Politics
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Too Big To Fail: Your Congressperson’s Expense Account
[ 4 Comments ]Posted on May 1, 2009 by admin in Politics
Friday, May 1st, 2009Take a moment to learn more about how your pork is gettin’ pulled.
As a one of the 86 million Americans without health insurance, I was reminded recently (as I prepare to shell out a few grand to pay for some dental work out of pocket*) of how our nation is basically running on a half-empty tank sloshing with greed, graft, and entitlement. When it comes to health care, the last thing I’m worried about is pork viruses, it’s pork barrels that concern me. As legislators prepare to leave our grandchildren an $11 Trillion legacy of fiscal irresponsibility , I feel pretty confident that none of the politicians that are “fixing” things have pondered cutting back their expenses. The next time you’re comparing prices to make a smart purchase at the supermarket, ponder the fact that your tax dollars are buying your congessman lunch at a place like Charlie Palmer’s, where he’ll start with with the Duo Of Hudson Valley Foie Gras ($22), move on to the Line Caught Wild Striped Bass ($29), and finish with the Meyer Lemon Tart ($8). I don’t know about you, but that’s about what I spend on groceries for a WEEK! Check out this list of perks members of congress receive on top of their $170,000 a year salary. It seems to me that while the government funnels money around to bail out businesses that are “too big to fail”, they would do well to reconsider the way they run the business they’re running, the government. Take for example the story of that $600 million dollar device that the Census Bureau won’t be using to count us so they can continue funding their lunches and limos by accurately taxing us. If you’d like to learn more about how your pork is being pulled, check out Citizens Against Government Waste’s 2009 Pig Book. Oink!
*For the record, it’s still costing me less than if I’d been paying for crappy dental insurance all along…
Is Obama A Socialist? Are Republicans Gay Fetishists?
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on April 28, 2009 by admin in Politics
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Can someone please tell me what country I live in?
I’m not sure what country I live in any more, and the media certainly isn’t helping me figure out the answer. Between the Fox Effect (their new approach is apparently not broadcasting the president’s speeches at all) and the rapid demise of the nation’s newspapers, I’ve been feeling a little in the dark lately regarding whom to rant about. I found it odd that while Bush was still in office, few took issue (well, I did) with the fact that the administration was nationalizing the banks, but when Obama pursues actions like this, Republican wack-jobs start teabagging and calling him a socialist. With the traditional (and apparently somewhat meaningless) 100 days upon us, we have Republicans both jumping ship and throwing the cargo overboard while the “No Drama Obama” style (see this fairly balanced Politico piece) seems to be keeping seas calm. I look forward to Obama’s address Wednesday, perhaps especially because it’s not on Fox. Maybe he can give me some idea what’s going on around here.
Brewing Discontent: Since When Is The GOP Anti-Deficit?
[ Comments Off ]Posted on April 15, 2009 by admin in Politics
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009While liberals kick back with their lemon-grass tea, conservatives brew theirs with Astroturf…
I shouldn’t be as astounded as I am that the GOP has once again taken ownership of a public sentiment that has absolutely no real foundation in a partisan stance. Tell me. Who in America (besides a bunch of bailed out bank executives) is NOT angry that tax dollars are being funneled into a mind-boggling array of government subsidizing of business and bailouts of epic business failures? And more importantly, how the hell did the GOP spin this out so cleverly and so quickly into their issue, when it is, plain and simple, their fault? This is the party that from Reagan to Cheney has said that deficits don’t matter. And now, suddenly, deficits are a horrible monster created by Barack Obama. The GOP is even benefitting from the humor and confusion that a typical witty liberal will enjoy when watching a pun-laden rant against tea parties, as in the MSNBC clip featured at left. Who’s behind this masterpiece of Astroturfing? Mostly the conservative lobby groups Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity. Nice job, Dems. Read the rest of this entry »
Obama’s First One Hundred Daze
[ Comments Off ]Posted on April 11, 2009 by admin in Politics
Saturday, April 11th, 2009Is Obama our hope for the future, or has he pledged himself to Satan?
Clearly, we haven’t even reached the traditional 100 day marker of a new administration, but personally, I border on feeling like I was chumped again. Don’t get me wrong, I in fact voted for the man. And I believe in my gut that he’s a good person, with good values. Which is why I’m concerned. He’s only 47 years old, and swimming in a shark tank of Washington insiders. Talking to a friend the other day, we agreed that maybe Obama needs to get all FDR on their ass, so to speak. Jon Stewart recently made light of the conservative media’s desperate assertion that Obama’s a tyrant. But in a way, I think we need a tyrant. Not a demented, imperialistic fiend like Dick Cheney, but a single, solid voice that will speak about what we all know is the right thing, and galvanize the heart of our country. In the meantime, if the Obama administration doesn’t stop being more like the Bush administration than the Bush administration was – by doing things like expanding the Bush era State Secrets doctrines (it started in January, and is only getting worse) – I’m gonna have to start believing the hype about Obama’s pledges to Satan. Never mind his bowing to Saudi King Abdullah, I’ll accept that as a simple protocol gaffe, one that hardly compares with the kind of crap Prince Philip pulls on a regular basis. But seriously, what do you think? Can Obama handle the current state of affairs?
Brother, Could You Spare Some Fictitious Capital?
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on April 5, 2009 by admin in Politics
Sunday, April 5th, 2009Money really DOES grow on trees. Just be sure to get there before the worms show up.
I think it would be a great investment in the fictitious life I lead. My imaginary friends and I promise to spend it well. Lately, because of the fact that it seems the average working person’s grandchildren are going to be paying to support the offensively luxurious lifestyles of today’s investment bankers as their fortunes plummet, there’s been some buzz about the term Fictitious Capital. Marx is typically credited with defining the term, so the idea that a banker can arbitrarily say “See this simple sheet of paper? It’s worth A MILLION DOLLARS!” is generally accepted as a healthy anti-Communist activity. But wait! What’s this? Apparently Thomas Jefferson described the problem when Marx was less than a year old! It seems to me any child would understand that there’s something intrinsically wrong with creating value out of nothing, but the fact is, children don’t build cities, nations, and their infrastructure. This piece on econ professor Michael Perelman’s blog rounds up a few nice anecdotes from the 19th century which point out the virtues of imaginary money. For example, a hotel owner in Chicago explains to a visiting businessman why he should accept the “wildcat notes” in circulation: “…On this kind of worthless currency, based on Mr. Smith’s [the issuer's] supposed wealth and our wants, we are creating a great city, building up all kind of industrial establishments, and covering the lake with vessels — so that suffer who may when the inevitable hour of reckoning arrives, the country will be the gainer…” Apparently, there’s a built-in assumption about free markets that they didn’t tell most of us about, which is that capitalism is really just a big game of musical chairs; you just don’t want to be the one standing when the music suddenly stops!