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filkertom ([personal profile] filkertom) wrote2011-07-31 05:48 pm
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Annoyed

The current threat to the world's economy, posed by the radical-right nutbars of the G.O.P., has nothing whatever to do with fiscal responsibility. Lest it be forgotten:
  1. The debt ceiling has to be raised so that we have the authorization to pay money we've already borrowed and now must pay back.
  2. We have the money to do that.
  3. The Republicans in the House are holding this, the good credit name of the U.S., hostage so that they can cut spending to government.
  4. They only want to cut spending to the parts of the government they don't like.
  5. The Republican excuse is that we are way in the hole. The reason we're in this hole is primarily because of the Republican party, indeed many of the same people who authorized (among other things) humongous unnecessary tax cuts for rich people, two off-the-books wars, and a Medicare drug plan breathtaking in its stupidity.
  6. There are no increased revenues in any of the deals out there, because everyone knows taxes are bad, right? Except taxes are what pays for civilization. You know, street repair, police & fire protection, pollution control, food and water and drug inspection, that sort of thing. The stuff that's falling apart right now because Republicans in power, both in Washington and in states across the country, are telling everybody we need austerity, when what we need is to get the frickin' money into play.
  7. Not to mention the dissection of the social safety net, which we really need right now because there aren't any jobs.
  8. Jobs! We have to protect the "job creators" -- rich people -- from paying too much in taxes or they won't create jobs. Except their taxes were lowered ten years ago, and they promptly took jobs to cheaper, foreign markets and racked up the profits.
  9. You know what creates jobs? Supply and demand. That is, people -- employed people -- spending money. Workers. Their families. The ones who don't have money, and can't get employed.
  10. This is all Obama's fault. I only say that somewhat facetiously. That is the tone and the phrasing that the rotten Republican thugs who have no concern for anything except Their Side Winning. But a lot of the blame can be laid at the feet of The Only President We've Got, who is such a warm and caring man who wants everybody to play nice together and is so certain that he can appeal to the angels of the G.O.P.'s better natures that he has bargained away half the fucking government to a bunch of insane thugs who have latched onto the fact that, rather than say, Enough Is Enough, he will offer even more, and they will pay no cost whatever, either in demands or in reputation.
The recession "ended" two years ago, for the ruling class. The rest of us are still fucked, still desperate, still waiting for something resembling sanity, still hoping that some of the people in Washington remember that their job is not to Win One For The Team but to take care of the interests of the people they represent.

It ain't happening.

O Lord, if you're really up there as some say you are, I beseech you: Bestow upon me a big honkin' winner in the Mega Millions, so that I may gather mine closest and best loved and a bunch of my friends and move to someplace sane before the shitheads and fucktards passing themselves off as Very Serious People in Washington break this country beyond repair.

Lacking that, please tell President Obama that you can't negotiate with crazy people, and you really shouldn't try.

I know, I know. Too effing late.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)

Thoughts

[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith 2011-08-01 07:46 am (UTC)(link)
>>We have to protect the "job creators" -- rich people -- from paying too much in taxes or they won't create jobs.<<

They aren't really job creators, because that would mean letting go of money, and they'd pretty much rather cut their own balls off. They don't want to pay taxes. They don't want government programs to pay for people's needs. But they are also viciously unwilling to pay a living wage so that people could afford to cover most expenses privately.

I have no sympathy for such parasitical behavior.

>>O Lord, if you're really up there as some say you are, I beseech you: Bestow upon me a big honkin' winner in the Mega Millions, so that I may gather mine closest and best loved and a bunch of my friends and move to someplace sane before the shitheads and fucktards passing themselves off as Very Serious People in Washington break this country beyond repair.<<

Sooth. I have a list of "Fun Things to Do with Entirely Too Much Money." A friend of mine who's a wolf scholar once flipped out when I asked her how much acreage a typical wolf pack needs, just in case I ever had the opportunity.

As for God? He's probably doing what every other scientist is doing: holding his face in his hands and whimpering, "That is NOT what I said. I never SAID that!"

[identity profile] smallship1.livejournal.com 2011-07-31 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
My prayer starts similarly, but goes on "...so that I can start a new political party capable of mounting a credible challenge to the ruling two, and hopefully win enough votes to gain at very least the balance of power, if not an actual majority. At which point things are going to change."

Whether one could ever win enough money on any lottery to do that I don't know, but given the chance I would dearly love to try. The point being that nowhere is guaranteed to stay any saner than here, wherever here is (I've heard some worrying things about Canada), so you might as well try to make sanity where you live.

[identity profile] lemmozine.livejournal.com 2011-07-31 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
In my case, you're preaching to the converted. The other thing that bothers me are all the lies. Flat-out lies from Mr. Bonehead on prime time TV. The whiny lady in the ad who wants us to take away Obama's checkbook, as if he was the one who racked up all this debt. The President does not pass appropriations. Meanwhile, anyone got a few thou I could borrow to pay some bills that I wouldn't have if the economy was healthy? Yeah? Right. Oh well. Maybe I'll go swimming in the sea. The bankrupt sea.

[identity profile] stormgren.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
This whole time, I thought it was the policy of the United States not to negotiate with terrorists?

Obama's doing exactly that.

Debt Limit Deal Reached

[identity profile] hvideo.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
They still have to hold the actual votes, but the leaders (both houses, both parties, and President Obama) have reached a deal. Consensus is that no one really "won", so there were compromises.

Re: Debt Limit Deal Reached

[identity profile] alverant.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
Do the Rethugs even know what the word "compromise" means?!

Re: Debt Limit Deal Reached

[identity profile] zibblsnrt.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
Of course not.

Re: Debt Limit Deal Reached

[identity profile] dornbeast.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
I'm reminded of a political cartoon with a random adviser talking to President Reagan:

"All right Mr. President, let's try it again piece by piece. Com."
"Com."
"Pro."
"Pro."
"Mise."
"Mise."
"Good! Now try it all together."
"Stay The Course!"

[identity profile] alverant.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
I have to agree, but I'm more optimistic. The Rethugs want to take control of the US and they can't do that if we've self-destructed. They just want to take us to the brink so they can take credit for not shoving us over. There will be some last minute "rescue" so they can look good to their supporters.

And if you do get that Mega Millions prize, leave me off. Don't take it the wrong way but I have enough to survive and there are others who are more worthy.
patoadam: Photo of me playing guitar in the woods (Default)

[personal profile] patoadam 2011-08-01 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Couldn't agree more.

My thoughts on the debt ceiling are here.
ext_12865: (Politics)

[identity profile] cscottd.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
I respect the President for trying to be reasonable, but when dealing with petulant children, there's a point when you have to stop offering them more candy!

[identity profile] pickledcritter.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
Except that in this case the petulant children are holding the checkbook, credit cards and PINs.

You can say that Obama shouldn't make deals all day long, but in the end when the nuts have control like they do in the house, you have do what you can to hang on to what you can. This wouldn't have been an issue if the Tea Party hadn't hijacked the House in '10.

The only real solution is to get your friends in the areas where the nutjobs were elected to go out and make sure saner people take their place next year.
ext_12865: (Politics)

[identity profile] cscottd.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not suggesting that he shouldn't make deals. Compromise (real compromise) is what both sides need to be doing right now.

All I'm saying is that when you're trying to negotiate with someone who's idea of "compromise" seems to be sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting "Lalala", you can't just keep giving them everything they want and hoping that they'll decide, at some point, to move slightly in your direction.

[identity profile] bayushisan.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
What surprises me is that there are so many who didn't see this whole fiasco coming.

The Tea Party repubs practically ran on not doing anything and fighting anything that the Congress needed to do with tooth and nail. The entire debate has been as toxic a one as I've ever seen.

[identity profile] randwolf.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
A Deal Has Been Done. The House still has to buy in, but I think enough Reps will. Check over at Talking Points Memo, site (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/).

It's pretty awful, really. Some of the worst things are gone, but it's still all cuts. Not a lot of deficit reduction, really, but a bit. The biggest problem, of course, is that the cuts will aggravate the depression. Second biggest is that there is going to be a debt reduction committee with a big scissors.

[Update] BTW, Congresscritters on both sides of the aisle are leaping to condemn it...but I bet they vote for it anyway.

Change I wish I didn't believe in.
Edited 2011-08-01 03:58 (UTC)

[identity profile] caligogreywings.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
I mean, meanwhile, I am getting hounded to effing death by old navy and lane bryant, because I took out store cards just to buy myself clothes that fit so I could look NOT like a bum when I went to substitute teach.

[identity profile] lemmozine.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 12:36 pm (UTC)(link)
There is a federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that could benefit you. Simply write a letter asking them to cease all phone calls and letters per the FDCPA, sign and date, and send it to any collection agencies or creditors that are hounding you. The law only applies to 3rd party collectors, but many companies with in-house collectors choose to honor it as well. The down side: they can still send process servers to your door. The up side: a collection agency that continues to harass you after receiving the letter can be sued for damages. (i am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.)
ext_281979: (Default)

[identity profile] his-spiffyness.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 09:23 am (UTC)(link)
Of course the deal is horrible and likely hurt the economy even further, that's what's important in the minds of the GOP.

[identity profile] tomreedtoon.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm convinced that both Obama and the Teabaggers have lost on this one. This massive soap opera revealed two things to the public. Obama has no ideals aside from making nice with his enemies, and is willing to sell out his purported ideals to do that. And the Teabaggers have proven that they are willing to destroy the economy and their own country to get what they want.

If someone in a third party points this out, reminds America about it all through the primaries and the election, and has a responsible plan to make things better for common Americans, both Obama and Glenn Beck's buddies will be on the street in January 2012. I don't have much hope of this happening, but it's the only hope I can view in the foreseeable future.

(Needless to say, the Libertarians are not that third party. They're the Teabaggers too.)

[identity profile] antinomic.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't just blame the Republicans. There does not seem to be any grownups in either party these days. And we elected them! Shame on us, but we can correct things next year.

[identity profile] kilbia.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
My prayer's a lot more depressing, so I'll put it on my own LJ rather than drag folks down here. :)

Done yesterday (20110731 Su)

[identity profile] pingback-bot.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
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[identity profile] liddle-oldman.livejournal.com 2011-08-01 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm still not absolutely sure if they're jsut sticking with their (delusional) ideology, or are using their nutwing members to make Obama's presidency fail at any cost, including all Americans who aren't them.