About The Recession Diaries

From finance to foreclosures, layoffs and lack of opportunity, a daily journal of the economic crisis and its effect on black professionals.

THE BLOG FAMILY

In-your-face observations of art, entertainment and the world at large from someone who cares. Can you handle the truth?

NOVEMBER 30 | NBC Heroes Employee Says There's Too Much Diversity in Hollywood

NOVEMBER 29 | Black Conservative Doesn't Want Oprah to Interview Obama on Christmas

NOVEMBER 28 | Peru Apologizes for Mistreatment of Afro-Peruvians

One man's opinion on very nearly everything. It's hard but it's fair.

DECEMBER 2 | Ten Things You Could Learn from Tiger Woods

DECEMBER 2 | Aunt Jemima and Politics in Darktown

NOVEMBER 24 | Meet The Parents

Manners and mores in modern life? It's about way more than where the fork goes.

DECEMBER 3 | Desiree Rogers' Teachable Moment

NOVEMBER 28 | The Tipping Factor

NOVEMBER 24 | The Turkey Is The Least of It

From finance to foreclosures, layoffs and lack of opportunity, a daily journal of the economic crisis and its effect on black professionals.

NOVEMBER 27 | Making The Most With Less This Christmas

NOVEMBER 25 | Young, Black, and Out of Work

NOVEMBER 24 | Have Blacks Been Shafted By The Stimulus?

Smart, up to the minute takes on politics--from the state house to the White House. Pull up a chair.

FEBRUARY 23 | Social Networks and Saddam Hussein: A Private Matter?

JANUARY 21 | Hillary Clinton Stands Up For Internet Diplomacy

JANUARY 20 | SATISFACTION, PRIDE OR DELIRIUM?

Engaging commentary, interviews, and reviews that delve into and beyond the world of books. Get read.

NOVEMBER 25 | Conversation for the Dinner Table

NOVEMBER 19 | Reading List: The Poetry Edition

NOVEMBER 12 | Publishing with the Stars

A daily conversation on hot topic culture items. From Zora to Zane, True Blood to Tiny & Toya, TEWW covers high art, low-brow culture and everything in between.

MARCH 2 | The Best Gabourey Sidibe Interview So Far

FEBRUARY 17 | Would You Let Serena Williams Do Your Nails?

FEBRUARY 12 | John Mayer's Stupid Mouth

MICHAEL'S BLOG ROLL

    If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Again?

    Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Obama's economic adviser recently said, "It looks like the economy is weaker than expected. Why not begin to think about over the next several months whether we need a stimulus package and what it should include."

    Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman supports the idea of a second stimulus package, and legendary businessman and billionaire Warren Buffett has also chimed in on the public debate.

    Yesterday Buffett appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America and shared his thoughts on the possibility that one stimulus may not be enough for our economy to rebound. “Our first stimulus bill was sort of like taking half a tablet of Viagra and then having also a bunch of candy mixed in as if everybody was putting in things for their own constituencies,” Buffett said.

    With respect to the financial fanatic, that musing doesn’t leave me sold on the need to drive the economy into even more debt.

    Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania believes that a second package should focus more so on boosting infrastructure arguing such a move “produces jobs, and produces orders for American factories.”

    Republicans, on the other hand, dismiss talk of another package, insisting a call for another proves that the first didn’t work, and thus should be a sign to stop wasting money. Others criticize the move for another package under the claims that the U.S. would be falling for the same trap as nations like Japan who piled on debt in the 1990s with spending sprees that produced few benefits.

    Vice President Biden recently acknowledged that the administration "misread" the economy, but still says the first package was necessary. Speaking before workers in Ohio this week Biden refuted GOP criticism of their bill with, "Remember, we're only 140 days into this deal. It's supposed to take 18 months."

    Obama’s original economic stimulus plan promised to get people working again and prevent unemployment numbers from surpassing 8 percent. Since the signing of the package, more than two million jobs have been lost. Though there may be benefits to his first stimulus bill over time, President Barack Obama's stimulus bill was passed fewer than five months ago and only a small fraction of the money has been spent thus far.

    To that end shouldn’t Obama administration officials and surrogates like Buffett calm talk of a second package for now?

    I don’t want my grandchildren’s great grandbabies paying for our mistakes now. Do you?

    Leave your comments below and share your recession-stories by emailing therecessiondiaries@gmail.com.

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