There's clearly something magical about Hawaii that makes politicians want to spend large amounts of money (not that they ever need a big push in that direction).
As a case in point, while enjoying his $4 million vacation on Oahu, Barack Obama is expected to make a casual phonecall back to Washington this week (probably from the golf course, where he's spent more time this year than in his previous two years in office) requesting yet another $1.2 trillion in mad money.
After making a big deal of "giving" $40 to hardworking Americans last week, the cost of this latest expenditure will be $4000 to each and every man, woman, and child in the nation. So much for "pizza night" or buying insulin.
And Hawaii's warm salt air has also encouraged Nancy Pelosi (that champion of America's common people) to go on a bit of a spending spree - treating herself to a $10,000 per night suite at a luxurious vacation resort. Of course, she's got the money to do it - thanks to barely legal and highly unethical insider trading schemes which have helped this "public servant" amass a personal fortune estimated to be as high as $196 million while the net worth of average Americans nosedived.
So the question in our minds is does Hawaii create spendthrifts, or just attract them? Either way, it might be good to force politicians to stay in Washington during the long, cold winter.
It might remind them that for America's distressed, depressed, overtaxed, and unemployed that life's a bitch...and not a beach.
Having a great time! Wish you weren't poor!
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30 comments:
My wife and I took a vacation once, in 1993. I remember it. It was great. Everybody ought to take one once in their lives.
Welcome to Life Styles of the Socialist Elite. Reminds one of those heady days when lovely Marie said those immortal words; "Let them eat cake"; and we know what happened next, don't we.
Ricko-Tyler, Tx
Once again, let me expound on the idiocy of the "Occupy" movement. If they were anything other than useful idiots for the communists, they'd be camping out at Lafayette Square or the steps of the Capitol instead of at Wall Street.
Stilton proves once again that he is the grand Kahuna of political satire.
Book shoulda been named 'the Audacity of Dopes'... The sheer chutzpah of these "Tools of the People" (and yes, I mean 'tools') is stunning. Awesome Pic, Stilt, tho the thought of Nancy Fancypants' shriveled dugs being restrained by cocoanuts is gonna take some brain bleach.
Yesterday the msm reported on the estimated wealth of our men and women in Washington and said at least 1/2 of them were millionairs. What I would like to see in the report is what the next assets of those same folks was BEFORE they got to Washington. Maybe that would wake up the consciousness of America that those crooks are robbing us all blind and we need reforms and term limits and political bans for life for criminal misconduct and, oh yeah, long prison terms for them and there cronies in state prisons, not federally operated country club prisons.
@Bobo, spend a few minutes on Google and you will find plenty of articles documenting the before-and-after wealth of many of our representatives.
If you leave Washington poorer that when you came, you were either too honest, or just not trying.
@Angry Hoosier Dad- I haven't had a vacation in the true sense in eons, though ironically I did visit Kailua (the town where Obama is staying on Oahu) repeatedly because my aging parents lived there before they passed away. The "pillbox climb" that Obama did recently is very familiar to me. But I have to admit that I chafe knowing that those concrete pillboxes were built to keep watch against Japanese attacks in World War II...and Barack Obama wanted to apologize to Japan for the harsh methods America used to defeat them in wartime. His presence at any WWII site is an insult.
@Ricko- Believe me, what the political elite want us to eat isn't cake...
@John the Econ- It does seem awfully short-sighted of the OWS types to be complaining about the damage done by corporations instead of that done by politicians. And of course, when I say "short-sighted" I mean dumbfoundingly stupid.
@The Digital Hairshirt- I am so putting "Grand Kahuna of political satire" on my new, suntan lotion-scented business cards!
@Pete(Detroit)- If coconuts could throw up, this is when they'd do it.
@Bobo- The story of politicians (of both parties) harvesting the money trees in Washington is amazing and depressing. They've given themselves the legal ability to use non-public information for insider trading, and created a host of wink-and-nudge ways to get barely disguised payoffs and bribes. If you look at the net worth of the American peasantry (in other words, us) the curve has been bending down for quite awhile now. But Washington politicians, as a group, have seen a rocketlike trajectory straight up- because they don't live in our world, and don't play by our rules. They are the politostocracy... and they view the rest of us with disdain.
Pete(Detroit):
Ron White said that once you've seen one pair of boobies you pretty much want to see them all. I believe he later issued an exception to that rule for Pelosi.
I assume he hasn't been eating his peas out in Hawaii....
At least the Wicked Bitch of the West is using her own ill-gotten gains rather than soaking us. But, I wonder if, under closer scrutiny, she hasn't found some means to get us to foot the bill. Probably some meeting we don't yet know about...
Ugh. I cannot wait for the November elections. If nothing else, just to see the look on The Øne's face when he is kicked to the electoral curb and his "presidency" is committed once and for all to posterity. Or preposterity. But, frankly, I think the democratic socialists have yet to show us the bottom of their bag of tricks with respect to the upcoming election.
Emmentaler - you assume the 'bag of tricks' HAS a bottom?
Emmentaler/Pete: It is indeed most likely that their 'bag of tricks' has no bottom, yet they will manage to reach it anyway. Hopefully, they will wind up being like the proverbial dog that eats his own tail and disappears.... hmmm, must be time for my medical margarita.
Mike Porter - "Medical" margarita reminds me of a beverage we used to concoct BITD... put a quantity of "medicinal" herb in a jar of Everclear, seal it, apply heat (we used to set it on top of the toaster over, then turn it on) for an hour or so, let cool, strain.
the alcohol would leach all the 'goodness' from the herb, as well as the chlorophyll - it looked nearly black.
Mix that with grapefruit juice and Squirt to make a VERY potent "Medicinal fruit punch."
Man, that picture is awesome! There in one photo...three of the most screwball people of all time! Pelosi and obama have done so much damage to this country for their own purposes, it really is criminal! Hopefully history will reflect what a disaster they were, unless textbook revisionism continues, which it probably will!
Pass the margarita please
Reminds me of medicinal fried chicken...
@My Dog Brewski- Following along with your theme of revised quotes, "Will Rogers never met Barack Obama."
@Suzy- Hilarious! I'd forgotten that Obama had lectured us that it was time to "eat our peas" and show fiscal responsibility...before his fake supercommittee failed, the president went on another multi-million dollar vacation, and decided to hit the taxpayers up for another $1.2 trillion rather than cutting anything anywhere. Seriously, Barack, all I am saying is give peas a chance. (ba-da-BOOM)
@Emmentaler- Yes, Nancy is spending her own hard-earned bribe money rather than tax money (at least to some extent - there are a lot of bills, like security, being foisted off on the taxpayers of Hawaii. On the other hand, Hawaii allegedly gave us Obama, so screw 'em).
Regarding the November elections, I absolutely believe we're going to see new levels of appalling behavior from the left.
@Pete(Detroit)- Trying to figure out when a liberal's bag of tricks (or morality) truly hits bottom is a question for metaphysicists. And not ones who are cold sober.
@Mike Porter- I wish they'd eat their own tails and disappear, but it's probably too much to hope for. As for a medical margarita, I think it's much more likely to do good for you than Obamacare ever will.
@Pete(Detroit)- I don't get it; you were making Oregano flavored Everclear? (grin)
@Pryorguy- While the picture may have a touch of photoshopping, I believe it accurately reflects a lot of truth.
@Emmentaler Limburger- You mean one of the Colonel's "secret herbs and spices" is pakalolo (as Barry would say)?
"7 Secret Herbs and Spices"
mmmmmMMMMMMMm
Never went there - some 'flavor enhancers' were applied while chicken was cooking...
And, oddly enough, for all the things we DID do w/ chicken, never tried battered (or breaded) and fried at home.
Homemade "Shake'n'Bake" (flour, pepper, salt and a dash of baking powder) hells yeah, but actual frying? Had a BAD experience or two at other people's places... Apparently, unless using a LOT of oil (deep fryer / large pot) it is difficult to cook the chicken through w/o totally incinerating the crust / skin... Why do you think chicken strips / nuggets are THIN?
Anyway, we're hijacking a stupid spending thread to discuss (intoxicating) cooking methods. I think we're probably not ALL opposed, but I personally am about tapped out on the topic.
Other than 'cooking w/ (beer) wine' (see also Julia Childs_
Man, I HATE dropping the the closing paren.. they ALWAYS roll up underneath / down behind something where they are just IMPOSSIBLE to retrieve. Here, I'll Leave a bunch for next time / others who may need 'em..
)))))))
(((
(opening parens get dropped a LOT less... dunno why, just the case, statistically...)
@Pete(Detroit)- Thanks for the cooking lesson and minor punctuational emergency (grin).
Hey, guess what? Democrats don't think current spending is anywhere near enough:
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerletters/2011/12/rep_rush_holt_public_spending.html
Here's one clown who argues that spending (as a percentage of GDP) was much larger during 1943 and 1944, in the middle of WWII and that we should do the same!
Great idea. And completely non-sequitur. After all, I seriously doubt that Rep. Holt is suggesting that we spend like we did in 1943 on things like fighters & bombers, battleships and aircraft carriers, tanks and cannon, nuclear weapons, and deploying American troops across the globe to subdue the forces of evil totalitarian states overrunning their borders. No, he'd spend that money on less aggressive things that pay back no dividend what-so-ever, like "community organizers", high-speed trains to nowhere and midnight basketball.
Go ahead Rep. Hold. Make that a campaign theme for 2012. Please.
@John the Econ- Actually the Dems are halfway to doing this already, having basically declared fiscal conservatives as Nazis.
Seriously, this sort of idiocy makes me heave a deep sigh and wonder if economics could be more clearly explained to some people with the help of a Louisville Slugger.
@Stilton, the economics lessons people get today (outside of academia, anyway) almost entirely depend on where you are in the real class war.
If you are in the employ of the government with generous benefits & guaranteed pension plan or a crony capitalist with a solid line to DC, your understanding of economics is quite different than those of us who are unemployed, underemployed, or slowly becoming slaves to all other classes.
@John the Econ- I'm self-employed and always have been. I pay for my family's expensive health insurance. I pay double medicare and Social Security (despite which, I don't get a $40/paycheck tax holiday, thanks). Because I don't expect Social Security to be there for me, I have my own retirement account (which also means that the money is not there for me to enjoy today). Most people would think I've lived "below my means" my entire life because I wouldn't accept credit card debt, and actually made my mortgage payments on time. My car is old enough to vote in most states (note to treehuggers: maintaining an older car instead of making a new one and junking the old one is "green"!)
And so my perspective on economics is very different than that of the people who believe they are entitled to what I've worked to earn.
@Stilton, I've long argued that if most Americans had to live as you and I do; paying for our own savings & health care, writing checks with many zeros quarterly to the IRS, etc; that we would never have arrived at this point.
We here in the Econ household have too live well below our means. (Could have a McMansion and new cars, etc) My biggest fear is that the punishment for doing so will be having our savings seized to be given to those who did not. Inflation is certainly a mechanism that accomplishes this.
BTW, none of us are really getting a "tax cut". (I know you know it's really a payday loan being robbed from Social Security that sooner or later we will be made to pay back with interest, assuming that Social Security isn't just allowed to collapse.
But you will be thrilled to know that we self-employeds will too be getting a payday loan. (We just don't get the giddy thrill of seeing it in a paycheck like Joe-Obama-Voter does)
Don't go wild and spend it on a new car.
@John the Econ- I'm with you; I'm totally against payroll deductions and think every American should have the "pleasure" of having every cent they earn in their hands for a fleeting moment...then have to compute their taxes four times a year and write a big old check to Uncle Sammy. And I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing people complain because their employer-funded health insurance has just had co-pays raised from $8 to $12.
And I share your fear that those of us who have put savings away (by doing without) will have them seized directly or indirectly. In fact, I consider it an inevitability. One of the reasons I don't own gold is that I take it as a given that when the crap hits the spinning blades o' reality, the government will (again) seize gold immediately. And probably take our canned Spam if we admit owning any.
Ammo is probably a better commodity to hold. It will retain value and is also useful.
The one that has always rubbed me the wrong way is all the people I've met who whine about how they can't afford their own health insurance, but then don't think twice about a $600/mo car lease or loan payment. Just fodder for my argument that "health care reform" was never really about "reform", but about how to get other people to pay.
@John the Econ- As we've talked about here before, the whole "health care reform" legislation is about redistribution of wealth, pure and simple. Or make that impure and simple.
And your car payment/health insurance example certainly hits a responsive chord with me: I'm driving a 1993 Nissan which I bought new. Since the day I bought it, I've conservatively paid at least $250,000 for health insurance for my family (and have been fortunate/unfortunate enough that we've almost never met our deductibles). I could have bought a lot of fun "stuff" with that money, but was unwilling to leave my family unprotected... and it never occurred to me that I should petition for someone else to pay our way.
And so I tend to have an unsympathetic ear for people who bitch about the need to pay for their own medical care, unemployment, or retirement. Here's a clue, folks - freedom doesn't guarantee that you get things for free, it guarantees that you're free to get whatever you can pay for.
No sympathy whatsoever.
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