David M. Walker served as the seventh Comptroller General of the United States and was the CEO of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998 to 2008. He is
currently the president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Walker is a frequent speaker, writer, commentator, and congressional witness. He has appeared on a significant number of
television networks, cable channels, and radio programs and has written for many major publications. He's one of America's foremost independent financial experts. As comptroller general of the
United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998-2008, "the nation's top auditor" David M. Walker warned Congress, and the Clinton and George W. Bush
administrations that America faced a growing fiscal imbalance due largely to known demographic trends and rising health care costs. Unfortunately, the numbers have gotten worse and our fiscal gap
has grown dramatically in recent years. Now, as president and CEO of the non-partisan Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Walker works full-time to raise public awareness regarding our nation's growing
deficits, mounting debt burdens and dangerous dependency on foreign lenders.
His new book COMEBACK AMERICA (Random House; On Sale: January 12, 2010) includes a range of insightful and informative ideas all taking into account the Obama Administration's
current efforts to-date. It addresses a range of policy, operational and political reforms needed to ensure that America's future will be better than its past. The following represents an
example of the types of issues addressed and items contained in the book.
Accolades for Comeback America
"Please read this book by David Walker. No one has worked harder, been armed with more facts, written more clearly and been more dedicated to the mission of restoring confidence in our fiscal affairs and trust in government." --Paul Volcker
"Every American should read David Walker's clear analysis of our dangerous future federal budget deficits and of our current political system." -Bob Rubin
"David Walker shows us how to regain fiscal sanity and why, if we don't, we're at risk of bequeathing a lower standard of living to our children and becoming a second rate power." Bill Bradley
"Comeback America is a brilliant, factual, and highly readable account of our current fiscal predicament." - Carla Hills
"Dave Walker has lifted the hood on the federal government, diagnosed the problems, and provided a number of sensible suggestions to help restore America's greatness. If you care about our future, you'll read this book." - Ross Perot
"David Walker has drawn a true frightening and fact-based picture of a looming crisis; a crisis that will make the recent financial meltdown seem like a walk in the park. If this analysis doesn't stir you to action, nothing will." - Paul O'Neill

雪狼博客 (Thursday, 18 April 2013 08:27)
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Michael Steib (Thursday, 04 April 2013 13:29)
I just heard you speak about unemployment on C Span, 4/4/2013. No mention was made on the tremendous efficiency that technology and mechanization continues to make in everything we do frompicking cotton to nailing in construction to typing up a report to handling inventory to communicating on and off the job to robotics painting and constructing to decision making and data research to reaearch in general to handling and keeping records and data and getting information from data to advertising to diagnosis of machines and of people. Everything takes much much less human hours and this effect will continue at a faster pace.
Raymond R. Givonetti (Thursday, 28 March 2013 12:13)
There is a deeper systemic issue:
Eliminating Forces That Deter Congress – They Are People Too
A manifestation of our broken Political System is the documented growing lack of trust in our Government where it is believed that Elected Officials do not do the right things for the right reasons. Specifically, the Public perceives:
1. A Congress in constant gridlock because of Party agendas and Special Interests.
2. Money buys elections.
3. Elected Officials give up their political freedom to Parties and Special Interests for election support.
4. Polarized competition by the major Parties is reinforced by factoids and misleading rhetoric.
5. Little can be done.
It is imperative that we understand the deterrent forces in our Political System that cause the above. Elected Officials are people too; they are most concerned about their families and job security. This primary concern forces Elected Officials into a political survival environment where two interrelated forces must be addressed by all candidates if they wish to be probable contenders. The first force is Campaign Funding which is supplied by numerous capitalistic sources with a need for favorable legislation. The second force is Party Support which provides a polarized political base for votes and an organization expert in all aspects of elections (strategy, campaign funding, Party coordination, advertising, etc.) Paid by the public, the two major Parties are polarizing institutions that have been literally integrated into our Government (Party leadership, election Committees and election Statutes such as gerrymandering). This gives a whole new meaning to less government.
The most realizable approach to neutralizing the forces that deter Congress is to remove the need for political survival, by establishing Term Limits that replace Congressional careers with short term patriotic stints (ex: six years max.). Retirement and health care benefits should align with the Public during the leave of absence from their private careers. Term Limits can be immediately implemented by the voters, without any new Legislation, by selecting only new or short term candidates.
A second approach has two parts; Campaign Reform to level the playing field for candidates and Party Reform to separate Party functions from Government functions. This approach is a paradox resulting from a Political System needing change that directly impacts those responsible for the change. Congressional indoctrination, Party inductive reasoning, and a myopic view of the current Political System require a paradigm shift away from a hard earned comfort zone. Even if Congress was forced to broach a Political System issue, it is highly unlikely that a genuine solution would be realized.
Raymond R. Givonetti
Author of “Can Political Trust in American Democracy be Restored?” This Study was published in 2005 and sent to each member of the U.S. Congress (Senate and House).
AFL (Tuesday, 29 January 2013 11:29)
You are absolutely right to insist forcefully on holding Congress' feet to the fire and each member individually accountable. Readers looking for broader perspective might listen to what David Stockman has had to say. He was Ronald Reagan's Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Looks like he has more to say in a new book out soon.
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James Kelso (Friday, 02 November 2012 14:48)
I just saw Walker on MSNBC, he is a wingnut and I would never buy his book of lies, he is merely an extension of the Bush wacko's, his support of Romney shows his lack of mentality, just his support of the Bush tax cuts makes puts him in the category of wacko's and supporters of Wall street
ValS (Monday, 01 October 2012 20:47)
Mr. Walker, I very much enjoyed your C-Span interview with Ross Perot. Glad that someone is working so hard to educate the public concerning our country's fiscal dilemma.
Val
P.S. to Jack HG the number after a president's name indicates what number president he was. Because we had two Bush presidents so close in time, for expediency, the number was added to their name.
Jackhg (Sunday, 09 September 2012 10:55)
I am reading your book, at first I was excited in your book and it's ideologies, but then reading the comments of Wilberforce #37, I am going to continue reading your book in a critical manner, considering what Wilberforce has commented on and your writings.
BTW, what do you mean when you list a President and then a number is by that name? E.G., page 15 Bush 43--what is the meaning of this, please let me know, jackhg@sonic.net.
Thank you.
Jack HG
PS
Untowards the lowering of governmental expenses, why is it never mentioned to lower the pay, pensions, and medical of our politicians? The constitution of the USA has not mentioned that our politicians should make huge profits while in the employment of said jobs.
I would appreciate your comments well as Wilberforce.
JHG
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G. Coleman (Friday, 24 August 2012 05:59)
After 14 years at National Public Radio, Andrea Seabrook left in July and, to hear her talk about her experience covering Capitol Hill, it’s clear that she had one takeaway: It’s damn frustrating.
“I realized that there is a part of covering Congress, if you’re doing daily coverage, that is actually sort of colluding with the politicians themselves because so much of what I was doing was actually recording and playing what they say or repeating what they say,” Seabrook told POLITICO. “And I feel like the real story of Congress right now is very much removed from any of that, from the sort of theater of the policy debate in Congress, and it has become such a complete theater that none of it is real. … I feel like I am, as a reporter in the Capitol, lied to every day, all day. There is so little genuine discussion going on with the reporters. … To me, as a reporter, everything is spin.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79998.html#ixzz24Saa2jMq
Thomas A Ralys (Friday, 17 August 2012 10:44)
I agree with you , politicians are not telling our fiscal problems are much worse than we know. In October of 2008 , congressman Brad Sherman (D-Ca) went on record (C-span)telling anyone who would listen that unless they(congress) voted FOR the bailout , our economy would collapse , and martial law would be declared.LOOK IT UP! Unfortunately the 110th. congress of America bought yet another lie from the bush admin. The bailout money was enacted just the same as the Iraq War , based on lies , poorly planned , poorly executed ,monies not appropriated ,and costs were completely unknown.
Our looming crisis is a result of an uninformed and disinterested citizenry. As long as we have our wants , kick the can down the road for the next generation.
I don't care what age you are , if you are middle class income , YOUR STANDARD OF LIVING IS GOING TO CHANGE , no matter if you followed every rule the federal gov has on taxes social security etc...
The elected elite continue the charade with romney and obama giving speeches of no substance .
The deficit issue can only be solved by the most important first step TRUTH. Our political system is the opposite of truth.
donalds gardner (Monday, 13 August 2012 20:23)
41
walkers (Monday, 04 June 2012 07:22)
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steve coleman (Tuesday, 24 April 2012 13:46)
Mr. Walker,
having seen you many times on both cnbc and bloomberg makes me glad to be an American. What this country needs is for you to be President. I wish you would consider it. From my own experience, I can tell you one of the reasons our disability fund is going broke is because there are so many people getting benefits who don't need them. I'm just one person and I know 3 people who are taking advantage of the system.
Gary 2012 (Monday, 16 April 2012 07:35)
Listening to you on CNBC, you said we have not contributed enough to social security to collect the amount we are getting paid for retirement checks. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING MISTER. I PAID IN ACCORDING TO WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAID I OWED THEM FOR 40 YEARS. I HELD UP MY END OF THEIR PROGRAM, THEY CAN DAMN WELL NOW HOLD UP THIER END OF THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM.
Wilberforce (Wednesday, 29 February 2012 16:45)
Your book has many vague and useless proposals, and others skillfully designed to shift power to the rich and costs onto the middle class.
Your campaign finance rule requiring contributions from local voters will just allow local millionaires to dominate elections.
Term limits are useless because special interests can always buy the next candidate in line.
Also regarding campaign finance, you don't mention recent SCOTUS decisions - Citizens United, corporations are people, money is speech - or the media's destructive monopoly on mass communications.
You start the social security section with the clause 'strengthen social security', a clever misdirection. But you do not wish to raise taxes on the idle two trillion dollars. You want to raise the retirement age, again expecting the middle class to make the only concession.
Also on social security, you have the phrase 'better target preferences', which is meaningless and probably a complication to confuse the issues.
You want a federal budget for healthcare expenses, as other countries have, but neglect to mention that they have single payer systems which control costs.
You want taxes to be competitive and equitable, and to generate enough revenue, three vague abstractions without a clear policy proposal.
You want rules against foreign protectionism, accepting the elite demand for the free market, while ignoring the blue collar preference for national protectionism.
Your bias for financial elites is obvious in every word you say.
Paul R. Farmer (Sunday, 26 February 2012 06:32)
Should be recommended reading for all of Congress. With partisan politics being what they are today, the possibility of one administration working with a succeeding administration as in Hoover and Truman situation is almost an impossibility. I could not concur more with you regarding the need to implement a strategic plan from a baseline set of criteria. The time and length of the plan should be ten and possibly twenty years. This plan could address the areas of concern such as social security, medicare, military spending, healthcare etc. Now the question presents itself. How do we get our two party system to agree to do this?
Thomas M Smith (Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:46)
Hi, my name is Thomas M Smith. I am a student at the State University of New York: College at Plattsburgh. I am representing the Political Advocacy Committee of our student senate We would love to have you speak on your new book at the school. Please contact me at 518-334-1042 or tsmit010@plattsburgh.edu.
playset (Wednesday, 08 February 2012 01:58)
Yeah well I think that its tough when a lot of stuff has been going on already and then you step into office to clean things up, hope he has a big mop with a good size log basket bin for all the rubbish
swing set (Wednesday, 08 February 2012 01:57)
Thanks for sharing the information there would be some apprehensions from segment but I am up for it.
Online Citizen Journalist (Friday, 30 September 2011 06:15)
Thanks for writing this book. Imposing !!!
Fred Lucia (Tuesday, 28 June 2011 11:14)
Thank you David Walker for a very insightful and wonderful book, and I think it should be required reading in college economics courses. That's said
I think Mr. Walker should do a follow-up on the promises that he related to in the book that our current president Obama had made at the time of writing, where the follow-through's had been, what had actually been accomplished, and what appears to be a blizzard.
I would really like to hear Mr. Walker's critique of the current administration and its follow-through.
Sundar Nathan (Monday, 06 June 2011 14:50)
Brilliant. Insightful. Illuminating. Succinct.
J. Miranda (Sunday, 17 April 2011 14:17)
i'm not an American. Actually, I'm a Spaniard who bought this book by chance while in Washington. I must say thanks to Mr. Walker. I enjoy his work and I learned a handful of facts and ideas that are applicable not just for the US but for Europe and South America as well. It'll be a great idea to translate it into Spanish and other languages.
Doris Lawson (Tuesday, 29 March 2011 13:26)
I have finally finished reading David's book. I read the paperback at my leisure. I immediately agreed with his interpertation of the financial situation our country is in and heading towards. I am not an educated economist or an expert accountant, but I can balance a budget. I can probably write my own book with my comments as to what David is saying in this book. I am recently retired at 66 and my goal was to retire at this age. My husband and I planned(prepared)for two years, as to establish our financial status. The saying "practice what you preach" needs to be adressed by our government. If I, can adjust to live within my means, why cannot the government? They preach to us to not go into credit card(burrowing)debt, but yet they have and continue to spend our money(never ending hole) and the list goes on. Thank you David for writing this book, unfortunately, our represntatives in Washington do not pay attention to what they are hearing from us. I plan on passing the book onto my daughters, who are my next generation of Americans.
Maryann Westfall (Saturday, 19 February 2011 23:46)
I am surprised that David Walker does not support FairTax (a national retail consumption tax to replace all federal income taxes). Many economists were engaged in comprehensive research that resulted in positive impact in virtually every area of our economy. I'd love to hear his comments.
Mike Martin (Monday, 14 February 2011 15:09)
Try this to get spendind down.
William H. Beal (Wednesday, 01 December 2010 23:42)
I think that every American who is truly concerned about our country should read "COMEBACK AMERICA".Maybe, just maybe,anyone who reads this book will realize that this country cannot act like a spoiled teenager with daddy's credit card.We can't have everything we want and we shouldn't be trying to please everyone.We need to earn to say no, hell no, to runaway spending by the government.We need to tell American business that if you want to shut down a factory in America and outsource your labor to a foreign country , putting Americans out of work,any product brought in to this country should be subject to a high tarriff.On the other hand, illegal immigrants should be placed in jail.We need to tell the world that the world that we will no longer tolerate illegal immigration. Illegal means you broke the law. You break the law, you go to jail.Not 30 days.First offfense 1 year in a work camp.
Then deportation.Second offense 3 years in a work camp and deportation.This flood of illegal immigrants, who are taking away jobs from Americans must stop.I know this sounds Draconian but it's necessary.Illegals pay no taxes.
Yet we give them medical care.This has got to stop.
on the other hand, any American who is drawing welfare and is capable of working should be made to work.Welfare recepiants need to become productive citizens and get off the government teat.People who work generate taxes.This country needs to get on a "war footing" as it did in World War II.Everyone works for the war effort.And believe it or not , this country is at war. Not just the war on terrorism, but the war against bankruptcy. The war against a lower standard of living for our grandchildren.We must stand up against runaway spending by Congress.We as a nation must say no more waste of our hard earned dollars.
no more pet projects.We have become a spoiled people.We have borrowed trillions to prop up our way of life.We have indebted ourselves to foriegn governments- mainly China-who will one day will call our marker.If we do not change our ways of spending , both personal and governmental,the great line from Pogo will come back to haunt us."we have met the enemy and he is us."
Joel S. Tremmel (Wednesday, 15 September 2010 17:47)
I completely agree with Jack that ever member of Congress should read this book. They should be concerned enough about the future of the Country to buy it for themselves, but if a complimentary copy is what it takes, so be it. We might have to lock them all in a room until they read it though, if they are not motivated enough to buy it.
I think we need a MILLION PERSON march on Washington along with a concise non-partisan message. We need to prove to Washington that we are as mad as hell and we aren't going to take it any more. Anyone out there have the logistical experience to get this organized? I wouldn't care if it got so crowded that most of us ended up on the side of the interstate highways making our point from a distance.
We should be as upset about the abyss we are heading toward as the 1960s civil rights activists were about race inequality. We need that degree of passion if we are to get Washington's full attention. We certainly should have the same passion to fix this problem that we had to send a man to the moon.
jack clark (Thursday, 19 August 2010 15:02)
David
May I respectfully suggest that you send a complementary copy to every member of Congress?
Lloyd Browne (Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:19)
Dave Walker’s book is a good read and a great source for reliable economic information. Also, given my depressed prognosis for the future of America, it was somewhat uplifting to read that our Country may have a small chance of not becoming a third world nation in the not-to-distant future. I believe this country has become a corporate oligarchy that is turning our democracy into a kleptocracy. Unless major changes can be achieved in campaign funding, controlling the rewards to senior personnel in regulation agencies from corporations being regulated and better regulation of large capital institutions I have little hope.
Walker correctly attacks our tax system for being too complex, unfair, and in need of reform. Bob N. (e-mail response #29) touts the Fair Tax bill as a means of reform and others push the flat tax. Most ideas that I have heard are perhaps better than the present IRS structure but still seem cumbersome and potentially unfair to segments of the economy. If we are going to make major changes to the federal tax codes, let’s make the people happy and do away with the income tax and the IRS.
How? Charge for the use of money. A major responsibility of a government is to provide a common medium for wealth exchange. So why not charge for the use this medium. An example of use charges; congress sets the rate for the use of a dollar at one cent. Any entity of the society that receives a dollar and puts it into the bank would pay for the use of that dollar. The bank would instantly transfer one penny to the government and deposit $0.99 in the client’s account. This process would do away with all tax breaks such as religion, charity, investment loopholes, stock trading, etc. The weight of government spending would be instantly reflected in the value of the dollar. Congress could tweak the economy by changing the use rate and be held accountable for inappropriate rates. Greater rates could be applied to cash that is removed from or replaced in the bank and to foreign currency exchanges. These higher rates would prevent the economy from moving to a cash or foreign money basis. Technology could be developed for the personal use of “smart cards” capable of card-to-card and card to machine transactions. Such cards would contain owner recognition safeguards, display account and transaction information, and transfer this information to the bank on a regular basis.
Fees on each monetary exchange makes the country much more efficient. Frivolous exchange of goods and services would be increased their costs (so long day traders!). Producers of goods and services would always look for efficient ways of production and distribution in order to minimize cost.
Wally Rye (Monday, 19 April 2010 10:21)
I just finished your book and concur with most of your observations. The proposals you make seem obvious and rational. However, I am pessimistic that our elected officials will ever take the long-term approach to governing "the peoples'" country. For them, the next election is the only time frame that matters. Our dysfunctional two party government will always be reactionary, waiting for a crisis to occur then finger-pointing. I do believe that we need a constitutional amendment that requires fiscal responsibility from our government. I also think the constitution should be amended to require a review periodically, perhaps every 50 years, to ensure that it keeps up to date with the changing times. Thank you David for being a voice of reason.
Doris Schiller (Monday, 05 April 2010 17:07)
I hope some of our politicians in power will read your book. You have some great ideas for getting our country back on track.
Cyril S Ofori (Sunday, 28 March 2010 16:33)
Very succintly written.Perhaps should be distributed to congressional staff to read and discuss with their bosses. May be able to influence some change that way.
Richard Gitlin (Sunday, 28 March 2010 15:09)
Would a third "Centrist" party, committed the fiscal reforms recommended in your book, make a difference?
Kevin Connors (Saturday, 27 March 2010 19:23)
Your book is clear and right on target. Not sure the American people are ready to acctpt the challengs. But count me in.
Keep it moving!
Kevin Connors
marcel l berube (Sunday, 07 March 2010 21:06)
I can explain the book in few words do not spend what you do not have.
Brian Hamill (Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:14)
From: Brian Hamill, Exton PA
Dave,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and agree with almost every point you make. I am ready to join the movement.
I did find one point at the end of your book a bit disconcerting. You advocate a debt level not to exceed 125% GDP which is almost 50% higher than the 85% debt level we currently hold.
You made a very compelling case throughout the book that the current debt level is too high and will be going to critical levels as it climbs higher. I personnaly think 125% is much too high except in extreme cases (such as was the case in WW2). I would much rather see an ammendment that sets a maximum of somewhere around 50% GDP which must be achieved by 2020 and then sustained unless in times of war. I for one am not very happy with the interest I am now paying on the national debt and certainly am not willing to pay 50% higher interest payments in the future if I can help it. (With the emphasis on if I can help it)!!
Great Job,
Brian
Jim Hadley (Sunday, 28 February 2010 09:09)
I am writing about the chart on page 92 and life expectancy. Included in the U S numbers are homicides, accidents and obesity, factors that are at best, tangentially related to the health care system. If someone hits a tree in their car and dies, it has nothing to do with the medical system. Some of the data differences in various countries are explained at www.biggovhealth.org the U S life expectancy would not be 25 out of 34 if the non health care items were excluded.
Jim Hadley
Thomas (Tuesday, 23 February 2010 10:41)
Thanks Dave! Looking forward to the work ahead.
Dr. H. Butler (Sunday, 14 February 2010 19:21)
Can the country be run with neither inflation nor deflation?
Don Barkman (Saturday, 13 February 2010 11:52)
We have three long-term crises ahead of us:
Government debt
driven by entitlement program spending/tax cuts/war
Energy
Water.
Each of these will arrive before climate change and all have much greater impact than terrorism. The problem is that they are just over the horizon -- out of sight and out of mind for most people.
You are to be commended for tackling the fiscal problem.
We also need to create the realization that there is no more oil or gas being made to replace what is being depleted ($4.00 gas will look cheap in 10 years). By sucking these commodities out of the earth, we are doing the same thing the government has done by living on deficits. There is only so much there whether it is oil in the ground or tax revenue in the economy. Water is in the same boat, although it does get some replenishment through the hydrologic cycle. However, we are drawing out groundwater faster than it is being refilled in the aquifers and the effect is the same as for oil and gas. Seventeen major agricultural states in the USA grow crops on land where the rainfall is insufficient to support the crop level. The difference comes from irrigation from transported or pumped water. We have only to look to Australia to see what happens when we overextend agriculture and population beyond the water resources. It may look like a drought, but it is really about being "tapped out." There are alternative forms of energy (wind, solar). There is no alternative form of water.
We cannot run this country just to get through the next election. We cannot run it to get through the next decade (with apologies to 'Dan the Gas Man'). We must be thinking about the next century at least. We need a "Millenium Party" and not just a "Tea Party."
A Native American business woman was quoted in Reader's Digest as saying her heritage taught her to take into account the effect on seven generations. Not a bad concept. Perhaps we should send her to Congress.
Michael J Shields (Monday, 08 February 2010 18:27)
If you prefer having your head in the sand to facing the truth, you will not like this book. The truth, in this case, does hurt. But if enough people read this book and join this fledgling and noble movement, maybe, just maybe, it will set us free!
John H Holbrook (Saturday, 06 February 2010 00:31)
Dear Mr. Walker,
I enjoyed reading your book, and agree with most of your recommendations/analyses. I am a retired Professor of Medicine and as such have a greater understanding of healthcare issues, compared to other issues raised in the book.
I thought that your chapter on “Curing Health Care” had a few problems. The example that you gave of your wife’s accident due to a fainting episode is open to several interpretations. Because the doctors didn’t know the cause of the episode, she was/is at risk to have another episode. A $20,000 bill to establish a correct diagnosis may have been a good use of funds. A few days in an ICU could run up a bill many times the diagnostic bill that she accrued. Without a diagnosis, there would still be concern about whether she should drive again or whether she should perform other activities that would be risky if she were to faint e.g. climbing a ladder. Perhaps your wife should have seen a physician with special expertise in evaluating fainting episodes (syncope).
Another problem with your analysis is a common one found in critiques of the health care system i.e. using comparative international rankings for life expectancy, infant mortality, and obesity. These three parameters are not good surrogate markers for the quality of the system because they are so heavily influenced by confounding variables e.g. the personal behavior of Americans. Critics also fail to acknowledge that some of the advances that greatly enhance the quality of life of some Americans, do not impact life expectancy e.g. cataract surgery and total hip replacement. (Such procedures are much more accessible to the average American than citizens of other countries.)
I hope that you find these thoughts helpful. With best regards
Dan Brown (Wednesday, 03 February 2010 12:10)
Give me the opportunity, and the backing,and within three months I can personally have everyone in America employed or heading toward employment with good salaries, and turn this temporary state of financial disaster into the largest most profitable year the United States has ever seen, Not" Joe the plumber",, "Dan the Gas Man",, get this to Obama and I guarantee we will be back on the right track in the USA overnight !!! Heck there will be enough left over to pay for the Health care plan !!!! browne26@comcast.net
Dan Brown (Wednesday, 03 February 2010 11:54)
" THE ANSWER " is under our ( US citizens ) feet, Natural Gas is an abundant commidity there is enough tapped and capped to fuel every home, vehicle, industry, for the next six decades, We the people own this commidity, with a simple conversion on every vehicle in America, and a mobile delivery service we will employ with good salaries ten million, we will use this American owned commidity to pay off the national deficit, and virtually eliminate foreign oil importation, and the carbon output of the converted vehicles is reduced by seventy percent. as we speak politicians are buying and leasing lands on and around all of OUR natural gas supplies, and blocking any attempts to get natural gas vehicles off the market. But Natural Gas promises to be the next big thing !!!
Robert Smith (Monday, 01 February 2010 16:24)
Healthcare Reform
I just finished reading "Losing My Patience: Why I Quit the Medical Game" by Dr. Mickey Lebowitz and heard him speak at Barnes and Noble. He said that many doctors are leaving the profession and fewer are entering, especially as primary care physicians, as a result of the insurance/malpractice jungle. Even if were capable of reforming healthcare, we wouldn't have enough doctors/nurses anyway.
Saving for Retirement
Given today's financial, where could anyone possibly put their money so it would be available at retirement time?
S.K. Pappas (Friday, 29 January 2010 06:57)
I heard Mr Walker on NPR and ordered his book a day before it was released. I had never heard anyone refer to the national debt as deferred taxes, but it the most true description I have ever heard given to it. I am about 75% through the book right now, I read it between work and study breaks from my college classes. It is an easy read and my only complaint is that it is light on the graphic details that are needed, it speaks only in generalities. Yet I realize that the problem is much too complex to explain and deal with in specific terms without alienating the people you are trying to educate. It is a very good starting resource for people that want to understand the problem and I will most likely order a few more copies for family and friends.
That being said, as a real life socialist in the USA, I am not sure how much I can honestly trust you or some of the ideas you have put forth in your book. Yet I do know that I trust what you have said more than I trust anything I have heard from the DNC or GOP, at least since the Roosevelts had led the country for each respective party!
There you have it, my personal pros and cons... Keep preaching Mr Walker! I only hope someone listens to enough of what you have to say so people will not refer to you forty years from now as a prophet that should of been listened to!
M.H.Deal (Wednesday, 20 January 2010 12:28)
It would be a superior book if it had an index. It's remarkable that in an age when indexing is less taxing than it used to be the publisher can't spring for an index. A book with an index and the same work without an index is like the the difference between lighting and a lighting bug. Mark Twain, I believe.
Peter Tremulis (Saturday, 19 December 2009 15:43)
David continues to serve his country well by bringing the biggest threat to our nations leadership position in the world to the forefront for examination and debate. With the banks barely off the breathing tube, we are either going to be in a prolonged period of rehab or we will have a relapse and be back in intensive care at the cost of the US taxpayers.
The perscription has been written by the good doctor, now we need the patient(s) in congress to take the medicine and commit to a fiscally responsible future.
Best of luck with the new book and keep the pressure on the wound.