Mark Steyn, always an exceptional writer, hits the ball out of the park with No bargaining with Barack Obluffer. Here is one key section (emphasis mine) :
But in essence the spenders are negotiating among themselves how much debt they're going to burden you with. It's like you and your missus announcing you've set your new credit limit at $1.3 million, and then telling the bank to send demands for repayment to Mr. and Mrs. Smith's kindergartner next door.Nothing good is going to come from these ludicrously protracted negotiations over laughably meaningless accounting sleights-of-hand scheduled to kick in circa 2020. All the charade does is confirm to prudent analysts around the world that the depraved ruling class of the United States cannot self-correct, and, indeed, has no desire to.
One hopes that all reasonably minded Americans are paying attention! The Tea Party made a good start in 2010 but clearly, the majority of the elected officials in DC have shifted back into "same old, same old" mode.
Update: Victor Davis Hanson has written a superb article as well. h/t ET In it there's a most interesting quote from 2006. You'll be blown away who said it:
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."
I think you meant that the Tea Party made good progress in 2010. The 2008 elections were a disaster for Republicans, conservatives, tea drinkers and anyone else who wants low taxes and encouragement of entrepreneurship.
Lindsay Graham has another view
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20079442-503544.html
But I like this one
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hzZf5RACCuI/TiJc4K2D2bI/AAAAAAAAPdE/wvYIzPRHcPM/s1600/outinthedessert.jpg
When Bambam threatens that Social Security checks won't go out next month, he's not bluffing.
One of the tricks the fraudsters of both parties came up with was the social security "trust fund". This is how it works: the money due to SS shows up when you calculate the federal budget, but in accounting terms, much of it's considered a "non-cash" expense because they don't actually give the SS trustees the money. It's just owed to them in the future. As Steyn points out, the trust fund is just a box filled with IOU's.
The only solution I can see is the Canadian one: clawing back CPP payments to relatively wealthy seniors. As usual, US pols are too frightened to suggest this to the electorate. The only other way out of the dilemma is to continue to inflate the economy, while manipulating CPI numbers, so that the COLA's don't keep up with real costs. That means the seniors who are really dependent on SS for income will descend farther into penury each year. It's funny; conservatives are the ones who are usually called "heartless", but this latter solution (and I use the term ironically) that seems to the favourite of liberals truly seems cruel.
"...the majority of the elected officials in DC have shifted back into "same old, same old" mode..."
It has been evident for anybody paying some attention that elected officials at the Federal level in the US have not been serving the interests of citizens under the Constitution. This has been the case for some time now.
The non violent way:
Patriot Americans (Is there enough of them left) need to raise their own leader from pure grassroots all the way up to the WH using the internet and social medias to do so. Anything else including candidates like Michelle Bachmann will be "molded" to fit the corrupt machinery in place before they reach the top.
The other way is pitchforks and torches on Capitol Hill...The way it will probably end out to be in a few years from now.
Canadians are in no position to crow. The Total Public Debt of Ontario is around 320B. Quebec is between 420-450B. The Total Public Debt of all Provinces is around 1 Trillion. The Total Public Debt of Ottawa is around 3.5 Trillion. Will Canadians discuss or tolerate the ending of useless programs tho, like Official Bilingualism, 700B spent, results 1 Unilingual Rascist Province of Quebec. Official Multicult more Billions spent, CBC more Billions, Out of control Immigration costs of 24B per year, more than it takes to pacify the Gaulic Ego's of Quebecers, the Indian Industrial Racists and the Military each year. No. We are going to hit the wall as well. Because we can not accept that Socialism/Liberalism has failed and continue to push on the accelerator as the wall comes into view...
Anybody remember when the Iron Curtain fell? One day there was the vast, unshakeable monolith of The Evil Empire, next day kids were taking hammers to the Berlin Wall and the TV cameras caught the whole thing.
This is going to be the same deal. One day the DemocRats are flying high and calling the shots, spending and borrowing with no end in sight. Next day, your welfare check doesn't come and the city has shut off all the street lights.
It wouldbe nice to think these stupid sonsabitches would try to manage a softer landing, but all I see is Barry doubling down on his bet and stepping on the gas. Here in Canaduh I see damn little movement on cutting taxes and spending, and that is NOT what I voted CPC for.
Tax cut NOW.
"Anybody remember when the Iron Curtain fell?"
I do...
...over the next few years we in the west were INVADED by 30 million hard core socialists and they brought all their nanny-state teachings with them.
N,
Clean up your racial slurs please anyone who doesn't know any better might not know you are nothing but a leftist agitator troll.
The Grey Lady, I totally agree about N. This person often sullies the discussion at SDA. N, please be more considerate when you’re out in polite company. Thanks.
drove thru minnesota last week.
all state parks, monuments, rest areas barricaded because state budget deadlock.
the talking heads seemed to think this $ proble will go away in time..........
I set that guy to "ignore" ages ago. Obvious CHRC employee.
However ON the topic, did any of you catch the new ChoppingBlock articles at National Post? Seems the new Minister of Chopping is Tony Clement, and he's dedicated himself to hacking out a big, big One Billion Dollars of Savings from the national budget.
Chretien's Liberals did better in the 1990's.
Dear Mr. Clement and Mr. Harper, I did not vote for you guys so you could cut government LESS THAN THE F- ING LIBERALS!!!!!!! Are we clear here?
This is the time for all good Conservatives to conduct their own personal back-channel @ss kicking on their elected Conservative officials. I suggest a personal visit to your MP. When you put your suit on and show up in person, they know you mean it.
Yes, a great column. And VDH has a great one
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/st-obama-and-the-debt-dragon/#comment-76419
The thing is, there are several layers, several agendas in this 'crisis'.
One is the economic state of the US - which I claim Obama is not interested in, but the statist socialist Democrats are..and the private enterprise GOP are.
And the other is Obama's agenda and with Obama (I'm the President) this agenda is always and only about Him. And his power.
The statist socialist Democrats want..more statism and for some reason, consider that an economy run by a centrist governance, and with only a small private sector (which they use for their tax base!) is 'the best'. Doesn't make sense to me, but heck...who/what am I?
The GOP and Tea Party consider that a robust economy rests within a private enterprise economy, where individuals operate small/medium businesses, make a profit and reinvest that profit into more businesses, more jobs and so on. This makes sense to me...
The difference between the two is that the socialist model is based on Consumption of wealth and goods and services; the capitalist model is based on Production.
My problem with the consumer-model is that if lacks the capacity to produce wealth; all wealth is grabbed instantly by the govt and 'redistributed' to non-wealth producers for consumer use.
The production model produces wealth and then, above that which is consumed, it INVESTS it in expanding the economy, creating jobs etc.
I don't understand the socialist mind, which seems trapped in a myth that The Rich are infinite and their Wealth is, like a Magic Cauldron, always bubbling up more and more magic gold. Don't the socialists understand that this is ..well...a fiction? That wealth doesn't come from a pot but from individuals creating small businesses and making a profit???
Obama has a non-economic agenda. Himself. Power. His focus is as usual, on campaigning; he's unable to do anything else. He needs the debt and new taxes because his re-election rests on his buying and bribing the electorate.
He can't campaign on his last two years; his policies are disastrous; he can't really campaign on his original theme - the imaginary: Not-Bush and Hope and Change.
Remember, Obama only deals in images. Not facts (he lies about facts). Images. Emotions. He manipulates you into being His.
So, this campaign, he must bribe the electorate..and his electoral base are primarily those who live off the govt: the public civil service and the social security population - whose numbers Obama has increased exponentially. These are his base.
Watch what he wants; to continue their dependency, to even, give them 'surprise bonuses' as the election nears. To reduce the freedom and power of small businesses (he wants to increase their taxes)..
And, being Obama, he'll use emotion as a key tactic.
Fear - your August cheques won't arrive - blame the GOP!
Emotion - racism - the GOP are against me because of 'race'!
Emotion - I'm a victim of the evil GOP..
And so on. Obama needs money now, a lot of it, to manipulate and purchase his re-election. That's his only focus.
Leaders coming out of WWII saw what could be achieved with public debt and have not let go since. IMO it comes down to those who produce wealth and those that consume it. The demographic of modern societies have supported enough growth to disguise what our socities have done. This is all changing radically.
To argue that spending has to be cut to balance income makes complete sense to most people. The reality would be 'starving' people in the streets. While this occurs in 3rd world countries, daily, it would be viewed catastrophic in N. America. Again, IMO that is what will happen. The Witch Doctors and Attilas will guide down that path! This doesn't say much for the intellect of most of the population.
Who calls people "You monkees"?
Moreso in the States but happening here as well, we have allowed a ruling 'class' to develop; the same type of elite our ancestors left in Europe and other countries. Senate and congressional seats are not so much elected positions as they are family enterprises. It's amazing how many second, third and even fourth generation 'leaders' there are in Washington.
Second to this, we have allowed the parasite community to make the rules that the producer class must live by. Perhaps it's something they put in the water when they add the chlorine?/
Well perhaps this particular "N" worm can go crawl back in it's hole and cover it's self with the dirt it so obviously belongs in.
Grey Lady, you are probably paying N's salary. Government employee trolling for another lawsuit.
Is stat choo Loocy?
Geez, looks like the CHRC bathroom wall.
Liberals now believe that sovereign debt crises are some kind of vast right wing conspiracy. They think it's all just made up. Just keep printing no money no problem. The thing to do is ask one of these liberals if they'd like to work for a blank piece of paper. Eventually US dollars will be the same thing as a blank sheet of paper.
KevinB It is not the CPP that is clawed back in Canada but the basic OAS. CPP is the pension that you earned from deductions taken throughout your working life.
Great column by Mark Steyn. Unfortunately, his assessment that "the depraved ruling class of the United States cannot-self correct", while entirely true, is only half -- or less -- of the story; the other half of the problem - perhaps the more intractable half - lies in the nature and composition and attitudes of the electorate, in particular the Democrats' constituency. It's obvious by now that about half of American voters are the equivalent of expensive dates: they couldn't care less about the financial problems of the guy who's buying dinner.
Here's the question: can politicians who completely understand the scope of the looming disaster, and who have the guts to apply the appropriate remedies and ride out the certain social unrest that would follow, even be elected?
Unless a new leader emerges to run for the Republicans 2012, I don't think we're even going to get to find out.
EBD, well said! I'm generally an optimistic person but I'm VERY troubled about what will transpire over the next 10 - 15 years.
Clearly, we have all the tools and available solutions to correct this massive debt problem. But a great number of people in our society - each of whom have the same single vote as you & me - are like that pretty woman we're on the first date with. She's not going to tolerate taking a bus to the restaurant, the meal will have to be 4-stars or greater, and she's not going to contribute a thing towards paying for any of it. Hyper-entitlement mentality at its worst.
""Hyper-entitlement mentality at its worst.""
and on both sides of the ailes, many "cons" are just as bad as the lefties
Congrats Phantom you managed to pull your head out. Too late to stop Harper and company from destroying Canada's Right. Better late than never but not by much.
The TP is powerful but...inefficient. They're spinning their wheels a bit. Most of the few they got elected have already turned out to be shysters. The GOP is not going to be much help here. When they controlled the White House and Congress and Senate they upped spending and put America on the path to where they are now.
"America deserves better"
Actually people get exactly the government they deserve. Even more true in a representative republic.
Again, the basic problem is the takeover of the educational system by the left. We now have a generation where half the kids can't do basic arithmetic without a calculator, can't write a coherent sentence, and haven't read an actual book since Dr. Seuss. (They all have terrific self-esteem, though.) Since they don't read newspapers, they're probably unaware of the problem except as something that interrupts the really interesting news about Casey Anthony and Carmegeddon. Does anyone here seriously think that group of people even understands the issue, let alone the solutions? (Remember that girl from the Obama campaign "Obama's gonna buy my gas!"?) When you ask such people where the government gets their money if taxes aren't high enough to pay for everything, they'll probably tell you "The gubmint prints it!", which is true to an extent, but they don't understand the consequences of it.
As usual, the original US constitution had it right; it restricted voting rights to people who owned property. I'm not sure what the equivalent test would be today (Lord knows I've met a bunch of university graduates who seem to be clueless), but universal suffrage has been, is, and will always be an utter failure. Ben Franklin was prophetic when asked what kind of a country they were creating: "A republic, if you can keep it". Sci-fi author Robert Heinlein, in his "Future History" series, predicted that there would be a second American revolution but that this would result in a theocratic dictatorship. That, unfortunately, is where I think we'll end up.
Well, from all the chatter about "N," I'd say his, or her, posts have been pulled.
As usual, the VDH article was excellent.
And what ET said.
Just a quick FYI to everyone re 'N':
Kate has given me and the other guest writers carte blanche permission to remove comments. I rarely, rarely do so. Trust me, I have better things to do with my life.
But he/she/it strikes me as a 14 year old kid, likely doped up or drunk, who comes on here, often at late hours, and just posts the most idiotic & often profane things imaginable. Contribution to the Discussion = Zero
If you're shocked at some of the 'N' posts that do make it for public viewing, you should see the ones that get caught by the Spam filter. Why anyone thinks they have the right to post 6 or 7 comments in a row, most all inane, is beyond me.
A troll to be sure, but not even a smart one.
Mark Steyn lays it on the line. As we become more tribalised & artifical caste systems spring up.
We are caught in the corruption of an insatable beast called Socialism mixed with PC madness.
File that under No sh!t Sherlock.....