Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 11:32 a.m. CDT
Alexander Hamilton, of course, was the nation's first treasury secretary. As such, he is remembered as the architect of American prosperity, the man who laid the foundation for the nation's modern economy.
Today, in his historical name, the Brookings Institution launched The Hamilton Project a strategy to study the challenges facing the country's economic prosperity, opportunity and growth.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who was tapped to put his name on the effort, talked about the "real consequences" of today's changing global society. At the beginning of a conference at the Washington nonpartisan organization today, Obama reminded the deep thinkers on both sides to remember one thing: "There are people in places like Decatur, Ill., and Galesburg, Ill., who believe this may be the first generation in which their children do worse than they do."
That sober note kicked off a daylong series of talks over the future of the country's economy. There is a need, he said, for open minds on both sides of the political spectrum.
"For those on the left, and I include myself in this, too many of us have been interested in defending programs the way they were written in 1938," Obama said. "If we admit the need to modernize these programs to fit changing times, the other side will use the acknowledgement to destroy them all together."
"On the right," he added, "there is a tendency to use changes for new tax cuts and there is no room for government."
After 15 months in Washington, he said, he has concluded that there have not been enough frank discussions about the country's direction.
"Unfortunately, while the world has changed around us," Obama said, "Washington has been rather slow to adopt 21st century solutions to 21st century problems."
In his short remarks, the Illinois senator gently criticized Democrats and Republicans alike. While he raised numerous vexing questions, he conceded the immediate solutions were few.
"There are real consequences to the work that's being done here," Obama said. "This is not a bloodless process."
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Comments
It is welcome news that anyone in Washington, or
anywhere for that matter, is attempting to analyze the economy in a non-partisan way. I sincerely hope the first topic of discussion will
be THE MIND NUMBING DEFICIT AND HOW THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO DIG ITS WAY OUT OF THIS GIANT HOLE ! The second topic should be THE MIND NUMBING DEFICIT !
The third and last topic should be ( guess ?) THE MIND NUMBING DEFICIT !
Posted by: johnf | April 5, 2006 12:14 PM
Thomas Jefferson was probably the only President
to really worry and attempt to eliminate the Federal Deficit. Unfortunately he set a bad example by running up huge personal debt which forced his family to sell his estate of Monticello after his death. On the other hand, George Bush could care less as he has assured that his business associates have prospered well during his rein. The only consolation is that history is going to place him as one of the, if not the worst President this country has ever elected.
I think it's time to dump the "popular vote" and hand it back to the Electoral College. The masses are stupid and the founding fathers knew it.
Posted by: Tim | April 5, 2006 7:30 PM