Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Obama's State of the Apocalypse

Though it was a rather brief speech Obamawise I was furiously scribbling down notes in my little pad. The Debt Crisis - A Special Address. The speech and the president were utterly predictable, I could've written it. He hates capitalism but through a polemical sleight-of-mind cast himself as a compromiser and a moderate. Basically he is holding a resolution to the debt crisis hostage so he can punish the Rich so unwavering is that principle for him. If no deal is reached he said America will lose its AAA credit rating. Another point - two wars (that he continued btw) and a prescription drug plan added greatly to our national debt. SS checks and Veteran's Bennies are now in jeopardy, interest rates will rise on car loans and mortgages and credit cards (what, they're not high already on the credit cards?) and we won't be able to pay for Medicaid and Medicare. The whole address was peppered with the classic key words and phrases of Class Warfare. 98& of Americans who make under 250G as a household would see no tax increases (250G being the threshold I guess for being considered a millionaire these days) and he had to get in about corporate jet owners and oil companies his favorite mantra of late. Boehner's approach to extend the debt ceiling for 6 more months won't solve the problem and basically there are two approaches he said. First drastically cut spending without any revenue (read: tax increases), the Republican plan and two Our Way which is to close all those tax breaks and loopholes for the rich (one of David Brooks' favorite talking points). It's not fair he said that the wealthiest Americans and Corporations not contribute anything at all here (what, they haven't paid Taxes up until now?) and what we need is a balanced approach to reducing the debt and deficit (i.e. those tax increases again which Republicans are deadset against). He invoked Ronald Reagan 2X saying Reagan himself raised the debt ceiling 18X (he likes the Gipper when it suits him and Abe Lincoln too). Kicking the can down the road, he likes that one. Congress has one week left to act and it's a dangerous game we're playing. Yeah we have the challenges of entitlements and tax reform to consider. "Compromise has become a dirty word." If only he practiced it. Let's put Politics aside for God's sake!!! Then House Speaker John Boehner spoke. He's all for cutting and capping government spending which will eventually lead to a balanced budget amendment. We got a health care bill nobody wanted and Obama wants the largest increase ever in the debt ceiling after the largest spending binge in History. The Boehner Plan would cut spending by $1 trilion. So stimulate my stimulus. We now return you to Masterchef already in progress:)

14 comments:

  1. Two wars?

    Try 6.

    1. Afghanistan
    2. Iraq

    3. http://abcnews.go.com/International/pentagon-confirms-predator-drone-strike-libya/story?id=13442570

    4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/yemeni-official-us-drone-strike-kills-2-al-qaeda-operatives/2011/05/05/AF7HrzxF_story.html

    5. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187978.html

    6. http://mg.co.za/article/2011-07-18-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-claim-many-civilian-victims/

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  2. "interest rates will rise on car loans and mortgages and credit cards (what, they're not high already?)"

    Interest rates on mortgages are still at unprecedented lows Z.

    "98& of Americans who make under 250G as a household would see no tax increases"

    I know alot of people making less than $250,000 that should be pissed (see here)>

    http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2009-03-31-cigarettetax_N.htm

    Boehner and the Republican's plan sucks and anyone that is buying that piece of rubbish is getting hoodwinked (again).

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  3. "He hates capitalism but through a polemical sleight-of-mind cast himself as a compromiser and a moderate."

    That's your spin, Z-man, but it is not factual. Corporations have made astounding profits during Obama's presidency.

    Like your compatriots at mal's and other rightie blogs, you'll probably dismiss the facts because you don't agree with the evidence. But they are facts whether or not you choose to face them. You've provided absolutely no evidence to your charge that Obama "hates capitalism." Under Obama, capitalists have done better than under Ronald Reagan.

    BTW, you're wrong on that statement as well. Mr. Obama has consistently quoted Reagan and actually had very nice things to say about him, calling his administration a transformational one. He doesn't invoke Reagan only to suit the occasion, he has been consistent--since he was a candidate for the presidency--in calling forth Reagan's legacy.

    "Compromise has become a dirty word." --Z-man

    You obviously don't read. Mr. Obama was willing to give the GOPers a huge deal, cutting spending by $4 trillion, which the GOP REFUSED!, and Obama wanted compromise from them in the form of closing loopholes for billionaires. How many sources do you read? It is the GOPers who refuse to compromise at all.

    The American people blame the GOP for the stalemate and the possible ruination of our credit.

    You're on the wrong side of the argument, refusing to face facts.

    I know your blog reflects your opinion, but opinions are not facts.

    When you make a crazy assertion that Obama hates capitalism, back it up with at least one item to show you're not just talking out of your, um, ear.

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  4. Your link is wholly lacking in substance Shaw.

    Truth is, it bolsters neither argument.

    So corporate profits are up. BFD.

    Was it due to Capitalism or Corporatism?

    Do you even know the difference? Does anyone know the difference anymore?

    It's like when people think everything is humming along because our GDP says so.

    Little do they understand the smoke and mirrors that comprise those numbers.

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  5. $1.2 trillion for wars
    $1.0 trillion for Homeland Security
    ..the cure? Reduce grannie's SS and healthcare benefits.
    ...so they can pat her down at the airport.
    ...bet grannie is pissed.

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  6. The Dr. has a different prescription. It begins with foreign military adventurism and its subsequent expenditures. The cost of savings will serve as the first stepping stones towards reforming and eventually transitioning away from the unsustainability of both.

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  7. "The Boehner Plan would cut spending by $1 trillion."

    Only in a magical world of smoke and mirrors.

    The plan would in reality do nothing of the sort.

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  8. Well, anytime anyone stands for or supports something, those who oppose that person will invariably produce 'hate' statements. For example:

    Obama hates capitalism
    Liberals hate the rich
    Socialists hate America and want to destroy it

    This 'hate' word loads the statement with emotion and on a deeper level makes it actually threatening, even though generally these are irrational statements. It works very well to get people all inflamed and incited.

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  9. I'd amend as follows:

    Obama believes in redistributing wealth which is antithetical to capitalism (generally speaking Republicans do too).

    Liberals (strike that) Collectivists want to redistribute the wealth of those who have it.

    Socialism is antithetical to the American experiment and the principle and recognition of individual rights.

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  10. Soap I meant to say interest rates are still high on credit cards and edited it to make that more clear. OK so Shaw says "you've provided absolutely no evidence to your charge that Obama hates capitalism." Technically that's true but if we may develop a psychological theory to explain why Obama seems obsessed by the rich it adds up. Building a psychological profile of Mr. Obama. Now Peggy Noonan recently made alot of sense when she said the issue of spending and the issue of taxes need to be decoupled and the whole issue of taxes can be dealt with at a later date so as not to hold up a resolution on the debt crisis. Makes perfect sense to me and so why is President Obama not decoupling them and willing apparently to throw the country into default unless the Republicans agree to raise taxes on the rich? The psychological reason, he hates capitalism. Is there concrete evidence of this? Well put it this way, Obama is not exactly gonna put it that way now is he?

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  11. Saty it's not a hate statement when I say liberals hate the rich. As Lista is fond of saying you often go to motive in your debating but I'd simply say it's a conclusion I've drawn over time and I have every right to draw that conclusion. For liberals you can never tax the wealthy enough and so I think there's a psychological reason behind their obsessive focus on the rich, they simply hate the rich (except Hollywood apparently but that's another subject for another day). You don't have to agree, obviously you don't but it's my opinion. For me it's valid. What, people can't have dark motives?

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  12. Why can't people understand that this entire taxes and spending debate, while somewhat important, is really just a red-herring?

    You cannot and will not ever have sustainability regarding your fiscal policy if you don't change the monetary policy.

    Noonan ought to get that through her head. A whole heep a people ought to get that through their heads.

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  13. I was really just using those as examples. They were the first ones that came to mind at that early hour of the day.

    I do think the principle is correct, though.

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  14. I just think Obama's a little too obsessed with the wealthy and I find it suspicious. Perhaps if talked less about them...

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