<p>While he didn’t have any blatant faux pas, the speech was still unimpressive - but hooray for him leaving and living on some ranch like he should have always done. He is a good guy, the presidency was just never the right place for him. I have very little respect for him as a president but from a removed prospective I can’t hate him that much.</p>
<p>Marlow even you can’t deny that Bush exacerbated the circumstances of the latest recession with bad policies. Otherwise we wouldn’t be calling it the second worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression.</p>
<p>Wait till AP macroeconomics. The presidents have a huge effect on economy</p>
<p>^ I’ve taken Macro… I still believe that the effect of fiscal and monetary policies any administration can enact is largely worthless. Look at the New Deal… a complete piece of propaganda failure that only started the cycle of increasing government debt… only World War II took us out of the Depression…</p>
<p>^^^^^You’re right. Spending for the sake of spending is BAD, but if a country lets resources pile up then they’re not being economically efficient.</p>
<p>^^^Look at Congress for policy issues, since they’re the ones that actually MAKE and PASS them, and can override a veto. Since the previous election Congress’s approval rating has dipped even lower than Bush’s. </p>
<p>Also, second worst economic meltdown? Please. The people that play the stock market like a roulette game are feeling the pain, as they should be. The same is for people that made poor financial decisions. As long as you keep some money in savings, and plan to invest for the long run (instead of day-to-day buying and selling), you barely feel the recession. This goes for low income families too. </p>
<p>^^I took AP Macro. There was a part of it that focused on how little influence the President has on the policy making process. He has a veto, but the Congress can shove him aside like its nobody’s business.</p>
<p>^wow do you REALLY think Congress wastes its time trying to pass legislation that they know will get shot down from the top? And, rigid partisan politics over the past 8 yrs meant that overriding a veto on controversial legislation was virtually impossible. Btw, if you think people who play the stock market/invest are the only ones feeling the pain right now, you don’t understand economics.</p>
<p>The farewell address made me cry. And I’m a guy.</p>
<p>But it was only one part of it when he talked about that CA doctor that’s like 60 and is going to Iraq to serve in honor of his son. His son is an alum at the school I go to now and he was an amazing person. Graduated near top of his class, prefect (boarding school), etc. Went to Williams which is an amazing school I would love to go to.</p>
<p>^^Yeah, yeah I do. And they’ve shown it. Also, please read the second part of my argument concerning who’s feeling the pain. Those that made poor financial decisions or have dead-end jobs are in that category. My family collectively makes ~$45,000 per year and we have yet to feel any heat. We live in realistic conditions, meaning no fancy houses or plasma screens that we’ll never pay off, so that we still find money to save. That’s all it takes: live responsibly and don’t gamble with the stock market. If you do invest, then make sure you’re prepared to be in it for the long haul. Otherwise, stick the money in a savings account and/or government bonds that guarantee dividends.</p>
<p>Dead end jobs? Like Yahoo?</p>
<p>Unemployment is rising fast, and it’s not just in manufacturing. Home equity is also down, and that has a large impact on a lot of people’s spending options.</p>
<p>I agree that the President doesn’t have a huge impact on the economy, but the massive spending that finally ended the Cold War will have long-term consequences. The Iraq War adds to that problem, and for what benefit? The deaths of thousands of Americans? The deaths of 10-100 times more Iraqis?</p>
<p>^I definitely agree that spending is having its consequences 
Dead end jobs meaning shop floor and piece labor. Jobs that are the first on the chopping block should a company need to lay off workers.</p>
<p>I don’t think that we want to get into the Iraq War thing either; it could easily turn ugly.</p>
<p>^ LOL. I’ll agree to that.</p>
<p>Sic semper tyrannis!</p>
<p>I think the Part 1 of the speech was well said, surprisingly enough. He acknowledged his own faults and setbacks. However, I still dislike Bush with a passion. I don’t like Obama either. Obama’s presidency will be marked with economic depression…it’s gonna take 2 presidencies to fix our current economy.</p>
<p>I think Obama will have one of the toughest jobs in the World this year.</p>
<p>^agreed, and I don’t think he will be success. (or at least, he’ll only be half-successful) After all, he’s just a human. It’s gonna take 8 more years for our economy to heal up I bet.</p>