[quote=spdrun]Atlanta Fed also predicted 5% growth in Q1 2018. Real print: 2.2%.
Dodd-Frank keeps the banks from loaning money to the same kinds of unqualified skells that got foreclosed in 2008. If you want a temporary bubble, OK, but this isn’t sustainable.
Obamacare? Is self-employed people being able to get healthcare at group rates really such a bad thing?[/quote]
I seriously doubt the Atlanta Fed predicted 5% growth in the first quarter. Citation please. If I am wrong, then I stand corrected.
Obamacare put a $2000 fee on employers who did not offer their workers the right kind of health insurance, thus reducing hiring. Many companies keep their employees under 50 to escape Obamacare.
Dodd-Frank was a needed corrective for the reckless banking practices and resulting bailouts of the large banks. Unfortunately, Dodd-Frank applied to all banks regardless of size. But smaller banks, community banks were not the problem–they were not reckless, they did not need the bailouts. But they were saddled with ridiculous reporting requirements and silly rules. As a result, small towns and small businesses were hurt, and many of these banks were bought up by the big banks or disappeared altogether. Because small businesses could not get loans to start up or expand, a lot of hiring that should have taken place did not. Those small businesses and startups are the primary employers of people looking for their first jobs, not the giant corporations.
Dodd-Frank was recently amended to exclude smaller banks, but the damage has already been done.
