Monday, August 17, 2009
When the Gut Rules
You end up with elderly Americans, who are on Medicare, protesting against government run health care. I'd like to know how many of them are willing to give up their socialized medicine in order to jump into the individual market for health insurance.
Are You There God? It's Me, Crazy Michelle
Michelle Bachmann, as has been well documented in other places, is one crazy Congresscritter. But, we can now add auditory hallucinations to the list. Though I suspect there is no God, I would have to assume that if there were she wouldn't waste her time on a nutjob like Bachmann.
Moronica for Morons
In what parallel universe is it okay to carry not only a handgun, but an assault rifle, to an event with the POTUS? This is the third time in the past week that a teabagger has come to an Obama event packing heat. If this doesn't show the American people just how unhinged from reality the right wing has become, then I don't know what will.
Oh, and to the false equivalency people out there (yes, I'm looking right at you MSM)- the crazies on the Left brought puppets to protest, while the crazies on the Right bring loaded assault rifles. See the difference? Idiots.
Oh, and to the false equivalency people out there (yes, I'm looking right at you MSM)- the crazies on the Left brought puppets to protest, while the crazies on the Right bring loaded assault rifles. See the difference? Idiots.
Plus Ca Change
I have to wonder if there are any people left who still believe that November 2008 actually changed anything. Sure, the Democrats enjoy overwhelming majorities in both the Senate and the House and control the White House, but the charade that is health care reform is no different from their performance during the eight years of Chimpy McFlightsuit. No lessons have been learned; no spines have been hardened. Instead we get the same old policy of giving in before negotiating.
Wait, maybe that isn't quite right. Perhaps the Democratic idea of negotiation is to give up. To sell out your principles rather than to fight. I mentioned someplace else that the Democrat's idea of a tough negotiation is taking their ass raping without lube. And that seems to be about right.
What else can explain Dem leadership's worshipping at the shrine of Broderian bipartisanship? How is it that Kent Conrad and Max Baucus, Senators who together represent just .52% of the US population, are the arbiters of health care reform? By what freakish turn of events does a member of Congress who feels the need to state that he won't vote for a bill with death panels, which shows that he is batshit fucking insane, get any say over health care, let alone a near veto power?
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. We now have the President's own HHS Secretary insisting that a public option is not a requirement. Are you kidding me?
The likely result of this entire debacle will be some milquetoast "reform" that fails to address any of the very real problems with our current health care system. And we can all thank our ineffectual, no wimpish, Democratic leadership in DC.
Say what you will about Bush/Cheney/Rove, but if they were given the kind of majorities the Democratic Party now holds, they'd have outlawed abortion, invaded Iran and lowered the top marginal tax rate to 20%. So, I suppose there may be some who are grateful that Obama and company are not Bush. But simply being better than Satan really isn't enough to make me want to believe.
Wait, maybe that isn't quite right. Perhaps the Democratic idea of negotiation is to give up. To sell out your principles rather than to fight. I mentioned someplace else that the Democrat's idea of a tough negotiation is taking their ass raping without lube. And that seems to be about right.
What else can explain Dem leadership's worshipping at the shrine of Broderian bipartisanship? How is it that Kent Conrad and Max Baucus, Senators who together represent just .52% of the US population, are the arbiters of health care reform? By what freakish turn of events does a member of Congress who feels the need to state that he won't vote for a bill with death panels, which shows that he is batshit fucking insane, get any say over health care, let alone a near veto power?
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. We now have the President's own HHS Secretary insisting that a public option is not a requirement. Are you kidding me?
The likely result of this entire debacle will be some milquetoast "reform" that fails to address any of the very real problems with our current health care system. And we can all thank our ineffectual, no wimpish, Democratic leadership in DC.
Say what you will about Bush/Cheney/Rove, but if they were given the kind of majorities the Democratic Party now holds, they'd have outlawed abortion, invaded Iran and lowered the top marginal tax rate to 20%. So, I suppose there may be some who are grateful that Obama and company are not Bush. But simply being better than Satan really isn't enough to make me want to believe.
Should I Return?
It's something I have been pondering for quite some time. I've replaced my blogging with 140 character messages on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/justinanderson1) and posting links on my Facebook page. But the space limits of those two mediums, and my inordinate amount of free time, has caused me to think about putting the band back together. (By band, I mean blog)
The one downside to reentering the blog world is that I will have to be careful about the topics I write about and the language I use to characterize those in the public sphere. Or, I could possibly begin a new blog using a pseudonym. But I do somewhat prefer to blog under my own name. I have no problem with being held accountable for my ideas and opinions, so long as they don't cost me a job.
The one downside to reentering the blog world is that I will have to be careful about the topics I write about and the language I use to characterize those in the public sphere. Or, I could possibly begin a new blog using a pseudonym. But I do somewhat prefer to blog under my own name. I have no problem with being held accountable for my ideas and opinions, so long as they don't cost me a job.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Spineless Democrats
Once again, the Democrats in Congress have done the impossible, performing an act of self-fellatio. Or maybe they bypassed the self gratification and went straight to inserting their heads up their asses. How else can we explain their caving in to the President and the telecoms on retroactive immunity.
Mr. 28% is not the most popular person in the country. Even the GOP nominee is running away from him like a kid with the cooties. So why should the Dems in DC cave? Because it is hard wired into their DNA. Talk about reinforcing the meme of Democratic weakness.
There has been a lot of talk about more and better Democrats over the past two years. But I hope that sooner than later we focus exclusively on the latter. I am so sick and tired of seeing our so-called leaders snap defeat from the jaws of victory. I am not even surprised anymore when they crumble like a house of cards. I've seen jellyfish with stronger spines than Steny Hoyer et al.
Yet they just assume that we, the base, will come out to support them time and time again. But I have a word of warning- remember Joe Lieberman and Al Wynn. If our current crop of Democrats are too chicken shit to stand up for Democratic values, then we will find candidates who will. And we will primary those weak-willed cowards.
Mr. 28% is not the most popular person in the country. Even the GOP nominee is running away from him like a kid with the cooties. So why should the Dems in DC cave? Because it is hard wired into their DNA. Talk about reinforcing the meme of Democratic weakness.
There has been a lot of talk about more and better Democrats over the past two years. But I hope that sooner than later we focus exclusively on the latter. I am so sick and tired of seeing our so-called leaders snap defeat from the jaws of victory. I am not even surprised anymore when they crumble like a house of cards. I've seen jellyfish with stronger spines than Steny Hoyer et al.
Yet they just assume that we, the base, will come out to support them time and time again. But I have a word of warning- remember Joe Lieberman and Al Wynn. If our current crop of Democrats are too chicken shit to stand up for Democratic values, then we will find candidates who will. And we will primary those weak-willed cowards.
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Government They Deserve
Forgive me my rant. But more and more I feel like the stupid American voters have exactly the government they deserve- the dumbest on Earth. This whole gas tax holiday has got me enraged. There is not one economist or public policy person who will go on record and say it is a good thing. For one simple reason- IT ISN'T!!!! What part of supply and demand does the average voter in this country not understand?
Hillary is out there saying how it will save consumers $8 billion dollars. WRONG! First of all, her windfalls profits tax has about as much chance of enactment as I do of winning American Idol. And, even it was passed, the tax would actually be borne mainly, if not wholly, by consumers.
Let me say this one more time- the demand for gas is inelastic in the short run and medium run. Maybe in the long term one might see some elasticity as people opted for smaller cars and public transportation. Maybe. We also have this tiny little supply problem. Now, class, tell me what happens to prices when the demand curve shifts and the supply curve stays the same? This is Econ101. The market clearing price (ie, the equilibrium price) goes UP. Not down.
Anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together understands that the gas tax holiday would likely result in HIGHER prices at the pump. And huge windfalls for the oil industry. Now, call me crazy but I thought Hillary was running on the Democratic ticket. But more and more, she seems to be pulling a Lieberman.
And honestly I am at the point of saying to the American people- "Fuck you. you're getting the government you deserve."
Hillary is out there saying how it will save consumers $8 billion dollars. WRONG! First of all, her windfalls profits tax has about as much chance of enactment as I do of winning American Idol. And, even it was passed, the tax would actually be borne mainly, if not wholly, by consumers.
Let me say this one more time- the demand for gas is inelastic in the short run and medium run. Maybe in the long term one might see some elasticity as people opted for smaller cars and public transportation. Maybe. We also have this tiny little supply problem. Now, class, tell me what happens to prices when the demand curve shifts and the supply curve stays the same? This is Econ101. The market clearing price (ie, the equilibrium price) goes UP. Not down.
Anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together understands that the gas tax holiday would likely result in HIGHER prices at the pump. And huge windfalls for the oil industry. Now, call me crazy but I thought Hillary was running on the Democratic ticket. But more and more, she seems to be pulling a Lieberman.
And honestly I am at the point of saying to the American people- "Fuck you. you're getting the government you deserve."
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