Newsweek Raises Prices

Hard hitting exposes.

Written on Friday, May 15th, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

You, too, can pay $5.95 for hard hitting pieces such as:

Star Wars v Star Trek - Bush v Obama (in pictures!)

Didn’t feel like plunking down $1 for that intelligent commentary. How does $5.95 sound?

What? And the news in the magazine won’t be current? And it’s just opinion pieces now? Wow! That’s a bargain.

Newsweek Newsweak. Indeed.

Obama’s Clever Math and the Problem with Deficits

Too clever. By half.

Written on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 by lorien1973 :: Be the first to Comment

Hotair has a story today that Obama is “cutting” $17 billion from the budget for 2009. It’s a paltry sum, but it’s a pretty clever game he’s playing.

To understand why it’s clever, let’s go back in time a month or so.

Obama promised to cut the budget by $100 million - they weren’t really cuts but that’s not the point. A paltry sum to be sure. But days later, he promised $100 billion to the IMF. To the casual observer, if you read it fast enough, it seems like a wash.

So, it repeats again. the budget for 2009 is $3.4 trillion. He promises cuts for $17 billion. Again, the math is very easy. It seems like a significant amount of money - even more significant given that 17 divides into 34 very easily. This is, of course, planned. Humans are very poor at conceputalizing large numbers - but if you make them divisible, they are easier to comprehend.

Thus $100 million is easy to compare to $100 billion. $3.4 trillion is easy to compare to $17 billion.

But the bigger problem is this:

Big Government is never popular in theory, but the disaster aid, school lunches and prescription drugs that make up Big Government have become wildly popular in practice

We’ve been running differing sized deficits for decades now. We are reaching a tipping point where the government’s ponzi schemes can no longer sustain themselves. The government runs 5 different sets of books. In sum, the total debt is something like $60 trillion dollars. The $11 trillion debt number is just the “public” number to make it look manageable.

So what’s the solution? Drastic action. States are running deficits. The Feds are running deficits. Pensions are running deficits.

But, as tax payers, it’s all theoretical. What do we care if the government is $60 trillion in hock? It doesn’t affect me. Or you. Yet.

So the public continues to support big government and ponzi schemes, up until the point they explode in our face and destroy this economy once and for all.

So here’s my solution. I propose a constitutional amendment that says “If a state or the federal government is in deficit at the end of a fiscal year, all citizens of that state (or country, if it’s a federal deficit) much each kick in their amount of that deficit to cover it.”

So, if the country is (like 2009) $1.3 trillion in debt, each person (300,000,000 of us) must kick in $4,300 to cover it. No exemptions. No excuses.

How does that big government feel when you have to cut a check for $4,300 - which you probably don’t have - as your part of it? It wouldn’t be so cute to talk about $100 million when that knocks off about 33 cents off that check.

DHS: Beware of the Viking Kittens

We are your overlords.

Written on Friday, May 1st, 2009 by lorien1973 :: Be the first to Comment

No. Really.

Mexican separatists to antiabortion extremists to racial Nordic mysticism.

Viking Kittens are not amused.

H/T Hotair

Married with Children: It’s Government in Action

Love And Marriage. And Government.

Written on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

Does anyone remember the show on Fox “Married with Children” - it’s on reruns all the time.

I think it’s a perfect metaphor for how this government treats tax payers.

Think about it.

Al Bundy. That’s the taxpayers. Working for a living. Not necessarily liking our jobs, but doing them so we can get by.

Peg Bundy. Al’s wife. She’s the government. Sitting there, doing nothing productive. Complains that Al’s job isn’t good enough. She spends money that Al doesn’t have and then complains that he doesn’t make enough money, so she can’t buy everything she wishes she had.

The kids. They are the looters. They take money from Al, through Peg. They are welfare recipients, people who won’t get a job. They take Al’s hard work away from him, then laugh at the job he has and that he even has a job. While they live it up - going to concerts, games, etc.

Al has his memories of a time, in his youth, when he was younger and a football star and he had ambitions. Then he settles down with Peg (government) and gets married to it, has children (all of them hate him) and is essentially, a servant to their whims. Anything he wants or needs is ridiculed and he never gets it. He’s always the hapless loser. Peg (government) wins. The kids (looters) win. Al (tax payer) always loses.

There was an episode where Al won $10,000 in a contest and so he wonders what he could do with that $10,000. He though of nudey bars - of course. His wife took him to task saying that she could spend the money better on something -she- wanted (kind of like how government treats us). In the end, Al loses the money but Peg still bought what she wanted. Al ends up further in debt. Peg laughs at Al as he ponders his miserable life and how to work his way out of the extra debt. Sound familiar?

Here are some quotes from the show. Put them in the context provided and see how spot on the show really is:

Al: Aren’t you forgetting something, coolest Dad in the world?
Bud: Best Dad in the universe.
Peggy: You who makes my life worth living.
Al: You all want your Christmas presents, don’t ya?
Peggy: [sarcastic] No, we really love you.

Al: Peg, that money you found and spent was a car fund that I put aside a long, long time ago.
[Peggy shrugs with indifference]
Al: Peg, how could you steal and spend $4,200?
Peggy: Well, you remember when you used to yell at me because there wasn’t any juice in the house? Well, I took some of that money and bought you juice… and a fur coat for me. And then when you demanded dinner? Well, I took more money and bought you a bucket of fried chicken… and a fur coat for Mom. And the rest of it, well… I spend it foolishly.
Al: Honey, could you come out in the back yard with me? I have the urge to bury something else.
Peggy: You are really mad about this? You know, if anyone should be mad, it’s me. You’re the one that’s hiding money from me.
Al: You would have squandered it all for yourself.
Peggy: Of course I would! So, why are you acting so suprised?

Watch this show in reruns on cable and imagine the context of this post. And see how similar it is to how government functions. And weep for Al. When you do, you’ll be weeping for yourself.

Wrong Headed Thinking at G-20

Low Taxes Bad. Punishing Low Taxes Good. What?

Written on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

At the G-20 meetings in London, governments of the world came together and decided that:

Sanctions for non–cooperative tax havens and tougher world–wide financial regulations.

In theory, you could say that this makes sense. Companies are avoiding taxes by putting their businesses in low tax countries.

But in reality, wouldn’t it make sense to lower your own taxes and encourage companies to invest in your country, rather than punish them for going someplace else that is more favorable? This wrong headed thinking that “low tax havens” are bad is what is wrong with this planet’s leadership.

Maybe, just maybe, it exposes the larger problem - too high of taxes, too much regulation is the root of the problem. And that further regulation on the world marketplace isn’t exactly the correct solution here.

Birth of Obama’s Command Economy

Power is not a means, it’s an end.

Written on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

Obama/Geitner want power to fire CEO’s at will.

Obama/Geitner want the power to limit pay of companies.

Obama/Geitner want the power to nationalize businesses at will.

Frankly, I’m glad the Democrat Party has dropped all pretenses of not being socialists. Honesty in government, for once. I suppose that’s change we can believe in.

Two Totally Unrelated Stories

Totally Unrelated.

Written on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 by lorien1973 :: Be the first to Comment

Affluenza

Bankruptcy

Totally un-related. As I said.

The Country is in the Very Best of Hands

It really is.

Written on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 by lorien1973 :: Be the first to Comment

Someone has noticed that the Feds aren’t keeping any eye on the TARP funds too well.

“We do not seem to be a priority for the Treasury Department,” the Congressional Oversight Panel’s Elizabeth Warren told a Senate Finance Committee hearing today.

I’m not really too worried about it, though. It’s not like a ton of money has been taken up by TARP. Or that the Feds are risking our entire economy and future on these bailout packges. If that were the case, I might just be worried.

What?

The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve have spent, lent or guaranteed $12.8 trillion, an amount that approaches the value of everything produced in the country last year, to stem the longest recession since the 1930s.

Oh shit.

CSI Thinks I’m Stupid

This is me; making a blog entry

Written on Monday, March 30th, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

I admit it. I watch CSI constantly. In reruns usually on Spike or A&E or where-ever it’s on, but I’ve noticed lately that CSI thinks I’m retarded.

I first noticed it with CSI: Miami; but now I’ve noticed with CSI: NY as well. The main CSI show, not so much - yet.

How do they think me stupid?

One of the characters will say something like, “The hair fell in the shoe while he was leaning over it.”

And then we flashback to a guy leaning over a shoe with a piece of hair falling into the shoe.

Wow! Before they showed me that; I couldn’t have grasped the concept of how that was possible. Thanks, CSI!

Or they’ll say, “she fell on the bike and hit her head.”

Cue the flashback of the chick falling on the bike and hitting her head.

Wow! Again! Without the flashback, I might not have figured out what they were trying to tell me there.

I used to think CSI was good cuz it made you think; but lately it seems like they’ve given up on that and are now just catering to morons.

While I like CSI: Miami quite a bit (the schtick of Horatio is a hoot - the glasses, the one liners - I love it all), but the totally unrealistic technology they have in the lab is dumb. If any taxpayer funded agency has touch screen hologram computers for basic “Search” functions, I demand a tax refund. It’s superfluous and silly.

This is me, ending a blog post.

Cue the flashback of me clicking “save and publish”

Obama and Red Tape

Cutting it is good. Making it is better. What?

Written on Monday, March 30th, 2009 by lorien1973 :: 1 Comment so far

Obama vows to cut red tape on Katrina.

Obama vows to cut red tape on Veteran’s Care.

Obama vows to cut red tape on renewable energy.

Obama vows to cut red tape on broadband.

Obama vows to cut red tape on communities.

Obama vows to cut red tape on auto makers.

Obama vows to cut red tape on mortgages.

Obama vows to cut red tape on faith based initiatives.

Obama vows to cut red tape on homeless care.

So the question to ask is: Who puts in the “red tape” ?

Government right? They make things difficult, which hampers the markets and exacerbate the problems they are trying to fix.

If cutting the red tape is good (ie getting government out of the way).

Then why is Obama and DC pushing for more government involvement in everything?

Maybe it’s just narcissism. The belief that red tape is good, as long as it doesn’t hamper me. Seems to be the same argument for taxes. They are good; until I have to pay them.

« Previous Entries