American" clause probably only made it into the bill with the help of a couple hundred grand "small change?" from an American company looking for another few billion in bonuses before they file bankruptcy.

Obama needs to step back and do a hard reset. We are given the choice to vote from a slim number of rich guys every few years to represent our best interests. Then they spend a week on vacation to discuss how to better the stimulous plan. Give me a break, these guys have no clue what my life is all about.

The american people are only going to allow this bs for so long before we follow the lead of other troubled countried and do the necessary hard reset of the government ourselves.

I'm sure the reprocussions* would be great and i really have no clue how all this really works but it seems we're one the brink of being turned into a chinese owned colony. And i for one would rather that not happen.

I think we should back the President on this buy American plan.If we put the America worker back to work we would create more tax dollars thus more money to spend.Any senator who votes againist this part of the bill should be run out of office.This is why the republicians lost the election because they have lost contact with the average American.All our cities and towns are going broke because nobody has a job.It is time all Americans stand up and say we are going to make America great again.Put our people back to work and buy American.Also any company getting bailout money first should have to bring all there jobs back into this country!!This is for all the so called American automotive companies and banks who spend our dollars overseas.I would like to read this to John McCain personality.He is selling America out again only this time we are not going to take it!!!!

Doing something would be better then doing nothing. I think that Bush turned a blind eye to our nation and focused entirely on Iraq. We need someone that's willing to put his neck on the line to do whatever it takes to help the nation. I Live in Wyoming, and we were reported the lowest unemployment rate, false. Our money relies greatly on oil fields, and without some kind of regulation on oil prices, we are loosing our way of living, stacking more rigs every day. Our rate is low because many of these jobs are pushed to smaller hours, enough to keep us off unemployment, but not enough to support our household. We need our jobs secured and more created for us. I say bravo for someone trying to make a change even if it seems imposable.

If our "Buy American" philosophy is so bad, and will hurt our trade relations with our trading partners: What is our trading partners doing to improve their own economies? I pay a little bit more sometime, but I try to buy American whenever I can.

It's amazing to me the shear audacity of government officials as well as the industry heads that now want the American people to buy American when they send jobs overseas to lower the bottom line. If anyone wants to persuade the public to buy American then 'outsourcing', 'rightsourcing' or any other euphemism for sending jobs away should be outlawed. I ask myself often could I go to a foreign country and get a job? Probably not. This is an insult to the intellect of hard working people.

The Buy American Act was enacted into legislation in 1965. As a government contracting officer, we are required by law to buy American Steel unless some extraordinary circumstances prevail. This is already the law and has been for 40+ years – whay are they making a big deal out of this?

Buy american,what a joke!You can't find anything on the shelf that is made in america any more!

Walmart needs to go first. There is nothing in that store that is made in US.
Buying American will create jobs for people, and there is a possibility that all the ghost buildings in my town, including Bethlehem Steel, will come alive again.

I am frustrated lately when I go out to buy goods and I can't find anything "made in America". This has to be part of the problem with our economy. Where have all these manufacturing jobs gone? Are we all work from home, highly paid consultants now? I think not.

If more people bought American in years passed, GM etc. would not be having their problems. I wish I could find cloths made in America.

This sounds good but with our steel mills down so low can they now handle the demands for their product? All this sounds good for a stimulus package but look how long it will take before there will be any affect on the economy. You are talking years in some cases.

Wake up America how can we buy when noone is working here in this country? If we gave everyone $1000 each to spend at wal-mart and mcdonalds China,Japan and South Americas would be smiling all the way to the bank..Because all their products come from overseas..We must get our jobs back into this country or America as we have known it is gone..

15k for homebuyers? Great! But how? The banks that we gave our money to, to help them, to help us, well, they helped themselves, but forgot about us. We can't finance a home, how we take advantage of any help?

I think we are missing the big picture here. With unemployment at an all time high, why aren't we offering tax incentives for companies that keep jobs here in the US versus sending them overseas? Maybe oversight could monitor this.

Buy American? Senator Feinstein knows this issue very well. As mayor of San Francisco she dealt with the issue. In the mid ‘70s Police Department needed thousands of crowd control barricades for demos. I was in charge of budget prep and I found the most effective barricades were made in France and cost $50 each to manufacture and ship to SF. Board of sups told Feinstein that they wanted to buy only American. Research was done and the best price came from a firm in the Central valley of Calif. Cost – $350 each. Comment, yes American is best but don’t go bankrupt to buy American. We purchased over 2,000 from France.

In regard to Senator John McCain's lack of support on the "Buy American" provision included in the stimulis, thank the Lord this man didn't get elected after wrapping himself up in the American Flag and romping around the country with that disgusting woman from Alaska spouting what heros and patriots that they claimed to be, then to ask that the entire provision be removed from the package? Yep America, you made a wise choice this last election!
Randy Voter / Illinois

Well ... we need to buy American...bring the shops back...we need this work done here..or we will be a third world country...loans are not the way...the banking industry...is a mess...I could state all of my points on here...but I don't care about global economy...lets get back to America is our country...God Bless Her...get our standards back...
speaking english...learning about our way of life in the schools...our forefathers wanted our constitution to be the thing that will last...not global crying on our shirtsleeves...we come first...cannot save the world in the economy...care for us first...donate to churches if you want to help people in foreign nations...most of them are corrupt...fix our corruption...get the guys/women out...sorry I am getting long here...hope you get I don't like it...we need workers here...places of work here...now!!! God Bless American people...ones who are here legally...

I agree, if people buy american, it will create jobs, because americans will be building and selling there own products, but it does not end in buying american, jobs need to come back to the United States, such as customer service jobs, when we call our phone company such as at&t the call gets routed to India, you mentioned Health Care for job search, even the health care system has call centers in India, Argentina and other countries, and employes here are getting layed off because of all calls going out of the United States.

I was raised with the thought of "buy american" but it seems very hard to do anymore considering that there are no jobs left in the good ol U.S.A that produces the products of modern conviences. Greed is what has put this country in the state it is in. Why can't the millionairs living in the U.S.A help with all the bailouts instead of OUR tax dollars going to the cause. I hate to think that there WILL be another depression and the RIch will be the only ones to survive.

A laid off out of working Mother of 2 struggling to just keep electric on.

SEEMS THAT IN ORDER TO BUY AMERICAN PRODUCTS OR JUST ABOUT ANY PRODUCT, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE OLD WALLET. HOW ABOUT REDUCING OR ELIMINATING PAYROLL TAXES FOR A QUARTER? HERE'S ANOTHER ONE, HOW ABOUT FORCING THESE BANKS THAT ARE BEING BAILED OUT TO ROLLBACK AND REDUCE THESE OUTRAGEOUS INTEREST FEES ON CREDIT CARDS. WOULDN'T THESE SIMPLE SOLUTIONS STIMULATE THE TAXPAYERS' PURCHASING POWER? MORE MONEY FOR SMALL BUSINESS HIRING AND MORE DOLLARS TO SPEND?
PATTY
JACKSON, WY

Wow! I love my country, and would fight for it, but to say to hell with the rest, weve ll thats a perfect example as to why so many hate Americans. We have relied on other countries for our fame and fortune for this long, it's a little unfair to change everything to "Made in America" Do we forget that many that make products for us work for pennies a day, for market that makes millions. I agree to buy American, but if you listen to even our "buy local to help our city." Our city costs way too much to buy local, I have to save and drive at least 30 miles to afford our groceries! Yes, buy American, but why ruin other economies and create more hate. Do it, but do so wisely and fairly.

If"we the people" are going to bail out any business with our money than any business accepting that money should be forced to use goods and services made or provided by U.S. companies for a percentage of there operation, say 60% to 75%! That will provide work for Americans, stimulate our econimy and make the companies taking our bail out money more responsible to us without binding the shorts to tightly of our foreign trade partners. We the People must think of We the People first and formost and leadership in that direction must be from our government by placing guidlines on these businesses and limitations on the salries and bonises of there executives.

You know this buy American Plans should work but what American Plan are we talking about the Company that headquaters is still but plants are over sea or the company that make there stuff here it look at the 3 big car dealerships where are there stuff are made at in detroit of over seas. Then you hear about trade wars if we buy American so if we bought from companys with plants here so we are creatting jobs here like the steel workers. I mean i am tired of hearing about the stimus plan it ought to be called the pork plan. I mean if I worked way some of the CEO worked i be out of a job i think that people as a whole should tell the CEO how they should spend the bailout money. There should be a clause in the bank plan that if they can get out of the red then that Ceo should get a huge bonus because then he is helping out the encomy out but all I see is a bunch of greed from the Banks and the auto companys maybe the people as a whole should say enough is enough I agree with Omba saying there should be a limit on the failing banks CEO pay because they havent earn there money which is to make money for the company so why shouldnt they take a pay cut

I'm 74 years old , I've seen what builds America, it was not a stimulus plan. It was American production. We can keep throwing money into the pit, it will not stop the downfall. America needs jobs that pay taxes, NOT TAXES THAT PAY JOBS. Building it in America is what will build america back.

Good Morning:
In my opinion, leaving the Taxpayers money in the hands of Politicians, who have put us in this mess, is not acceptable. If you want the economy to get moving again, give the money back to the people it comes from! And it won't take as much as the Politicians want to give to their Pork Barrel plans.
The last package, under Bush, gave Taxpayers a check for a minimum of $300.00 and $600.00 to average filers, with an additional $300.00 per child. That cost 1.5 Billion Dollars.
Now if you do 10 times that it costs 15 Billion and the average tax filer gets $6,000.00.
Do 10 times that and it comes to 150 Billion and tax filers get $60,000.00.
Double that and it cost 300 Billion Dollars and tax filers get $120,000.00!

1. People will put some of that in Banks, as savings and mortgage payments. That takes care of the Banks, they now have money to lend out!

2. Part of the money is in the form of a credit or voucher, of say $15,000.00, toward the purchase of an American made Auto. That takes care of the Auto Dealerships, Auto parts suppliers and the Auto Companies!

3. Now people have money to buy other things which means stores need to hire back there staff, manufactures have to hire people to make more products to sell and people will start buying homes again, causing the value of houses to start increasing again. People won't walk away from their homes because they are not worth what they paid for them. That takes care of:

1. Employment!
2. Auto Industry!
3. Housing Industry!

This is all done with 300 Billion, not 1.2 or 2 Trillion Dollars!

I'm just an average person, but I think this makes more sense on how to Jump Start our Economy.

Thank you for your time,
Richard T. Renkun, Jr.

When will Americans wake up? We need to start buying American made products just for the certain fact that if we dont we are supporting someone else overseas or south of the border with a job. We need to stimulate our economy rather than someone elses. I also believe that American companies that leave to go to another country for cheaper labor and cheaper quality should be heavily fined. My company decided to up and leave and now when I go to the store I have to tell my sons that I used to make these but now the Mexicans do. Whats really depressing is to notice that the made in the U.S.A. logo is missing.

This country will never make a comeback until we make American goods competitive with foreign products. If that means tariffs on foreign goods then so be it. Also penalties on manufacturers that produce products outside the U.S. whos corporate is in the U.S. or plans to move outside the country.

This question is like "how many times do you beat your wife a week?" It starts with the premise that the stimulus package will save and create jobs and then moves on to ask "should we buy American?" It's pretty clear that the stimulus package WON'T save or create jobs and now more Americans know that it won't than believe that it will... sigh... buying American or not is a moot point – because of the "stimulus" spending bill no one's going to have any money to buy anything and we'll all be standing in bread lines...

You have too wonder why we can not go to a country like japan, and start up a buisness. But they can come here and do what ever they want . If you want to start buying american, lets start July 4th; Independence day.

I have not read all the comments so if this is redundant, please disregard.

The unknown cost in not buying American is Social Security and Medicare contributions that will be lost. Most people do not realize that only the American worker and the American business are the only ones that contribute to those accounts. With 12 million people out of work and businesses going broke the government is going have to raise those taxes on the rest of us fortunate to still be working.

Just remember all the made in China tags you see means no contributions to Social Security for our kids.

I fully support the buying American. Look at where buying foreign products has gotten us. At one time buying foreign only effected those in industry, now it is affecting everyone. Like my friend from Germany said when I asked him why there are no foreign cars in Germany and he replied "We're not stupid like you Americans – we buy what we make" We should have the same mentality afterall like my son said – "We are Americans where is your pride?" Think of all the jobs that would come back.

i think they should give the money to us, if i pay my house payment it goes to a bank if i pay my car payment it goes to a bank if i pay my credit cards it goes to a bank if they give the money to a bank it does not pay my bills.

Dear Honda_Employee ....You are correct people need to do their research and there are GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles made here in America with foreign content. People need to check the sticker on the inside door panel or the VIN number for American content. Even if GM, Ford, or Chrysler produce a vehicle in a foreign country the profits come back to America to help Americans, retirees, surviving spouses or those people that made this country great. Whereas Hondas profits may pay an American worker a salary and a much less salary than GM, Ford, and Chrysler pay, but the point is that those profits from the sale of a Honda, Toyota, etc., go back to the foreign country. Isn't the industrial revolution what made this country and now we are giving up all of our industry and selling to to foreign companies – soon foreigners will own us. Is that what we want.....?

Buy American...Of Course, this is a corrective action. Why even have a stimulus plan if we are going to send out money over to foreign countries. When our economy is strong once again, we will go back and buy from other countries, and so goes the cycle. But let me say this... our Congressmen and Congresswomen are not interested in the good of our USA, they are more interested in their personal benefits. They want to continue the infighting between Republicans and Democrats. They do not care as to what happens to us the working people, the retired, the infirmed. Pfesident Obama is refreshingly honest, all American, and should have been an Independent and not a Democrat. Recall all those in congress and start6 all over again.

Why wouldn't you support a buy american plan. If we manufactured and bought goods that we could and imported only the products we could not produce on our own and every other country did the same thing wouldnt that take care of a lot of not just our economic problem but everyone elses also? We would have job creation and stabilization. Pride and quality in the american products. And most of all our import export deficit would be fixed.

My daughter recently tried to modify her home mortgage with IndyMac. She spoke with several of thier staff. The last superviser informed her. You have two choices, make your current payment or walk away from your loan. We don't care what you do. We already got paid back for your loan from the government.

What else can she do to get assistance? She can make her current payment, but sometime in March it will go up to another level. I do not know all of the details of her home mortgage, but I do know she needs some assistance. Please advise. Anything would be appreciated.

I am a hard working middle class American Citizen, I am an RN my husband is a paramedic, we have 4 children, 2 dogs, a rabbit and several fish.
We are struggling everyday to pay our bills, feed our family and deal with the stress of everyday life. The current stimulas Bill does absolutely nothing to preserve the American way of life that we have worked so hard to Earn.

My proposal is: that every adult American Tax payer over 18 yrs old is given a 1 million dollar stimulas package, which would be approximately 180 million adults. The Government would be able to tax this amount at 30 percent. The stipulation would be that you must first pay off your house or purchase one w/ cash. Then you must purchase items to repair your house.

What does this do. Solves the housing crisis, the debt crisis, creates new jobs, helps katrina victims rebuild, helps the banking industry and allows retirement accounts to rebuild. Helps retail. People will then have money to re-invest in the stock market and the Government will be a hero again.

Did the government ever think that if they give every american family 1 million dollars, americans will begin spending again. The economy will begin to rise, more money spending= more jobs. Plus it will cost nowhere near 900 billion dollars of our money to accomplish.

Morning Richard...Don (feb. 5) has got it right, it is fairly simple until you get into the consumers head at the "point of sale"...U.S. manufactured goods have not been selling well due to cost of production/ unions/ insurance ect., and the same product being manufactured in another country cheaper...the price tag reflects this....what stops the consumer in these hard times from purchasing the cheaper product...a sense of national responsibility?...it's all fine and dandy to say we want to help the economy, but when it comes to "point of sale", what will the consumer purchase????

The United States is in trouble because for the last 20 years or so Americans have stopped making things. It's that simple.
Why isn't our government explaining the fact that they got us in this mess years ago when they got involved in "GLOBALIZATION". The government has been promoting outsourcing by giving (tax breaks) to USA companies that would agree to send our jobs away to so called poor countries so that their economies would improve. Now we know what it has done to our countrys economy...and finally people are talking about it..
Globalization is not fair trade and needs to be fixed!
This website (directory) is showing what product manufacturers we have left... http://madehereinamerica.com ...support and buy "American made" products.

My husband and I are of what could be considered the lower, middle class. We live Northern Wisconsin. Jobs are few and far between and we all do what we can to hang on. I watch the news daily and just want to scream when I hear about what is being thought of with this stimulus package. The media only tells us the basics but what is contained in the whole thing. I saw something about a stop smoking plan attached to it.

Yes the buy American is good but it will also hurt us as prices are going to fly up. I believe we have some of the most self centered company executives in the world and they will go to any length to make sure they keep the money in their pockets. The wages will have to paid and to balance that the prices will go up.

My point is as far as my mortgage goes there is nothing to help me keep my home as I have already had trouble paying. Lenders are just a joke when it comes to honest, hard working families in this country. You can only have very good credit, extra in the bank, no problems paying for electric, heating, etc.

Here in the wonderfully cold part of the country the heating gas companies have discovered something that we cannot live without. I have had to make the choice between loosing the heat in the house or paying the mortgage. I don't see the government thinking of trying to keep people in the homes. Instead they are busy giving credit to those that will reap the benefits of those that will loose all. Again the rich win.

Our mortgage was sold to HSBC. I have learned that this is one of the largest banks in the world and is not even based in this country. Maybe I am wrong about this information but it is what I have learned. Two months ago we were informed that our interest rate increased. I asked a "customer service specialist" how this could happen. Quickly he rattled something about a rate that is posted in the Washington post and that the rate was linked to this. It was also time for it to go up. What the heck is up with this. I have not seen any rates that have increased, but again what do I know I am just a number.

I can get off the subject easily but my question is, When do we as a nation get to see a control on legalized loan sharking by the banks?

Those of us that drive the less expensive and live in the small house down the road are the foundation to the rich.

Personaly , I think it may be a good idea. it may need some revising a bit . like : ask our foreigntradeing nations to give us a 2 to 3 year extention on our current trade aggrements to alow us to get or market be to where it needs to be to be stable. just a cut back not a total cease of trade. and it wouldn't hurt to cut back on none essential items that we do not need to live . if they have any good in there hearts they'll understand.

We as a nation needs to take back our goverment . we have let it go TOO LONG. and now we have the people that we elected fighting over who's RIGHT and who's WRONG . come on america , it can still be changed , no matter who the PRESIDENT is , the problem lies in the house and senete. there putting your hard earned tax money in places that does us NO GOOD . every day more & more companys are putting your fellow AMERICANS out of jobs, and were just sitting back waiting on something to brake . well its not going to happen untill we as a nation . stand up (peacefully) but FORCEFULLY, AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT . ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YES WE CAN. TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY AMERICA !!!!!

As a proud and decorated Viet Nam vet I need to know how does da prez think he can use The office to outwardly threaten the law makers and us who he works for with his ideas and his beliefs. The man lives in the past, all the past offices have left a pile of crap for the incomeing prez. ALL I see him do is bash and bash. And ALL I HEAR IS DOOM AND GLOOM, AND THE END IS NEAR IF WE DON'T DO AS HE WANTS. We are not children and he should not treat us like that . His attitude and demeaner is NOT how he should lead by example. I wonder does he use this prictice with his family

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF SIMPLE ITEMS FOR STIMULTING THE ECONOMY. HOW ABOUT REDUCING OR ELIMINATING PAYROLL TAXES FOR A QUARTER? HERE’S ANOTHER ONE, HOW ABOUT FORCING THESE BANKS THAT ARE BEING BAILED OUT TO ROLLBACK AND REDUCE THESE OUTRAGEOUS INTEREST FEES ON CREDIT CARDS. WOULDN’T THESE SIMPLE SOLUTIONS STIMULATE THE TAXPAYERS’ PURCHASING POWER? MORE MONEY FOR SMALL BUSINESS HIRING AND MORE DOLLARS TO SPEND?
PATTY
JACKSON, WY

We should all be buying American, and that gets me straight to my point. Are all these American corporations handing out pink slips just in the states? Or are they also laying off workers in the other countries that they operate in, like the GM, & Chrysler plants in Mexico. I think this should be looked into. Also how much foriegn investment are the banks doing with the bailout money? Citi's bailout just put me in government funded housing, so basically my mortgage payment went up! (mortgage + federal income tax) If my lender got a bailout, I should get a tax break!

IN ADDITION TO THE FUNDS (BILLIONS) BEING GIVIN TO FAILLING CORPORATIONS-WHAT IS THE TOTAL IT IS COSTING AMERICANS IN SALARIES OF CONGRESS /SENATE/PRESIDENT AND ALL SUPPORTING AGENCIES? LET THE FAILLING COMPANIES FAIL !!!HOW IS GIVING THEM A LARGE SUM OF MONEY GOING TO CHANGE THERE UNSATISFACTORY BUISNESS MANAGEMENT?

This morning I heard a very impassioned Mayor from Michigan discussing the state of economy (forgot his name). While all of the reporters sitting at the CNN table were making funny faces and laughing at his commentary, I fully agree with what he was saying. The reality is that our big businesses do NOT invest in our economy and they have been allowed to do this for far too long! Enough is enough! Not investing in our manufacturing industry and infrastucture has been a HUGE mistake. When you talk about producing products overseas for less and having those benefits move to the US consumer, your are sadly mistaken! Prices have not been going down. They never have. Even as products have been made at lower cost, those benefits have gone to only one group of people.... large corporations, CEOs and their pockets. If you ask the average American if their cost of living has gone down they would say no! If you ask the average CEO if his/her wallet has gotten larger... they would say yes! So who do you really care about? The hard worker who can hardly pay their bills because all the money stays in the pockets of the rich, or are you talking about the rich continuing to get richer?!?!?! Give me a break people! Its easy to sit on tv and talk about giving rich people more breaks (even though they didn't use them wisely when they had the chance) while ignoring the real people who work in this country who can't manage to pay their most basic bills!!! GET IT TOGETHER PEOPLE!!!

I think the best way to stimulate the economy is to buy construction tools and hire the unemployed to build roads, schools and jails just like during the Depression.

Obama: "I just showed up on the planet Earth and here was this big
problem dropped into my lap!" Yeah, as a member of the "Do Nothing Congress" for years, he did nothing to help the economy then and is therefore it is someone else's fault. B.S. is B.S.

here's a couple more , : stop making so many cars and trucks that people can even afford , : stop spending so much money on useless space programs. put the money into jobs that we are getting laid off from . stop spending so much money on things that come from other countries , that are prospering from our down fall.

If they gave us a 6 month income tax vacation I could get into spending that money on only "Made in the US" products.

Greetings;

This is in reference to the Stimulus plan. The President gave a speech that said, “We are running out of time” We are not running out of time, we are out of time! Millions of people/families are with out income and we are not able to pay our bills. More and more families are losing their homes and we are basically starving. Wake up! All the news commentators’ on CNN, HLN and CNBC are telling you give the cash to the people!!!!! Yes we all over extended and we the common working person lives paycheck to paycheck (for those that have one). NOW the “Stimulus Plan” needs to change from giving monies to the rich/millionaire business to us the working people, the taxpayer. Haven’t they learned yet that giving money to the millionaire business person that he takes care of himself first and buys utterly stupid things? They need to give us the CASH and we will catch up and pay the banks, credit cards, buy cars and ECT. It’s very apparent that Congress doesn't listen to us. It is totally utter nonsense that if you continue giving money to the business and government departments nothing comes to the poor staring common person. A simple cash check of $200,000 or $100,000 will tremendously help millions of taxpaying people. The tax breaks they talk about does nothing NOW! It really does nothing in putting cash in the common working and unemployed person NOW! they need to do it NOW! Give a cash award to us and we will stimulate. How? By paying our bills, mortgage and buying that much needed car to get to our new job. Rewrite that Stimulus bill and give cash to the taxpayer person.

Or how about quadrupling the payroll taxes for any employee outside the U.S. so it becomes more beneficial for companies to hire within our country and stop sending our jobs to India? When giving the bailout money to banks, specify what they can and can't do with it. As the CEO of a major bank recently said when they got money from the government, they didn't tell us what hwe had to do with it.

I would like to know why there is so much news on Phelps? This young man made a mistake, that did not kill any dogs. He didn't get caught with a prostitute, didn't rape any strippers, or anyone else.
He didn't bet on his team he smoked pot, which I might add probably 60% of the population has done, and most of the house and congress. Since I have never tried the stuff I have no idea about it, at 63, I hope I never have a lot of pain, because if I needed it I probably would use it too.
Lets put this in the ,trash and move on and leave this young man to his mistake.

many people where against NAFTA, but it passed anyway and we are now living with the problems it caused -maybe this stimulis should start with revisitting NAFTA. I know many disagree with bank and company bailout loans but it is being done anyway -when will we see the negetive impact this poor decision in going to cause. Yes we should support what parts of this bill will create jobs. Maybe this particular bill should be voted on by the public -would this be possible?

The President said last night that we need to make the stimulus bill as big as the deficit we are experiencing, but think about this: Who among us with use that logic when helping someone out of a financial crisis? If cousin Bob was in the hole and came to me for money (or a bank when they used to loan to people), neither I or the bank would just hand over the amount he wanted without some guarantee it was going to work, right?

In fact, the banks and I would maybe loan some money and see if he was successful before we gave him the whole kit and kaboodle like we did for that failed bank bailout last year…also touted as needing to be done right away and for a large amount!

President Obama and congress have all said that they don't know if this will work or not. Okay then, lets just focus on approving a smaller amount (say $500 billion…as if that is chump change) and lets not put silly stuff in there that don't have anything to do with american economy…you know that stuff that sends money anywhere but here and for things that don't create jobs.

Reduce my payroll and income tax (it is tax season and we know how no one up there wants to pay theres!). That will stimulate the economy for me.

I think this may be sending a bad message to foreign companies who've highly invested in the U.S. market and job force. Yes, helping our own should certainly come first, but the U.S. is far too involved in a global market to truly do this. My own home state is full of foreign (and domestic) companies that employ U.S. citizens (i.e., TAXPAYERS). I actually work for a foreign-owned company (which is the largest employer in the city), so how will this affect me? If we do not support ALL American jobs, then we will continue to suffer. It's our individual duty to buy American whenever possible, but I think we should be very careful with how we involve this intitiative when so many foreign companies are highly invested in our market. Truthfully, we should've have thought about this when we decided to ship manufacturing jobs overseas for next-to-nothing in the first place!

I wonder if our senators who are debating this right now have a clue of the vast majority of comments listed here want them to pass a bill with buy American and restrict exec. pay & bonus requirements. My guess, no, were only preaching to the choir.

after years and years of sending milions and millions of dollars in aid to almost every country on this planet, i have not heard of any one of them offering to pay us back or help us out. i don't think we should be so quick to help anyone from now on. also no one has address the social security dollars we are losing in lost jobs. i am disabled,66 yrs old on social security, and am worried about having to take a cut in benifits. i would think the social security funds would be taking a big hit also. and on the subject of us made products, i could see years ago we were cutting our own thoats by allowing so many companys to go overseas. this is what walmart started. and now all we have to buy are pour quailty products. i try to buy us made if i can find them.

Why have we not heard anything on your broadcast about how many people are in flavor of this BUY AMERICAN POLICY and bringing all our jobs back home..Mabbay this is not popular with most policitians but I think the people are speaking and crying to be heard..Always remember the people are the ones who made this country great not these millionaire policitians who by the way got those millions by selling out the American people..LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

Where is NORML, or any other organization fighting for legalization? If this is not the perfect example of how awesome weed is then I don't know what is!

We need a crash program for alternate energy programs but, imagine if you will, a windmill project with generators from Germany, Turbines from the Dutch, and all funded with high interest loans from China. Globilization is good but no one can fault America for taking care of it's own in hard times. Naturally we will buy coffee from juan Valdez because it can't be grown here and that's what foreign trade is all about... buying and trading products that are unique from somewhere else. If manufacturing can be done here, then for God's sake, let's do it.

lets stop sending so much aid to other countries why do we send billions of $'s to Israel every year

Regards to the economic stimulus payment.Hi Robin my name is Ron and im on ssi disability. I was wondering why i and other people whos on ssi disability. Did not recieve the economic stimulus payment. And will we recieve one this time. Lord know's we could use it. please read on air thank you . God Bless Ron

Buy American. We can't afford to buy much at all. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because I'm watching as it destroys my small town, and because it has successfully legally monoploized the area, there is not place else to buy. Before I will support a store that has 90% of its murchandise shipped in from China, I will do without, which isn't a problem as I work 60+ hoursa week to pay two college tuitions.

I find it very interesting that so many people support "Buy in America". I totaly agree with this concept. HOWEVER, over the past couple years while shopping it is hard to find anything made in America. This last Christmas we looked hard for gifts (especially toys) that were made in this great country. Why has this happened? What people seem to forget is that over the past 20 years, when given a choice, consumers purchased items that cost less (thus the huge growth of Walmart and other discount chains). Over sea's companies were able to produce cheaper than our own manufacturers. This is where the phrase "Global Economy" comes in to the equation. We are living in a time where oversees economics influences our own local economies. It has been consumers buying habits that has led to the influx of products from China, Mexico, and so forth. Go back to economics 101, supply and demand. Consumers demanded cheaper products that could only be supplied by foreign manufacturers.

The stimulus package as it is now written will not work any more than Bush's. Until the cause of the problem is fixed very little will be done except put the worker into more debt thereby keeping the poor paying the rich. If all the money in the package were given to the taxpayer, who are footing this bill, to our great grand children, the economy would be turned around in 90 days. The first thing that would have to be done would be to freeze ALL prices to current levls. NO prices could be raised on anything. This would have to be done or we would be paing $50 for a Coke or $200 for a Happy Meal. The PEOPLE would have enough money to buy cars, homes, ect. The banks would be flush with cash, mortgages would be paid, homes built, workers would be put back to work because of demand. Rememb this, AN ECONOMY BASED ON GREED WILL ALWAYS FAIL, and an economy based on corruption with that corruption being rewarded off the backs of the working poor, should.

We as Americans are reactionary to a fault. "Buy American" now is too late. As conciencious consumers we should have scrutinized the origin of our purchases in the past. Now, because our economy is in the toilet we once again scream we're victims to overseas markets and oil. You chose which companies to purchase your clothes, home decor, and automobiles from and therefore enriched their economies instead of ours. I lived overseas for 15 years, Americans are the greatest in time of natural disaster, but the worst in financial independence

By all means, indeed!,..this plan is not good,perhaps the best thing is to start all over form top, listenin , really listening, to the republican input too.

Will Pelosi-Reid and other weeds (not Obama, for he seems not to comprehend anything about leadership on this – he is just continues CAMPAIGNING instead), so,… will ‘Pelosi-Reid and others weeds club’ will listen?

It seem, majority of democrats are just fix in their own ideas and nothing else. Republicans are different, they listen to others, too,..they articulate their objections, of course, energetically and with passion ( all that is ok) but exercise FREEDOM OF SPEECH practices,…so everyone can manifest their concerns. For expample ,the blog spectrum.

To ilustrate this directly, allow me to show everyone something never posted by CNNPOLITICAL BLOG. I,however, sent it to CNN to EVERY PROGRAM AND JOURNALIST THROUGH THEIR E-MAIL GRID, SO THEY HAVE IT IN THEIR FACES .

I also sent it in the same manner to to other tv tabloid, MSNBC. You bet they hate me for that and I do not know how many of them (if any) read it or did pay some attention to my writing.

So here it is;

“” Biden, ’shaking hands with the russians’? Does he trust them?

This idea is not good, for russians were poven to be not good in the past , logic dictates they will not be any different this time.

Here is a theory, Obama (although ‘marked as president’) is just but a ‘front’ for the masses. the ‘hidden one ‘ are out there, and need to be IDENTIFIED AND STOP LIKE OBAMA.

This group is intersted into destroy America the way we always had been. The targets are economy and national security primarily, for they are the main ones.

But America is wakening from the ‘letargic Obamanizing phase’ and this GROUP OF DESTRUCTION knows that,…. that and they are desperated,…. and want to push everything fast : – “…..as soon as possible,….quick and swiftly…” WHERE WE HEARD THOSE WORDS BEFORE? ,…CAN ANYONE TELL?

Got it now? I bet many of you out there did,…including this pathetic tv tabloid, CNN (actually they should suspect this all along ,…they are not presicelly stupid ,…just roten fanatics)

Anyway, sleep well,

Do not choke on your pop-corn.

Daniel Cabrera
Merrillville, Indiana

PS, If posted you will have oportunity to prove wrong ( I may be wrong, you know?)
But I think that this pathetic tv tabloid blog , CNN will not post it, for THEY ARE
SO INSECURE AND DO NOT BELEIVE AND/OR HONOR (like Pelosi and other
weeds) FREEDOM OF SPEECH. “”

___________Ok, there you have it. I welcome all opinions, favourable and unfavourables.

Many of you might think I am republican. No, I am not, I am a free thinker that happens to see that right now the conservatives-republicans seems to be the ones fighting for the values and decency and ways that characterize this great land of ours.

Respectfully,
Daniel Cabrera
Merrillville, Indiana

Even a caveman understand that the so called 'bail-out','stimulus', 'rescue-plan', or any other pet-name can be called is just a waste of time.

The ONLY thing this move does is to PERPETUATE THE ECONOMICAL MESS THAT THE ALMOST-TOTALLY DEMOCRAT CONGRESS STARTED WITH FANNIE, FREDIE AND ALL THE CROOKS AND THIEVES INVOLVED , BACKED-UP BY THE 'COVER-UP GROUP – PELOSI,REID,FRANK, DOOD,COX , and others weeds !!!

That is all to it, check the events !

And what happens is that Pres Obama and his gang – KNOWING WHAT IS THE TRUTH AND KNOWING THAT THEY ARE NATIONALIZING THE COUNTRY AND THROWING THE NATION TO THE SOCIALISM-MARXIST ARENA, …they do not want to be blame alone after the public DISCOVERS that they had been CHEATED by the present administration,…they do not want to GO DOWN ALONE,…they need to say that also republicans are to be blamed too,…and that is why they are desperately trying to convince atl least some of them.

Got it now ? Excellent ! ,..see ? and you do not have to be a caveman to understand it .

One more thing, the economy is not as bad as it is said,...when Reagan became president the situation was heavely even worst, and the answer was basically, TAX CUTS !

This thing of :- "...the economy is this or that ..., we are going tobe real bad,,,etc" is a desperate move to inflict FEAR into the minds of the ignorant populache ( the ones that do not get informed) and so they will accept ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT IS TRHOW AT THEM AS AN ANSWER,...they just eat it that way blindly !

Just remember when all this picture of 'bad economy ' started they said the 'BLACK-HOLE -TYPE-COLLAPSE 'WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN FEW DAYS! And now we are in 2009 and they still chanting this FEAR-MANTRA ! ? Oh!, give me a brake !,...America, wake -up !, WAKE-UP NOW !

Think of this and research.

sincecrely,
Daniel Cabrera
Merrillville,Indiana

Could someone please tell me WHO is running this country?

With the President running around the country trying to
approval to spend all of our hard earned money, the Vice-President in Europe and Sec of State in Asia, WHO is running this country? It can't be run by cell phone?

Thank You,
Barbara

Watch what you say regarding asking your doctor for a discount because you lost your insurance. According to state laws, this is fraud. We cannot give a reduced fee to a select person, unless you quantify that all persons in that group recieve that fee. Tread carefully ! You could open pandoras box!

A $900,000,000,000 stimulus package for 300,000,000 Americans averages to $3,000 per American.

Why doesn't the government just send $3,000 to each American? I could sure use it! How about you?

what is made in the usa anymore?all of the big money is out of the usa,just like levy struess is in every count not usa.

What about the seniors? We're the forgotten group during this financial downer. Drug cost have gone up along with food and other ecentials. When your on a fixed income you start breaking your pills in half to make them last. Who cares? Its becoming a two class America, The big boys(Wall Street and the Banks) get help. The old people are left to fend for themselves. God Bless America.

I think the best way to stimulate the economy would be to give the money back to those who paid it in, either through a refund or a tax break, after all, they earned it! The argument against doing this put forth by many is that the people might not spend it, they might save it, but in this economy it would be hard for many to save any of the money, but, if they did, they would mostly be saving it in a bank! Would this not put money into the banking system and allow them to free up loans? It would allow us, the tax-payers of the U.S. to purchase goods and services, which, unless I am mistaken, is what everyone wants us to do. Give us OUR money back, don't give it to these huge companies who apparently can't handle it. Let us use it to buy things we need, to pay off our mortgages, to pay our credit cards, and to save it in the banks, all of which our "leaders" say is needed, but only if they decide where it goes. We the people should have control over the money WE earn.

I think that the name of this bill is being mispronounced, it's stimu-less as it will do nothing more the stimulate more people to be irresponsible with their money as well as large corporations. I must have a had a brain fart when he said there would be "change" because it's looking more and more like that was nothing more then the normal B.S. we get from the leaders of this country who couldn't do anything intelligent if every great mind since the dawn of humanity helped them. I find it incredibly disrespectful that the whole of the Democratic party blames bush for the housing collapse when THEY decided against all common sense to force banks to give loans to people that could in no way afford to get said loan. So much the old American dream of working hard and earning your own way. Looks like the new American dream is to leech off everyone that has risked everything, worked their hands to the bone and got lucky and did well. And we wonder why our children have no respect for the rules in life, we don't follow them anymore.

Pres Obama is moving us ever so close to socialism. Soon we wont be able to do anything without the goverment enterfering

If people would think back to before Bush and remember what Clinton did to our job market by signing the N.A.F.T.A. that started the loss of jobs in the United States. We are just feeling the long term affect of something that should have never been signed. Do away with the N.A.F.T.A. and give the companies that pulled their roots and left the country 1 year to move the company back or pay the penalty to import their product back into the United States. By the way, when was the last time you actually found clothes or electronics that were made in the U.S.? Most of these componies closed within 1 year after the N.A.F.T.A. . My mother and both of my sisters and other family and friends lost their jobs in the clothing industry in the southeastern U.S. almost immediately after this thing was signed. Lets bring those jobs back or at least make the companies pay for leaving this country for "cheap labor"!

HOW ABOUT GIVING PEOP A SWIPE CARD WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HAS TO USED TO BUY ITEMS MADE IN THE USA .

Now the Republicans have something to say about how our country is run? where were they for the last 8 years? they let Bush run us into the ground and only now do they speak up! vote every last one of them out of office. They are only against Obama bacause he is a Dem.

Buy American
The ugly truth is that out sourcing has played a big part in this bad economy. There are no jobs because greed has sent them over seas. How can you buy anything when you do not have a steady weekly salary ? I get so mad when people say we have to out source. It is fair to do so in moderation. We do more out sourcing then any other country. No stimulas package is going to help in the long run. A Five hundred dollar a person stimulas will go for food or monthly bills.Let us be honest and change this unfair trade. We have to help ourselves before we can help anyone else. It is time for America to take some action. A. Grimes

Although many argue that buying American would increase the cost slightly for the consumer it would stimulate the economy and create thousands of job.

Yes on the stimulus plan. Why did the Bush Republicans give billions to Iraq, but now hesitate and vote against to do the same to save America's jobs, education, housing and etc.?

I can see where the stimulus will help many people with the exception of the diabled and our veterans who fought for our country over the years. A good part of them are unable to work so how would supplying help in training them, they can't afford to buy new cars, let alone a house. Please lets think of our special individuals too

All this stimulus bickering is really stupid. Let congress do what we do when times are tough. Let them buy there own vehicles and insurance, instead of spending $300 million on that . Let them pay for their own insurance like we do. They are supposed to be there to help the country and its people not to rip it off with all kinds of PORK . I know that we need to get things rolling in the economy, but let them show us that they are serious by taking the lead, pay cuts are not out of order, get rid of the garbage and do what is necessary without burying our children and grandchildren in debt needlessly.

Good Lord. I thought the days of fear mongering were over with the election. Now we are supposed to be afraid that other countries wont buy from us if we (buy American). Isn't time we stand up and be counted, we consume massive amounts of everything. Gas prices dropped as soon as we showed we could conserve and were not gonna be held hostage by the oil rich nations. It is time we stood up for ourselves and quit hiding behind the republicans that like to pump up the fear every time we stand united as Americans. John McCain is wrong again. He portrays himself as a great American, standing up for the American way of life. What he stands for is more fear-mongering in order to maintain the status quo. Oh,oh if we buy American they will raise the prices on what we buy from them. I call BS, they are like us in this deal... they need to sell their products. We buy American and guess what, pretty doggone soon we have America back to work and we have the money to buy from the rest of the world. God Bless the U.S.A. and God Bless the world. Hope you get my point, after all we are the home of the BRAVE.

BACKUP – REGROUP – PUNT: Oops blocked kick!!! BUY AMERICAN, you bet!! Maybe China would start producing better & safer products? Oops again! What about AMERICAN products? Why do we pay outrageous prices for AMERICAN made cars? Our foreign made cars are more reliable, offer more alternative fuel models & are cheaper, but high quality vehicles!! WHY is it OK for AMERICAN companies to move overseas for cheap labor and tax breaks? WHY is it that these CROOKS from failed banks are still enjoying the good life? WHY is it that AMERICANS are above working for lower paying jobs, allowing legal & illegal foreign workers to work for companies that just love them for working for dollars a day, no benefits, no health benefits? Why is it that you normally have to go to a TEMP. HIRE to actually find or get a job, then they take a percentage of your monthly check? WHY, WHY, WHY?

with the stimulus plan i have never heard anything about social security i have worked most of my life and get 788.00 mo. not much to live on, and i don`t have much saved, and what i have if going fast.

"Buy American." What a concept. Unfortunately, we can get better products for less money from oversees imports, in many cases.

When the USA can produce a quality product for a fair price, I think that more of us WILL buy American, but not until then.

NEW ASPECT TO THE FORECLOSURE MESS: I am a realtor in Miami. I have just learned that the real estate industry and banks are allowing appraisers to use (for the 1st time) distressed sales as "comps". Allowing distressed sales (foreclosures, short sales etc) to serve as comparable sales will have a devastating and potentially fatal consequence on what is left of the real estate market. With distressed sales as comps, your home is now worth what the foreclosure down the street just sold for. So, in short, and in summary, even the persons that were not upside down can now expect to be upside down on their houses shortly. I was not behind on my mortgage, but recently properties closed around my house at almost 100K less than I paid, guess what...I am now upside down and may be the next one to allow my loan to go into default because I will not owe 300K on a 150K house. The system cannot allow distressed sales to serve as comps anywhere in the country.

liberal pork tastes the same if it is in a stimulous bill or a spending bill

I don't have a problem with a stimulus plan of some kind. My only issue is that the MONEY HUNGRY polititions will get the money and the job issue will not be solved. Like the GREEDY HOGS on Wall Street, who didn't even have to answer for the money we gave them. Where is that money? And, what kind of jobs exactly would be created? Would the elbow-rubbing "HALIBURTONS'" get the money? How would an average person have a chance to apply and get those jobs? It seems that we are headed toward a Socialist Republic, with the government in every decision. Scary!!! I also realize that the dollar is getting weaker with all we're printing. Will the "Amero" replace the soon worthless dollar?

Word for the day:

EXTORTIONISM

A means for the banking industry to aquire money from the government and/or the government to aquire money from the taxpayers by using the 'Chicken Little Syndrone."

WAKE UP AMERICA

i live in a border town in canada next month our government will once again do its part to stimulate the us economy at a time when its tough just to make ends meet we are raising our minimum wagw for kids under 18 to 8.90/HR. we in the retail industry are seeing the prices of our staple food products shyrocket how will pensioners who receive no raise be able to afford this inpending huge cost of living . SHOP US , that's what my friends are doing . 70 cents that's an 8% raise for under 18 sad part is my full time adults ally need a cost of living raise as our prices jump but i can't afford it because im dictated by our government to pay these kids

don't give the money to the poor, they will only "SPEND IT"

One of the many problems of the economy is caused by the media hype. They only have news if it is bad and they love misery. If everyone turned off Robin the economy would heal a lot quicker.

The stimulus plan is supposed to help with tax cuts. My unemployment ran out in December. This part won't help. New jobs in infurstructer. I'm over 60. Look like the job offers will not be coming my way. 100 billion for medicade. I don't quilify.
I'm trying to keep paying my house payments, But i'm not in default. No help again. Bush spent billions of dollars on this ecomony and the money spent by congress didn't help. Now we will spend nore billions helping Who!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we buy American whenever possible.... but as I was reading this article, Clark Howard was just on touting how we should buy a hybrid car that is NOT American made! grrrrrrrrr

The American public is a bunch of HYPOCRITS!! They espouse "Buy American".....sure....Eg: Import auto sales vs domestic....look into our driveways...!!!! What is the better product? Import or Domestic...sales would indicate Import!!! Isolationism has never worked!

Hi Morning Express

Maybe a good Idea to keep people in and from losing their homes could be to lower all homeowners interest rate to 3.9% and extend mortgages to 40 years without a refinance since a large part of Americans are or have lost their jobs. This would help stimulate the economy by putting more money in families budgets for spending.

I don't think we are being delt a true honest hand here and the Stimulas Plan does not seem to address/fix the core issues of job losses. How many of these so called lost jobs are actual losses to the company vice how many were simply ship over seas and only a net loss to the American workforce? We need to make it very costly for these American Companies selling out Americans. That is a stroke of a pen fix unless your pen costs $10 Billion Dollars. Does it close the loopholes for our banking industry to hire foreigners for the good jobs vice Amercans because it is cheaper to do so? No. Another stroke of the pen solution that doesn't cost bilions of dollars. Does this Stimulas Plan address/fix "why" the goods jobs are leaving? Let's fix that first. Do you really think highly paid layed off Wall Street bankers are going to pick up shovels and start fixing roads? And who is this money really going too? I am a retire vet with a 30% disability trying to run a struggling small store in rural upstate NY with two children and on the brink of foreclosing on my business. I did not receive one dime of the last economic stimulas check not even the money for my kids. But I can tell you as a property owner I will be getting the bill. As far as I'm concerned there is so much more we could do with a little thought vice throwing money into a toilet that is being flushed by corporate America.

WoW---I thought reading this would help me understand whats going on with all this puzzelment and fear about were the usa is headed -But reading all your different complaints and rambeling damn if I dont hink I'm more confused and scared of the outcome than ever-GOD HELP US--LOVE & PEACE-yes I'm a baby bommer-lol

I just heard the mayor of Elkhart, IN saying his town people don't want a hand out, rather they are ready to go to work. Don't want a handout??!!!! That is exactly what they are getting! A gov't taking money I earned in the form of taxes or borrowing against my children's future and giving it to someone to build a bridge IS a handout!

Lower corporate tax rates and let them create jobs. Let ME keep MY money and spend it. THOSE are job creating strategies. Not handouts in Indianna.

Maybe is time we let ALL manufacturing go overseas, where it is done better and cheaper, and do what we do best....CONSUME...without regard to the consequences....the average American consumer credit card debt is almost$10,000...!!!
U.S. households recieve over 5 billion offers for New Credit Cards per year from our financial institutions....You judge: who is to blame....the Public with no judgement or the Financial Institutions with only bottom line net income at all costs?

"Buy American" A great plan but poorly executed. For this plan to be effective it has to happen at the register. With the high tech programable Point of Sale cash registers it would cost the taxpayers nothing to mandate and increased tax on goods bought that are produced overseas. Americans buy what they want to buy or buy what is on their Christmas list. If they want GiJoe with the KungFu grip, there are going to buy GiJoe with the KungFu grip. They are not going to search the box for a point of origin. But the cash register will when it scans the bar code. And if there is a 15% added tax on unArerican made products then people may start looking at the boxes. Even better if there was a 25% tax on products that used to be made in the U.S but the companies shifted them to be produced overseas at the expense of the American work force. This added tax can then be spent on things we really need to fix to keep jobs in our country. Now to really make this work, wouldn't it be a pleasent suprise to see you actually received a rebate at Walmart for every product you bought that was made in the U.S. That is how you make "Buy America" really work.

Mmmm .....I like the buy American plan in theory, but here is my thought. As consumers, we are all scrambling for the best "deals" when it comes to our consumer goods – more bang for our buck. Why is this any different? DON"T put the clause in the bill. If American companies want to compete , they will be forced to become competitive in pricing, and forced to improve the quality of their workmanship.

If this were my "household budget", the buy American clause would go away. Companies in America need to grow up and stop suffereing from the same thing my 16 year old does- entitlement to things not earned.

It is impossible to buy all American! Nobody can buy American only, and nobody can say they do, unless they are Amish or live in a cabin in the woods and don't buy anything. I can't afford to buy all American products because they cost too much, and since I am a blue collar worker, I don't make enough money to buy all American even if I wanted to. And anyone on here that thinks they can claim otherwise, well, where do you think that computer you are using to post on here was made. We have a Global Trade Agreement, not a Global Wage Agreement, and so we cannot live on $1.00 an hour or less, and eat rice, and live in a shack behind the plant as they do in some countries. Nearly all American companies rely on foreign products or services to either make their products, enhance them, put them together so they can make more money on them. I don't even know how they can sell the idea of buying American when they know all of this already. One thing I know you won't have to pay a lot for that's American, is my honest American opinion.

robin lets be real, people will always buy the best product for the least price regardless of where its made.
"sean in santa rosa"

Anyone with sufficient gray matter inside the skull, can see the herculeans efforts by Pres Obama to sell this 'simulus'-piece of yunk.

He still in the 'campaign mode', but NOT IN THE LEADERSHIP MODE.
Does he has the required leadership?,...or is he only a 'front image' for the masses?

The press conference about the stimulus?,…AN ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE ABOUT SOMETHING FICTTIONAL.

Just remember he IS a THE FRONT MAN IN THIS THEATRICAL PRESENTATION!

GOT THAT EVERYONE?

Now if our mesianinc president wishes to do something fast and effective about al this mess?,....well, the answer is simple.

Instead of that full of problems Clinton-clone phony cabinet people?,...you know, tax cheaters , etc,... hire real powerful people, for this require MAGIC !

And so the best officials would be MAGICAL PEOPLE!,..... let's have then, HARRY POTTER, TINKERBELL,THE WIZARD OF OZ,AND MERLIN !

And if by any chance this is not enough get in mercenary contract, THE LORD OF THE RING, THE X-MEN, WONDER WOMAN AND HANCOCK.

How is that? I bet my shoes ( and I will not loose them ) that this definitely, will work.

Pease, do not choke on your pop-corn.

sincerely,
Daniel Cabrera
Merrillville, Indiana

Just a thought on the economy, now that all our jobs have gone to other countries and most of our money to help other countries, how can we ever overcome this problem in our country. If taxpayers are jobless who will pay the taxes that pays for every wasteful thing in Washington and down to small town USA? Anybody out there want to give America anything?

Why is nobody in CNN is talking about TARP companies and H1B restrictions?

I've read 99.9% of these comments on here, and most are commenting on : "buying american" . However, I agree with that,
but, the thing is this : when you go buy something, take a look at it, 99.9 % of the time, it's not made here.....I used to work at a factory for 28 years, til it shut down, and the best thing that ever happend to me is, that I left the area, went somewhere else, and started my own business.....I can remember when there were factories that employed thousands of people, ( in each factory ) on Both sides of the Hudson, on both sides of the Potomac, from 3 Mile Island, across to Pittsburg,
to where all the Steel Mills were producing, and the workers were working their to their hearts content, ( + overtime, and all you wanted)
from Pittsburgh, down to Cumberland, both sides of the OHIO River, down and across to Youngstown ( which is a ghost town, now ) Toledo, both sides of the Ohio River, ALL THE WAY DOWN to Paducah, Kentucky, There were THOUSANDS of Factories, all along those rivers, on both sides, Plastic Factories / Glass Factories / Rope Factories / Steel Mills / and I can go on, and on, and on.....Guess What ? They all are shut down / Closed / moved overseas, & etc.....The buildings have been bought out by local people, that are using the buildings for storage and such.....Pathetic, isn't it ?

With all the statements that the FDA doesn't have enough inspectors in EVERY sector and the Border Patrol is always short of help, why can't our money go towards filling IMMEDIATE and NEEDED positions in the gov't???

Its about time that "American" companies are realizing the need to keep their business in AMERICA! If all American companies didn't outsource work, think about what the unemployment rate would be....probably nonexistent!

Way to go American Airlines!!

Please buy American!!!!

The only jobs this stimulus package will save are the big company CEO's jobs and congress. The unemployment rate will continue to raise over 20% and more!!!!

What happens after the infrastructure is rebuilt; we will be no better off than we are right now. We have become a nation of service not industry; however, if you get rid of the NAFTA, limit other trade agreements and reduce the hold of unions over industry we may be able to bring manufacturing back to America giving all permanent employment.

Give people food and they will have a meal; teach people to grow food and they will be able to feed themselves. This can apply to many things not just food.

RSD361

Robin,

In all the coverage about the cause of the financial crisis alot of time has been given to the forclosure problem. What I do not hear is the number of those forclosures due to the greed of the buyer. MANY people got themselves into homes that they knew they could NOT afford and these people DO NOT deserve bail outs. We should consentrate on those who purchased their homes in a responsible manner and are having problems. Furthermore, those financial institutions making the "toxic" loans should have to suffer the result. I understand that some average people invested in those banks and may suffer, but the investor (or fund manager) should have been aware of what was going on with the company invested in instead of rubbing their hands in glee at the return on inventment.

ANY money spent WILL stimulate the economy. That money spent by the government on infrastructure (Roads, bridges, power grid improvement, alternative energy sources, Transportation, etc.) will leave a public asset that tax cuts and handouts to individuals will not. Once the money is distributed to individuals that money will probably be spent on purchasing "things" that all other tax payers will be paying for.
Perhaps investing in transportation alternatives (i.e., rebuilding the railroad infrastructure in order to move goods across the country with less dependance on multiple trucks, restoring train travel to areas of the country people need or want to get to, etc.) that lessen the dependance on long distance transportation of goods and people and concentrate on using the trucks, buses and cars for short hauls.

CALIFORNIA IOU ! so no tax return i`m unemployed now and that return would sure help pay some bills, in my mind i think the state when they can pay , pay us with intrest ! what they would charge me if i owed the state .
so i have gone from 100.000 in 2007 and 50.000 in 2008 and 450 a week is my unemployment benifit in 2009 wow ! talk about cuts
bishop california,the state has no money but my town is getting a divided road ,curb, gutter and a bike trail several miles out town ?

so the goverment loans banks money and the banks loan money to illegal migrants ? that does not sound good to me,how can you borrow money if your here illegally .why wont people say what they think they really dont.
gun control if you dont believe in your right to own a gun you should express that with a sign on your front lawn ! that way a intruder can make his choice on wich house to enter.
if the USPS is looseing business ! a stamp fee increase is not the answer or a day off . just like the rest of us you might have to scale down , caltrans in california another one . goverment refuses to be efficient and i cant believe this will change at all.
the american dream hard work and it will pay off ! sounds good but !
how can you be here illegally and have babys and there american citizens ? come on ! the hell with the votes its wrong. stand up and fix the problem you know it will not get better until they fix the problem.
we have people here taking the jobs there jobs that i can do !
if your here illegally your rights would be limited you would think
if i was somewhere illegally then i loose my rights, right ?
so the school system here in california has no money !
3 to 6 kids per family here illegal they dont pay taxes .how can you spend the money ,free lunch at school,medical,affordable housing,state debit cards for food and they demand this sounds pretty good to me, they need to nock it off !
i can`t believe i`m the only one that thinks about some of these things
i heard the news this morning and i could not stand it !

The government has spent 9.7 trillion trying to fix this mess. That's enough to pay off every mortgage in the US! Here's an idea: The governemnt should just pay off everyone's mortgage! That gives the banks their money, puts a ton of money in our pockets, and the economy would be BOOMING because everyone would have a lot more money to spend. If you give people 400-500 bucks they will just use it to pay bills and it won't help. It didn't help! It didn't help the last few times and isn't going to help again! The money they are using is ours and they should use it for us not some bank that's going to waste it.

I really feel that a stimulus is'nt gonna help no one but banks and business not joe plumber.the majority of our economy is being sent south of the border.where all the immigrants will retire not us.close the borders and send illegals back good

What happens after the infrastructure is rebuilt; we will be no better off than we are right now. We have become a nation of service not industry; however, if you get rid of the NAFTA, limit other trade agreements and reduce the hold of unions over industry we may be able to bring manufacturing back to America giving all permanent employment.

I lost my job to some person in China back in 2000. I'd like to see that flag with "Made in USA" again. Walmart in the '90's use to advertise that they try to get all USA products on their shelves. But, we've learn with all the toy recalls they sold out like the politians, to China. But, NAFTA was suppose to be for other countries to buy and trade with the US, NOT for our US companies to set up shop there!
Bring back "Made in the USA"!!!!

On buy America, do's our own president and government follow this idea. NO. the presidents, new/next helicopter being built for him and the following presidents is being built by AGUSTA WESTLAND in YEOVIL, ENGLAND. using there AW101 airframe. This is being clouded over because Lockheed martin is the prime contractor. Lockheed Martin seems that this is OK because they will do the systems outfitting.

Buy America, means just that, let's not put an English flag on our presidental airfraft.

Why can't the leaders of our great country hear us? The middle class and poor class are floundering and we cannot keep our heads above water. Our president must understand that tax breaks won't help if we cannot afford to pay our taxes to start with. The people need cash and enough to get them out of the deep. Also home owners who purchsed last year and before are the ones who need relief. Only the wealthy can afford to buy now. I bought a new truck last year, how about a $15,000 break on my taxes.

As the old lady told the president "Please, please listen to the people" not the bankers and politicians.

Desperate
BruharAZ

Buy American – how about employ American? I work at the corporate office for a large retail company that has let a LOT of people go this year. Today was one of those days – thousands were let go, corporate and retail. In my department, at least half the employees that work in the corporate office itself are natives of other countries, over here on green cards. We also send a lot of work "off shore". My department is not the only department in this company that sends work to people based in other countries. Let's stop "stimulating" the economy of other countries. Imagine the money that we would have if the jobs stayed here and Americans were: 1) working, not collecting unemployment and 2) were paying taxes to our country? There are plenty of unemployed Americans that are willing and able to do these jobs.

IF YOU ARE OUT OF WORK. HAVE NO FOOD. AND LIVE IN A CAR.WHY, DO YOU WANT TO BE HOSTILE TO THAT PERSON. I CANT BELIEVE , MICHELLE MALKIN BEING THAT HOSTILE TO THE POOR, WHAT AN UGLY PERSON. SO TERRING

Buy made in America ? I buy made in the USA whenever I can. Made in america could be South America or Mexico. Buy made in the USA.
I love to see the products that proudly put in verry large letters on the front of their packages MADE IN THE USA ., Thats what I try to buy all the time. But on that note just the other day I went to buy new mens underwear briefs. I went to WalMart and couldnt believe it not a single pair made in the USA. The companies are making it impossible for me to evn choose where I want to have my things made, forceing me to buy foreign products by not offering made in the USA ones. I believe they should offer USA producs even if they cost more. I would still buy them. Buy MADE IN THE USA !!!

UNFORTUNATE ,HERE IS ANOTHER APPEALING NAME .JASON CHAFFETZ . THINKS THAT THE STIMULUS BILL WONT DO ANYTHING. ANOTHER ENCYCLOPEDIA. IN 2010 AND 2012 THE DEMS WILL REMIND YOU JASON. USE YOUR HEAD CHAFFETZ.DONT BE LIKE THAT TOAD MICHELLE MALKIN.

Buy American should be a no-brainer. Buying our stuff and sending our jobs overseas has gotten us into this mess. I like the idea of taxing those companies that buy overseas and send our jobs overseas – only get a tax break if you keep it 'in-house'.

What exactly does "buy American" mean, the Nissan fully assembled and sold in the US, or the Chevy and Jeep assembled, and partially manufactured, in Canada and Mexico? Which is American?

BruharAZ writes: As the old lady told the president “Please, please listen to the people” not the bankers and politicians.
========================================
Yeah, and another one, given the unique chance to speak directly to the President of the United States, something that is rarely granted to anyone, squandered the singular opportunity to say she wanted a house with kitchen and bathroom!!! And the president suggested his staff would help her get it! That is, his staff would help her fleece me to pay for such material demand! [Thank God a private donor came to the fore.] That one little stunt proved the Framers' wisdom that the people of the street should not have a direct democracy, but only a representative one. Of course, the one we have veers off couse almost as dramatically as Harriet Hughes did!

I BEEN SAYING, BUY IN AMERICA FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS OR TRY TO STOP SOME OF THE INPORTS. I THINK IT IS THE ONLY WAY ; LOU DOBBS BEEN SAYING THAT FOR YEARS TO .THE STIMULUS BILL WILL HELP. IM GLAD WE GOT IT , I HOPE IT WILL LAST, AND GIVES US A GOOD START.

I try to buy American made merchandise but can't find any. Even the last Ford truck I purchased was assenbled in Mexico and another in Canada. The shirt I have on was made in Vietnam. Most of the stuff in my home was made in China and Japan. So how can I buy American when there are none in the stores????

Anyone who looks into the state of American vs foreign auto companies knows that foreign auto companies are heavily subsidized by their respective governments. They are also subsidized by our own country by the states where they have built their auto plants. In Alabama Toyota and others are given hugh tax breaks and free land. How do you compete against that. The dishonorable Richard Shelby of Alabama knows all this. He must also know that the big 3 in America has been restructuring for several years. He is willing to let a major portion of US manufacturing go down the tubes simply because he is anti-union. This guy is about destroying American unionized labor. He has been a member of the do nothing congress for too many years. With his job approval rating he should have been fired years ago. Come on people of Alabama. Use all legal means to remove this guy before he does any more damage to America.

How's this for a way to stimulate the economy..... the government give to every legal (ie. citizen) head of household in the U.S. one (1) million dollars tax free to do with whatever they want. That leaves the rest of our billions for the dipwads in D.C. to squander like they do. And if each household blows the million tough luck, pal. Only one giveback per household. If they do good the economy will recover in record time, business will be booming, and our country will once again be solvent. I don't think it'll ever happen, but what a thought!

I AM RETIRED AND ON S.S. I DO NOT PAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF TAXES. WHAT WILL THE STIM. PACK. DO FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME ?

We are toast. The modern ethic in American business and politics seems to be greed, everyone admits it. Everyone is trying to rip each other off and there is no foundation of integrity in our social dealings to keep the greed channeled in a positive direction. Example – during the great depression, bankers were jumping out of windows, nowadays they fake their own suicides while trying to abscond with the money they ripped off. Everyone knows American business is interested in quick bucks, if that means ripping you off with shoddy goods or insincere promises. For the most part, I feel like a victim every time I buy something made in America. We are morally bankrupt and now financially bankrupt. Imagine the abuse bound to happen to the stimulus package funds that our children and grand children will be paying for. We should be ashamed.

MY IDEA WOULD WORK,BUT ITS TO BAD THERE WOULD ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD DISAGREE. If Amercia would employ the citizens 1st,thats what Canada & other countries do.Not give a handout to the illegal immigrants,they get more free things than anyone else & we would have more money..there is no such thing as an americian dream as the white man gets anything and everythng last. As right now,the employment rate is so high that the employees that work there are working overtime.Give some of the unemployed a job at the employment office. Were real sick of the Democrats always giving money to the large business.The white man is now the minority.When I say white man I'm also consider the black man in that.The hispanic are so disrepectful,demanding that we give everythng free and our government is to blame.They have destoyed everythng our forefathers have worked for.Wash State Governor found out that there were some illegal immigrants that got laid for being illegal,the governor turned around & gave them unemployment.Shouldn't they have gone to jail instead then sent back home? Then, the congress,senate,etc wonder why our economy is so bad..thanks for listening.

Hello Richard and Robin.

I still wonder what it would be if the fate of the economy had been different ten years ago; in other words, I am of the theory that the Government has to be more protectionist and start bringing back the industries and hand of labor from foreign countries; specifically from the far east. It is well known that they sell cheap but their quality is not the best most of the times. The Economic stimulus should be for such companies that revive the "Made In America", cutting off layoffs and reconsidering employment wages and putting everything back in balance: work, vs. income, vs hand of labor, vs revamping the economy.

Thanks.

P.S. Why there is a reason to have a machine sitting in a warehouse and getting dust if some unemployed folk can make it work here in the United States?

I work for Continental in Huntsville Al. We build eletronic parts for chrysler. I thought the bailout money was to keep jobs in the U.S. Continental informed the workers on 02/13/09 that chrysler had outsourced some 2010 work to China & Mexico.Whats up with that? The big three should not be allowed to outsource work with taxpayers money. If all the jobs are outsourced the economy will never turn around. I agree with the govt. loaning the big three money but I do not agree with them outsourcing AMERICAN JOBS!!!!!!!

Can anyone tell me where I can find merchandise that is made in the USA???? I look everytime I make a purchase but can't find any. Most of the products on the shelves I find are made in China where we all know unsafe products are made but our government allows their products to continue to be sold here because we will need to borrow money from them to keep the US out of bankrupcy for a short while!!!!

I'm self employed. How am I supposed to get the money which was previously in the stimulus checks? I cannot get it from a paycheck since I don't receive one!

the stimulus plan is going in the paychecks of the people who work. my question is what about the people who are on social security or ssi. do these people get the stimulus check again like last year?

How can any of our elected officals think that ~ $15.00 every other week will help!

congressman SHOCK, made a statement on MSNBC ,that not one worker asked him ,to vote yes ,on the stimulus bill,would you like to convey that statement, or, are you going to join the RETALIATION club.

Jennifer, like thousands of others I have been hit by layoffs and I have been on unemloyment benefits for months and even had them extended, but they ran out 1.5 months ago.

I still can't find work anywhere and now I have been told from the state of Kansas that I might not get another my extension because this new stimulus is different and I may not qualify for extended benefits. I don't understand this, do you know what's going on with this? Thanks.

I a a small busines owner about to lose my business they give big money to big compines .where is my help

It looks like Obama is in the same path of 'almost dictator' Hugo Chavez from Venezuela.
First, nationalization of the private asset – banks and so on,, then, censorship – no more free speech etc, then, dictation of norms and guidelines for everything pertinent to the public.

A perfect conduit to socialism-marxism ...eventually comunism.

And the last straw by Chavez was, 'promote', 'ask' and really PUSH the LIFETIME PRESIDENCY (TOTALITARISM/DICTATORSHIP) to the masses there in that country.

Prediction !,...if this character Obama suggest this , chances are that the 'LETARGIC PSEUDO-HYPNOTIZED OBAMANIZED MASSES' will go for it, unless before, a DIRECT STRIKE for TOTALITARIAN /DICTATORSHIP comes first.

Should that be the case,.... ( ANY WHICH WAY YOU PUT IT )?,...then, the scenario is more scary that anything else,... for then chances are that we might just will have HERE ! in our country – IN MAINLAND ! a CIVIL WAR ( A REVOLUTION ! )
Correct !, just like one of those third world countries with TYRANTS AT HELM !

People, this does not looks good at all, I hope and wish I am completely and totaaly wrong and the way to put this gogus administration out of commision is by TRUE HONEST AND CLEAN NON-CORRUPTED VOTE IN THE CLASSIC BASIC AMERICAN WAY. Not as FRAUDULENT as it was in the past elections( REMEMBER ACORN AND AMONG OTHERS THINGS ?)

Ok, now there you have it,...now pray hard and BE ALERT , WATCH CLOSELY AND CAREFULLY THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION and GET INFORMED, INVESTIGATE, GET KNOWLEDGE !

KNOWLEDGE IS THE REAL POWER!

sincerely,
DC
Merrillville, IN

Instead of bailing out banks and credit companies, every LEGAL, WORKING, TAX PAYING AMERICAN CITIZEN should receive a "stimulus" check for one billion dollars...that would be cheaper than the 800 billion dollars that will soon be flushed down the drain!

H. E. Massey, Meridian, MS

I own and run a paint contracting business, its small operation and I try to do most of the work myself or at least be on the job daily to keep quality up. I tried the employee thing, but found all the red tape and paperwork, payroll and the fact that alot people need $15.00 per hour and up to even get them out of bed in the morning, then expect to get paid to smoke cigarettes and talk on cell phone all day. I am from a GM town and seen how the GM employees and other overpaid employees milked the system for 20 years at least, work-comp was a biggie, including my own family. I hear them defend there $28.00+per hour wages, all the paid days off and running to the emergency room for a cough,(from smoking) pinning it on the company for improper ventilation and getting months off on sick-leave, popping pills getting paid for it. Now the same ones bitchin about the overpaid CEO's and loss of jobs...unreal.
So in a nutshell, America needs restructuring, people need to get paid for what there worth determining on experience, not by how much they owe the bank or butt kissing . LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS, AND STOP PLAYING BIG SHOT! If your trying to keep up with the Jones's, make sure the Jones's are paying for the fancy boat, car, snowmobiles, big nice house...and on and on.

auto makers from other countries have been here 40 years or more and the big three hasnt figured out how to deal with them.now were giving billions to the same people who cant run the companies now.quality and customer service should be the bottom line and not huge profits thanks

remember when you bought a toaster or coffe pot and kept it forever.now you have to buy em ever year or 2 where is the savings .i hate chinese crap but seems like they are the only game in town.i was a black and decker fan for years but their tools are crap and they dont care .i think its tools by china with us name .when americans stuck together and supported each other things were good .nothing will ever change unless we remove greed and coruption and that wont happen any time soon thanks

What happened to being responsible for your own actions? Has the government gone into the business of bailing out stupidity? It looks like we are going to bail out car companies that are too stupid to run their own business in a profitable manner. We are going to bail out home buyers that were to stupid or ignorant to read the fine print on the mortgage they signed. This in turn means we had to bail out the banks that were stupid enough to lend these people money. Where is it going to end?
We bailed out the multi billion dollar airlines after 9/11 and they still laid off 10,000 workers. I can't imagine a company as big and rich as an airline not having enough cash reserve to stay in business for 3 days without getting a handout.
I was unemployed for almost a year and I'm thankful that I had enough reserves and savings, along with unemployment benefits, to tide me over without losing my home.

It seems to me that if the government wants to save the economy,they shouldn't give bailouts to banks,mortgage lenders and/or car companies.....they should give the middle class and poor some cash(say 25-40k$$) and I now for sure it will be spent!!!!!
it will probably be cheaper than giving to the banks and lenders who are hoarding the cash instead of making it available to poor,low income and what I consider my family.....the working poor! My wife and i pay our mortgage,2 car payments every month,on time but after that we struggle week to week with 3 biological children and 1 foster child other builds are put off because the children come first. We currently cannot attain financing for an SUV that we need some desperately because of our extended credit,but had the government gave us $25,000 I would surely buy an SUV outright in turn creating a sale for the auto industry(know multiply that scenario by a few hundred thousand to a million staggered over a year or so,would that help out the economy.......I think so! Thanks for listening

I couldn't figure out where to post this, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. My family and I were just turned down for a mortgage loan modification. When I asked what the reason was, it was basically that the investors looked at our gross income and said we make too much money. How many people pay their bills with their GROSS income??? Now I have to figure out how to afford a repayment plan in order to keep my house. Sure it is now worth less than the mortgage payments, but the point is it is our house and despite its flaws, we love it.

I think that giving money to banks and auto industries isn't going to help the economy at all. In stead of giving billions to big companies, give the money to the average person with under 70K a year salaries. you could give each person in this group 25-15K. Then they will pay back the BANKS, they'll buy HOUSES with a good down payment, they will buy NEW CARS ( I would), and over all increase spending. This would have a higher chance of bailing out the large corporations.

Also they need to pass a bill that states that if you buy American you pay little to no tax, and they can double the taxes of imported goods to help put the spending focus on American products, especially in the auto industry. I would have more interest in buy a American car if I could save thousands in tax and get a low interest rate.

Instead of goving the money to the auto mfgs.Give o let's say $150.000 to the average american family making under $75,000 a year.They must spen this money not alloud to put in savings or investments.Most people would buy a new car buy or ugrade thier home and payy off there debt.this woul kepp the auto workers working,Get the housing market back on track.Improve consummer sales.

Dear Robin, i am consumer that has been burned by the local Chrysler dealership. I have never been decieved and lied to more about whole transaction from beggining to end. Then to find out how much I was being charged for a used 2006. I had no problem getting a loan because they pushed it through and approved the overly priced loan. I have to take legal action against the dealership and keep my credit in tack but the damage is done. I loose no matter what. I will not buy another American car.

Buy AMERICAN, Build AMERICAN! CAN the big corp CEO's! Start educating our young ones on the basics of what made this country strong. Take back our industries across the border and overseas. Put the American people back to work. The CEO's of big corporations are so greedy, this is the reason our economy is failing. Why should a CEO make more money than the president. I think that every American should put down their Starbuck's latte, turn their laptops off. Then sharpen a number 2 pencil grab a couple of sheets of paper. Then sit down and start writing to their local, state, and federal elected officials and start demanding some action for this mess! Oh yeah that was a dream I had. Now back to reality. We are really the ones to blame for our economy. We are not watching what is going on. We are too busy sitting around drinking our latte's playing video games on our laptops. We forgot what the basic foundation of our country was. For the people, by the people, of the people. I'll get off my soap box now.

Instead of giving the automakers all that money why not give every licensed driver a $1000.00 votcher for one of the 3 auto makers cars,allow people who don't need a car to give thiers away,and put no limit on how many a person can use toward the car.This will get people buying again.

This stimulus package was filled with earmarks, pet projects, and just a lot of good old fashion pork. I would like to know how the administration plans to measure how many jobs this bill will create and save. This article paints a bleak picture and implies that the stimulus package is going to be a silver bullet. I on the other hand am very skeptical and believe spending billions of dollars that we don't have will only hurt this country more.

This stimulus package is nothing but the trickle down effect we have seen for years. If you want to rebuild a country you start at the bottom and work up like our forefathers.

Buy American? We dont produce anything. We're the biggest importer and one of the smallest exporters in the world. Obama is doing nothing to promote the building of factories here in America. The Socialist way is to create a goverment job system that makes people dependant on big goverment. The Dems will say at election time that if you don't vote for me you will not get any help or money from the goverment. Do you really think that people who worked for microsoft, gm, ford, macy's, etc are going to start building bridges and paving roads. Wake up people......

Hungry? Out of work? Eat your foreign car, toys, and countless other non American based items filling your soon to be foreclosed on home.

I believe that tha Buy American policy is the best for our country. The problem with getting their is in Washington, D.C.. The politicians are so in debt to other foreign nations you will probably never see this. When they get voted out of office or just decide not to run, where do they go? They go to work for the Arabs, Chinese, etc,... They follow the money. How many of them have their family members work for these countries? They become lobbyist or consultants. Again we have the best politicians that foreign money can buy.

Yes, we should have “Buy American” provisions in the stimulus plan.
We also need tarriffs on all imported goods, but they will have to be accompanied by price controls to prevent inflation. For too long there has been an "open door" policy on trade, it's ruined the manufacturing sector of America. If nothing is made here, what do we have to export?
I've already lost two good careers in the aerospace and steel industries over the last 15 years now I have a service job with no pension.

So where are we today? In major financial trouble and it’s only going to get worse. Mark my words. Should we have “Buy American” provisions in the stimulus plan? Yes. Other countries are abusing the system and coming over here and working their own group of people and the rights of Americans are being destroyed as we speak. I’m not saying to stop trade all together but there are other ways to fix problem. First thing is key and that is to realize that our government made mistakes and now it’s time to fix.

What are the arguments for putting in language to spend taxpayer money specifically on U.S. products? This should be more then just language because we have to think about our economy and nothing is wrong with taking care of our kid’s future. Education is critical if we plan on competing in a global economy and by not helping train our young kids to want to work and feel the appreciation of self respect instead of despair.

What are the arguments for leaving it open to spending on manufactured goods regardless of where they are made? Major problem. If you spend this money on other countries products unsteady of using our own first then your protectionist against American workers and their jobs. I letting you know what Americans think and we are tired of the stuff that comes from a horses rear. If you know what I mean. I’m tired of not being able to find American jobs for the Americans to be able to live and survive.

I ASK FOR THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO STAND UP FOR AMERICANS AND THEIR JOBS AND TO DO LESS IS PROTECTIONIST AGAINST AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR KIDS.

OBAMA IF YOU ARE LISTENING. BUSHES TIME IS UP AND IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THE TRADE AGREEMENTS.

This is discrimination against American workers and American jobs. Companies are coming over here and not hiring Americans for qualified positions. Hold the American worker down to help build other countries is not my idea of free trade. I could go on and on but it will take more then just me to fix the problem. I will give Obama a chance and I hope he does the right things to help American trade and American jobs and security for Americans because of the decisions that they have made.

I have no problem putting my life on the line because they have already taken everything from me so I don’t care. Mark my words there will be change and the American people will see to it. It’s not protectionist to help support our country in the time of need. We are always lending a hand to others. Now it’s the American peoples time to stand up for what you believe in and not hide behind closed doors due to fear. I say stand up America and fight for what we believe in.

Thank You

James W. Fraley

This should be a good discussion. Let us know what you think, and we will be sharing your thoughts on Morning Express with Robin Meade.

********BUY AMERICAN*********

Support your country... Be Proud of American Made Material and this country will thrive! We have relied on Wal-Mart and China way too long and look what it has done to this country.... WAKE-UP Americans

I think this country should of been buying American for a long time. We have out sourced to many jobs. By buying foreign made vehicles our plants shut down and put alot of worker out. I only buy american vehicles, which i cannot say today are made here anymore. We need to put americans back to work first, then worry about the rest of the world. If we had to buy more items american made, our money would stay here in our country and help our people.

There is a lot of talk about buying American but what about made in America. My husband and I live in a rural area and manufacturing jobs have kept this area going for years. In the past few years we have seen a large part of our jobs going to Mexico and China. We make around $11.00 an hour and are being told to stay competetive we have to send these jobs to foreign countries. A few years ago we were working 56 hours a week and being told the company was making money. Big companies have purchased us several times over the last few years and we are getting bled dry. Every company that has taken us over has sent more and more of our work to these countries. On top of that when we do not work more that 28 hrs our government will pay us around $50 a day for work share or we can apply for part time unemployment if we work 1 or 2 days. If factory workers are not working who is going to pay the taxes to keep things going. People in the rural area are not going to benefit from the stimulus package because jobs will go to the bigger cities for schools and bridges etc . All we want to do is keep jobs in our area and until the government gives incentivies to companies to keep work in the USA things will never get better

Stimulus package? No, n, n, no, the hope of America, lies not within our ability to spend, but rather, in our mediocrity. Truly, between Wall Street and Hollywood, where, few are celebrated but for the fact that they make and spend millions at the expense of true heroes (men and women who daily serve their communities and country as police officers, firemen and women, teachers, military personnel, etc.). And yet, it is Wall Street and Hollywood that are rewarded financially (true heroes are, of course, celebrated in the spirit of mediocrity by being paid in lip service).

Rest assured, America, in the prophesies of our fore fathers, "history has proven republics that value luxury and comfort more than their freedom will perish," we are well on our way to reap the consequences reaped by the republic on which we were modeled, Rome. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, and… what I claim is to live to the full contradiction of my time, which may well make sarcasm the condition of truth.

I think we are Santa to the world, this has to end. Yes we should buy U.S. ,we are the consumer, why shouldn't we also be the industry of the products we need again, there is no economic sense for us to buy abroad. It is not our problem for us to raise other countries living conditions IE economy at our own economy's expense. Nafda is just the greed of big money men, to pad there bottom line. Its bad enough we have to buy oil abroad soon this will be a major problem as the world's need increases. We must become self sufficient once again. Then would be the best help to our national security. Well I'm jumping off my soap box now.

Why didn't we treat the bank 'crash' the way we did when the S&L meltdown? And why don't we let the private sector start up new banks?

Robin,
The American dream has been over a long time ago. I lost my home many years ago and now they step in, it`s a joke. Not worry about the package by Obama. My doctor was over ruled by the Company Doctor, I was fired for no reason. But, I did get Disabitiy, after 2 years which I will not see for 3 years. My America Dream Was over a long time ago. The Prices Of Food and The Prices Of Everything.
The America Dreams was over when it became America Greed !

buying american cars is one thing; food is another. japanese cars are more dependable. The problem with our economy started w/ NAFTA. Jobs started going to china and mexico in the 1990s. Downsizing is not new. Inorder for us to buy american, we have to be able to produce american! That opportunity has been yanked away by greedy CEOs who wanted more profit. The chinese & mexicans will build the same products for less hourly wage, w/ less breaks, and w/ no benefits. American labor costs too much. We have become a lazy society of people who feel "entitled" to our jobs & way of living.
The only way to turn our economy around is for us to revoke NAFTA, import nothing, grow our own food, make our own cars, baby formula, etc. The cost of living is at an all time high & yet the dollar is losing value and nobody can afford the cost of living! America can become self sufficient again! We used to be the bread basket of the world. Now our farmers are starving and on food stamps. 80% of all apple juice is imported from China! ALONG W/ LEAD COATED TOYS, TAINTED FORMULA, & PET FOOD! We have allowed this to happen by being sheep! Americans need to rise up against washington and big business. Blacks had their Million man March... it's time for Americans 200 million strong to march on those idiots in Washington! They could have given every American citizen $1 Mill and it would have only came to $200 Mill!!!! We could stimulate the country by buying cars, paying off homes, starting businesses, or investing in stocks! BUT NOOOO... let's allow the retards in charge to alott 57.7 mill to "roads and bridges! That's what our inspection sticker fee goes toward!

Lets get the word out , Boycott all hershey products!!!!!!!! Go with M&Ms candy .Tell mexico to support Hershey and see if they can keep Hershey going like we Americans did for years.

There are two things that we must get rid of to fix our situation.
First, we must get rid of the Federal Reserve Banks. The Fed is a foreign corporation controlling our money supply, and it's paper money, it has no intrisic value. It's paper, people, wake up. Our Forefathers were well aware that paper currency does not work. It never has. If you read the Constitution, The Supreme Law of the Land,
Article 1 Sec 8 states Gold and Silver are the only lawful money in the U.S. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 is unconstitutional. We The People gave Congress the power to coin and regulate money, We The People did not give Congress the power to delegate this responsibility to any individual, foriegn corporation or country. Think about it, what is the Fed? Why do we need their permission to print money? Our treasury dept is in charge of our money supply. Our dept of engraving is responsible for printing or coining money. Where does the Fed come in? We are in trouble becuase we didnt follow our Constitution. We are in trouble because the American people are a bunch of idiots and let the Government walk all over us. Most people don't even understand what the Constitution is about. It's not about how to run a country, it's about mans freedom with government.
The second thing which we must rid ourselves from is the Social Security Program. Here is a great question. Who is required to have a social security card? Answer, Only the people who want to receive social security benefits. Do you realize that if you don't have a SS card, they cannot tax your income. When you sign up for SS, you are telling the govt that you are incompetent and unable to take care of yourself. When you sign your child up for SS, so you can get a tax deduction. You just sold your child into slavery. Your labor is your god given right and cannot be taxed, You have the right to earn a living for your family. Bottom line is the Stimulus package will not work, Sorry. The gov't wants to control everything you do. We are loosing our liberties, our freedoms, everything our forefathers fought for. We are loosing the battle and a shot hasn't even been fired.

Has McCain lost his mind. When the President said he is raising taxes for the wealthy 5% of the country, McCain repeats that as saying it is bad to raise taxes on the wealthy and middle class. The President did not say anything about raising the middle class tax. I think John has lost touch with reality, either that or is just a sore loser.
Until the Republicans stop standing for the Richest 5% and starting getting behind the real people who keep this county going, (the middle class) our forward motion will be slowed down. I was always told by people that I have worked with over the years that we have to remember that the Republicans are for the rich and the Democrats are for the Middle class and poor and that is the way to vote.
I always know when John McCain is lying, His mouth is moving.

Bill

It is hard to buy American when a lot of companies are taking their operations overseas just to save a buck and this in turn causes hard American workers their jobs. We need to make it a lot harder for American companies to take their operations overseas. We need the JOBS they provide!!!

i think that we need to abandon keynesian theroy and return to the type of economic policy that our founding fathers intended us to practice.

I find it ironic that all the business' that have left our country to build or make thier product and put thousands out of work here in America are the ones wondering why nobody is buying thier products. The one manufacturing group left here is the automotive companys and everybody is coming down on them. All I can say is the companys that don't produce here are getting what they deserve.

Rob R. Simms

I was trying to pay as many payment as I could on my home . I try to get ahead in making payment and keep a roof over my head . I send three payment and they put the money some where else and still want payment for each month. I am out of work for three month in a year. I work with the school system for 14 year. I ama 9 month emploee My company that I makes my monthly payment will not allow.They should not care as long as they is being paid.They want to put the over payment in some where.Why is this happen this way.I like the old way pay as you go and for get they interest and bank will have they money and you will have your house. every body will be happy.

Thanks for the information, I cant wait to read more of your posts.