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    The dagbuzz for 3/1/09: (Obama's War on the Wealthy)

    By Deadman on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 2:46am | Politics, Business

    Been away all week on business, listening to my colleagues and the talking heads on CNBC bitch and moan about Obama's budget and economic policies. They believe he's declaring war on the wealthy and is going to destroy the economy with his increased tax hikes.

    Are you fucking kidding me?!?

    Oh yeah, I feel a rant coming on ...

    Image: Obama's budget: huge ambitions, huge obstacles (AP)

    Obama's budget: huge ambitions, huge obstacles (AP)

    (PS This dagbuzz is far from my best performance, and you'll probably notice a couple of rough cuts, but i got caught up playing with Windows Movie Maker and eventually succumbed to fatigue. If you have any idea on how to make those cuts smoother, i'd be all ears. I'm just trying to find a way so that when I mess up, I don't always have to restart my spiel from the beginning)

     

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Business
    Series: 
    dagbuzz

    Comments

    Where's the anger!!! I don't consider this a rant until you explode through the screen and start chewing on my keyboard


    by Mortimus on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 9:40am

    that's funny, cuz i was a lot angrier on the first take. with each successive failed attempt, the anger dissipated.


    by Deadman on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 1:15pm

    Couldn't agree with you more, but I don't think this is your worst yet.  The cuts really didn't distract.  One suggestion I could offer, and I'm not at all saying that I think this was necessary here, would be to throw up a still image if you need to do a cut that you feel is a bit rough.  Something topic, maybe even funny, for just a few seconds.  It's a pretty easy technique to pull off in most video editing software.

    One thing that I don't understand is why capitalist evangelicalists don't seem to see the value in making the system work for a majority of people.  It seems to me that it's at least possible to take care of most people and still make out like a bandit.  1% of the population holding 8% of the wealth might not seem as good as 1% holding 20%, but sweet baby Jesus.. I guess that's the problem with greed.  Younger women, older whiskey, faster horses, more money.  There's never enough.

    Perhaps it's just ideology trumping pragmatism.  I'm not sure, but it seems like the long-term benefits to plutocratic oligarchs of a system that is stable and bountiful for most people sells itself.  Of course, I guess if you were really greedy and short-sighted you could shove the rules around until you end up with a system that looks like it's making everyone better off while you strip out all of the equity and sell it out of the backdoor.  It's a good game until it's not.


    by DF on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 1:02pm

    thanks for the comments on the clip, DF. and on the tip for editing the cuts. however, i'm not sure i know 100% what that would entail.  if you have a link where that technique is used, id be most indebted.

    and yes, I never understood how the extreme free market ideologues don't quite get that marx had it right - you have to keep the masses happy in a capitalist system or you'll eventually have some real problems on your hands. of course, pragmatically, because of capitalism's inherent bias toward increasing income inequality and the occasional gigantic economic crisis it creates, that's largely the way our system has evolved - it's why we have social security, and public schooling, and unemployment benefits, and a whole host of social programs. unfortunately the ideologues got too greedy and will now likely have to give up more if they don't want to see the system totally crumble.


    by Deadman on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 2:01pm

    Perhaps they should go back and actually read Adam Smith, who offered his own wisdom on the shortcomings of capitalism in the treatise that they celebrate so selectively.  Indeed, he was an advocate of public education among other similiar initiatives.


    by DF on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 2:08pm

    "You could shove the rules around until you end up with a system that looks like it's making everyone better off while you strip out all of the equity and sell it out of the backdoor."

    But to do that, DF, you'd need the complicity of legislators from both parties, regulatory officials, the entire corporatocracy, the economic pundits ... Like that could possibly happen!


    by acanuck on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 2:03pm

    As if!


    by DF on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 2:09pm

    great article. clear concise discussion of the AIG albatross.


    by Deadman on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 7:53pm

    This vlog is great.  The cuts are fine, like DF said they fit the style.  What you said - clear and controlled.  The only problem I have is the idea that the rich have to "sacrifice" for the rest of americans.  That is just too strong of a word.  Besides, their shenaigans are what got us in this mess in the first place.  They have been overpaid for too long.  I refuse to be terrified of the threat they will pick up and go somewhere else.  Just where are taxes so much lower then here?  After reading to pieces in the NYT today, I think a lot of "rich" are going to be living a different life.  The first was a piece about ANOTHER ponzi scheme.  Now becoming a daily occurance - the rich being fleeced by their own.  The second was about managers now working as janitors and others not finding jobs.  I still believe this crisis is going to clear out a lot of crap from our society.  The republicans are in a frenzy and will keep shouting insane things like Obama is a socialist and Obama's war on the wealthy but as the crisis worsens people are not going to have time to listen to them.  I feel very sorry for the people that are losing their savings in those ponzi schemes.  I really hope there are not too many of more of them to be found.  A couple of years ago I knew 3 people that were directly affected by our local scammer - Al Parrish.  It is so ugly.  Madoff and his ilk should spend years in jail.


    by Bluesplashy on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 5:02pm