Part Two:
IT'S THE ECONOMY, PEOPLE!

To recap, in my previous blog, I talked to Georgia state legislator Pat Dooley about politicians. Now, our conversation continues…
It's a seven-letter word that starts with an E and freaks people out. It's the economy! Unless you live on the precipice of an iceberg in Antarctica, you should notice that the economy hasn't been in good shape. The mortgage meltdown and the deficit collectively have taken a toll on the country, and its impacts are far reaching and numerous. Not only is the federal government in a deficit (estimated to balloon to $1 trillion in 2009), but so is the state.

"Georgia is at least $1.6 billion short," she adds. The price to pay for this? Budget cuts. Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue asked all departments in the state to cut their budgets by six percent, but this means that certain things must go. Due to the budget cuts, the healthcare facility for veterans in Milledgeville closed down. Also, the Georgia Department of Transportation is almost out of money. This means that numerous projects will be stopped or put on hold until further notice. Meanwhile, the famous Atlanta traffic congestion still lives!!

What can we do about all this? When people live in fear of foreclosure, job loss, and misfortune, people stop spending money. Without this much needed revenue, the economy suffers. To rebound from all this, steps must be taken; jobs must be created. Stimulus money directly injected into state governments won't help though. However, if the stimulus is used to fund government projects, people are hired and the economy starts recovering. Government bailouts however, as good as they sound, are like a double-edged sword.

"Would your dad give you money without oversight?" she chuckles.

Exactly! The government's $13.4 billion bailout of the big auto companies was a good move because there was oversight. However, the $700 billion bank bailout which lacked oversight was not a very smart move. A general rule to get out of the deficit, she says: "There has to be a balance" in everything.

So who really picks up the tab for the economic mess that we're in? It's definitely not your parents, because they probably won't live long enough to see the effects of the deficit. Oh, did that I just hear a click? Yes, we will pick up the bill; quite a hefty one I may add. (Granted when I mean "we" I'm assuming that you're a teen or a young adult.)

"What concerns me more than the deficit are the jobs that are gone and are not coming back. Jobs that were good jobs, good enough to raise a family," says Representative Dooley.

What does that mean for us? Well, that means that being a burger flipper will be a more likely option with the deficit. Now, get this.

"Welfare is gone and those same Republicans, who gave the wealthiest people and the largest businesses huge tax breaks adding to the deficit, do not want healthcare for all our children let alone all our people" she adds.

Welfare was gone during the second Bush administration, so that's one thing that the future generation will be living without. "So what if I'm hurt and can't work?" Well, all I can say is you better hope for a miracle recovery because welfare isn't going to save you anymore. Now don't get me started on healthcare! Now, assuming that you have a burger flipper job, how in the world do you pay for healthcare coverage, especially with the rising healthcare costs?

Hopefully, the Obama administration can do something about our rising healthcare costs. After all, he did say during one of his presidential debates that it is the right of every citizen in the country to have healthcare.

Oh Nifty. Does Your Face Hurt?