A picture of the Great Depression. The "Great Recession" is a vacation compared to the 1930s. Americans don't know what real poverty is anymore.
There’s a reason why all super prosperous nations crumble. If you look closely at the United States it’s obvious. We’re too rich to care about anything other than the next piece of entertainment. The nation grew for 150 years from the work of people trying to make a better life for themselves and for their families. They were immigrants, religious groups, and risk takers. We now stand on their shoulders. There is no land to conquer. We’re rich and entertained. We have movies, music, books, TV, video games, computers, iPod, iPads, and travel. Even the poor in this country are rich compared to the rest of the world or our ancestors.
In the 1800s, most Americans would never “go on vacation” and the idea of retirement didn’t exist. Over Thanksgiving weekend it’s good to remember how great things are compared to the past. Go to any graveyard that’s older than 100 years. Tombstones are riddled with wives who died in childbirth or of disease. Many young children died of diseases that are completely preventable today. There’s something about the human condition that quashes achievements in order to find new things for which to complain and worry.
Do we really care enough to do anything about the problems our nation is facing? Are we really serious? I’m not so sure. I got to thinking about this after watching the last GOP debate. In the debate Newt Gingrich was asked about Iran and its nuclear ambitions. Gingrich’s answer was obvious:
“We ought to have a massive, all sources energy program in the United States designed to once again create a surplus of energy here,” said Gingrich. “So we could say to the Europeans, pretty cheerfully, that with all the various sources of oil we have in the United States we could literally replace the Iranian oil.”
I don’t think anyone could disagree with his assertion, but the reality is that the United States is incapable of this approach. Good ideas die because of the well funded opposition. We could produce enough oil to satisfy Europe and drive down our gas prices. If we were serious it could be done in a decade. Unfortunately the organized left is philosophically opposed to oil. They believe in the “sustainable energy” fantasy. They believe that the world is warming at unprecedented levels. Neither is true, but liberals in science, government, higher education, and journalism believe that green energy is real.
Thanks to naive liberals in Congress the green energy fantasy has created another dependency group: the big farm industry in the Midwest that loves ethanol subsides. Subsidizing ethanol isn’t green, it’s not good for consumers, and it’s driving up food prices. Why are we doing this? It’s an unholy alliance between the “land of make believe liberals” and farmers who love subsidies. Both groups will fight change until the bitter end.
A similar problem exists on the right with the issues of illegal immigration, Medicare and defense. The list goes on and on. Everyone pays lip service to “change” but don’t you dare touch my Social Security, Medicare, subsidy, tax break, or other pet project. The reality is things aren’t bad enough. We’re in a recession, but the threat of starvation isn’t in the picture. Americans are still looking forward to the next movie, gadget, book, concert, or football game. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of those things, but as long as Americans are consumed by the next distraction there will never be any serious reform.
Most Americans can’t name their senators or representative in Congress, but they can name their favorite TV show, movie, musician, book, or sports star. Sure, Americans have opinions on energy, war, and taxation, but it’s not much more than talking points they heard on TV. Hey, I’m not indicting anyone. I’m as guilty of distraction as the average American, but I don’t see how the current society can rise to the call. In 2008, the left had a religious experience around Barack Obama and they best he could muster was ObamaCare? That’s the great cause on the left? A nation on the brink of bankruptcy and all they have is another entitlement?
The answer to the United States’ problems isn’t a new leader. The current occupant of the White House is clueless, but he’s as clueless as the people he represents. The American people are the ones that need to wake up. The smartest man in the world could be elected next year and it won’t solve the problem with apathy.
The Obama administration has made it abundantly clear that some people are more equal than others. What began as “hope” and “change” has turned into despair and stagnation as average citizens like Yours Truly watch our tax money fall into the hands of preferred political interests.
Where are you in the federal government's pyramid? And, where are our children and grandchildren? Perhaps in the impossibly unsustainable level? Awesome!
What sent Ken Lay and his Enron minions to prison pales in comparison to the fraud regularly being perpetrated on the American people by our public servants. Yet instead of languishing in prison, the politicians and the preferred political interests who defraud the taxpayer in the name of “green jobs,” “affordable housing,” “social justice” and whatnot are handsomely rewarded.
President Obama likes to talk about crumbling bridges and a deteriorating infrastructure to justify more drunken, crack-smoking sailor spending. These days, the problem is that when the federal government gets involved with building bridges and other infrastructure, every project is forced through the intestines of a vast regulatory, money-skimming bureaucracy that puts the completion date somewhere in the far-distant future at a price tag umpteen times higher than if the locals got together and made it themselves.
Never mind Social Security, big government as a whole has become a vast Ponzi scheme. It has been set up to reward itself on the backs of the average citizen. It is sold to us as an “investment in the future,” but whose future, exactly? Certainly not mine nor my kids’ future, nor any future generations that will follow me. As Mark Steyn puts it, we’re looting the future to bribe the present.
And that’s essentially what these various so-called jobs, stimulus, health care, financial reform and other bills are all about: bribing specific constituencies to build political power. These constituencies are given preference over others, violating one of the bedrock ideas of America’s founding philosophy, equality before the law. Those who are being treated unequally – the average hard-working American who wants nor expects anything from the federal government – sees much of what they pay in taxes go into the black hole of political favoritism.
Black holes are formed from stars that collapse from their own weight, and that is the future of America as so vividly illustrated by solar-collapsing Solyandra. We said goodbye to half a billion of our taxpayer dollars and yet in today’s surreal, hyper-inflated atmosphere it seems a mere drop in the bucket when your average “stimulus” bill is reckoned in the trillions.
Just as we’ve become used to buying gas for more than $3 a gallon, the political class has desensitized us to the concept of trillions of dollars as a reasonable amount for the government to regularly outlay to those whom it favors. And you better believe that politicians and bureaucrats tend to favor themselves over any others, followed closely by those who help them ensure they stay in office so they can continue to favor themselves.
James Madison wrote that “power is of an encroaching nature and that it ought to be restrained from passing the limits assigned to it.” Unfortunately, we have strayed quite far from that philosophy, and have allowed a remote central government to operate almost completely unrestrained. One need only read the Constitution to see how far astray we’ve really gone.
What do Americans really want? Is it a nation of do-nothing slackers who expect that all of their problems will be solved by Sugar Daddy Uncle Sam? Or, is it a nation of independent innovators who welcome risk and the consequences of failure?
I’m afraid the answer is increasingly the former, and as Americans purposely shackle themselves to this dependent model they will find they have fewer real liberties as their political betters grow in wealth and power. The pyramid in the world’s largest pyramid scheme ever is being assembled as we speak, write and read. Where are you in the pyramid?
The news cycle is still consumed about the debt ceiling. I don’t have much to add to this debate. If you’re educated about the current fiscal problems this whole charade is a joke. There are no real cuts being offered. The left is upset about miniscule reductions in the rate of growth. I don’t understand how anyone could think this is victory for the Tea Party. Ron Paul has an article that puts it all in perspective. I’m done with this issue.
No plan under serious consideration cuts spending in the way you and I think about it. Instead, the “cuts” being discussed are illusory, and are not cuts from current amounts being spent, but cuts in projected spending increases. This is akin to a family “saving” $100,000 in expenses by deciding not to buy a Lamborghini, and instead getting a fully loaded Mercedes, when really their budget dictates that they need to stick with their perfectly serviceable Honda. But this is the type of math Washington uses to mask the incriminating truth about their unrepentant plundering of the American people.
We can certainly raise taxes and reduce defense spending. That will eventually happen; however, that’s not even close to being enough to solve our fiscal issues. The sheer amount of debt is almost unfathomable. Apparently, the average American is too distracted to pay attention.
One of the most annoying aspects of this debt ceiling debate has been President Obama’s obsession with raising taxes. Obama isn’t even honest about it. He calls it’s the “balanced approach.” It’s balanced kind of like how a Five Guys bacon cheeseburger is part of a “balanced approach” to breakfast. Even people on CNN are starting to notice how out of touch the President is on taxes.
The most amazing part is there are a lot of people who think raising taxes on people making over $250,000 is a great idea. The nation is faced with an investor crisis. Higher income people are afraid of this administration. They are willing to sit on their money and wait until he’s out of office. Obama is the most anti-business president in my lifetime. Raising taxes now will only make the economy worse. Too many people in this country have no understanding about economics. Sadly, one them is living in the White House.
History tells us that the President almost always wins a standoff with Congress. The President has the bully pulpit. President Obama has wielded this power with three press conferences in three weeks. Obama is also aided by a press that is unwilling to point out his hypocrisy and the fact that he has no plan. Obama is the king of nebulous rhetoric. Pay no attention to what he says because the true measure of the man are his actions.
Back in December President Obama refused to raise taxes and in the past he’s on record as saying, “You don’t raise taxes in a recession.” Obama’s obsession with raising taxes would be bewildering if you believed he had the nation’s best interests in mind. Obama fanatics love to cite the President’s “intelligence,” but his current position is sickest form of cynical politics. The President’s position is political. He has chosen his political future over the nation’s economy. New Jersey Governor Chris Cristie’s characterization of the “old playbook” is the embodiment of Obama.
The 2008 Obama campaign slogan was hope and change, but the President’s true mantra is to lie, deceive, obfuscate, make it to the next election. President Obama’s position is to appease the left. They have become disillusioned with some of Obama’s policies, but nothing fires up the base up more than tax increases. Obama also hopes to splinter the GOP and blame Bush for the economy. If he’s able to get tax increases he hopes it would crush the GOP. He is far from a brilliant tactician because this move would seal his fate as a horrible one term president.
Obama will not be running against the House GOP in 2012. He’ll most likely be running against a Washington “outsider” who will point out that Obama raised taxes during the worst recession in a generation. The President can blame Bush until he’s blue in the face but raising taxes now is dumb. Obama will be the President who faced an entitlement crisis and shrugged. The President decided it was more important to increase entitlements, spending, and taxes.
The only thing that can rescue Obama’s presidency is luck. How much more can he have left? So many people on the left cited Obama as the arrival of a new kind of politician. I know most liberals have their blinders on and can’t admit to themselves what is happening. He’s the worst kind of politician. All of his promises were lies. Liberals, you’ve been had. For the first time in Obama’s life he’ll have to run on his record. President Obama’s record is debt, taxes, war, new entitlements, and a bad economy.
What is there left to say about President Obama? When it comes to economics, he’s just inept. Facing the worst economy in 30 years he’s increased spending, created new entitlements, and hasn’t done one thing to address the nation’s fiscal problems. His aloof nature toward the economy is shocking. If he was a Republican he’d be the the object of jokes and ridicule… Here’s Obama’s latest oddball comment.
“Of course, there’s been a real debate about where to invest and where to cut, and I’m committed to working with members of both parties to cut our deficits and debt,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. “But we can’t simply cut our way to prosperity,” he added.
Huh? Well, spending isn’t working either. Raising taxes isn’t going to work. The Democrats are philosophically opposed to cutting anything. It’s not in their DNA.
Reading uninformed tweets on Twitter never gets old, so I decided to check out the liberals’ take on the debt ceiling debate. I’m not surprised that they believe the real problem is rich people…
Well, taxing the rich wouldn’t work. Even if we increased taxes on the rich by 100% it wouldn’t solve our debt problems. S G Hastey’s bio on twitter reads,”If you haven’t figured out yet that the GOP is a perverse combination of Christianity and wealth, you’ve got catching up to do.” I guess he doesn’t know that two-thirds of people making over $30 million a year voted for Obama in the last election. Oh well, facts are overrated. It’s just easier to live with tribal knowledge.
Who is obsessed with race? Liberals or conservatives? The left doesn’t really have an argument in favor of raising the debt ceiling. No, it’s simpler than that. To oppose raising the debt ceiling means you’re either an evil rich Christian, a racist, or both.
Voting against the debt ceiling is a vote against the poor? How does this work? The real shame is that the entire nation will be poor if these idiots get their way. It’s an odd time in politics. What exactly do these people think is going to happen if we don’t do something? They’re stuck inside their own political echo chamber. Hating Paul Ryan isn’t going to save the day. Raising taxes on the rich isn’t the answer. Liberals, what’s your grand idea? It’s time to get over Liberal Denial Syndrome. Admit there’s a problem.
Well, Tim Pawlenty is in the race and he’s against farm subsides. So far so good. It’s a long way until the first primary, but it’s a good start. Americans say they want honest politicians, but I don’t believe it. Until I’m proven otherwise what voters in Florida and Iowa really want are lies. They want politicians to tell them everything is going to be okay and we don’t have to touch entitlements.
Anyway, how is the deranged left taking the news? Let’s look on Twitter.
Apparently Tim Pawlenty is in favor of the death penalty if someone is found to be gay. That’s a pretty extreme position even for a conservative Republican. I can’t seem to find that quote, but I guess we’ll just take this guy’s word for it.
The only reason I think this tweet is funny is because the Twitter handle is NaturallyChill. There’s nothing chill about this observation. In fact, its’ about as “unchill” as it gets.
There’s a lot of things one could say about Tim Pawlenty. You can call him boring, uncharismatic, or robotic. I’m not sure how anyone could think the guy is scary. However, I don’t write fan fiction about True Blood so what do I know?
I’ll wrap this up with a willfully ignorant tweet that hits every unformed talking point out of the park. When will liberals educate themselves about corporate taxation and subsidies? It’s getting tiresome.
Americans are spoiled. We lack the courage to do anything. Change our tiny routines and we’ll bitch and complain. The power went out and the DVR didn’t record Two and a Half Men. “Alas, my week is ruined!” The average problems facing the typical American is nothing compared to those faced by our ancestors.
The AARP sponsors Jeff Gordan’s NASCAR ride. It costs millions to sponsor a NASCAR team. What is the AARP advertising? The drive to end senior hunger. According to the socialist AARP six million seniors face the threat of hunger – meaning they are forced to skip meals or buy poor quality food. How can we help? I’m sure the AARP has a simple solution: don’t change entitlements.
The AARP is an enemy of the state. The sole purpose of the AARP is to maintain the status quo. What’s the status quo? I pay nearly 14% of my income for Social Security and apparently that’s not enough to keep the elderly from being hungry. How the hell is the possible? I’m not sure it is possible. Let’s abolish Social Security and levy a 5 percent tax on income to keep the elderly from being hungry. That sounds like a worthy cause.
The American path to bankruptcy is real and it’s inevitable. American’s say they want to cut spending, but a majority want to maintain or increase spending on education, veteran’s benefits, college grants, social security, and health care. The list goes on and on… the only thing Americans agree to cut spending on is foreign aid to needy nations.
This isn’t a left vs. right issue. It’s a spoiled population vs. those of us living in reality. Many Democrats live in a fantasy reality where the only thing we need to do is decrease spending on the military and increase taxes and our problems will be solved. That’s not going to work. Americans need to wake up. It’s time to take a chainsaw to entitlements and the Federal budget as a whole.
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