The Budget Debate is Absurd
Recent headlines across the world from BBC, Nepali press, and blog sites all over were reporting the near shutdown of the U.S. government. On the right they wanted to really reign in spending by proposing convoluted loopholes, debating silly things like planned parenthood funding and cutting funding to programs that assist some people in need as opposed to you know cutting down on bombs dropping on brown people that never did anything to us. The left responded with outcries and howls of accusations claiming "extremism" and claiming that essentially the world as we knew it would end if Republican's got their way- old people would starve, the needy would be out on the street, and kids everywhere would have their lollipops stolen by men in suits and top hats. To anyone paying attention the debate was a sham, and the show was absurd. We are facing budget deficits of close over trillion (with a T!) and a half dollars and each side respectively is talking about a few billion (with a B). Not hundreds of billions...just a few tens of billions. The difference between the two proposals is so insignificant as to make one wonder what the big deal was. This was not to tackle our soaring absurd debt- which now amounts to umpteen trillion dollars, this was just debating how much in the hole we were going to go further in the coming years. The entire structure of U.S. government is unsustainable, and the real way they will try and rid themselves of this debt is by printing lots more dollars to decrease the value of that debt, making those green pieces of paper that we all believe is money worth less and less. Of course this is theft of people's savings and wages always lag behind inflation meaning what the average Joe earns is confiscated to pay back that debt in a round about way, but that's another topic.
The headlines coming to me on the other side of the planet don't put me in any hurry to return either, some from today include;
Obama to Call for Higher Taxes
Deficit Rockets 16% in the First Half of the Year
Inflation Actually Near 10%
Detroit Deserves Bail Out "At Least" as Big as the One GM Got
TSA Still Groping Children
Dem Senator to Introduce Internet Tax Bill
Pelosi:" Elections Shouldn't Matter As Much as They Do"
Defense Spending Rises Despite Drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan
Donald Trumps Clown Show Rolls On
Of course all of these headlines are sandwiched on pages between pictures and links to things about Justin Beiber (I don't even know who this is), American Idol and pictures of woman in skimpy clothing whose lives I'm apparently supposed to be interested in. Everyday it seems like our government is working hard to make us all look stupid. Be it bombing people we have no business bombing, infringing on every aspect of our own citizens rights, or giving the working stiffs the shaft while bailing out the politically connected. This is not a liberal or conservative thing, something we all get too caught up in, this is a complete failure of our government at all levels. If you're still backing an Elephant or a Donkey and thinking that if your team just won things would work out, you're part of the problem. As we move into the season for presidential primaries expect the rhetoric stupidity level to really pick up.
Here is my bold prediction for 2012: Obama will lose by double digits. This isn't a hope, it's just following historical data. No one gets re-elected when GDP growth is under 3%, and certainly not when real inflation is at 6% and real unemployment numbers (not government contrived twaddle) is over 20%. It has nothing to do with politics, although why any Democrat would be in a hurry to support a guy that was essentially a third term of G.W. Bush I'm not sure. Gitmo is still open, we are not only still in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we are now involved in Libya. We continued to bail out corporate fat cats, big banks, and funnel money through the horribly shady government owned entities of Freddie and Fanny all while working Americans were screwed hard. We passed healthcare reform that was written by the insurance lobby and actually requires people to buy a product from these scum, we continued increased illegal government surveillance of private citizens, we even OK'd the assassination of american citizens in certain circumstances. Sigh. This is not the change people voted for. Not that I voted for the guy (or McCain)...but I digress.
Which makes the clown show of the Republican primary process that more important this time around, and it is shaping up to be positively absurd. Donald Trump is almost the last man I want to see as the president of my country. I mean really? Other people to run include Newt, Mitt, Pawlenty and a small host of plastic politicians who will talk some talk and then proceed with business as usual. While some are more sane than others, few really are offering anything resembling solutions. Still, it might be worth your time, regardless of affiliation, to participate in the Republican primary process this time around because barring something like a popular third candidate running and sucking up Republican votes, the winner of this charade will be the next president of the United States.
So as the absurdity that is the news coming from my home country reaches me on the other side of the world, I am increasingly content that I am where I am, because working long hours all so that I can pay in over 30% of my pay to that system all the while having that value of that pay inflated away as I am pandered to by a bunch of blathering goof balls that pretend to be our "leaders" with profoundly stupid "solutions" that aim at separating a larger % of my income away and increasing the rate that its value is inflated away is something that might drive me crazy. I think for now I'll stay overseas.
Yes. I have nothing more to add, just: Yes. Every word.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your overall view of US gov, but disagree at least in part with just about every small point of view. I think this is just more evidence how messed up the latest attempt at human organization is.
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