As the days tick down until the end-of-the-world predictions by Mayan economists come true (it turns out that they didn't make a calendar - it's a calculator), it's becoming more evident that Barack Obama seems eager to actually take us all over the fiscal cliff. How else to explain his sadly laughable and entirely unacceptable proposals for a "compromise" in which he gets everything, and the fiscal conservatives get nothing?
How ridiculous is his offer? Consider this logic: by adding $1.6 trillion in new taxes to the evil wealthy job creators, even Barry expects the economy to take a new slump. So how to energize the economy after shooting it in the foot? With a new round of stimulus spending, of course! Because that's worked so well over the past few years!
Meanwhile, no one on the Democrat side is willing to talk about serious spending cuts of any kind, other than the trillion dollars of imaginary "cuts" that Timothy Geithner is claiming for not fighting two wars in the future. Presumably, if we need another quick $500 billion, Geithner can always pick another country that we won't fight a war with.
According to Republican senator Lindsey Graham (who previously starred as the boyish radio station manager in "NewsRadio"), "I think we're going over the cliff. It's pretty clear to me that they have made a political calculation."
And it's not a complicated calculation: allowing the country to go over the fiscal cliff would allow B. Hussein to enjoy massive sequestration cuts in military spending which would be impossible for him to ram through any other way. Plus the CBO estimates that allowing the Bush tax rates to expire will plunge the nation back into recession and send joblessness through the roof...which dovetails perfectly with this president's desire to see the United States downgraded into international insignificance.
Just like the complete ass that he is.
36 comments:
And I say, let it be, but make the dems own it. It will hurt everyone, but it will hurt the leaches most. Unfortunately, that isn't what's going to happen. The gop will cave, as they always do.
Anon above is a desperate and clueless spammer.
Wow. All the legit comments that get blocked, and this guy gets through. I guess the bots are evolving faster than the SPAM filters...
Maybe we need to put more Jews on that.
Anyway, yes, it is very much starting to look like the Dems are pulling for 'the cliff' - and I'm kinda getting tired of fighting it.
Screw "negotiation" - which w/ President "I Won" is more like negotiation in the prison shower - you want it on your knees, or flat on the floor?. Pass a reasonable budget out of the house, and hand it to him. "There you go" AND GET THE WORD OUT. When it dies, make sure everyone knows it was the Dem's fault. Every time an R opens his mouth for the next two years, the phrase "Democrat's economy" and or "President's Economy" should be the first, middle and last thing out of their mouths.
And if MSM won't carry the story, screw 'em - go to the tabloids (see also John Edwards' Love Child). Let the Enq, Star, WWN et al get the credit for doing some REAL journo, possibly shame the MSM into doing the job, and THOSE are the people we need to reach ANYWAY!!!!
Well, we all knew it was coming the minute we woke up the morning of November 7. Since it is inevetible, let's do all we can to place blame precisely where it belongs. If Crap Weasel and his butt buddy, Reid want this so badly, I'm more than happy to give them FULL credit for the outcome. Now, do Boehner et al have the nutz to follow though with a plan like this? Right....
Concerning our spammer... I, for one, am glad they posted because I've really been looking for a good, used Turkish hotel to buy. This booming economy has left me with huge amounts of extra cash that I need to invest, and where better than the Mid-East?!
Chuck, Pete, Colby & Readers- Just to get it out of the way, the first comment posted today was stupid, obvious spam which has now been erased. Recently, HnC has been targeted by spammers who will post their crap not just on the current topic, but on posts made years ago. The spam filters catch most of it, but I still have to manually delete things and then go back to the old cartoons to turn off the comments. Anyway, I just want to apologize for any such messages that slip through and let you know that I will nuke them as soon as I find them. And now, on with the show...
@Chuck- I'm with you, although I doubt we can make the Dems own it. I nearly posted a link to a HuffPo article which was praising Obama for "finally" standing up to the GOP, and saying that if we go over the cliff it will be solely because "a few Republicans want to keep a few millionaires from paying Clinton era taxes." In the end, I didn't post the link because the amusement value was outweighed by the sheer inflammatory dumbassery of the piece.
@Pete(Detroit)- Well said, and I agree with every syllable. The prison shower negotiation was a particularly nice and apt touch.
@Colby- While I'm almost in favor of going over the cliff at this point, I think the resulting crash would only make people more insistent that the government take care of them by seizing the assets of the evil rich. In fact, that may be the very scenario that Obama is looking forward to (and the reason the government has been buying so much ammunition recently).
It totally makes sense. Of course Obama wants more "stimulus" to keep his suicidal sycophants in-line, while tax cheat in chief Geithner wants to totally eliminate the debt ceiling. They are like Thelma & Louise pedal-to-the-metal in the Thunderbird heading towards the chasm.
(There's a cartoon for you in that, Stilton. You are welcome)
The sad justice in all of this is that the poor "non-rich" saps who still believe that Obama is not going to let their taxes ago up while taxing just "the rich" are going to get creamed by inflation. Raising the top-marginal rate by 5, 10 or 20% will be nothing when compared to an additional 5 or 10% in inflation, which attacks each and every dollar you earn or have saved, and not just the few thousand dollars at the top end of your tax bracket. Inflation taxes poor people far more aggressively than it taxes "the rich".
Suckers!
So bring on the fiscal cliff. I want the sainted "middle class" (of which I am one, btw) to understand what many of us with a grasp of the situation have known for a very long time; the "free lunch" is over and it's time to start paying up. Too many people don't care about government excess and waste when they don't feel like they are paying for it. I want them to feel the pain.
Perhaps only then will we honestly get the "change" we've been denied for the last 6+ years.
Stilt, in your comment to Chuck you got it absolutely right. If (when) we go over the cliff the media will spin it like it was all the GOP's fault for not making the rich pay their fair share. We all know that's nonsense, and we've all seen the charts and graphs, but since when do facts matter to those assholes?
Still, I'd love to see the Repubs do what Pete (D) suggests. In fact, IMO they should go back and resurrect the Simpson-Bowles Commission's recommendations (the president's own hand-picked committee), pass them, and send them on. Although I doubt whether the tabloids would be that effective in covering the story ("JFK Love Child Secret Author of Simpson-Bowles").
If only the idiots in DC could understand the very simple concept of "If you wanna play, you gotta pay," and apply it to the 47% who suck the government tit for a living. I am not a rich person, but I could be defined as wealthy; there is a difference. I am willing to pay, and have for my entire adult life, my "fair share." However my generosity ends when some lazy, good-for-nothing government leach who pays NOTHING in federal taxes lives in a larger home, drives a newer car, and eats more expensively than I. Especially when it is because of the already confiscatory taxes I "voluntarily" pay every year as I have for the better part of four and one-half decades. Bare'-Ick Ob'-uh-mah' would love nothing more than to see America laying in ruins at the bottom of the fiscal cliff solely for the reason that then he could ride up on his mini-ass and "save" the average (spelled welfare leach) citizen by throwing a few stale, moldy, dried up crusts of tax "savings" their way. And of course it will be the Republicans fault they suffered(?) and His Highness grace that "saved" them.
If Turbo Tax Timmy and Helicopter Ben of high speed printing presses have their way, how long will it be before we start seeing things like this?
http://www.rrtraders.com/Crafts/scan-13-zimbabwe-money.jpg
@John the Econ- I'd like to think that the pain of inflation would slap a little sense into people, but I think we may now be living in a post-sense world...although slapping stupid people is still worthwhile for its own sake.
Personally, I hate the idea of my retirement savings (put away over a long and arduous time) will be decimated by inflation - but I prefer that (and the accompanying pain on EVERYONE) to simply having my retirement fund seized by the government and replaced with confederate money.
@CenTexTim- Job One is for the GOP to get their story straight and stick to it unflinchingly for the next four years: "We offered a sound and balanced budget proposal, the president and the Dems rejected it and took us over the cliff." Repeat as necessary.
The media will continue to lie about what's going on, but at this point we need to ignore what we can't change.
My great fear (and genuine belief) is that Boehner and company will soon make another crappy deal with fake numbers - postponing going over the cliff by making the abyss deeper.
@Anonymous- As I've mentioned before, why does the government think that a person can earn too much, but not take too much? Why is a person earning $250,000 a burden to society, but an unmarried woman having her fifth child (by as many "baby daddies") isn't?
I've paid wild taxes my entire working life (being self-employed, I even get the joy of paying double on things like unemployment and social security) and then tried to save as much of my earnings for retirement as possible. But now it seems like I've been playing the fool: those who spend everything they had (or borrowed) will be given more, and those of us who saved will see those savings become meaningless as Washington keeps printing money out of Charmin.
@It's No Gouda- All you need is Barry's face on the bill and we're good to go...
JOhn T. E - In re feeling pain, I posted this on FBook the other day, in a discussion about progressive taxation punishing success...
I'd like to see a flat tax, everybody pays the same rate. That way we ALL have "skin in the game." I'd also like to do away w/ automatic withholding, so we each had to cut a check to the fed every month - keep people all furious at how frigg'n much the GD gov't frikkin' COSTS. I'd like it so that you have to be a tax payer to vote. While were at it, I'd like a 5'7" redhead girlfriend who owns a liquor store and restores vintage Jaguars.
.....
Cen Tex, Thanks - was trying to remember "Simpson Bowles" this am, and all I was coming up w/ was "Wronski Feint"...
Anon - Well Said! and if you use the Name/Url button you can pick a cheesy handle (or just a geographic one if you're not inspired by his curdley appendage) and we won't confuse you w/ the anon spammers...
No Gouda - I think that's a big part of what they're working towards - when bread is $1B / loaf, a $16T nat'l debt becomes almost manageable, you know?
Maybe the dems think that hanging chads will save them when we go over the fiscal cliff. It almost worked before. And I only bring this up because I still think there was a heck of a lot of voter fraud in the precincts that were important for the electoral college vote. Fraud and Libya are still a huge millstone for me.
@PeteD- I'm with you, brother. Flat tax and no withholding, and the screams will sound to me like a heavenly choir.
As far as the redhead on your wishlist goes, if you've been very very good this year, you should try asking Santa.
@Earl- Yes, there's so much arm-flapping going on about the fiscal cliff now that we get distracted from little things like massive voter fraud, and the president of the United States aiding and abetting terrorists in Libya in their efforts to kill Americans on the anniversary of 9/11. I'd like to think that Benghazi won't get buried, but look what's happened to "Fast & Furious" which had a far higher body count.
In the media's eyes, blood doesn't stick to their Halfrican Messiah.
But @Stilton, I think you're missing my point: For all practical purposes, your retirement fund is being seized by the government and replaced with confederate money. The beauty of doing it by inflation is that it doesn't take a a complex political process to achieve it, or single specific vote by Congress or the President to do it. (Voting to eliminate the debt ceiling will only expedite the process)
The hope of those of the left who understand the process is that people will blame rising prices on on the rich, greedy corporations and business and the like. Eventually, they'll resort to "price controls", which will only create shortages and make things worse. That may or may not work politically, as information today is far more fluid than it has ever been. It's up to us to educate people as to the reality.
@Pete D, a "flat tax" would be an improvement. But just how long would it take for Progressives in Washington to rape that system until it's the same as the one today? 10 years?
Personally, I prefer the "Fair Tax"; a consumption-based tax that eliminates taxing income altogether. Everybody will have "skin in the game" at that point, and will be reminded of the fact every time they make a purchase. Of course, I don't think that will ever happen now; Washington now lives on the lie that "someone else" is paying and wants a system that is opaque as possible.
@John the Econ- I wasn't missing your point, just expressing myself inelegantly. Inflation is exactly as you describe it: my point was simply that if the government preemptively takes all my retirement funds, then I'll feel the pain, but others won't get stung as immediately as if it were rising inflation doing the job. And I have no doubt that the worse things get, the more the rabble will demand greater government control to "save" them and punish the evil rich. After all, "nothin' says lovin, like someone in the oven."
Your point about a consumption tax is good too, although it is impossible to picture a system that Washington wouldn't eff up in short order.
True, even with things as bad as they are and are likely to get and Progressives running amok in Washington, it's still not (and will likely never be) politically possible for them to simple "raid" your savings and retirement accounts. (Remember, a trial balloon was for a 15% tax on certain retirement plans was floated early in the Clinton years; even in an age where IRAs and 401Ks were still mainly the province of "the wealthy", this idea landed with a thud) But thanks to inflation, they will never have to.
Inflation as a tax is so much more effective in extracting wealth than mere income taxes are; Income taxes can only attack income present and speculatively future. Inflation attacks all money; present, future, and especially past. (the "past" is where the real wealth is) This is why the talks currently going on in Washington are largely moot. Tax revenue is going to be mostly flat no matter what they do.
Speaking of Thelma & Louise: It just occurred to me that this movie came out over 20 years ago. I recall rabid feminists being on a rampage over it, and I could only agree with them to the extent that after paying good money to see it, I could then honestly say that I knew what it was like to be the victim of an attempted rape of my mind. The title of this propaganda should have been "Stupid things happen to stupid people who make stupid life decisions". The only character I felt sorry for in that movie was the Thunderbird.
I am ever more convinced that most of the people in the Federal Gubmint are Golgafrinchans who came here eons ago on Ark B. You just wait... any day now, Turbo Timmy & Burn-Bankie will be declaring our new currency to be the leaf. We'll all be filthy rich... for about 5 minutes.
I need a jynnan tonnyx...
As to the ability of the government to screw up any tax policy in short order:
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand.” – Milton Freidman
On earlier comments, I’m fully aware that the republicans will be blamed no matter what, and have posted that in the past. We’re at a time, though, where it doesn’t matter. The only question is: do we collapse in 1 year or 3. The point in my earlier comment is that I don’t think it is going to happen: the republicans will fold and give in to tax increases now for promised cuts later rather than suffer the bruised egos of having the mindless “voter” pointing fingers at them … the same sad story over and over again.
@Chuck & @Stilton, I agree. The U.S.S. Perception has sailed a looong time ago, and it stranded all the conseratives on Can'tblameDems Atoll. "It's not our fault, it's those bastards on the ISLAND!!"
We are the new Jews, a shibboleth onto which to place the blame. We will never erase the stigma; people always hate the stronger, confident ones who 'save' them. Hundreds of thousands dead in the Civil War, and all that is rememberd is the 3/5ths compromise. I've tired of explaining to people the elegance of that feint in ensuring a balanced Representation in order to ensure Emancipation at a time in the near future. That racism is an entrenched plank in the Democrat platform-Bull Connor, Jim Crow, the KKK as a Democrat construct, etc..there are none so blind as those who will not see.
So, I've taken a new tack.......Our host used the term 'guerilla' in regards to a comment and I liked the imagery. So over the weekend I was out shopping and saw a 'head shop'. I thoughts to meself..."Hmm, there's a large crowd of 'socially, culturally relevant voter types, I thinks I'll interacts a skosh...."' and in I went. I engaged the young guy behind the counter hwo put on the sell....I informed him that I had to quit, health care was too expensive. He replied.....Oh, how sweeti it was....'I'm on my parents til I'm 26'....
to which I replied...."And then you'll HAVE to buy it."
He was dumbsdtruck, as were many other customers...."What?" 'Yup. Shame too. When I was your age, I had my boss just give me the $$ instead of a healthcare plan. Bummer you won't be able to do it. Oh well, at least if your unemployed, it'll be free"
I figured too many details would have sent them into a drum circle to work out their feelings so I kept it short.
Fun weekend!!!!
And @Chuck, great Friedman quote. Loves me some Uncle Milty!
@John McGrew- I wish I had your confidence that retirement accounts would never be seized. Not, of course, that it would be sold that way. But you're right that with the insane debts we're facing and the printing presses going fullspeed to print more money, inflation is an ugly certainty.
Regarding Thelma & Louise, I've never seen it. It just sounded like a lot of selfish, self-centered, self-congratulatory feminism of the unhealthiest kind. Plus, at a certain point in our culture, it's hard NOT to know how the film ends.
@Colby- One thing's for sure, these "politician" creatures ain't from around here.
@Chuck- Sadly, I think you're exactly right. The GOP will fold to push disaster off another few weeks, months, or years...while making that disaster all the more inevitable.
@Queso Grande- Dang, I love your story about being a head shop evangelist. Maybe that is the sort of guerilla operation we should start mounting: actually telling the young numbnuts in society what the hell they voted for. Could be a decent wake-up call!
I'd tend to agree with @John McGrew; After the neo-Keynesians are done wrecking the currency, your retirement account isn't going to be worth the trouble to seize.
I say let it happen. Then charge Obama with Treason.
@queso Grande, now with nuts!,
I loved your head shop stand, but we both know about the attention span of your average 20 something. Still, I like the guerilla strategy. Since your average lib will not listen to reason, the only way we are going to gain ground is to be stealthy. I think even infiltration is a good inroad as well. If we can get our people running for office to start pretending they are flaming libs just to get elected.... Then when they get in office, POW! Tax cuts, bye bye UN, ax the DOE, ax obamacare, ax wasteful spending...
There are just too damn many mindless lemming voters to overcome by going in through the front door; let's try the back porch.
Guys, we are living in an extraordinary time in the history of this nation. Coastal people who regularly dodge hurricanes can probably relate, for when they see a disaster inevitably coming their way, the wiser ones get out of the area until it is over, but with this econnomic (and other ) disasters we KNOW are rolling steadily our way, running for cover is not an option.
Brings to mind many people throught the ages, such as the Jews in Germany, who, seemingly overnight, got a despot much like obama, and they knew the situation for them had just taken a turn south. No need to go into how that turned out.
The bottom's coming at us and our kids pretty quickly. THAT is when things will change, big-time, as nature takes its course.
One of my big fears is that we WILL hit bottom, and go through an austerity period that will make Greece look like Ireland. When all these worthless parasites are rioting in the street, insiting on their free stuff, and people respond "No, go the Eff away, and drop dead, it's all YOUR fault in the FIRST place." And then back it up w/ lead.
It might get REAL ugly.
Especially in major areas, where they've been generationally trained to do nothing but breed more parasites.
Colby, "stealth"
I've been having some success asking folks "what's that word, when one person is forced to work for the benefit of another, w/o consideration, or any compensation at all? Slavery, right, that's it. You do realize you're a slave to the welfare class, don't you? They sit home, in their free house, watching free tv, eating free food, and drinking free beer, all provided by you, increased by you, voted for by you. Way to go, slave boy... "
Man, does THAT *ever* piss people OFF!!!!
Colby: I saw a "seasonally apt" description of Obama voters; "They're like Christmas lights, they hang together, only about half of them work and the rest are kinda dim."
@John the Econ- I'm quite sure you're right. Dammit.
@Anonymous- The problem is, who would charge Obama with treason? The Left is cheering him on, and the Right currently doesn't have the support of the electorate.
@Colby- An interesting strategy, though I'm not sure how possible implementation will be. Even if candidates pretend to be liberals, I'd think that their nervous tics and the blood running out of their ears would eventually give them away.
@PRY- Your hurricane analogy is a good one...I'm just not sure how to board things up for the big blow (but I'm giving it a lot of thought).
@PeteD- When the gravy train stops, the dependent folks are going to want to take whatever vestiges of wealth are left. But I don't think outside of sporadic rioting, they'll really have to take looting into their own hands: the government will do it for them.
And regarding your definition of slavery, I've felt that way for a long time. If the original cotton-picking slaves were given weekends off, would they not have been slaves anymore? What if they only had to put in a 3-day week? It's a sincere question: how much involuntary servitude does one have to give before being labeled a slave?
@Pry,
Folks on the coast only need to drive maybe 100 miles inland to be safe. I'm trying to imagine where we can go to escape the destruction of Hurricane Barry, and you are correct; there is no safe place. Our only hope is to dig in and do the best we can to survive. Is it no wonder that gun sales are up, and things like home canning and gardening are back in style?
I for one am not going to scoff at anyone using Nazi Germany as a direction the US might take. Hitler was a silver tongued devil who, in his wildest dreams, could not have imagined what the US has become. He would have been estatic.
@Colby,
I am working with smal equations.....
More ObamaGov't = less money with which to buy pot.
Speaking their language........;)
Next, I intend to get them to advance the cause of taxing the music and acting industries....
"Dude, with what you pay for a download, trust me they can afford it......like 'Flaka-Fluka-Wacka' needs another Ducati....."
@Pete D, you are quite correct in defining the welfare/entitlement state as slavery for the producers. Unfortunately, the left has gone to great lengths to educate generations now that they are simply entitled to the benefits of your labor, because, as the President puts it, "you didn't do that". Your argument will only be effective with those who still see themselves as part of the productive class, and wish to stay that way. That class is getting smaller every day.
Want a good example of this agenda at work? Watch this video sponsored by your tax dollars via the California Federation of Teachers: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-teachers-union-releases-cartoon-video-featuring-the-rich-urinating-on-the-poor/
(Warning: Do not watch the videos in the above link unless you have a stiff drink at the ready)
This is what we are up against. The propaganda linked above was produced by the same people from which money is seized from us to supposedly educate our children. We are literally paying to have our children force us, and then themselves into slavery.
@Colby- I'm concerned about where Obamamania is taking the nation. Right now, it seems like the media and the majority is lining up for tax rate hikes only for the purpose of punishing the evil rich. My fear is that the worse things get (in all likelihood by design) the more punishment will be demanded - and not just fiscal.
@Queso Grande- I hope your strategy works, but logic isn't really a strong suit of Obama supporters.
@John the Econ- AAARRRRGH!!!!!! Okay, I tried to watch the video and only made it to the 2:30 mark before I desperately needed to either scream or open a vein. Holy Effing Crap!
By the way, the video is narrated by uber-liberal Ed Asner, who (because he's rich and famous, and despite his toadlike appearance) f*cked the sister-in-law of my former business partner, knocked her up, and destroyed her marriage (you can probably Google "Ed Asner Love Child" if you want the details).
Asner, great heaping human gob of stinking phlegm that he is, has also lent his "talents" to a pseudo-documentary making the case that George W. Bush blew up the World Trade Center on 9/11.
These people are all moral scum. And I wouldn't bother to piss on Asner if he were on fire. (Just kidding: I'd actually love to)
@John the Econ & Others- Just to document what I said about scum-sucking human boil, Ed Asner, here's a link to the story about how he screwed my buddy's sister-in-law, broke up her marriage, and brought an unwanted child into this world and bought off his responsibilities with some support checks. And now he wants to lecture us about how the rich don't care enough about other people's kids?!
Anser is a very bitter old man. Saw an interview of him a few years ago where he bemoaned the fact that he had pissed away most of the money he had made earlier in his career. I think the problem is that he's not as rich as he thinks he should be, and he wants to take it out on those who are.
My favorite memory of him is during the '80s when he did a stint as president of the Screen Actors Guild. After Reagan fired all of the striking air controllers, he pledged SAG member money to the now unemployed strikers. Keep in mind that at the time, the average SAG member only made a couple thousand dollars a year, if that. (Only a very small percentage of SAG members make "real", or even "living wage" money acting) I can only imagine how pissed I'd be if the SAG dues extracted from my meager acting income was taken to give to government employees who were making 10 to 20 times what I was. But hey, Ed had a bigger agenda than the welfare of the workers he was actually responsible for, and that's what counts.
I try to resist wishing ill on anybody, but if there's one class of people I'd like to see reamed come the "fiscal cliff", it's Hollywood liberals who make silly money, usually for just showing up. Everyone hates CEO who they are convinced are overpaid. I've never understood why celebrity-entertainment types get exempted from this.
I just read a book that makes things very clear regarding Barack Hussein and where our once-great country is heading. The book is by Richard J. Maybury and it is "Ancient Rome: How it Affects You Today". Frankly, we're doomed. History is repeating itself and Joe Citizen can't stop it. I don't know what to do about it except to let it happen and hope there are pieces left to pick up afterward. Stock up on precious metals (we all know which ones). But stock up on food first!
@John the Econ- You clearly (and inadvertently) pushed a button of mine with the link to Ed Asner. Although I must admit that it cheers me to hear that he's blown through his money.
And man do I agree about the outrageous sums paid to the Hollywood types. I'd be happy to see each and every one of them get taxed 100% on every cent they (ahem) "earn" over $250,000 a year - which of course still makes them "millionaires and billionaires."
@JustaJeepGuy- Sounds like depressing but necessary reading. Thanks, I think.
...and I can see why this would be a "button". Where is the justice in having to pay alimony and child support to a wife that cheated on you and had a child with the adulterer? It's really is insult to injury. I do feel sorry for him.
I wonder how the kid turned out after all of this dysfunction, and having such a moron for a father.
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