Stimulus Plan

[belgareth]

Run for

political office! Right???

Ok, so some don't know.

How about un-elect the thieving bastards? Or

maybe lynch them? I've always liked the idea of public floggings for dishonest or incompetent elected officials.

[Rbt]

Ok, so some

don't know.

How about un-elect the thieving bastards? Or maybe lynch them? I've always liked the idea

of public floggings for dishonest or incompetent elected officials.

Hey, I live near Chicago... you want

politicians in action, it's probably the next best thing to Washington DC.

I've sometimes wonder about

bringing back things like "tar and feathers" and "riding out of town on a rail."

In the meantime I do what I can

to avoid any contact with politicians or their antics. When greeted with any "we're from the Government and we're

here to help" I will cheerfully run the other way and cover my own ass.

[belgareth]

I lived in California for more

than 30 years and can tell you all about political stupidity. You are talking the seventh largest economy in the

world, with the highest corporate taxes, some of the highest sales taxes and an income tax and the damned fools have

driven the state to bankruptcy. They used to have budget surpluses, some of the best public schools in the nation

and wonderful state parks. Now they cannot support any of those that they've already allowed to deteriorate beyond

belief and are cutting further.

[idesign]

Well, Obama is going on TV to

"explain us" one more time how much we need him and his plan. And apparently Bill Clinton burned his ear about his

incessant negativity, so we can look forward to another round of Hope and Change. Obama will try his best to be

sincere of course, but an elected Democrat is genetically to prone to fear-based rhetoric. It appeals to "victims",

and there's nothing a Liberal likes more than a victim.

Obama has been using fear and urgency as his primary

tactics, fitting in perfectly with what's has come to be known as the "Rahm Doctrine". Coined from statements made

by Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, it goes something like this: Never waste a crisis. It gives us the chance to

do what we've always wanted to do but couldn't.

The result from this is what we've seen happen. The

Dems closeted themselves in smoky (incense) rooms, locked out the Reps, disallowed Rep amendments, rushed out a

plan, got criticism, went back to their committees, came back with an even bigger bill, then rushed it through at

midnight to be voted on the next day. Unread by anyone.

I won't even start on how contradictory this is to

Obama's campaign rhetoric. Its just not worth the time, and we'll be seeing a lot more.

The spend-ulus plan is

just what Bel said, the largest federal spending bill in our history, almost exclusively devoted to the public

sector. In essence, Obama and his Merry Band of Thieves are more than doubling the US deficit. I scanned through

this thing one night and really could not believe what I was reading.

Healthcare: "(3)Strategic Plan, (A)(ii)

The utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014." That, under direction

of the "National Coordinator for Health Information Technology".

As Bel stated, nat'l healthcare would be bad

enough, but now we have the Feds purposefully gathering under their control the personal and private health

information of "every person in the United States". The bulk of the reasons stated for the creation and

implementation of this new bureaucracy is "reducing costs". Sounds good, until you blend cost control with the

coming nationalized health industry. To understand the mindset of these people, you need only listen to N.Pelosi as

she justified Federal funding of abortion as a way to "reduce costs" in the system, since children are a burden.

That section was yanked as soon as it became public knowledge. Too bad more of it didn't.

The States: Billions

are being transferred to the States, bailing out failed local budgets in which the Federal Gov't has no role or

responsibility. This is a very dangerous precedent. The US Constitution places the primary power to make laws and

regulate in the States. When the Feds begin to pour money into State budgets in such a general way there is an

automatic transfer of power to Washington.

All of this comes naturally to a President (and Congress) who

believes in the transfer of both power and wealth. The first Bill will pull money in to increase Federal spending

on itself. "Grow the Gov't and its Reach", pure and simple. The next bill, which he's hawking tonight, will

concentrate more on how the Feds spend on other programs designed to regulate and manipulate markets. All of this

is designed to centralize power.

Oh, and watch for tax increases, they're coming. Now that Obama has doubled

the deficit, he's promised to cut it in half!

[belgareth]

A nice summation, ID. It seems

that many people cannot add one and one effectively, perhaps a large chunk of the stimulus money should go towards

education with a focus on critical thinking. It is only a little less obvious than being hit in the face with a

brick that the huge programs and massive money being spent has to be paid sooner or later. More government programs

and higher wages are paid for from tax money and that comes straight from our pockets, no matter how much smoke or

how many mirrors you use. Unless there is an improbably fast and huge increase in productivity taces have to go up

very soon. Higher taxes will result in a greater burden on the economy. allowing less money to circulate through

it.

Yes, I do beat on taxes a lot. Taxes themselves are neither good nor evil. They are a symptom of a problem

though. And the higher the taxes the more government manipulation and control we have. That always equates to

reduced freedom and a lower standard of living for everybody.

Here you go, your first of many tax increases. Do

you know how much $63,000,000,000 per year in new taxes really is?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obama_budget

[idesign]

I read the article you linked,

and listened to the president last night, and saw that the latest "whatever" bill was passed today with no less than

8600 earmarks with no public or Congressional debate, again.

Its no longer a creeping subversion of personal

economic freedom, its in our face, and nobody is seems to care. The Reps are scratching their balls and wondering

what to do, unwilling to take principle by the nuts and squeeze out some rational check on this runaway madness.

Not that they have any power to do so. The Dems are in control everywhere and they're using it to full advantage.

The DIHL electorate which swept this guy into office are sitting around their TVs just blinking their eyes at the

news, not having the slightest capacity to understand what they've unleashed.

[belgareth]

In college we did a class

project where we took a transcript of a political speech, redacted the fluff, hyperbole and nonsense statements,

then we cross referenced all the contradictory stuff and looked at what remained. There was virtually nothing. I

haven't listened to a political speech since then. Every time I hear about this politician or that one said

something it gives me a quiet chuckle because it is unlikely they really said anything.

To set the record

straight, had it not been for the structure of the electoral college, Obama would not now be president. He did not

get the majority of the vote. To be honest, I do not believe that Obama and his ilk are the problem. Rather, they

are a symptom of a much deeper problem. Not that it helps in the long run, we are still screwed, hoist on our own

petard, as it were. We want it all and are not willing to get out and work for it. Instead, we want it all hand

delivered on a gold platter just because we think we deserve it. Now that some high and mighty figure has promised

to give it to us in xchange for a few paltry concession like liberty and just taxation, we are going to follow him

like a pack of starving puppies after the scent of meat. That we do not see the snares laid in our paths, or the

cages placed at the end is not our fault. We are going to willingly follow the scent of free food and song until we

are locked into the cages built on a foundation of sand.

No, I'm not disgusted and angry. Why do you ask?