Debt and its discontented

US government debt was worse in the decades following WW2--120% of GDP. To reach that point we would have to have 18 trillion dollars of current US debt. We're short of that by a couple of trillion.

Recall, that the decades following the war were some of our more robust economic times, before Reaganomics reduced our tax base by giving tax cuts to the rich. Years of Bushnomics and Clintonomics further eroded our tax base. Foreign wars and a trillion dollar a year military are further putting us into a hole. What the economy needs is spending--since business is reluctant to spend and consumers are reluctant to spend—the US government must be the spender of last resort. And spend we must to get us out of the hole we're in. (What hole?-- 18 million under- and unemployed, massive housing foreclosures, an economy that is speculation/investment-centric rather than manufacturing-centric.) So, raise high the debt and watch the good times roll once more. Once our ship is righted, we can pay down the debt, and restore the tax cuts for the rich and start manufacturing again and reduce the powers of true rulers of our country--the huge Wall Street banks.

Goldman Sachs leads us off the cliff!

“Goldman stood to gain from the housing market’s implosion because in late 2006, the firm had begun to make huge trades that would pay off if the mortgage market soured. The further mortgage securities’ prices fell, the greater were Goldman’s profits.” From Today’s Times 2/7/10

Goldman-Sachs placed bets that the housing market would tank, made a fortune when it did tank, and then took billions more in the government bailout. Who is this beast?

Goldman Sachs--aka Government Sachs, aka the place that does God's work, bled AIG dry? And then the government gave them even more money? It all proves one thing: G-S runs the government and probably the world.They make their money selling illusions and bubbles. They make nothing real. These illusionists control our economy and since they own the royal road to riches and are holding on tightly, they are leading the rest of us lemmings over the cliff.

Get rid of the Supremes as well!

This is too rich! Corporations can now buy elections (is this new?) With this latest court ruling, corporate right -wing extremist, activist justices have overturned precedent and 100 years of settled law. The Supreme Court, originally not supposed to rule on whether laws are constitutional or not (thank you Chief Justice Marshall);now rule. Yet another branch of government that is not responsive to the needs of the people. Get rid of them!

While we're still at it, abolish the filibuster and the Senate as well. Not only can a minority of Senators filibuster a bill to death, not only is the senate an unrepresentative body where the Senator from Montana (750,000 population) has an equal voice with the senator from California (38 million population); not only do senators act as paid shills for the mighty corporations that truly run this country; not only that these senators are millionaires many times over; not only were they put in the Constitution to stop the will of the majority--these folks, are, for the ,most part vapid, soulless creatures.

While we're at it--might as well abolish the Senate--have a unicameral legislature like Nebraska, with only a house of representatives. Rich folks are afraid of popular rule but they need it for their own good because our empire is going down with their continued misrule!

Get rid of the filibuster;get rid of the Senate!

Not only can a minority of Senators filibuster a bill to death, not only is the senate an unrepresentative body where the Senator from Montana (750,000 population) has an equal voice with the senator from California (38 million population); not only do senators act as paid shills for the mighty corporations that truly run this country; not only that these senators are millionaires many times over; not only were they put in the Constitution to stop the will of the majority--these folks, are, for the ,most part vapid, soulless creatures.

My solution--abolish the Senate--have a unicameral legislature like Nebraska, with only a house of representatives. Rich folks are afraid of popular rule but they need it for their own good because our empire is going down with their continued misrule!

Stamping out evil the Obama way

Sounds like Obama is revving up for the long, endless war--the one to end evil in the world. Good luck Mr. President! Obama will show those Republicans! He can morph into a Cheney, a Bush, whoever. But wait a minute--those guys failed--they didn't stamp out evil, they provided a role model and then encouraged it.

So now, we will connect the dots. Half a million people on a no-fly list--we will know their every movement. A billion Muslims in the world- we now know who you are.

If we didn't have the Democratic vs. Republican dynamic could we create a sensible policy in regard to evil or, as we prefer, the Muslim evil? Maybe we're wrong trying to stamp out evil , maybe we're not the shining city on the hill, maybe we should look into our own souls and not try to rule the world--after all, it's a big job and many of our betters have failed at it.

Coakley vs. Brown in Massachusetts

Martha Coakley is dull and boring, just what you would expect from a DA. Plus, she ran a charisma-less, lackluster campaign. Dems in Mass had a chance to support Rep. Capuano, a far more exciting and left of center figure, but they went for Coakley instead. Obama's health care reform is dragging down her numbers. Women were her strongest suit. Hopefully they will come out en masse for her.

Of course, Obama and his so-called health reform bill has been a disaster. Enough people are unhappy with it. He should have stayed with a jobs program. After all, if you had to choose one, what would you prefer--a job or health care?

Rebuild Haiti!

Turn Haiti into a model country! Get the world's best thinkers, builders, planners, etc. to create a country that has an economy, trees, rebar structures, trade unhampered by the IMF and the World Bank--i.e. allow it to protect (tariff) it's commodities.
Empower it's people to run the place--not the wealthy who run/ruin the place now. Bringing back Aristide(too populist for the US) would be a good first step.
Of course it will take tons on money. Since France and the US worked hard to enfeeble the country (Jefferson was afraid that the slave revolts in Haiti would encourage the slaves to revolt in the US so he punished the Haitians, as did France, as did Rush Limbaugh)--it is only right that these countries help build a new self-sustaining Haiti!