A great visual analysis of the Obama debt ride, even AFTER you remove the “Bush’s fault” argument.
From our friends at PoliticalMath.com
After watching this, do some research on what government debt does to the currency and long-term economic health.
Obama’s NOT running for President of the United States
The more I listen to President Obama, the more I confirm that I apparently grew up in a different United States of America than he did — I’ve been following him since he reached the US Senate. Many on the right will shake their heads and say “I told you so”, but I don’t subscribe to their hyper-partisan rhetoric, unless it is grounded in pure fact. Many who have read my posts here, and on my former blog, will say “you’ve been beating that drum since before his party nominated him to run for President. Considering a I am liberal-minded (not politically left mind you) person, I’ve always tried to listen to arguments and thoughts with an open ear to the facts and logic that is presented. Herein lies the problem…
Growing up, I believed that we, our parents, grandparents, or other relatives came to America for opportunity… a chance at the dream that you can make something of yourself. In many cases this was not possible in other parts of the world. Immigrants knew that they could land with no pot to piss in, work hard, and at the very minimum survive — which was better than they could expect at home. They came because they heard of success stories of their countrymen making a modest and happy living. They heard about some that were able to become shop owners, or inventors, or even some that struck it rich. This was the American dream — to be able to have the freedom to take your own risks and fulfill your potential, and some of your goals.
All along, and including his most recent speech, Obama has tried to change this. We have heard class warfare, and government handouts as the solution. We have heard hyper-partisan (there’s that term again) rhetoric come from his mouth about others tearing apart America, and yet our president has, while spewing blame, succeeded in massive historic increases in government spending and controls (see “stimulus”, Obamacare, and regulatory bodies). Recently, he’s told Americans that the government, not the people themselves, has the responsibility to bring them to the middle class, and that we need to stick the rich with the bill for this.
So, the American dream is to tell people that someone else is going to make them successful if you just vote for them? Nope, never heard that one. The American dream is to expand our government to be more like the Europeans? Nope. In fact, that’s a major reason why our government is so different from most of Europe’s. The American dream is to focus on blaming others, rather than zero-in on creating your own successes? Still haven’t heard that either.
Yet our president has asked you for 4 more years of heavy-handed politics, deception, maneuvering, and grandstanding. I guess my question for you is: Are you dumb enough to buy his BS?
Millionaires ask Congress to raise their taxes!
What a wonderful article I read in CNN Money!
They stormed the podium and made some announcements (excerpt from article)
“We want to pay more taxes,” said California millionaire Doug Edwards, a former marketing director for Google. “If you’re fortunate, and you make more than a million dollars a year, you ought to pay more taxes.”
The millionaires want Congress to allow the tax cuts passed during the George W. Bush administration to expire. Some want higher taxes generally.
These amazing selfless souls! Right? I mean these “1%ers” step forward and selflessly demand that their kind be taxed at a higher rate. What could they possibly have to gain from this? Nothing, right? Wrong. They gain immunity from some of the current public anger toward their kind. They gain a convenient distraction from the current debate over the ultra-complex tax code. They gain political points from politicians that they can then sway to include loopholes and write-offs in the code yielding them little change in their taxable income. Disgusting. A cheap PR stunt. Hmmm… millionaires getting free PR. Where’s the Occupy movement on this?
If these were TRUE heroes, they would participate in a plan established in 1843 to accept donations to the federal government from people who wished to do so. In 2010, this fund received $2,840,466.75. This sum could have been easily contributed by Warren Buffett alone without changing his charities or way of life. So why isn’t this done? ”Do as I say, not as I do”. A prime example of America’s liberal elite wanting to use the government’s power to dictate their view of Utopia upon the rest.
Here’s a simple idea. We can easily calculate governmental intake. We can also calculate net taxes paid. We can then easily calculate what the new rates could be if we flatten and simplify the laws and codes regarding taxes. But if this does not change the revenues, what is the point of doing it? Enforcement. Enforcement will be easier, and it will take less effort to do so. Some estimate these efforts to cost as much as $431billion per year. Saving just half of this would yield over $200billion/year in deficit reduction. That alone is a huge chunk of the pie.
But let’s get back to the millionaires. As I alluded before, what happens when taxes go up? So do loopholes. The rich and large corporations hire teams of accountants to lower their tax burden through loopholes and deductions. So after all is said and done, we have a huge debate, and smoke-and-mirrors moment and no results.
Don’t fall for this play from these glory hounds. Look to the wealthy who donate without write-off, or donate their time, or other capabilities as the doers of the group. Not these attention-getters.
Like this:
This will get Obama elected in 2012!
For years, many Americans have felt that President Obama was soft on terrorism. Many felt he turned a blind eye to it. That all changed yesterday when most of the US woke up and found Osama (Usama, or whatever) Bin Laden had been taken down in a strike directly authorized by the president.
Now the American public will see a different president. They will cease viewing a president with a leftist agenda that rammed through the largest piece of legislation in history through a maneuver called “reconciliation” that while touted as a cost-saver, has been shown to be a cost-factor filled with all sorts of hidden pork and attached regulation. They will forget the president who promised that if we didn’t create this massive Stimulus (spending) package, we would see 8% unemployment, and then we saw more than 8%. They will forget the president who blamed everything on the previous one, even two years into his term. They will forget the “beer summit” that resulted from his overreaction to his friend’s arrest by a police officer despite not knowing the full details.
Now they can focus on Obama the Terrorist Slayer right? Let’s hope they have a brain! Obama now being tough on terror is like going to someone for financial advice because they just won the lottery. Personally, I’d like to see some consistency and see Obama blame Bush for the killing of OBL.
This is charisma? This is negotiation? No, this is our President
When we were “given” Obama, we were promised a post-partisan President. One that would work across the aisle to come up with “common sense solutions”, etc., etc., etc. Many country, and even the world were whipped into a frenzy about a man that would solve the world’s ills. Heck, he even was voted to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after serving less than 2 weeks in office. Now we see this:
Does this sound like a post-partisan president to you? Or does it seem like a guy who says one thing and does the opposite? Still selling snake oil. Are you going to be tricked again in 2012?
Clowns to the red of me, Jokers to the blue.
By now, most Americans have become numbed to the sheer horror that is the Debt Ceiling debacle. Looming large is the possibility that the United States of America, the most powerful country in the history of the world, may not be able to pay its self-inflicted debt. This IS truly alarming. Our elected officials have sought to increase their credit limit to support their lavish and wasteful ways, without having any real personal accountability for this. We Americans are in a catch-22 here — on one hand if you don’t raise this ceiling/limit, we run risk of having our credit downgraded, which will cause a tsunami across financial markets affecting everything from home mortgage rates to retirement plans. On the other hand if we do raise this limit, congress and the president can repeat their destructive habits.
So, what is the solution of the two big parties? Play political football. The Republicans were sent to congress by people who thought they would downsize our bloated inefficient government. The Democrats that were able to hang on to their seats were sent by people who believed that they would end wars, and make the ultra-rich start paying their fair share of the tax burden. Both look to the next election cycle (2012) as an opportunity to thwart the other one and gain more power. The Republicans have put forth some aggressive cost-cutting solutions, but refuse to accept revenue increases (i.e. more tax burdens) as part of their pitch. The Democrats have sought some cuts, but also requested that their be closed loopholes in the tax codes to increase revenues. This has the two sides at odds.
My major two issues? 1. Where are our “Common Sense Solutions” we’ve heard spoken about for the last 3 years? 2. When will the American people stop being short-attention-spanned bobble heads and wake up that neither party is capable of solving anything as that’s not their reason for existence.
How many times have you heard about ”Common Sense Solutions” from our politicians? I’m betting you heard it so much, you probably blocked it out due to the trauma. But in this case, common sense might be to treat the treasury, and not overspend your income… heck, maybe invest in the future. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the US Government has dozens of duplicated and overlapping agencies. By some estimates, cutting or consolidating these could save as much as $100 billion. While these have been submitted to congress, why haven’t we heard more from them about making this as part of a measure? They’re too busy proposing cuts to areas that the other side will most surely refuse in hopes of making this a campaign issue. Why not bring in some independent consultants to focus on waste reduction / increased government efficiency (oxymoron, I know)? Trimming just 10% cost across the government through efficiency improvements, consolidation, and other means would trim at least $3.6 trillion off the spending deficit over the next 10 years. Couple this with eventual revenue increases through closed loophole (later, after the economy improves — not now) can further improve the bottom line. No new wars, and a reduction in those associated costs, and we have a very balanced budget. Amazingly simple right? Why can’t either big party truly pitch something like this. Is the government already efficient?
We the people are largely to blame for this. ”Not me” you say, but if you’ve ever voted for someone because of their party affiliation, or against them for the same reason, than you’ve omitted the critical thought it takes to vote on the issues… you’re part of the problem. Ever voted for someone because they looked good saying it (we saw a lot of that in 2008)? Then you’re part of the problem. Ever voted for someone without looking at their track record, political position, or other notable information sources on them? You guessed it. Bottom line is, elections are not surprises. Nowadays, we actually know when they are (hint: November 2012). From today, that’s about 16 months off. Think you can find out a little more about who you’ll be choosing from in that time? If you don’t you have no excuse, and should zip it when it comes to public performance.
Newsflash: The two main parties are just collusive fundraising sources. They want to beat the other party, but not so badly a real third party emerges as that would add complexity to their “vote for us, because we’re not them” platforms. In today’s climate, we’ve seen the Tea Party emerge. What’s happened? The GOP has changed to try to woo them in. Tea Party candidate slap on the GOP logo, why? Because it means more money. Problem for the GOP is that they have been a party of spending for years, and now, in order to not allow the Tea Partiers to unify under a new flag, they have had to champion the causes as much as they can stand. We’ve seen the GOP try to claim the Libertarians (many of whom support Tea Party ideals) as well. We’ve seen the same for the Democrats in the past. Don’t think they’re collusive? Just look at Majority/Minority Whips in congress? They’re given extra pay for their job. But wouldn’t it make sense if the Minority Whip actually represented the party with the minority (we currently have 2 senators that are not of either party)? Not just the one of the large two who currently is less-represented? The list can go on, but you should probably figure this out on your own.
I hope you do what I plan to do: Oust the Democrats in 2012 (currently wield more power), and the Republicans in the following. Focus on issue-based candidacy and voting, and seriously consider third parties. We’d all be better off.
When Has Raising Taxes Ever Boosted The Economy?
Never. Period. So why is this part of the Democrats’ plan to balance the deficit? Balance the deficit while hurting the economy and reducing future income to the government is a good idea? This is the headscratcher that most logical and intelligent people that are informed of the current situation face.
Any current deficit reduction bill should not include tax increases (no matter how you term it — closing loopholes, etc.) as it would damage the economy both short- and long-term. These loopholes and other issues can be tackled at a later date. For now, however, we have a terrible economy and a deficit crisis. Raising taxes will only help one the two issues facing us currently, but it will not solve it. However, by slowing an already sluggish economy, jobs will be lost and governmental intakes will be reduced. Again, we find ourselves in this situation. There’s got to be a better way, right? We can greatly slow down deficit expansion right now by heavy cuts in governmental spending, without asking for one more dime from our taxpayers.
So, again, keeping the question in mind – When Has Raising Taxes Ever Boosted The Economy? — why won’t these purveyors of “common sense solutions” get this?
Like this:
The Occupy Movement
The more I watch and learn about the movement, the less respect I have for it. At first it appeared to be full of people that were fed up. They had no points, premise or anything else aside from anger at political and corporate greed. Instead of trying to make change, they were showing pure emotion. I had no problem with this aside from that it was not all that constructive.
Then the movement started getting infiltrated. We’ve seen unions send organizers in to stir the masses, and suddenly we some some direction. We saw politicians (on the left at least) embrace the movements, or at least feign sympathy. In jumped the Communists, Nazis, and all other kinds of polarized movements. Members of news organizations started championing the cause (and directing it). We even saw one politician in Massachusetts pull an Al Gore and take intellectual credit for the Occupy Wall Street movement as an apparent back-patting move to justify her legitimacy as a candidate. Instead of seeing the movement lose support from the original supporters, it seemed to gain steam. Why is this? They’ve come up with the scapegoat: The banks. The same banks that were forced by politicians to dilute lending standards and use the derivative market that was provided by the government to facilitate this, then were forced to prop up other major banks, and then receive taxpayer-funded bailouts.
So I come back to my lack of respect. Why? Hypocrisy. There are few things I view in lower light than hypocrisy. As these people walk around and get wrapped up in the movement drinking their Starbucks, talking on their iPhones, wearing their trendy urban Abercrombie clothes, watching MSNBC, they decry corporate america’s greed — yet they have done little or nothing to stop feeding it. They are angry with big banks, yet if you ask many of them where they bank, it’s one of the big ones (for convenience). They’re angry at politicians, but how many know of names like Chris Dodd (“Friend of Angelo” sweetheart loan recipient) or Barney Frank (who has championed government pressure of banks to change standards and use Fannie/Freddie)? How many that come from their respective districts did NOT vote for them in the last election? The same people responsible for much of our mess? Yes, hypocrisy.
Ironically, the unions are supporting this movement which bashes big corporations, which, aside from government, are the biggest employers of union labor. Last time I checked, the UAW never created a plant, designed and built new cars… it was the massive corporation that hired their workers to do it. It’s a mess.
We have police being attacked with flying objects or things like paint. We have whole areas of business (jobs) disrupted by angry hypocritical protesters. It’s a mess (didn’t I say that already?). We have many in the movement calling themselves the 99%, but when it comes down to it, they’re not at all as the 53% movement has clearly pointed out. All this seems to be is a convenient political tool for the left that will either create victory through fear, or devastating political losses for itself.
Don’t see this in the movement? Look at the textbook Saul Alinksy tactics:
Rules for Power Tactics:
1. Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.
2. Never go outside the experience of your people.
3. Whenever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy.
4. Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.
5. Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.
6. A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.
7. A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
8. Keep the pressure on with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.
9. The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
10. The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.
11. If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside.
12. The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.
13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
Look familiar? Now figure out who’s pulling the strings, and it becomes more obvious. Again, no respect for the movement anymore.
Like this:
Common Sense Solutions
Ever get a little vomit in your mouth when you hear a politician talk about “common sense solutions”? Here’s some common sense that if you listen, and put it through a simple logic check is amazingly accurate.
