Democrats Must Face the Music
The jig is up.
The stimulus is a bust. That has some serious political ramifications for Democrats who will be on the ballot in 2010.
The president sold the stimulus on the promise he’d save or create 3-4 million jobs this year and that unemployment would be held to 8%. Reuters reports:
So far, it has saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs, a relatively small impact on an economy that is still losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month due to the recession.
While the monthly tally of jobs lost appears to be shrinking, the National Association for Business Economists on Wednesday predicted total U.S. job losses of roughly 4.5 million in 2009, leading to a jobless rate of 9.8 percent. …
Obama’s top economic adviser, Cristina Romer, told MSNBC she was optimistic about some improving economic indicators, that it appeared “we are nearing the bottom” of the economic trough and that growth may well resume by year’s end.
“The gold standard is going to be jobs numbers. And realistically, we’re not going to see us adding jobs for a while,” she said.
It is not surprising that the Republicans are pointing to the pork barrel program and decrying the plan as a flop. Minority Whip Eric Cantor (who organized the unanimous Republican opposition to the stimulus) explained, “In the 100 days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over 1 million Americans have lost their jobs. … These are not the results America hoped for.”
To make their point, Republicans have put out a handy chart showing the magnitude of the job losses. And they have come out with rhetorical guns blazing at the president.
Majority Leader John Boehner was scathing in his assessment:
What’s most remarkable about this latest stimulus report is what’s missing: funding for a skateboard park in Rhode Island, checks to the deceased in Maryland, taxpayer money for John Murtha’s “Airport For No One” in his own backyard, and other well-chronicled examples of old-fashioned government waste. The trillion-dollar “stimulus” has fallen short of the administration’s claims, and middle-class families and small businesses are paying dearly. It hasn’t created the jobs American families hoped for, brought the transparency to government the President promised, or moved money into communities as quickly as the administration pledged. On every score, it has not lived up to the expectations set out for it, all while leaving our children and grandchildren to foot the bill.
And it doesn’t help the Democrats when the president’s photo-ops turn out to be tales of woe for those not really helped by the stimulus plan. For example, CNN reported:
It was a success story the White House was eager to highlight: Earlier this year, President Obama attended the graduation of 25 police recruits in Columbus, Ohio, touting it as a victory for the federal stimulus package. On March 6 in Columbus, Ohio, President Obama touted the jobs the stimulus plan would save. … But the White House said the $1.2 million grant only guaranteed their jobs until the end of the year. And facing a growing deficit and a fight to pass an income tax hike, Columbus Police on Tuesday announced massive budget cuts that could mean hundreds of layoffs
Whoops. And those Caterpillar employees whose jobs were going to be saved? Well, Caterpillar had some hefty layoffs. Another photo-op gone bad.
The political ramifications of the non-stimulative stimulus plan are plain. Republicans opposed the bill en masse and will now run with the “I told you so” argument, pointing out that they had their own plan of tax breaks and infrastructure spending which would arguably have produced better results than the grab bag of liberal spending programs.
Democrats on the ballot next year will need to defend their votes and their party’s stewardship of the economy. With unemployment anticipated to hit double digits next year that might not be an easy task.
Moreover, Republicans will argue that the stimulus actually did produce something — a sea of red ink. While George W. Bush was no model of fiscal sobriety, Obama is truly in a class by himself when it comes to piling up the debt. And this is of great concern not only to conservatives, but to key independent voters as well.
Republicans have been bashed for being the party of “no.” But in 2010 when unemployment and the deficit have soared, there are boarded-up Chrysler and GM dealerships in nearly every large and mid-sized city in America, and the Democrats are trotting out plans for tax increases to close the budget gap (here comes the VAT tax), those “no” votes may look prescient. And as for alternatives, Republicans will point to their suggestions for the stimulus which the president rejected out of hand and items on their agenda (e.g., domestic energy development, corporate and capital gains tax cuts, reasonable budget discipline).
Democrats have lined up behind a popular president in 2009. But in 2010 Obama’s poll numbers may be considerably lower and, in any event, do little to insulate them from an angry electorate. After all, “the gold standard is going to be the jobs number.”
“…but to key independent voters as well.”
These people are crucial if the country is to be saved. They are presently trying to give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt. Many even voted for him. Still, money talks and bovine excrement walks. These folks are starting to get scared. Obama’s deficits are downright upsetting—and they rightfully sense the president is out of his depth. The job is too much for him.
“…pointing out that they had their own plan of tax breaks”
Tax breaks are almost always the way to go. It is better to allow the individual citizens to decide how best to spend and invest their money. They can sensibly do this far better than government bureaucrats. Economic hard times demand that politicians and bureaucrats get the hell out of the way. This is the conclusion that any rational person will arrive at if they study FDR’s New Deal programs and their deleterious effects on the Great Depression. We should not ignore the cruel lessons of history.
“In the 100 days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over 1 million Americans have lost their jobs. … These are not the results America hoped for.”
Eric Cantor is being too nice… “…These are not the results America was promised.”
All we got were “just words” from the say anything, deliver nothing President. His plan is as bankrupt as we’ll be after a few years of this pretender.
Obama and company are deliberately trying to destroy the American economy so that they can later claim to have “reshaped” it. They are after permanent power for the National Socialist Democratic Party, for a couple of generations, at least. Let’s hope they fall on their collective faces. If they don’t, we will be the ones “collectivized.”
Ms Rubin please print an apology. The information in your article is obviously incorrect and out of date.
Last night at a $30,000 per ticket DNC fund raiser President Obama says the worst of the economic crisis is over because he personally has done more to fix the many, many things that are screwed up about our country than any other administration since FDR.
Mr. Obama did caution that we’re not all of the way out of the woods until he and the other non-white members of his administration complete their total takeover of America’s health care, education, energy independence and finacial systems.
“…in 2010 Obama’s poll numbers may be considerably lower”, and that doesn’t even take into account the deteriorating foreign policy situation. If Kim starts firing on US ships and all Obambi does is blow up a metaphorical aspirin factory as the economy goes thud, Pelosi may not be the only one the Demos want to heave overboard.
Republicans are so timid I’m not sure they would know what to do even if they understood what’s happening to the economy. This is the party that supports funding for Acorn, a corrupt organization which signs up voters, many of whom are ineligible, who vote exclusively for the other party.
This is the party which stood nearly silent as the Carter/Clinton CRA destroyed the capital markets and then ran a candidate who lacked the wit to explain that his opponent was one of the politicians paid off by the very people who had created the economic crisis as a result of their silly socialist notion that mortgage money should be lent out without regard to the ability to pay it back.
Most jobs are created by small business. These are the very people who have the most to fear from the Obama administration which targets them as rich.
The full thrust of Obama’s attack on the economy: the stimulus package, the bailout, the quadrupling of the of the deficit, card check, the takeover of the auto industry, threatening capital to defer to labor, or else, carbon taxes (in a time of obvious Global Cooling -so obvious they had to change the name from Global Warming to Climate Change) has perhaps not been fully articulated but is understood on a subliminal level by the business class.
The normal optimism of America’s entrepreneurs has received a set back. Unlike the paid opinion makers in the media, entrepreneurs know that today’s deficits are tomorrow’s high interest rates and taxes.
From the outset I predicted that the economy would not recover under Obama because the more business people saw of his reckless spending, the tighter they would hold onto their money and the less time they would devote to building a business.
In this climate would you work your ass off establishing a business only to know that you could have a new union partner as a result a sign up campaign that you couldn’t even fight?
Or would you donate to the Democratic Party in the hope that your business might benefit from its association with the party in power? Play your cards right and you might even be in line for a Chrysler dealership stripped from the unfortunate fools who supported the other party.
Some people describe this as the Chicago Way or Socialism. It’s actually a combination of socialism and fascism.
The Republicans need to learn to stand on their hind legs and demand a Congressional investigation every time there is an Obama outrage. They won’t get them but at least they will be demonstrating to the public that they have a clue.
“All we got were “just words” from the say anything, deliver nothing President. His plan is as bankrupt as we’ll be after a few years of this pretender.”
It’s been said before on these pages: “what makes you think he wants to do anything other than to bankrupt this country” `
All of bunch of nonsense.
Americans love President Obama (have you dweebs checked his approval rating) and they know Republicans are 100 percent to blame for the economic mess.
The funny thing is that some on here will try to contradict the truth. Well, all you unemployed neo-cons, the facts are the facts and you can look them up.
Actually, as The One inadvertently admitted in a recent interview, we (meaning the U.S. Government) are out of money right now. What we have is a very large promissory note, that our Secstate (Hillary) spent the weekend discussing in Shanghai, attempting to reassure the money men in the “New Economic Zone” (and their masters, the old men in Beijing) that the firm of The One, LLC, really was good for the amount on the face thereof. (As such, she was totally unaware of North Korea’s atom bomb test and missile launches until Monday morning. So much for “realpolitik”.)
The only way The One can pay for this is to- you guessed it- raise taxes. Of course, the IRS has just admitted that tax revenue is down 34% from last year, just due to the number of businesses which have closed and the number of people no longer drawing an income as a result. But that’s not an issue, to our Fearless Leader; he’s sure we have money, and he’s going to make us fork it over.
So he can spend it on more projects in the home districts of his enablers.
(Fearless Leader? Sorry, I meant Clueless Idiot.)
It has been said that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. By the same token, people who do not understand economics should avoid trying to make policy on same.
In both cases, the results tend to be both spectacular, and unfortunate.
clear ether
eon
The Democrat Propaganda Machine (aka: MSM, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, NY-Times, WaPo…etc) is now being engaged with fearsome determination.
I woke up this morning to a news blurb on the radio of “The One” announcing that “…things are looking up…” The stock market took a bounce up yesterday due to “soaring consumer confidence”.
Sure… right… the market is going to find an excuse to bounce along its x-axis on a 400-500 point sine curve… It’s up today for phony good news generated by the Democrat Propaganda Machine (aka: Gallup, Qunnipiac, Zogby, etc.) It will be down tomorrow as weakminded traders jump at feathers blowing in the wind and mud puddles that they fall into as the miss..
With the Dems its all about “Feelings” and “Hopes” and … well blather… never let the actual facts get in the way.
The “Stimulus” was a Democrat lie. It was just 15 years of pent up PORK projects that they couldn’t pass with a Republican Congress or President in charge, nothing more.
The lesson is that if Algore had won in 2000… we would be HERE… if Jean Francois had one in 2004… we would be HERE…
For all their faults and “profligate” spending, the Republicans of 1998-2006 look like pinch-penny’s in comparison. Yes, they spent too much… but it is very obvious now, how much MORE would have been spent by the other guys.
[Leaves room with a shrug and a sigh...]
r/John
Well done, Jennifer.
But add to this, the reality as expressed in my article on the War on Terror Policies of Bush being vindicated not in word but in deed by the Obama administration, and what you have is an electorate on both sides of the isle bitter and angry with the man.
2010 and 2012 will be a bloodbath. That’s why Democrtas are in such a hurry to enact their agenda; they know their time is limited.
the truth here master of puppets, is when is your beloved president going to take responsibility for his office? he has been in office over a 100 days and still nothing belongs to him. 8 years, (well that’s the official time frame for the big O),of its all Bush’s fault, and he inherited it all from Bush, don’t think its gonna fly. when is he going to do something proactive and not reactive to the situation? the boat is taking on water and the sharks are circling and all you can say is at least its sunny?
Even though they have been abetting and sometimes surpassing Obama in overspending, the Demographic Party members now in Congress have the responsibility and the power to reign in this spendthrift President of ours and right now. They had better clearly understand that if they don’t, the voters are going to fire a good number of them in 2010.
the boat is taking on water and the sharks are circling and all you can say is its the last captains fault. bail grand kids bail!
Hey buddy, I “hope” you’ve got some spare “change”.
the boat is taking on water and the sharks are circling and the teleprompter has gone out and all i hear is the captain say some of you survivors will have interesting stories to tell.
Pastor of Muppets – Obama’s approval ratings are still high due to several reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with how he governs. He has an adoring media, his followers equate him to the messiah and worship him as such, and his policies really have not affected a majority of American’s yet. I will give you that he is extremely attractive and an excellent speaker (when on the prompter), but his policies are going to take this country straight into the toilet.
Please stop blaming everything on Republicans. This argument is empty. The Republican’s haven’t had control of the Congress in two years and have absolutely no control over anything right now. You need to accept responsibility for the actions of your party. Your party promised to be everything to everyone, and they have delivered absolutely nothing but debt and corruption. Once his policies have had time to actually impact the majority, he’ll be lucky to finish his term. He is Jimmy Carter II.
Obama to news media, “you all voted for me”. And last night at a Hollywood fund-raiser he stated, “you ain’t seen nothing yet”. No need to take over Hollywood, since they are already the propaganda arm of the Democrat party.
The arrogance of this man is off the charts.
The MSM have gone stark raving mad,
They come in loud and clear,
The little person on the TV focusing on the bad,
They whisper evil in our ears.
They try to intrude on that idiot tube,
Their remarks are on the verge of dead,
As we shake our heads and turn them, off,
We shout get out of our family room,
A rude, crude prelude of what is to come,
Therefore, we refuse to let them intrude.
People walking around as if they are stoned,
Brain washed and crazy as hell,
Because they let, the Media cast a miserable spell.
They turned them on and now their mind is blown,
They should kick their butts out of their homes.
Only the city folks would be walking around saying hope or change,
Because the working man is busy paying taxes,
So the brain washed masses can set around and scratch their asses.
So what, the republicans can say “I told you so” to the sounds of crickets chirping. You underestimate the idiocy of the American people. Obama is The One, a combo of Jesus, JFK, FDR and Lincoln rolled into one, with a media that gets tingles every time he opens his piehole. So America can be collapsing all around us, but Obozo will be painted as the golden child trying to save us from the evil Bu$hitler legacy. He will promise trillions more in bailout money, and the entitlement mentality of most Americans will make them gladly line up for the handout. His Green initiatives will enable him to regulate every aspect of our lives. And don’t forget that our children are being brainwashed daily by left wing teachers, academics and entertainers, and by the time they graduate college, they are full-fledged socialist Obamazombies.
Don’t count on the republicans to save us. THey have no spine, and will not defend their ideas before the American people. Just call them racist or mean-spirited, they will head for the hills and apologize. Republicans are about to go the way of the whig party, and we will have one-party, ever more left wing rule.
Pastor of Muppets says:
“The funny thing is that some on here will try to contradict the truth. Well, all you unemployed neo-cons, the facts are the facts and you can look them up.”
Enjoy the show. Don’t miss the ending – it’ll be a blast.
P.S. – good luck finding that job when you’re old enough.
“..all you unemployed neo-cons,”
Hey Mister, I’m a poor transsexual midget crack baby, not an unemployed neo-con- don’t you be dissing neos and convicts.
Sadly, everything what Jennifer writes is perfectly right, and there are also indications that, even if the second part of this year will stabilize, next year we’ll be again hit an aftershock, Obama’s policies having a causal role in that (and I leave aside the Mugabe Notes Printing Plan which has yet to be comprehended by so many voters).
Last Saturday afternoon I walked through the Manhattan Beach (LA, CA) Shopping Center, a normally bustling place in a very well-heeled demography – it was an eery, post-atomic strike spectacle, parking lot empty, the mall, while most spaces leased and open was equally empty, all stores staffed by only one or two persons, in the food piazza complete quiet, sales people leaning against counters and folding or re-folding napkins… a vivid? catatonic? illustration of the competence animating Obama’s recovery plan.
Manhattan Beach, California – and now all the talk is about GM, and rightfully so. But few dare to mention the elephant in the room – how does now, and will look Michigan in the future? And what will the people from Michigan do? How will the Dems tame them – with programs? With Michelle Obama’s “Barrack will put you to work!” speeches? Interesting years we live -
And since here, I remember a historical novel, action placed in Eastern Europe in the 17th century, the time reference points there being the Plague of King Viaceslav, the Pest of King Borislav, etc. – we clearly live during President Obama’s Pest.
20.Trainwreck
“You underestimate the idiocy of the American people.”
Yup. That’s the one factor I still worry about, regardless of how bad reality gets. Although I would inject the word “some”…somewhere. Millions of the America people voted against this fraud for reasons that are bearing out to be true.
However, if the ongoing size of the “idiocy” group is large enough to produce another whimpering majority of codependent self-victimized cases who vote as they are told to, we could still face a problem in 2010.
The independents (including some deluded “moderates” of both parties unfortunately) will be key.
And there’s another group to be angry with, frankly: those riding the rails of our Republic who just don’t bother to vote.
Frankly, I get angrier with them than I do with the moderates and welfare cases. The nonvoters remind me of a fireman at a raging fire who keeps pretending he’s just not that important and can’t be bothered to pick up the bloomin’ hose.
I actually think the Obama folks are right, There are going to be huge numbers of new jobs. Unfortunately the wealth these new jobs create is never gonna see the tax rolls. The SFChron ran a story yesterday about the new class of “street chefs” appearing in SF. I am absolutely certain all these folks are keeping careful records and paying every cent of the taxes they owe……right……right….I can’t hear you.
I blame it all on the recession Bill Clinton left W.
17 Rocketeer . . . “Once his policies have had time to actually impact the majority, he’ll be lucky to finish his term”
Finally, a Republican who recognizes that we’re still suffering the effects of the Idiot Predecessor.
The Republicans need to learn to stand on their hind legs and demand a Congressional investigation every time there is an Obama outrage. They won’t get them but at least they will be demonstrating to the public that they have a clue.
Yes, just keep up the drumbeat for sound basic values, no matter how it seems to fall on deaf ears in the current version of DC.
Last night, I caught a bit of Bill O’Reilly arguing for Republican “expansion”. Presumably, that might translate into something like bending over and spreading ‘em to “attract” more disparate groups of voters, especially at this point the growing population of Hispanics.
(maybe further trashing existing immigration laws would “appeal”)
Promises or appeals to identity groups is a violation of core values of a party that should (anyway) obviate any and all group differences in an appeal to basic principles.
Host Bill O’Reilly responded, “The core conservative person … does not understand that the GOP is shrinking and needs to expand.”
Maybe O’Reilly’s statement means flowing in the direction of the Republicans in name only (and none too bright) of their own party…Colin Powell, Tom Ridge et al.
I think the core conservative “understands” quite a bit that escapes “I’m so cool, so Mr. Fair&Balanced”
My manu. company is laying off 20 people tomorrow. These individuals have been working overtime 6 days a week for over 22 years. With the govt. screwing up the car manu. no company is willing to place orders due to credit availablity and fear of the future. This stimulus that was passed with NO debate or true understanding is appalling. Congress has no idea the suffering they have cause and the hardship we are now under.
RE #8/Pastor of Muppets: [...] All of bunch of nonsense.
Americans love President Obama (have you dweebs checked his approval rating) and they know Republicans are 100 percent to blame for the economic mess. [...]
Pathetic buffoon, you POM are – easy to see that since the evidence is overwhelmingly against your argumentation, now use as last resort noise and absurdities.
And now eat these, from your #8 post:
A) “Americans love president Soetero”:
1) true, but in a less degree than in the recent past,
2) and soundly less love his policies;
3) and that was yesterday, and we have a long road ahead,
4) many Zimbabweans love Migabe, many Venezueleans love Chavez, many N. Koreans love Kim, many Romanians love Ceaucescu – for you to explain why Soetero looks that well in this “Gruppenbilt mit Tyrants” (Groupportrait with Tyrants”)
B) As far as “Americans know that Republicans are 100% to blame for the economical mess” -
1) POM, this phrase clearly shows that your natural environment is a welfare line and the intelligence irradiating from that noble gathering – by the way, it’s end of month, hurry up, buddy, your check is there, hey! Soetero doesn’t forget his people, crack for everyone!
What we have is a very large promissory note, that our Secstate (Hillary) spent the weekend discussing in Shanghai, attempting to reassure the money men in the “New Economic Zone” (and their masters, the old men in Beijing)…
Hillary’s over there ? Nancy “queen bee” Pelosi and a congressional delegation are over there, wrapping up a 5 day gab session.
Timmy Geithner’s going next week.
Gee, American fiscal policy, trying to convince the Chicoms that the American dollar isn’t going down the tubes.
#20 Trainwreck….Sorry to say, thats the way I see it also.
The Bohemian Cult Triangle of Hollywood, academia, and the entrenched media decide what is mainstream, and until that is stopped, all is lost.
A nice companion piece for Jennifer’s is the just posted scoop (Rick Moran, American Thinker) that the closed Chrysler dealerships:
a) were generally owned by Republicans, some of them REp donors;
b) the operation was done not per Chrysler request, but by direct White House pressure/intervention -
Yes, we can, and we’ll sure do it, and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet –
Stay tuned, more to come -
Guns Blazing? The current republican leadership are about as timid and weak as can be imagined. Which leaves their only hope as being the “other” party sitting there when the ruling majority party implodes under the weight of their corruption and terrible ideas.
This is such a shame on so many levels–but this is a forum where we can talk up the possible. We need to PUSH THE PLEDGE!!!! This PLEDGE is this: Every Republican Lawmaker must take a solemn oath to God and Country to never under any circumstances engage in or support deficit spending, under penalty of immediate dismissal from the party. Sound Radical? Severe? Fringe? GOOD! Listening to the voices telling us who we are supposed to be over the last 10 years is what got us and our country in this mess. Who is with me????
Oh yeah, and I forgot this: Being the broken record party of Tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts… is absolutely ridiculous without…spending cuts. The guy who can stand on the stump across from the Tent Revival Con Man and say, “you people are adults, so I’m going to give it to you straight..we have to cut the budget across the board.” is going to be the guy who is going to win the election. The sad truth is I don’t see a single man or woman amongst our stable of contenders which is shaping up that has the testicular fortitude to do that.
So far the only jobs I’ve seen created by this administration are in the White House. And for those of that are interested, if you do not have a class 1 felony or have no pending warrants, you need not apply.
Has Obama appointed a Teleprompter Czar yet?
RE #36/savage24: [...] So far the only jobs I’ve seen created by this administration are in the White House. And for those of that are interested, if you do not have a class 1 felony or have no pending warrants, you need not apply. […}
Q: As an inmate placed in prison by the ACORN affair can I apply for an ambassadorship when out?
PoM:
“The funny thing is that some on here will try to contradict the truth. Well, all you unemployed neo-cons, the facts are the facts and you can look them up.”
Why don’t you just state some of those facts then?
I thought not. I know, I know…thinking is hard and stuff.
We have been transformed over the last seventy to eighty years from a production-based economy to a debt-based economy. Who was responsible for that first big attempt to pull forward demand with government spending?
We have two massive entitlement programs that are not only out of money, but are deep in the hole to the tune of nearly $75 trillion. Guess who signed those two programs into law?
Social Security has collected a surplus over the years, but that surplus has been spent and replaced with bond debt. Guess which political party has been in charge of the federal budget during the majority of that time?
Who turned over monetary and minting power to a private central bank, allowing for at-will inflation and deflation of the currency?
Who is responsible for the CRA encouraging, and even forcing lax lending standards in the real estate market?
And which political party has dominated Congress for the last eighty years?
Guess what, all of those questions have the same answer, and it ain’t the Republicans.
Paster of Muppets – Thomas Sowell just came out with a book about the housing crisis in which he explains that Democrats were very eager for poor minorities to own their own homes in the 1990s. ACORN and then the Clinton administration forced the banks to begin making those risky loans that are such a big part of our economic downturn. For a video of Andrew Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration, proudly announcing how they were combatting racism in lending by forcing the banks to make these loans, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivmL-lXNy64 . The crisis was abetted by both Barney Frank and Chris Dodd during the Presidency of Bush II in that they refused to go along with the efforts of Bush II and John McCain to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Democrats are actually primarily responsible for our economic mess but they have done a masterful job of spinning the situation as being the fault of Republicans.
Speaking as a homeowner, it is not a good idea for poor people to own homes. Houses require a continual input of money for maintenance, and also require the expense of homeowners insurance and property taxes. People who are poor are much better off just renting, and there’s nothing wrong with renting! I did it for decades. If Democrats would stop the social engineering, and if white people would get over their racial guilt, we’d all be better off.
All I can say is that socialism has never worked anywhere. It’s simply a matter of time before it crashes and burns, but it’s going to take a lot of people down when it does so.
(looking for Jack..and whomever else this shoe fits..)
Attn: To all Trolls, semi-Trolls, Trolls lite, and wanna be Trolls:–and all party line liberals/socialists, and all witting or unwitting slaves to the BIG LIE…
Re: The Enemies Within
Jack: “D-wah – What exactly did I say that triggered this other personality of yours?”
You represent something very dangerous to me, Jack.
You said nothing. Over and over and over, troll or not, you say nothing. Nothing of consequence, that is. You’re a distraction. That can be fatal if someone’s trying to drive—like a point home.
You’re like someone who signs up to be a so-called aid worker in Somalia, and all he does is gossip with other do-nothings in the office while all around him people are starving.
That makes you part of the problem.
You’re fussing over the color of the walls while a bulldozer is about to level the house and people need to be warned.
That makes you part of the problem.
You are, wittingly or not, just another fiddler in Nero’s orchestra.
That makes you part of the problem.
Your reluctance to come to some very serious and needed practical conclusions is very dangerous, and threatens me and millions of other Americans very personally. This sleepwalking attitude of business as usual is what’s giving PERMISSION for this takeover–much like Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, Stalin’s Russia, etc.
Worse than complacency, those engaged in this are COMPLICIT! They oppress and thwart and hinder with their smug complacency, the out of touch “do-gooder” ivory tower “perspective”, the compromising and diddling around about nothing of real consequence, and the self righteous “mission” to bring the “misdirected” back to mother liberalism and her sacred cows.
It more than wreaks–it’s aiding and abetting a fascist takeover. And all those who’ve dutifully succumbed to this propaganda are what has brought this BEAST on our heads!
Get the point? I doubt it. You will when it hits you in the face. We see it sooner because, being on to it, we’re the first targets of this onslaught of lying PC propaganda, hate campaigns and now we’re all suffering from insane legislation and outright takeovers. You’ve taken the downstream tack. We resist. Wait till the BEAST moves in on you and yours.
The BEAST has no friends, Jack. It only loves itself. It’s keeping you for food later. And it LOVES Trolls and PC do-gooders! The more you’ve been fattened on propaganda beer and hand massaged by your masters the better…just like the top grade Kobe beef Comrade O enjoys.
It’s time everyone made some hard decisions instead of diddling around. Lead towards truth and freedom, follow, or get out of the way.
*****
“But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.”
“Awake, too late.
Asleep, too late.
The daughters of Jerusalem
lie bleeding in the streets…”
RE #40. Brenda Levy: [...] Speaking as a homeowner, it is not a good idea for poor people to own homes. Houses require a continual input of money for maintenance, and also require the expense of homeowners insurance and property taxes. [...]
Agree, and I’d add another element to this – properly owning & tending a house is also conditioned by cultural factors. That is, someone who’s at ease putting graffitti on walls and buses, who has no sense or understanding for the efforts done in order to build and create values, who has no sense for long term effort, who is used to live on handouts, sure can’t properly tend a house or make the effort for paying for it.
Some years ago, travelling in Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Northern Romania), I was shown previously tidy & pretty peasant villages which were reduced to Bambay-type of shanty-towns after the communist governments kicked out the “kulaks” and installed there gypsys – all in the name of social reparations.
Same thing here, in Lancaster, California.
PEOPLE–We are expending more energy trying to refute Pastor of Muppets than you are talking amongst about SOLUTIONS!
Community organizin’ the banking system…PJM’s resident idiotlogues never let facts get in the way of the prescribed set of asssumptions.
BARACK’S ‘ORGANIZER’ BUDS PUSHED FOR BAD MORTGAGES
Democrats in their own words covering up Fannie & Freddie scam
WOW, the president is doing a great job. 787 Billion to “create or save” 150K jobs, roughly 5.2 Million a job. Is this guy great or what? Sure hope they manage to do away with term limits.
#43 billslayer: “PEOPLE–We are expending more energy trying to refute Pastor of Muppets than you are talking amongst about SOLUTIONS!”
It does not benefit anyone anywhere at anytime whatsoever to engage in debate with the dissenters in these forums. Their minds are made up – they have been effectively brainwashed by decades of leftist-liberal-socialist propaganda via Hollywood, the MSM, and our broken educational system. Absolutely nothing we say, no amount of hard proof, no amount of data and statistics will change what they believe to be true. Their perception of reality has been irreversibly altered by the effective brainwashing they’ve been subjected to.
The big question is: why did the brainwashing work on some people but not on others?
Now, the next big question: what are the Republicans going to do about this? Standing around and issuing strong objections obviously isn’t enough. It didn’t work on North Korea, and it won’t work on the out-of-control over-reaching government in place here.
“Some years ago, travelling in Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Northern Romania), I was shown previously tidy & pretty peasant villages which were reduced to Bambay-type of shanty-towns after the communist governments kicked out the “kulaks” and installed there gypsys – all in the name of social reparations.”
misanthropicus, you are truly the voice of reason. EAstern countries in europe which I thought were IMMUNE from political correctness have fallen for it and were forced to feed the maggots. Eastern europeans have a sense of order that’s even greater than in many places of western europe. I know that Romania was forced to give away brand new houses to gypsyes. What a shame.
This administration is moving fast, and it is moving to change America from a free-market economy to a state-controlled economy.
The faster they will move in the next few months, the more strict will their control of the voters become.
2010 is as far from us as 3010, because this administration is carrying on the huge plan that is delineated in the most recent works of the commies: this administration is changing what the commies call the “MATERIAL CONSTITUTION” of the Country.
The Republican party is playing politics, this administration is playing subversion, there is no fight in this way because the Republicans are playing on the wrong field.
And I am talking about the TRUE Republicans.
The RINOs are part of the subversive plan, I am sure they have been promised excellent seats in the nomenklatura of the regime.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
I believe boobama said that his administration has done more for America in the last four months than any administration since FDR. Maybe he’ll start to take responsibility for his actions. Then again maybe not.
But think about what he has done “to” america and will continue to do until he is stopped.
Four months ago the deficit was 3% of the GDP now it’s what 15%. Toppled two of the big three. Not bad for four months.
Moogs. Delivered my soul. Done with ‘em. When it happens they might remember. Their blood’s not on my hands. Gonna be a “mighty widening of the eyes.”
Off to Costco for more emergency food and med supplies, researching Geiger counters, etc. as we live in a left coast “hot zone”. Considering moving.
Something’s gotta give soon. Never mind the tanked economy, one international incident and others will probably take advantage of the confusion and diversion and make moves–Israel, Iran, Russia, N. Korea etc. all poised–never mind terrorists. On top of that OComrade and his thugs will go strong arm. Be prepared.
Obama is NOT “out of his depth”. He is a frenzied, determined IDEOLOGUE, with pre-set ideas of how America should be, and with a sense of limited time opportunity to accomplish these changes.
Barack Obama is a committed communist, whether he says/realizes it or not. Perhaps fascistic in the early going, with government giving orders to all manner of businesses and taking so much more money out of the economy than ever before, but in the end he is a communist, and he will insist all should be equal.
And we all know that communism achieves its goal of universal citizen equality not by building up the poor but by tearing down the rich until ALL are poor– but equal.
His childhood, his mother, his ‘Uncle Frank” (Frank M. Davis, radical leftist author and agitator), and his involvement with African society (communism was, and is, very popular there), all these things worked on his young consciousness and he never forgot his early life lessons. Capitalism is ‘unfair’, it’s ‘theft from the poor’, it’s ‘rich getting rich off the backs of the poor’, etc etc etc.
Never mind that this is where the MONEY COMES FROM. And that without capitalism, there will be NO MONEY. Never mind.
Our personal income tax paid to govmt this month is 44% lower than a year ago this month. Overall govmt tax revenue is down 34% year on year. He is DESTROYING wealth, and this will make his deficit spending even worse in its consequences– severe inflation related to devaluation of currency, the need to find other methods of taxing people that will inevitably hit the poor the hardest…. a national sales tax? who does that hurt? The guy pondering which ski boat to buy? Nah. It hurts the single mother with only %40 to buy this weeks groceries. Now she has to pay 8% of that money in new tax.
The man is a tyrant who hasn’t consolidated power yet. That’s all he is. Like Hitler in 1925.
Moogie-Tru Dat. That said, did you read my previous posting here about the PLEDGE?
Billslayer and Moogs: Something useful:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/survival/forum?_encoding=UTF8
D-Wah: Garcias, amigo… but I’m going au naturale at the apocalypse: I’m eating liberals and other slow, weak, amusing prey.
Good article by Rubin. I agree with you 48, Sherab Zangpo. And,John, as for “the stock market took a bounce yesterday” Obama quote,didn’t The One say,not long ago,that he didn’t pay any attention to the stock market?
I would add: China,for certain,is watching how the US responds to North Korea,and thinking of taking Taiwan,and will Israel exist in four years?
What’s the difference between Nero and Obama?
Nero fiddled and Obama giggled.
Neither party has understood what this crisis is about. What Bush did, did not make sense either. So let me repeat, just in case someone with political power is listening.
IT…..IS…..A…..LIQUIDITY……CRISIS
The problem arose, because the federal reserve increased the federal funds target rate from 1.00 percent to 5.50 percent 2003-2005
This increased loan interest rates so much that people couldn’t afford to pay the interest. They stopped spending money on consumer goods because there were no money left after the loan payments. People cold no longer pay their loans on time. Therefore banks started to have problems. Housing prices was cut in half, because the interest rates were doubled. Therefore people couldn’t solve their problems by selling their houses. Because interest rates was doubled, Bond prices was cut in half. This made the banks insolvent, because companies and people uses Bonds as collateral, which were now worth half as much.
The problem started with the borrowers, therefore bailing out banks does not increase peoples spending on consumer goods. Therefore bailing out banks does not end the recession.
The solution:
BAIL…..OUT…..THE…..BORROWERS…..BY…..MAKING…..A…..BIG…..TAX…..CUT…..ON……INTEREST……PAYMENTS.
His childhood, his mother, his ‘Uncle Frank” (Frank M. Davis, radical leftist author and agitator),
may I add pedophile?
http://exposingobama.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/obama-and-his-pedophile-mentor/
#43 Susan: “EAstern countries in europe which I thought were IMMUNE from political correctness have fallen for it and were forced to feed the maggots.” (emphasis mine)
Susan, here is a must watch for you:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630135369495797236
D-wah: “we live in a left coast “hot zone”.” Ditto here. In my neighborhood, they could take out Ft. Lewis (huge source of the striker brigade), McChord AFB, Bremerton Naval Base, Bangor submarine base, Everett Naval Base.
Billslayer: Yup, I read the pledge. I guess my cynicism runs too deep to trust a mere mortal to hold to a pledge. But you are absolutely right about one thing: tax cuts aren’t enough without spending cuts to go along with them. As a side note: it can be very unhealthy for one meat eater to eat another meat eater. Make sure those liberals you snack on are vegetarians.
moogie I saw it
what i meant is that after so many decades of pure communist crap, I thought they wanted to distance themselves from the whole thing.
They are still less obsessed by it than wester europe believe me, because people are more proud of their heritage
The Republicans are acting like the WATBs and losers they are. Their lack of patience is amusing. Hey. Obama’s only been on the job 5 months. It’s going to take quite a few years to clean up the various messes he inherited.
Don’t worry, the value added tax now under consideration will straighten everything out.
Though I daresay it will touch more than the rich, wicked, evil bastards that they are.
Back in late 2007 and very early 2008 I was reading everything I could find about Obama’s background, education, family, and FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES. I steered clear of hagiographical material for obvious reasons. Also, the real stuff that is most insightful and revealing is hard to find. This is a man whose handlers (going back many years) have done a thorough job of erasing his prints wherever possible. But I found enough to give me a very good impression of the man.
In order to understand how another human being comes to be who he is one must first be a person with some experience at self-understanding. This has to come with years, experience, and wisdom. If one has not first learned how to peel oneself like an onion, it is unlikely that one can penetrate the contrived persona of another person. I have undergone quite a few changes intellectually and emotionally over the years (those of you PJM veterans who are familiar with what I’ve said about my past). So, I have that advantage in being able to put together a picture of who this man is. I took account of his formative influences: people and events, and their ideas and templates as these have shaped his mind. I also have the advantage of once having been an aspiring academic Marxist. I know that milieu and its shadings and context.
By very early in the primary season I knew he was a Marxist, and quite possibly a secret Communist. I also was able to appreciate how incredibly dysfunctional his family life was. On a human level, I feel sorry for the kid he once was. His grandparents were odd people: pre and post WWII socialists who decided to move to Mercer Island in Washington State in order to be at home in a “church” that was friendly to their political views (I wonder how grandpa could have survived in Patton’s army in WWII when Patton and his cadre were fiercely anti-Communist?) and with a school where their cruelly-named daughter Stanley would be at home with Marxist teachers. Right away I have a very bad impression of grandpa, who cruelly named his daughter a male name. And she turned out to be an odd person herself in many ways. The final cruelty heaped upon young Barack as his parents abandon him at various times for their own agendas. That is oh-so-typical of Leftist ethics. On top of it all, grandpa thinks it wise to introduce young Barack to his Communist, pornographer pal “Frank.” Turns out Frank was quite an influence there. So much so, that when Barack went to college he admits that he actively sought out professors who were Marxists so he could take courses with them.
The rest of the picture is well known. His associations and alliances in Chicago are something that not even the water-carriers can deny now. On top of it all, I read his first autobiography (he’s written two), “Dreams of My Father,” and I can clearly see the fingerprints of Billy Ayers all over it. That should also say something about who he is.
So, I had formed a pretty good picture of who this man is and where he is frantically trying to take this country. We are headed for Communism. I have no doubts in my mind about it. All indications are that he knows he will be a one term president and that he and his party are rushing to get it all done before the 2010 elections.
Eventually, we are headed for civil war. I suspected this for some time, but have been holding out hope that it may be avoided. Now, as things are firming up and the picture is becoming more defined I can see that the low-boil political war that has been churning in this country for decades is going to turn into a shooting war down the road. The Left will lose that war; the military will mostly be on our side. I hope we could transition back to civilian government in a short time. I don’t think it will take as long as it did in Chile after the overthrow of the Communist Allende.
POM”Americans love President Obama (have you dweebs checked his approval rating) and they know Republicans are 100 percent to blame for the economic mess.”
i wouldn’t bank on the american people’s self delusionment to affect their judgment much longer,being broke and jobless is a quick study to the gulliable.unable to make any money can’t borrow any either.saddled with the enormous dept of the careless and greedy,forced on to them by…..obama(that what it really comes down to).good luck blaming this on the bush administration come 2012,the dems have already left plenty of red meat to start preparing the commericals for 2010.
observe what happens when a generation of people who have only known abundance their whole lives figures out what has been done to them.finger pointing just isn’t gong to cut it…
you people are going to have to change yor ideological moniker again.
OBAMA AS “THE GODFATHER”
Watch you back America.
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/chicago-mob-style-white-house.html
Pat J: Obama’s ONLY been on the job 5 months? Geez…I knew liberals were ignorant but how much of a grace period are you going to allow the fumbling TOTUS?
Not that I’d expect you to remember his 3 TRILLION dollar budget or anything. Yet more selective memory from a liberal. Typical.
Can TeleBama be accountable for anything in your view Pat? Should we just dip Dear Leader in Teflon and call it a day? Laughable. Now I see how you sleep at night after voting in a thug.
#62 fred: This comment by you is one of the most enlightening responses I think I’ve ever seen on PJ – or any of the other conservatives sites.
If Obama learned anything at the knee of Uncle Frank, it would be that the political rubric for Marxism was altered by the Frankfurt School into a social or cultural recipe before being brought here to the United States.
I hope you have had an opportunity to watch the videos I’ve been posting all over the place (although, given your background, you are probably already well aware of what is taking place). Here are the links:
a href=”http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630135369495797236″>The History of Political Correctness
a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_xdBnFPqOI&feature=related”>Interview with Bezmenov
Thank you for that eye-popping expose on Obama. I really do hope your dire prediction of impending civil war is wrong, as the enemies in this country are quite often in the same family, rather than some kind of invisible dividing line between the north and the south.
Do you have a blog? If not, I strongly recommend going to google and setting one up at blogspot.
oops – forgot the front bracket on those html links. I’m a beginner at this code stuff
Here are the links:
The History of Political Correctness
Interview with Bezmenov
Barack Obama applied for the job of president, he campaigned vigorously for the job, he promised to fix everything, not just some things EVERYTHING. He told the nation that he is capable and the nation was convinced and duly elected him. Now all we hear is about his inheritance, and what a mess everything is. Whine, moan and complain, that’s all we get from Mr. Obama. Someone should wipe his nose and send him back to mama.
Doesn’t this mean the Republicans are moving from the party of “no” to the party of “we were so ineffectual that we couldn’t do anything about it and we are working on trying to lose support at this time”?
It’s as if they are trying to say they just got here as opposed to being the other half of the problem…
Jack
That 25% VAT being proposed will raise revenue equal to the entire rest of the US tax code, which would be great if we were repealing everything else, but since we’re not, it’s just a doubling of America’s tax burden during a time when we can afford it the least.
#70 myth buster – And it will never pass, so it’s not worth talking about.
Jack
Re #69 Jack: So no comments to defend TeleBama? Just typical Republicans are the party of no BS. I can’t blame you. I wouldn’t know where to even start defending the corrupt, anti-American policies of TeleBama.
I recently re-read the 10 planks of the communist manifesto, and it would appear the Dems had already succeeded in fulfilling 4 or 5 of the 10 planks in the 20th century. Perhaps their goal is to fulfill the remaining 5 planks before Obama’s term ends.
What this all fails to point out is the bridge to nowhere and the largest spending increase in history happend under George Bush (until Obama). It’s as if the Republicans think that saying “they are worse than we were” is a ringing endorsement of what they can do (even though Republicans started this most recent spending insanity with TARP). Until someone else shows up as an honest fiscal conservative, the party needs to quit lobbing socially motivated claims of the evils of “mormonism” at Romney and show that they can do better. They’ve been saying for years that Dems were the fiscal ruin of the country and they get in power and more than double the debt. Do you think pointing the finger will make anyone forget that? Find someone (if not Romney) that has a track record of fiscal conservatism and give us the next year to buy into them, or you’ll lose again.
I’m sick to death of both parties spending my family into the poorhouse and pointing the finger while doing it. We need the Congress to go back to Republican rule and the Presidency to stay with the Dems in order to fix this (i.e. Clinton type era). And having a Dem in the Presidency is only necessary because of the social (IMHO) nuts on the Right.
Jack
Moogie,
I’ve seen all the interviews with Yuri Bezmenov. Very accurate in its description of what has been happening. I’ll check the other link about Political Correctness. As I understand it, PC mainly operates in education and in many places in government where the collectivists hold sway. It pretty much mirrors the intellectual and political bullying that obtained behind the Iron Curtain. It is thought control, pure and simple. Totalitarian control. If you want to see what a future Communist society would look like, check out any college or university campus across the country.
If the Republicans can make major gains in 2010 and finally go over the top in 2012, I think we may see the peaceful resolution of this looming conflict. Keep in mind that it will take a while to roll back the things that Obama has put in place. This is assuming that the damage is not too horrific.
Obama’s “WOW CHIPS/Viagra” version of a ‘stimulus’ plan is the packaged stuff that Olestra and Sildenafil citrate dreams are made of!
Warning! This boondoggle may cause: anal leakage, hysteria, explosive diarrhea, bloody stools, cramping, high gas prices, public embarrassment, denial, erections lasting longer than 4 years and then petering out forever, headache, bankruptcy, dyspepsia, delusions, flushing, anger, dizziness, depression, rash, abnormal vision, urinary tract infection, reality, job loss, spouse loss, home loss, life loss.
#72 AThinkingPerson – No, I am not defending Obama, you are right. Do you agree with my point or are you incapable of any sort of self-reflection (pary-wise)?
Jack
#72 AThinkingPerson – Damn typo…I meant (parTy-wise).
62:
Eventually, we are headed for civil war. I suspected this for some time, but have been holding out hope that it may be avoided. Now, as things are firming up and the picture is becoming more defined I can see that the low-boil political war that has been churning in this country for decades is going to turn into a shooting war down the road. The Left will lose that war; the military will mostly be on our side. I hope we could transition back to civilian government in a short time. I don’t think it will take as long as it did in Chile after the overthrow of the Communist Allende.
Just for context, I’ve got an M.A. in History (did 3 years of a Ph.D. in it, but decided to take another path). Like you, I went through a Marxist period. The book that really turned it around for me was “The Captive Mind” and the theory of “The New Class” (to which I have no doubt some of our esteemed posters here aspire, parasitic scum that they are).
I agree that this country’s going to blow. One of the areas of focus in my studies was the role of factions in the Roman Republic. Suffice it to say that history shows that two diametrically opposed perceptions of reality cannot co-exist and once there is no further ability to persuade (I know I can’t persuade Puppet Masturbator of anything. Not because my arguments are wrong, but because he is a closed-minded fool and I wasn’t put on this earth to right that wrong), the only logical next step is violence. As Clauswitz said, “War is politics by other means”.
The irony is that if it were up to me, I’d let the Left take half the country and form its own political union in a heartbeat. God, having those parasites off my teat would free up lots of capital for me to do my own thing, rather than writing a check to the government and propping them up. They can’t do the same for me and my kind because we’re their cash cows. Basically, if you make over 6 figures and it isn’t in a government job where your taxes are essentially paying your salary, you’d be crazy to be on the Left.
If it comes to a shooting war, so be it. I would rather we just declare “irreconcilable differences”, split up the assets and liabilities and go our own separate, factional ways. The Left can merge with Canada if they’re worried about losing economies of scale from the shrinkage of their numbers.
I agree the Left would lose that shooting war. Materially, they are in an even worse position than the South was in Civil War 1.0. They don’t even have the South’s sense of martial honor and discipline to help alleviate their material disadvantages. It’s almost as if their entire political movement toward “communizing” the US is an elaborate form of suicide. But, as Caesar said of his dead enemies, “They wanted this”.
#41 D-wah:
Ah, how well put. Thanks.
#62 – That Fred would take up arms against the greatest country on Earth speaks for itself. He has no respect for Democracy or the rule of law. Sadly he only will listen to the duly elected politicians he voted for, so he wants to ignore the rest, which is clearly the response of tyranny or dictators. Does anyone else think that the abolishing of Democracy is the way to go? I thought we were trying to spread it, but maybe some of you agree with Fred and think we should rule based on the mob and shooting the Capital with guns instead of words. Anyone think we should just shoot it out in DC? Some of you used to think that speaking out against the President during a time of war was treasonous…are you willing to say that picking up guns and storming DC is ok now?
Is anyone going to say that violence against democratically elected people is wrong? Are you going to ignore this statement of treason or even worse, try to pretend that it’s justified in some fashion???
Jack
Note to Congress – STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY!!!
WTH is that so GD hard to understand?
How to defeat Cap & Trade:
1. Make a commercial using this Obama quote “under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket”
2. Make use a commercial using this Obama quote “We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK”
That’s it. It will go down in flames.
re: 65 “Can TeleBama be accountable for anything in your view Pat?”
———————–
Absolutely. Case in point. I’m against wanting to “move on” instead of persuing investigations on torture. I for one want these war crimes accounted for. I want these people tried, convicted and sentanced. And I don’t care which side of the aisle they’re on. Everyone who was involved in these crimes has to be held accountable.
I also have a few problems with some of his appointees, especially Geitner.
# 62 – “The Left will lose that war; the military will mostly be on our side.”
Not only that, the overwhelming majority of gun owners in this country are conservatives. Unless the Left can figure out a way to disarm us they will be in deep trouble should a civil war actually break out.
Conservatives will NOT be forced into socialism. we will NOT go gently into the good night.
I personally will have no problem fighting against the socialists who seek to set the rules by which I may, at their pleasure, live my life.
As a taxpayer (>$50k last year) I am sick and tired of having more and more of my hard earned salary confiscated to pay for programs for the lazy, unproductive, “poor”. If we wanted to eliminate poverty then we would eliminate all programs that subsidization poverty and make it an easy option: SCHIP, welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, public housing, free lunch programs, etc. All these programs simply perpetuate poverty.
I will NOT be an indentured servant to a human parasite.
Paulson delivered the “October surprise” in September. Paulson politics lean to the left. Did Paulson dupe “W” into crisis mode? Obama was behind until Paulson delivered the economic crisis. The economic crisis was just what Obama needed to win and to hijack our government once he took office.
jack,
The United States of America was established as a Republic, which itself is based on a Constitution, outlining the rights of the people and the limits of government.
Strictly speaking, you are factually incorrect to call it a democracy. It is a Republic with democratic processes that have firewalls and protections against the majority violating the Constitution.
Plus, you put words into my mouth that I did not speak. I make an observation, not a summons to arms. I prefaced my remarks with a the proviso that I hope it does not happen.
Lay aside the shrill, cheap debating tactics. Next time you swing at my nuts you won’t like my rebuttal. Your call. You want to get down and dirty, I can get very dirty too. Because in the sport I used to play (ice hockey)there is a thing called an honor code: there are things you don’t do to another man or else you are going to pay a price for it.
So, play it straight up, buddy.
Here are the kinds of emerging violations of the Constitution that keep piling up which become a pile of trip wires that could set it off:
1. Onerous confiscation of wealth by the tax code.
2. Egregious financial mismanagement of the nation’s Treasury, saddling our progeny with unsustainable debt.
3. Attempts to wipe out the 2nd Amendment, by requiring the registration of weapons and then attempted confiscation of them.
4. The massive extension of the franchise to non-citizens.
5. Allowing our enemies to attack us and wound us, in violation of the oath of office to defend and protect the people and the Constitution.
6. Measures taken to impose restrictions on the First Amendment.
How are those for violations of the rule of law, eh Jack? Those are just a few.
And remember that Obama himself called the Constitution a flawed document. Get a clue. And his brain dead supporters and voters may be franchised, but that does not mean the rabble knows what is best at all times.
I’m politically insignificant and am no organizer or herald of revolution or civil war. I am merely observing things I see happening, taking stock of their logic and trajectory. And I’ve been on the other side. Remember that. I know them like the back of my hand. It was your Billy Ayers and the Weathermen who discussed putting 25 million Americans in re-education camps after the revolution, executing those who were not reformable. Oh, and who is a good friend (in his own words, not mine)of Billy Ayers?
Somehow I doubt an insolent little p***k like you would never say the thing you wrote to my face and be willing to pay the price for it. The difference between you and I is that I would say these things to your face and I would not be afraid of you “bringing it.”
Speakin’ of Democrat’s “Music” …I will draw an obvious parallel….You have Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, two con-artists who saw no ethical dilemmas in exploiting the sympathies of whomever possible (Homosexual, Africans, Japanese, Hispanics..etc) to progress their own agendas of personal wealth and power…That is why they will speak out and preen sympathetic to the agendas of other races,(“No Justice, No Peace”…about Rodney King? “Streets of Philadelphia” but I ain’t kissin’ the black man no more..I got kids.) because in terms of risk management, those races pose no threat to their preemminence in their markets and serve as protections against their own race’s abilitiy to assess and undermine that preemminence…Let’s have a working-class, Anglo “Soul Singer”, on say, American Idol, who exploits the same hungry growl of “good ole” Rock and Roll material as Springsteen does..an’ you will see what I mean…(And believe me they exist..(Kurt Cobain was one)…Why do I say this? Because I once had some very close affiliates in AT&T, the main corporate entity behind “American Idol”, who were very clearly invested in protecting that interest and percieved me as a threat to it in the end.) It is the same policy of the Southern plantation owner….The “Scarlet O Hara Era”..”I’ll take a red headed women..” (Also notice that the judges panel on “American Idol” consists of a Hispanic, (Paula), an African, (Randy), and the real coup d’etat, a british national, (Simon). These are not men of strong constitutions by any means…like Bill Clinton…The minute Springsteen sees the wear of age settin’ in on his “perfect body” he will get that tummy tuck, he so proudly held himself above…He will dye his hair…all just to keep himself happy when he looks in the mirror…and there will be no mention of it allowed anywheres in the media. He will change from, “Nobody wins, unless everybody wins” to the Lincolnesque admonition of “You can’t please all the people all the time” and no longer sing of “War, what is it good for?”…because he will not be akin to anyone of his own kind threatening his market or “kingdom”. In that case “war” is good for something….(but he will deliver his lines with such poetic world weariness, that those who abide will consider their far more severe sufferings as equivalent to his..and that such a war was, indeed, “inevitible”.)
People like Obama, are jest tearin’ their pages outta that same book….an’ fillin’ it in with their own agendas of like. But since it’s African it ain’t really “in the family”..” (Consider the US managment of Japanese rule and the Korean collaborators in South Korea after the Korean War.)…”Let’s make a deal”…”You want to keep Springsteen?(Have yer beefcake an’ eat it too). Then I wanna be President!” (Stick close to the boss an one day be the boss!)
I will not support a Democracy that serves as a changing room mirror in the department store of such vanities to preen themselves in front of, and bask in the tinseled glow of, “Who’s the fairest of them all?..Don’t I look fine in these duds!”.
#85 Fred
You said, “going to turn into a shooting war down the road. The Left will lose that war; the military will mostly be on our side”
Yes, you are politically insignificant, but are you truly advocating war against our own government? You say it WILL turn to be a shooting war and YOUR SIDE will be supported by the military…as if you will be against the country’s government. If you side with those who shoot at or supercede our elected officials (even if they are part of the military) you are a travesty of our country.
Speak out that you will never hold arms against our country leadership and that you will never support those who do or quit your tap dancing.
Support democracy or p*ss off. (And no, pulling out the ‘republic’ argument wouldn’t work for the democrats and it won’t work for you if you are advocating viloent treason).
You wrote a ’1,000′ word essay so if you actually care about this country that much, say right now that you would never support an insurrection of any sort or admit you advocate the end of this country. I can’t believe you tap-danced around that you communist pig.
Sad bastard.
Jack
#85 Fred – And another thing you tool, you said this…
“I hope we could transition back to civilian government in a short time”
So don’t give me a line about not supporting the insurrection/treason. You are already talking about the aftermath. Instead of worrying about how the militant uprising works, you are clearly ready for turns out, maybe you should spend some time trying to fix things before the uprising happens.
(The sad part is that you go out of your way to say that you wouldn’t pick up arms, but that you would support those that do and that you are already working on the day after…grow a set if you really think it’s wrong…why wouldn’t you pick up arms for something you believe in?)
You “hope it doesn’t happen”? Well then what about your posts cried out for stopping it? Nothing.
Damn, you are a sorry sack of sh*t. I take a ton of crap for being a lefty POS around here but how anyone could avoid calling you out for the crap-weasel you are (and call themselves an American) is beyond me.
I may disagree with folks on plenty of issues, but I would never be thinking about the post-assassination of Bush regime like you seem to be doing.
Shame on you times 1,000.
Horrible human being.
You and others will call me names, but at the end of the day, anyone who would advocate us shooting at each others (or accepting it) is fundamentally anti-American. And if they want to speak up, it would be great fodder for whoever else is reading this (sadly).
Jack
Let’s not forget that the Harry Reid said “We’ve lost Iraq” just a little too early. Of course, he was not made to pay for his lack of vision, but those of us who remember can clearly see him for the fool he is.
I would put the chanced of recovery at about 20%. Not great, but dice do roll sixes every so often – even if not every time. As Clinton said “It’s the economy”. If we have a recovery by 2012, Obama has got it made. If not, there goes that control of both houses the dems covet so.
Jack,
You lit into me with a noisy tirade and I fed it right back to you. You deserved it.
By the way, I’m a military veteran; have fired weapons and know how to use them. Never fled from a fight, ever, in my life. You have some stones calling me a coward, which is another reason why it would probably not be a good idea if we ever met face to face.
Guys like me eat shithead Leftists like you for breakfast. And it would not matter the manner of fighting or the tools used.
It just so happens that my sojourn on the Left as an aspiring Marxist intellectual many years ago (in another life, it seems)allowed me to be intimately familiar with the ideas that undergird the movement now in ascendancy here in this country. I know the activist wing too, and that is why I fear for my country. I’ve seen this war building for decades and I know who stoked it and who sustained it.
I’m proud of the fact that I saw the flaws in the ideology of the Gramscian Marxists and then reversed course. I’m not a tool of totalitarian swine anymore. But you are.
“Federal tax revenue plunged $138 billion, or 34%, in April vs. a year ago — the biggest April drop since 1981.”
#89 David – Reid and Pelosi should be booted. It’s sad in that they could have done well, but they devolved to the worst possible for any politician. Wasted chance to do what they could have done.
Jack
It’s pretty pathetic that you guys are already hopelessly betting on schadenfreude to help win voters back.
Republicans are just as much to blame, if not more, for the current economic crisis. Many economists point to Phil Gramm and his push to deregulate the banks in being the prime mover for the current crisis. Mind you, Clinton signed GBLA, so he can share some as well.
Nevertheless, moving further right, giving moderates the finger, and waiting to throw mud in the eye of everyone else because they didn’t listen to you will get you no where.
Ms. Rubin, I wish I could have your optimism about the 2010 elections, but I don’t. While there may be some Barry supporters who will be stung by reality and change their tune, most will continue to be oblivious because they feel “safe” in government hands.
And the BDS is such that even when smacked in the head with a 2×4 by Barry, they will blame Bush for cutting down the tree that the board came from.
Combine that with republican repugnance at getting “dirty” in a good fight, it will be a generational thing in my mind before enough of the electorate is moved to take action. By then, the time for action will have passed and all that is left is the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
81. Jack:
#62 – That Fred would take up arms against the greatest country on Earth speaks for itself. He has no respect for Democracy or the rule of law. Sadly he only will listen to the duly elected politicians he voted for, so he wants to ignore the rest, which is clearly the response of tyranny or dictators. Does anyone else think that the abolishing of Democracy is the way to go? I thought we were trying to spread it, but maybe some of you agree with Fred and think we should rule based on the mob and shooting the Capital with guns instead of words. Anyone think we should just shoot it out in DC? Some of you used to think that speaking out against the President during a time of war was treasonous…are you willing to say that picking up guns and storming DC is ok now?
It was Obama’s goons camped outside of people’s HOMES a few weeks ago and sending them death threats. You remember, when Obama said he was all that was standing between them and “pitchforks”.
I realize that it’s hard to keep up with what all is going on, but at least have the self-awareness to realize that if you’re not up to date on who’s mob ruling whom, you might want to post less and read more.
BTW, the Czechs and the Slovaks seem to have “divorced” rather peacefully. Seems like a good model to me.
Your side will even have the added advantage of no longer being a target for Islamic terrorists. You know, since you’re all multicultural and sh*t.
“Self-righteous” doesn’t even begin to plumb the depths of your character.
#90 fred – I didn’t call you a coward, but since you took my comments that way it must be that you have some concerns about your own standpoint (do you think you are a coward?). I called you treasonous (numerous times). I called you out as being anti-American. I said you were willing to take up arms against our country, and you didn’t deny it…you just said you would support the military if they did it. I questioned your belief in Democracy and you equivocated and after challenging you on it, you relented. You are a sad piece of work, even if you really did spend time in the military. You haven’t even tried to defend against my charges, and now that I’ve pointed it out, you’ll dodge them with “not needing to defend yourself” or “not needed to defend yourself against me”. If you really loved this country, you wouldn’t try to dodge my claims, you’d state your case.
After all the insults I threw at you, the worst you can say is you “used” to be a marxist. I NEVER hated this country, and I’ve never even considered taking up arms aginst it or supporting those that do. You have had your chance to refute the charges of treason, but you haven’t. I’m sorry, but a reformed Marxist is a one time Marxist. Even if I am liberal (which I’m not), I’ve never advocated or accepted the overthrowing of our government.
If you had really been one of our military boys/girls we are so proud of, you would have been completely incensed at 99% of what I said, yet it all slided right off of you. You are a sick sick man. How much did you laugh on 9/11? Did you think it was the first step in your crazy plot to “fix” America????
Once again, shame on you.
Jack
P.S. Keep threatening me loser. These colors don’t run, you POS.
# 62 Fred, Don’t you just like the way “Jack” claims to take the “patriot” high ground! Ha! What a joke he is.
I agree with you and Vinevidivici, we are headed for a confrontation that Barry is putting gasoline on. You are right that this situation has been flickering for a long time.
While I liked Pres. Reagan, I thought the most destructive result of his “bring down the Soviet Union” was the interpretation that “communism” had been defeated. Nope. That idea survived. A country where it was practiced failed. But in the interlude, the idea continued to spread like a cancer within our own country.
And fools like Jack think that it is “unpatriotic” to talk about resistance to our “leadership?” He does not realize that our allegiance is to the Constitution and not the man, the administration in office or a party. That is why I hold hope as you do that most military folks will support resistance because they know and believe their allegiance is to the country and constitution and not a person.
Consider why guns and ammo have flown off the shelf and are backordered by the tons. Some may feel the need to hunt and provide for themselves and their families when the economy implodes, but most feel that government is reaching that tipping point where they need to protect themselves from the beast that knows no bounds. And in their efforts to dominate, they will attempt to squelch freedom of speech and rights to own weapons.
Jack is an idiot to attack you. He should be keeping an eye on the very government he feels patriotic about. He knows nothing of history or our Constitution. I would feel sorry for him but his kind have brought us to this point and I can only despise him.
the “virgin in a brothel” jack has moved from the racist latina topic to this one because he was desperately loosing.
“I may disagree with folks on plenty of issues, but I would never be thinking about the post-assassination of Bush regime like you seem to be doing.”
Well, wake up, sleeping beauty, your peers (the ones that have voted obama like you) are all about character assassination of bush, hell, even your colored hero is all based on the bush character assassination.
So what your weak brain personally think is 0,000000000001% of what the leftist group (of which you are part of) thinks.
17. rocketeer:
Once his policies have had time to actually impact the majority, he’ll be lucky to finish his term. He is Jimmy Carter II.
~~~~
We’ll be lucky if he’s no worse than jimmah. Frankly, I think he’s FAR worse. I fear we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
48. Sherab Zangpo:
The RINOs are part of the subversive plan, I am sure they have been promised excellent seats in the nomenklatura of the regime.
~~~~~
Or so they think. Even those governments that run double agent’s don’t trust them. If someone will betray their own, they will betray anyone.
#95 venividivici – Oh thank god. Treason is ok because you don’t like something Obama did. Thank god we cleared that up.
Thanks for completely ignoring a clear point and searching for another one because you didn’t like having to deal with the thought of another American advocating shooting at other Americans. You ducked the question, you know it, and by doing so you admitted I’m right. The blood is on your hands next time one of these morons drives their tractors down to the White House and starts shooting up the place.
Pathetic.
#97 WhyamInotsurprised – How can you supposedly defend the Constitution by suggesting taking up arms against it? I can’t believe you feel that shooting at your own flag is patriotic. Cling to your gun, nutbar. Nothing any liberal could ever say or do is worse, and like it or not, that’s a plain fact.
Pathetic.
Jack
P.S. Not wasting any more of my time on anyone who is so dumb as to advocate violence, but so gutless to never back it up (thankfully). Enjoy life on your compound, comrade. You are a politically impotent whiner, and you’ve lost all high ground on rational discourse.
Hey Jack! Stop with the circle jerk. You’re gonna hurt yourself!
I can see that through your myopic glasses, you can’t understand the seige that the Constitution is under. And that is sorry. You are sorry.
“Shooting at my own flag?” Where do you come up with the sorry sh*t?
As for gutless and not backing it up, just try me bro! I’ll kick your bitch ass back into the hole you crawled out of. What a dumbshit!
You have had your chance to refute the charges of treason, but you haven’t. I’m sorry, but a reformed Marxist is a one time Marxist.
Former Marxists are often the most rabid anti-Marxists since they can’t forgive having been conned into supporting murderous ideologies (1). They also know marxist propaganda and discussion tricks far better than “natural conservatives” do.
(1) My own particular Damascus road was the Khmer Rouge genocide. That is when I noticed the racist indifference towards the fate of Cambodians both of Marxists and liberals. Once they were no longer fighting America their lives mattered no more than the ones of fleas.
A war on Nancy boy urban snobs, that would last about a day until they cried ‘uncle’.
blah . . . blah . .. blah . . .
91. fred:
Guys like me eat shithead Leftists like you for breakfast. And it would not matter the manner of fighting or the tools used.
103. WhyamInotsurprised?:
As for gutless and not backing it up, just try me bro! I’ll kick your bitch ass back into the hole you crawled out of. What a dumbshit!
105. steveg:
A war on Nancy boy urban snobs, that would last about a day until they cried ‘uncle’.
If you were such, you would not claim such. Typical mouthy chickenhawk strutting from guys who are always the first to turn and run when the shit flies.
I know a “community organizer” who just loved the “ONE” until her hubby lost his job. What creeped me out about Obama was the reference early on in his campaign to have a “civilian militia armed and with as much authority as the military”. THAT alone was enough to scare the hell out of me. It all comes down to a “cult of personality” and zero substance.
102. Jack:
#95 venividivici – Oh thank god. Treason is ok because you don’t like something Obama did. Thank god we cleared that up.
Thanks for completely ignoring a clear point and searching for another one because you didn’t like having to deal with the thought of another American advocating shooting at other Americans. You ducked the question, you know it, and by doing so you admitted I’m right. The blood is on your hands next time one of these morons drives their tractors down to the White House and starts shooting up the place.
Pathetic.
That’s why civil wars are always so destructive. That said, they cleanse the body politic of what ails it.
Besides your trying to minimize the obvious provocation inherent in Obama’s thugocracy tactics, the problem I have with your calling me “treasonous” is that I don’t recognize your legitimacy as judge of my guilt or innocence in political matters. I value your opinion on what is and isn’t treasonous in America as much as I would value the opinion of one of those tribesmen anthropologists run into in the Amazon forest from time to time. Zero. Zilch. Nada. The person you are conversing with on the other side of this computer views you as a non-person.
I already stated my preference for a nice, peaceful partition of a political union that obviously isn’t working any more. Do you think it’s working? What’s working about it? When two sides of a debate cannot agree on even the most basic of foundations, how can there be real debate? I don’t feel like I’m debating you, I feel like I’m biding my time until we come to blows. There is not one single abstract political concept you and I agree on. I side with Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Madison et al. You side with a South Side punk. There is no common ground for us to build on, only power politics.
The sticking point is clearly that each side bides its time until it can get in charge of the behemoth, when the clearly rational thing to do is split it up. If that call isn’t heeded, over time shooting is probably inevitable. So? It’s happened in every country that’s ever existed in the history of the planet, including our own. It’s built into human nature. Again, the idea that you would have some legitimate opinion that I should consider is outside of the realm of my political perspective. You are a roadblock and useless to me. If you think that down the road I’d have some problem doing the shooting, you’re wrong. My political idol is Julius Caesar for crying out loud. I view politics the Roman way, as blood sport. My prediction is that soon, everyone will view them this way, especially as the political spoils system becomes the only growth game in town. Again, it’s human nature.
more kernels of knowledge from the epic sage known only as “jack”:
“After all the insults I threw at you, the worst you can say is you “used” to be a marxist.”
only a child or your mommy would be concerned about some little hissy tantrum……
” and I’ve never even considered taking up arms aginst it or supporting those that do.”
give it some time.
” I’m sorry, but a reformed Marxist is a one time Marxist.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell
get to know this man..he can help you.
“Even if I am liberal (which I’m not.)”
i will take you at your word then.although,you sure do insult,obfuscate and whine like a liberal.as well as regularly defending them and their messiah..just sayin’
You are a sick sick man. How much did you laugh on 9/11? Did you think it was the first step in your crazy plot to “fix” America????
that last quote in #109 solicits no further comment.
Are you still glad that you voted for Obama?
I would advise everyone to get up to speed in the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers. The United States of America was not founded to become or evolve into a socialist state. Equality before the law is not the same thing as equality of outcome. Our Founders and the people of that time would never consent to “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
In 1973 the President of Chile, Salvador Allende, was planning to shed his populist-socialist packaging for the real deal: a full-throated Cuban-style, Cuba-Soviet Alliance, Communism. The CIA always knew that Allende was really a Marxist-Leninist, but he was a crafty politician who always coyly avoided any public identification with Castro and Communism. But the CIA and the Chilean military found out who he really was and they were alarmed. So, they took action, which was in the form of a coup and a long campaign to rid Chile of Communists and various Marxists. Today, my views of what happened in Chile have changed a lot from how I viewed the situation back in my decade dalliance with Marxism (1977-1987). In those days I hewed to the more Leftist line: Allende was a hero/martyr was slain by the evil Pinochet. And that thousands of the “disappeared” were innocents caught up in indiscriminate terror raids and executions.
I have since acquired a different view of those events. To be honest, I think that innocent people were indiscriminately swept up, tortured and murdered. But I think that part has been exaggerated. Furthermore, I now understand that a lot of Communists were caught and dealt with as they should have been: treated as enemies of Chile and freedom.
I now think that my country is threatened by the Marxists/Communists just as Chile had been in the early Seventies. These people have penetrated all sectors of our society. The more wily ones, in academia and media and NGO‘s, have been very good at packaging themselves in nomenclature designed to take advantage of two defects in our society: naivety and an enduring anti-anti-Communism. They present their visions and ideas to their young charges without attribution or provenance. They have even hijacked the word “liberal” and taken it out of the tradition of its classical meaning. Thus burrowed deeply into our society, this enemy is a shape-shifter and very good at demoralization, revisionism, and revolution by slowly boiling the frog. They are in our largest corporations and our most elite educational institutions. They are in the ranks of the clergy in our churches.
And they are winning.
What are we to do? How do we stop this? Is there time to stop this? Do we stand a chance of stopping them?
Should we consider implementing the hard path that Gen. Augusto Pinochet mapped out for restoring classical liberal and free market ideas to Chile? How do we adapt that to our circumstances so as to avoid some of the excesses of that purge? Can it be done?
#86 Fred,
Thanks for your insightful comments.
If there were to be a physical confrontation between you and Jack, I would bet on you to win.
I would also bet on you in the battle of wits between you and Jack.
But then, you are fighting an unarmed man.
#106 sheeshhhh, you are nothing but an gnat’s ass!
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me,
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me,
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me,
For I belong to somebody.
CHORUS:
I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star,
I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
The song remained popular over the decades, and was commonly sung by soldiers during the the Spanish-American War of 1898, when flies and the yellow fever mosquito were a serious enemy.
FYI – source for song lyrics and narrative was Wikipedia
“Save or create 3-4 million jobs?”
What does this statement exactly mean? Could it be verified?
Would the stimulus be a success if in the end only 3-4 million people remain employed in the United States?
The authors of the stimulus bill could then truly claim that they had saved 3-4 million jobs.
114. WhyamInotsurprised? . . . That’s it? Two things – first, you were honest enough to not deny your cowardice, and second, if it didn’t bother you, you wouldn’t have responded. Imagine this – You’re in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly with a sackful of Slim Jim, Cheese Puffs and a couple of tall boys. You see an interracial couple walking down the street. You drop the sack and run up to them and yell, “Oh yeah! Well who cares about you?”
Something tells me you do care, knowwhatimsayin?
Personal attacks will get you nowhere. It shows your lack of depth, and given your lack of response to my incriminations, it also proves your love yourself more than the country (or you just have no debate skills). It might do you well here, but you are out of touch with the majority in this country and proves your extremist (and continually losing) point of view.
You speak your views with a bullhorn on the Mall and I’ll do the same…I’ll have at least 50 percent agreeing with me (that violence is the tool of the lesser mind), and you’ll look like a loon.
If everyone thinks your are a sociopath, is the problem with them or with you? If you think them, seek help as that is the sign.
Jack
#114 WhyAmINotSurprised – Seriously, that’s the equivalent of a schoolyard chant. Not even trying to offend, but why would you even say something like that here if you had any respect for discussion? It’s like you don’t even care. Do you actually care or are you just one of those people who (no offense intended) have nothing better to do but argue?
I sincerely don’t mean to be combative, but I didn’t know how else to ask. It just seems like you think the problems/issues here are just like talking in a chat room? Maybe that’s all this is, but I’d like to think otherwise.
Jack
RE all silly Soetorotrolls, POM, Sheesh, Jack, Vivo & cie:
Wasting you time: as Jennifer says, the stimulus is a bust and the dems now must face the bill:
Even Ralph Nader, your revolutionary friend sees it like this – bellow is his communique about the gross rip-off the GM affair was/is:
WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Consumer advocate Ralph Nader today issued the following statement on GM’s bankruptcy filing:
“Today’s bankruptcy declaration in federal court by General Motors is an avoidable, crude weapon of mass devastation for workers, dealers, auto suppliers, small businesses and their depleted communities. For GM’s voiceless owners — the common shareholders — it is a wipeout.
The proximate cause of the bankruptcy was supposed to be the inability of GM and the government’s auto task force to reach an accommodation with GM’s bondholders. But late last week, the bondholder problem was moving toward rapid resolution, and was clearly resolvable. Why then are GM and its multibillion government financier proceeding with bankruptcy?
The bankruptcy and the GM restructuring plan are the product of a secretive, unaccountable, Wall Street-minded government task force that assumed power because of a Congressional abdication of historic magnitude. By all rights, the restructuring plan should have been submitted to Congress for deliberative review and decision.
There is little doubt that GM’s chronic mismanagement and the deep recession require restructuring and scaling back the auto giant. But the bankruptcy and restructuring plan appear poised to do so in ways that will needlessly harm the stakeholders meant to be helped by Washington’s rescue of GM?
Many, many jobs will be lost that could be preserved. There is reason to question whether too many plants and brands are being closed — a matter that should have been taken up in Congress. Just the closing of hundreds of (GM and Chrysler) dealerships will cost more than 100,000 jobs. These sacrificed jobs will fray communities and impose enormous expenses on government entities that will have to provide unemployment and social relief, while suffering lost tax revenues.
The unionized workforce will see the wage and benefit structure slashed — even though auto manufacturer wages make up less than 10 percent of the cost of a car — so that new jobs at GM will no longer be a ticket to the middle class. This will drag down the wage structure of the entire auto industry — exactly the wrong direction for the country.
America’s manufacturing base will be further eroded, as GM pursues its Grand China Strategy — increasing manufacturing outside of the United States, and increasingly from China, for import back into the United States. Unanswered questions persist about how GM’s valuable operations in China, and unrepatriated profits, will be treated in bankruptcy, or excluded from bankruptcy.
Victims of defective GM products may find themselves with no legal avenue to pursue justice. In the Chrysler bankruptcy, with complete disregard for the real human lives involved, the Obama task force and auto company have maneuvered effectively to extinguish the product liability claims of victims of defective cars.
In a worst case scenario for the GM bankruptcy — involving an extended court proceeding or severe impairment of consumer confidence in the GM brand — all of these problems will be magnified. Again, given the path to resolution with the bondholders, this is an avoidable gamble.
The GM/task force bankruptcy plans appear geared to saving the General Motors entity — but at a harsh and often avoidable cost to workers, communities, suppliers, consumers, dealers, and the nation’s manufacturing capacity. It will also prove to be a complex political nightmare for President Obama.
With the company entering bankruptcy, the next challenge will be to ensure that the government exercises its ownership rights to undo and mitigate, to the extent possible, these damages. Among other measures, this should involve revisiting the serious drag-down, concessionary wage terms imposed on the United Auto Workers; demanding a moratorium on GM’s outsourcing of production of cars for sale in the United States; and establishing successorship liability for the new GM, so that victims of dangerous and defective GM cars can have their day in court.”
————————-*—————–
Understandable your panic, now when the Soeteriade is unraveling –
And by the way, Jack, show where I call for in violence in this post, as you keep accusing me, and many others posting on this site -
Loser!
folks, lets not forget this-the institutions run by the democrap party are the ENEMIES of freedom. You cannot hope to impeach Obama, Nazi Bolshevik B*tch Piglosi will not lose her seat, or you cannot expect honest reporting out of the media. The academians are the useful idiots that Stalin talked about. The communist demorat party is the enemy of the common american, the average american must now be prepared to treat this as a war. The left has been at war with America ever since Cronkite sided with the commies during Vietnam, and likely all the way back to Mccarthy(who turned out to be VERY correct). The average everyday mom/pop America must now be prepared to deal with the left as our ENEMIES. No more “debates”, these folks are not your “friends”. They want to destroy the way of life all our forebearers before us started and replace it will an ideology that has a long history of MASS MURDER. Dont forget-Former FBI informant Larry Grunthwal said BILL AYERS once told him there would have to be 25-30 million MURDERED for communism to succeed in America. So, refuse to be “friends” with any crowd that refuses to stand up for freedom. The american revolution was supported by about 1/3 to 1/2 of the colonists. The time is coming and likely very soon. First time OBAMASCUM sends out his BLACK PANTHER BROWNSHIRTS we will know the time has come.
Left wing POS excuse “we inherited this mess”. Let me see-Nasty Piglosi and Harry Greed took over Congress in 2007. Funny how before then I never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in crisis, I never heard of Indy mac, Never heard of tarp, never heard of $787 billion stimulus, never heard talk of hyper inflation, never heard of Kim Jong mentally ill launching nukes, never heard of “normalizing” relations with Castros Cuba, never heard of Gitmo suspects being freed IN THE US and we the taxpayer subsidizing them, never heard of a USSC appointment being racist as hell, etc etc etc. What next Obamacsum-what you going to do if RED CHINA ATTACKS TAIWAN LOSER?