DAVE: I think that one major misstep since Obama took office was the seeming rush Geithner was in to declare the worst of the recession over last fall. Even then, I felt that the economy was far from recovered, and I knew that jobs would continue to be lost, which is ultimately the indicator by which most Americans judge the economy. The Stock Market slowly went up, but jobs continued to be lost. Now, the Stock Market is starting to respond to the continued loss of jobs. And there is really no reason to believe that the recession has hit the bottom, yet. I know, of course, that the economy was something that his administration inherited. But despite the obvious desire to see the recession bottom-out, saying it has happened doesn't mean that it's happened.


Also, I want your opinion on this. Do you feel that Toyota is being treated fairly by the government and media? One, I doubt that the company has done anything wrong that the American automakers haven't done. Two, is the media being harder on Toyota because it's a foreign carmaker? Regardless, I would drive a Toyota over an American car any day.

DAD: There are reports recently that Toyota has known about its problems (gas pedal and brakes) for over two years and did not do a recall, inform the owners or the government, or take any steps to correct the problems. If that is true, it is a serious offense and Toyota should be dealt with harshly. The fact that American manufacturers may also have covered up problems does not excuse Toyota. Most of the cars with the problems were made right here in the U.S. at Toyota's American factories. So there is no reason to want to punish Toyota more severely because they are headquartered in Japan. Any downturn in Toyota production could cost American workers' jobs.

One of the missteps of the Obama administration was to have a timid stimulus package. More money should have been spent on rebuilding our infrastructure. Part of the reason it was so timid was an attempt to get Republican votes, which they are never going to get anyway, and the other part was because Obama's chief economic advisor is Larry Summers (from the Clinton administration) instead of Paul Krugman. Both Summers and Geithner are too closely tied to Wall Street. We need a tax on banks that have not repaid the TARP money, a tax on excess bonuses to Wall Street executives, and closer regulation of the financial sector (returning to the days when there was a separation between commercial banks and investment banks). But you are right -- the recession is not over until jobs return.