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Déc 07

So What ?

Existe t il un Toulon aux US et aura t il autant d’effets ?

President Barack Obama gave a HUGE speech on income inequality today, traveling to the same small Kansas town where President Theodore Roosevelt first laid out his vision for « New Nationalism. »

The ostensible purpose of the event was to urge Congress to extend payroll tax cuts. But the address was also one of the first major campaign speeches of the President’s reelection campaign, and laid out how Obama plans to redefine the national conversation about the economy and the future of the middle class going into 2012.

Here are the four most important paragraphs.

For many years, credit cards and home equity loans papered over the harsh realities of this new economy. But in 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We all know the story by now: Mortgages sold to people who couldn’t afford them, or sometimes even understand them. Banks and investors allowed to keep packaging the risk and selling it off. Huge bets – and huge bonuses – made with other people’s money on the line. Regulators who were supposed to warn us about the dangers of all this, but looked the other way or didn’t have the authority to look at all.

It was wrong. It combined the breathtaking greed of a few with irresponsibility across the system. And it plunged our economy and the world into a crisis from which we are still fighting to recover. It claimed the jobs, homes, and the basic security of millions – innocent, hard-working Americans who had met their responsibilities, but were still left holding the bag.

Ever since, there has been a raging debate over the best way to restore growth and prosperity; balance and fairness. Throughout the country, it has sparked protests and political movements – from the Tea Party to the people who have been occupying the streets of New York and other cities. It’s left Washington in a near-constant state of gridlock. And it’s been the topic of heated and sometimes colorful discussion among the men and women who are running for president.

But this isn’t just another political debate. This is the defining issue of our time. This is a make or break moment for the middle class, and all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. At stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, and secure their retirement.

Like Roosevelt’s 1910 speech, Obama’s 5,446-word address emphasized income inequality and middle class opportunity — identifying the major themes that will shape the upcoming election. The speech was an attempt to both recognize and own the populist undercurrents in the country today, while staking out a position for Obama outside of Beltway gridlock and reactionary grassroots politics.
Grace Wyler | Dec. 6, 2011, 3:30 PM

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-class-warfare-speech-kansas-teddy-roosevelt-2011-12#ixzz1frQwRTNe

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