Spot on. I made essentially the same argument yesterday:

http://www.thresheronline.com/archives/832

Of course, you said it far more eloquently.

Maybe Obama's real plan is to distract the Rebublicuns. Throw so many issues at them that they scatter in confusion.

I would go further and argue that these educational goals are part of the solution to the bank problem. We have a choice of writing off debt, which will have a cascading effect, or at best allow us to return to a debt driven economy. Or we can put more people to work and say your sacrifice is to pay your debts so fewer bank debts need to be written off. When the economy improves, you will be asked to pay a reasonable tax rate (hopefully with higher incomes) to pay down the debt created by these writeoffs and stimuli.

In the short term more teachers mean more people paying their debts and buying goods, while more students, especially in college, mean more openings to people who are otherwise unemployed.

The people complaining aren't working all that hard, anyway. How difficult is it to just keep saying "no", or "tax cut"?

The President would do well to make that case that treating the economy, health care, energy, etc. as disparate entities was one of the failures that landed us in our present condition. It is almost impossible to have a large long-lived business enterprise in this country. Legacy health care costs for retired workers become a crushing burden unless the company is able to continue rapid growth. Unless you improve all of these items the US economy will not prosper.

Moreover Brooks' analogy is a poor one. The house was on fire 18 months to two years ago. That was when a well-timed stimulus package combined with bank reform and restructuring would have allowed us to dodge this thing. It didn't happen. Now the house and much of the surrounding neighborhood has burned down. As long as you are rebuilding it there is no sense in reconstructing the flaws that existed before the fire.

"It is hard to remember your purpose was to drain the swamp when you are up to your neck in alligators." I think this is the better analogy. President Obama is fighting the alligators, but he is not ignoring the longer term purpose of draining the swamp. It is only amazing that he has not been distracted by the immediate crises and is tackling what is really the larger, longterm project of draining the swamp (health care; education; energy).

I dunno, maybe Brooks has a point. Is our children learning?

Remember when GWB droned on about spending his "political capital" after the '04 election? President Obama understands the long and short view, will decisively lay out his agenda for the next year. Mr. President, don't let them catch their breath.

He could also have pointed out that the land-grant college system that so many Midwestern states depend on was founded under Lincoln in the midst of the war. Though that might have been too on-the-nose.

the columnist today described improving _________ as "plotting extensive renovations when the house is on fire"

Time to place your bets. How many times will Brooks run the above sentence over the next four years?

My money is on 25.

Also, do you think the GOP will ever notice that Obama has taken complete procession of the Lincoln meme? I think they have and he does it to piss them off.

The President should make this argument. I've been in office a little over 45 days. I've passed a stimulas bill, a budget, and a credible housing plan. The house may be burning, but a firefighter does try to assess the level of risk to himself and others (sort of like completing a banking stress test) before he starts fighting the fire.

He could also have pointed out that the land-grant college system that so many Midwestern states depend on was founded under Lincoln in the midst of the war. Though that might have been too on-the-nose.

Posted by: Mnemosyne

Don't forget the Homestead Act, the National Bank Act, and the Pacific Railways Act.

Yes, good residents can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Whoops, should be "good Presidents".

But I'm sure good residents are good at walking and chewing gum at the same time.

Or at least watch tv and eat preztels at the same time.