So Bush had his final State of the Union Address and used it to talk more fear and panic about the economy. Not enough to "expand" the stimulus package like the Democrats say they would like. Because, gosh-darnit, $150 billion pissed away, I mean "rebated" is just exactly the right amount.
But still panicky.
Why all the hubbub? Yeah, it doesn't look particularly good for us right now. But not significantly worse than a month ago, when it was all sunshine and cookies talk from the administration. And this is not a guy who has let reality ever force him to admit anything he didn't want to admit before.
And it's not like he, or anyone who advises him gives a fuck about the people suffering in the economic downturn. The top 1% is doing just fine, thanks, and in fact will use this little downturn to pick up some valuable assets on the cheap.
And he's not running for reelection.
And I think I know what it is. It's those tax cuts. He, or rather his puppetmasters, want those tax cuts to go permanent. Never mind that they've been an economic disaster for everyone but corporations. They're expiring now, and it's his job to stop that.
Screaming about a recession is the easiest way to do it. Nobody thinks it's a good idea to raise taxes during a recession. Even if doing so is necessary to get back into some sort of rational, realistic, balanced-ish budget.
It's like exercise, I guess. Something that is normally good, and necessary, but might need to be skipped when someone is down with the flu or otherwise really sick.
So get ready to hear a lot of squealing and whining about how these tax cuts are about to sunset, and how our economy will be devastated if that happens. And watch our pussy Democratic Congress fall all over themselves to pass legislation to keep them cut for a while longer, maybe even permanently, to avoid having an ad run against them someday saying that they (cue ominous music) "raised taxes during a recession." I've got no doubt that he's capable. This is, after all, not something inconsequential like running the country or delivering services to U.S. taxpayers. This is important. It's helping rich people get and stay richer. Something he, and any Republican, can do in their sleep.
Half a million Iraqi dead, 3,000 U.S. dead. Record Debt.
If Bush can only destroy our ability to ever dig ourselves out of the fiscal hole he's plowed us into, then his legacy will be complete.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
More Hatred and Contempt (and economics)
Dadburn those pesky Democrats! Since Preznit Shit-for-Brains caught recession panic and threw away whatever wispy pretendings of fiscal responsibility out of his mumblings (his actions and decisions long ago ceased to contain any) Senator's Reid and Dodd would like to get some tangible national benefits out of the debt-fattening orgy of tax cuts and public spending on the way. So would like to put some infrastructure projects in the mix, the sorts of things that would actually be built here in the USA, employing USA citizens and increase our GDP going forward. Not so fast, say the Republicans.
I find this interesting, and illustrative, in much the same way that falling face first into a pile cat shit interestingly illustrates exactly what what Mr. Whiskers has been eating lately.
The lesson, so far as I get it, is that the Republicans --- addicted as they are to both tax cuts and runaway spending --- have no perceptible problem running our country into greater and greater debt levels, as long as they can state with 100% confidence that no tangible benefit to American citizens is ever produced. Things that go boom, yes. Cash shipments that vanish somewhere in Mesopotamia, sure. Subsidies to companies which pillage our national resources and pollute our environment, hell yeah. Bridges and roads, not so much.
I hate them. I hate them. I hate them more and more every day.
I find this interesting, and illustrative, in much the same way that falling face first into a pile cat shit interestingly illustrates exactly what what Mr. Whiskers has been eating lately.
The lesson, so far as I get it, is that the Republicans --- addicted as they are to both tax cuts and runaway spending --- have no perceptible problem running our country into greater and greater debt levels, as long as they can state with 100% confidence that no tangible benefit to American citizens is ever produced. Things that go boom, yes. Cash shipments that vanish somewhere in Mesopotamia, sure. Subsidies to companies which pillage our national resources and pollute our environment, hell yeah. Bridges and roads, not so much.
I hate them. I hate them. I hate them more and more every day.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I'm more filled with hate and contempt every day (special economics issue!)
So, apparently as of just last week we are in deep economic shit.
Never mind that every governmental and financial institution nitwit that's been put in front of a camera, microphone or stenographer-slash-journalist the last three years has been assuring us that nope, no looming recession, nothing to worry about with this economy, no sirreebob, just more solid growth for us!
Never mind the facts that ---
A. our investment banks are losing billions because people took out home loans based on income numbers which they pulled from the LOTTO ticket they bought that morning.
B. that foreigners take dollar bills from us and apply them directly to their dirty assholes now, without bothering to stick them in the cash tills because frankly it's not worth the effort these days.
C. that our government spends trillion more than it collects and borrows the difference from a country we periodically lecture and demonize about human rights.
D. That we spend billions of that on weapons and illegal war which in turn result not in further economic growth for our nation but big explosions and increased hatred directed at ourselves.
E. That we as a nation buy way, way more shit from abroad, especially flammable black goo, than other people buy from us. Not least because we (or rather our corporate decisionmakers) have been systematically dismantling our manufacturing plants and shipping them abroad to countries where they won't be bothered with pesky unions, environmental regulations or people who want to earn more than $3 an hour.
F. That we, as individual dipshits, spend more money than we make so we have credit card balances as big or bigger than our savings accounts.
--- these nitwits said, and that message was dutifully passed on to the passive consumers of America.
Only now apparently, we're allowed, no, commanded to start worrying about the economy because it's apparently on a waterslide, greased with melted pigfat, leading straight to a bubbling cauldron of liquified bat guano.
And the only thing that can save us is, according George W. Bush and his dancing monkey Ben Bernanke, tax cuts for businesses, plus $600 cash in hand for everyone to go on out and spend, spend, spend.
But hey! Is giving everyone $600 going to fix A through F? No, it's not. In fact, it's going to make some of those things worse. We'll go further into governmental debt, for one thing, as we both forgo tax income and start handing out those sweet $600 checks.
But who's saying that? Who's calling bullshit on this whole charade? Who's saying "You know what, Georgie? You can keep that $600 bones. Spend it on creating an alternative energy source that would help us avoid both trade deficits and future resource wars, homey. Or enforcing financial regulations that will prevent future greed-and-lie-fuelled market meltdowns. Put it into training people to become employable in the new economy. Buy all our soldiers in Iraq an airline ticket home, business class."
Nobody. Only the fbomber. And who cares what that grumpy fucker says anyway?
Never mind that every governmental and financial institution nitwit that's been put in front of a camera, microphone or stenographer-slash-journalist the last three years has been assuring us that nope, no looming recession, nothing to worry about with this economy, no sirreebob, just more solid growth for us!
Never mind the facts that ---
A. our investment banks are losing billions because people took out home loans based on income numbers which they pulled from the LOTTO ticket they bought that morning.
B. that foreigners take dollar bills from us and apply them directly to their dirty assholes now, without bothering to stick them in the cash tills because frankly it's not worth the effort these days.
C. that our government spends trillion more than it collects and borrows the difference from a country we periodically lecture and demonize about human rights.
D. That we spend billions of that on weapons and illegal war which in turn result not in further economic growth for our nation but big explosions and increased hatred directed at ourselves.
E. That we as a nation buy way, way more shit from abroad, especially flammable black goo, than other people buy from us. Not least because we (or rather our corporate decisionmakers) have been systematically dismantling our manufacturing plants and shipping them abroad to countries where they won't be bothered with pesky unions, environmental regulations or people who want to earn more than $3 an hour.
F. That we, as individual dipshits, spend more money than we make so we have credit card balances as big or bigger than our savings accounts.
--- these nitwits said, and that message was dutifully passed on to the passive consumers of America.
Only now apparently, we're allowed, no, commanded to start worrying about the economy because it's apparently on a waterslide, greased with melted pigfat, leading straight to a bubbling cauldron of liquified bat guano.
And the only thing that can save us is, according George W. Bush and his dancing monkey Ben Bernanke, tax cuts for businesses, plus $600 cash in hand for everyone to go on out and spend, spend, spend.
But hey! Is giving everyone $600 going to fix A through F? No, it's not. In fact, it's going to make some of those things worse. We'll go further into governmental debt, for one thing, as we both forgo tax income and start handing out those sweet $600 checks.
But who's saying that? Who's calling bullshit on this whole charade? Who's saying "You know what, Georgie? You can keep that $600 bones. Spend it on creating an alternative energy source that would help us avoid both trade deficits and future resource wars, homey. Or enforcing financial regulations that will prevent future greed-and-lie-fuelled market meltdowns. Put it into training people to become employable in the new economy. Buy all our soldiers in Iraq an airline ticket home, business class."
Nobody. Only the fbomber. And who cares what that grumpy fucker says anyway?
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