dagblog - Comments for "Obama's Stimulus Wins"

The Democrats are fools,

Gregor Zap — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:11:39 +0000

The Democrats are fools, period. This issue should have been on the docket BEFORE the election, not when there is a lame duck Congress. If Harry Reid was thinking ahead, he could have made a lot of hay with this issue, and moblized the unemployed, who had the time, to canvas for the Dems. What WERE the figures for the unemployed voters? How many of them stayed home and let the GOP take the House?

And dow did the Dems drag the healthcare bill out for so long that a 70% favorable public deteriorated to near even by the time there was actually a vote? And why did the Left allow the Tea Party to suck all the air out of the room so the only thing we ever heard on the news was how the Tea Party yelled and screamed at the town halls?

HAHAHAHA - of course its OK

NCD — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:58:18 +0000

In reply to Good point about the serfs

HAHAHAHA - of course its OK for the likes of Ayn Rand to get gov't benefits while pontificating about liberty and freedom and no gov't taxes, but they say you don't deserve the same benefits. great link.

Why am I experiencing déjà vu

Beetlejuice — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:50:27 +0000

In reply to Obama's Stimulus Wins

Why am I experiencing déjà vu of a sudden? Every time I read something about the current crisis in Congress I keep getting flashbacks to the Carter Administration. Is my ID trying to tell me history is repeating itself, but in black face?

Good point about the serfs

LisB — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:16:34 +0000

In reply to Trope - good points but don't

Good point about the serfs economy taking care of itself. Just this weekend I discovered that Ayn Rand herself relied upon Social Security and Medicare. Didn't make much news, of course.

Trope - good points but don't

NCD — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:59:33 +0000

In reply to If they're taking the legal

Trope - good points but don't make the mistake of thinking the Republicans give a crap about the economy below the 98th percentile of wealth.

The GOP always assumes the serfs economy will take care of itself. Remember, John McCain only gets involved when Wall Street is in trouble.

They also love the culture war legislation, most of which never passes, or gets struck down in court, yet they love this stuff cause its cheap-costs nothing-no appropriations, and it fires up the 'values' base.

Ya lousy sod... ;o)

we are stardust — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:23:02 +0000

In reply to I am the all and everything.

Ya lousy sod... ;o)

Smells a little like getting

anna am — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:15:07 +0000

In reply to Oh, one bad thing... the tax

Smells a little like getting out while the getting's good? Imagine you saw this from the Times on Sunday, but just in case:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/politics/05states.html

Yup. Tax the rich. Tax their

quinn esq — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:52:56 +0000

In reply to "the only reason to talk to

Yup. Tax the rich. Tax their income, tax their wealth, tax the ones in finance just for being in the crookedest and most economically destructive industry in history.

Seriously.

And then fracking Obama makes some asinine speech attacking the Democratic LEFT - AGAIN - AND WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME HE ATTACKED REPUBLICANS? - for being "sanctimonious," while this asshole misplays every hand, coming out with CRUMBS to help tide things over.

Where's my shoe? I wanna throw a shoe at that bastard! Here Barack, you like Doc Martens? they're cherry red. Look good on TV.

"Ok," says BO. "We'll give you your tax cuts. But you hafta let us raid Social Security to pay for unemployment. What's that? You want cut in the estate tax too? Well, ok. Small steps. Long game. Help the people."

"Sanctimonious?" Get a mirror Obama, and you'll see sanctimonious.

Like I said the other day, since he's not doing the job, and his fans like to argue there's nothing he CAN do, he should get off the public teat, quit his job, and turn the savings back over to help reduce the deficit.

GET A JOB, PUNK.

On the regulatory agencies,

Obey — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:37:04 +0000

In reply to If they're taking the legal

On the regulatory agencies, they'll be basically able to shut them down, and then they will blame the dysfunctional markets on the Obama administration. They are, after all, his agencies. And they will investigate them, to good effect - showing through all the malfeasance during '09 that Obama is in the pocket of big finance. Sure, hypocrisy. But when has that hurt them?

As for SocSec, sure, it is important to message properly. I just don't see the Obama administration as being on board with that program. I expect he'll strike a deal gutting SocSec as we know it - i.e. turn it into a redistributive welfare program, as the GOP wants to. For instance, the hardship exemptions are part of that larger goal. Some dems seem to be fine with that, turning it into a redistributive program. I have misgivings. For one thing, much like HCR, it is turning into a redistribution from the middle class to the lower class, while the rich go scott free. So it is highly regressive redistribution in a larger sense...

"the only reason to talk to

Obey — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:18:59 +0000

In reply to Oh, great. Now I'm a commie

"the only reason to talk to me about austerity is if those earning the bulk of money are no longer loyal Americans and don't want to see the same percentage of the economy invested in society as we have historically invested."

- This bit is the crux of the issue for me. They aren't interested in investing in the economy.

The reason the Obama administration did their whole 'mission accomplished' routine this summer, when they welcomed us to the recovery, is that for the top 10% it is, but for the rest not so much. Things are still getting worse for most people - foreclosures RISING, unemployment RISING, wages FALLING. But those figures don't show up in the aggregate because the top 10% account for half of all consumption, and as long as they are happy again, aggregate demand rises. The other 90% can go fuck themselves for all the establishment cares.

The Dem senators and representatives know they are supposed to say something about helping this 'little guy' somewhere because their pollster tells them to. But they mostly have no idea what they are talking about. They're all millionaires, and spend their time fundraising amongst other millionaires. And so they don't believe what they say. Accordingly they carry less conviction than lunatic republicans who, whatever their moral faults or cognitive deficiencies, actually BELIEVE the crap they spout. It's a distinct advantage.

ONE way to bring their money back into the economy, put it to work, is through taxes. Another is through inflation. If the inflation rate rises, even, marginally, they will no longer be able to just sit on cash. They will have to invest in assets, i.e. productive capital goods. That is why I keep going nuts when people worry about inflation. It functions basically as a tax on the rich. That is why, when you look at the high inflation sixties and seventies, you see median incomes rise and inequality fall. Of course, that drove the rich nuts, and gave us the Reagan revolution.

Anyway, the inequality situation was about to resolve itself in 2008. the rising inequality over the last 30 years was driven by the rise in financial sector pay. (That fed over into other corporate wage levels, as pay-check envy set in. Then that fed over into the professional classes - raising lawyer and doctors fees.) And that rise was caused by their fictitious profits. Profits inflated by the presumption of a government guarantee on their liabilities AND their assets. The second proved to be a mistaken presumption, but then the government came in and covered their borrowing. ALL of it. If the government hadn't done that, all those high wages - and bonuses - would have just disappeared. The shadow banking sector would have just gone *poof*. With no cost to the rest of society. Apart from some lost illusions.

Of course the powers that be couldn't let that happen, so now the rest of society is getting milked for all its worth in order to keep the bankers in the style to which they've become accustomed. And, presto, inequality is back on the rise. And we can't, oh no, we can't tax those highly productive people on Wall Street, because look at all the value-added they're creating. Which they'd surely stop doing if we taxed em.

It's a whole new level of Orwellian thinking that just makes my head spin.

... now I've forgotten why I'm blathering on about all this. Anyway, hope there's something useful in there somewhere.