Today’s opining on the public discourse.
I’ve been pondering ways to shove the Cons’ and Blue Dogs’ noses in some stinky reality here. Let’s begin with this:
We knew the employment numbers would be bleak, but that doesn’t make it any less painful.
Employers slashed another 598,000 jobs off of U.S. payrolls in January, taking the unemployment rate up to 7.6%, according to the latest government reading on the nation’s battered labor market.
The latest job loss is the worst since December 1974, and brings job losses to 1.8 million in just the last three months. It is worse than the forecast of a loss of 540,000 jobs from economists surveyed by Briefing.com
The rise in the unemployment rate was worse than the 7.5% rate economists expected. The unemployment rate is now at its highest level since September, 1992.
Looking back over the current recession, the AP noted, “All told, the economy has lost a staggering 3.6 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. About half of this decline occurred in the past three months.”
And the New York Times added, “Economists see no hint that the bottom has been reached.”
600,000 jobs per month lost in the past two months. Almost two million jobs lost in the past three. Why the fuck is there even a debate on stimulus?
Why do we have GOP fucktards and Blue Dog dumbshits parading around screaming for more tax cuts and less spending? Can they not read reports? Are they unable to fathom simple charts?
Let’s take a look at some charts together. First, here’s the bang for the buck regarding various actions the government can take:
You would think that people who put themselves forward as some sort of fiscal watchdogs would be all about getting the biggest return on investment possible. So why is it that they want to cut spending and increase tax cuts when it’s motherfucking bloody obvious which one works better? These dumbfucks must all have Mike’s Magical Calculator, which gives you the answers you want, not the ones that exist in reality.
And if you were left in any doubt whatsoever that tax cuts don’t work, John “Tax Cuts Forevah!” McCain experienced a slip of the tongue on the Senate floor today and lapsed briefly into the truth:
I had to play the TIVO back several times in order to make sure I heard this right. Here’s John McCain this morning on the floor of the Senate, talking about the stimulus bill:
MCCAIN: Mr. President, the American people are figuring it out that this is not a stimulus bill it’s a spending bill full of unnecessary spending, unexamined policy changes or policy changes that have been examined and rejected in the past and of course tax cuts, which really do not stimulate the economy.
You know, I think that rather answered the “are they stupid or evil?” question. At least some of them are just evil. They know the truth, but they put their own political interests first while the country crashes and burns. They lie. But we already knew that, didn’t we?
As to McCain’s point not highlighted in bold, let’s paraphrase the President: “Spending is stimulus, you fucktarded jackass.”
Next, let’s have a look at job losses:
Do you see that big green arrow, pointing at the bottom of the steep green line? That’s our current recession. I don’t even have words to describe how drastic that is compared to the past couple recessions. In the previous ones, we were rolling down the side of a mountain. This time, we’re plummenting off a ten thousand foot cliff, and the chasm we’re headed for appears to be bottomless. If that chart doesn’t terrify you, you’re living in a delusion. Your living space is infested with Cons. How’s that working out for you?
And do you know what kind of cutting-edge arguments the Cons are coming up with to deny the need for immediate, drastic action in the form of massive government spending? You’re either going to laugh or scream:
This week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told his colleagues, “If you started the day Jesus Christ was born and spent $1 million every day since then, you still wouldn’t have spent $1 trillion.”
This, alas, is what constitutes a policy argument from Republican lawmakers lately. It’s not that the recovery package lacks merit, it’s that the legislation is big. And big bills should necessarily be rejected, because they’re big. (Republican John Thune highlighted this point nicely the other day.) It’s all quite mind-numbing, like having a debate over economic policy with an eight-year-old.
I guaranfuckingtee you that you could pluck any eight-year-old off the streets of America and hold a more fruitful economic discussion with them. And, Mitch, newsflash: the same dumbshit logic goes for your party’s beloved wars. It’s that kind of rampant hypocrisy that got us where we are today.
You know what? It’s too much. There’s too much motherfucking insanity sleeting down from Capitol Hill right now. These people are playing politics with our future. They want tax cuts (great idea – let’s have more tax cuts on the income we aren’t earning). They want to slash spending for women, children, and the poor, and give it to defense. That’s right. The fact that we outspend the next several dozen countries combined on defense isn’t enough – we have to cut these programs:
Eliminations:
Head Start, Education for the Disadvantaged, School improvement, Child Nutrition, Firefighters, Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, Prisons, COPS Hiring, Violence Against Women, NASA, NSF, Western Area Power Administration, CDC, Food Stamps
*****************************
Reductions:
Public Transit $3.4 billion, School Construction $60 billion
to give more money to these:
The increases the Gang wants? Funds for Brownfields, STAG Grants, transportation, and of course, defense.
While reclaiming industrial wastelands and giving more money to transportation may be worthy goals (depending on how the money’s used), I fail to see why children’s nutrition, battered women, cops, firefighters, the CDC, and foodstamps have to take a back seat to more fucking defense spending.
It’s not just the fact they want to shaft America’s domestic protectors and her most vulnerable citizens that gets so far up my nose. It’s the fact that they look at this catastrophe looming on the horizon and feel no sense of urgency whatsoever:
While President Obama and congressional Democrats are pushing for a recovery and reinvestment plan that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts would create up to 3.6 million jobs by next year, Republicans are stonewalling action to help the economy recover. Even as millions of Americans are losing their jobs, conservative Senators insist that there’s no rush to help them:
LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We do not need any more news conferences. What we need is getting more than 16 people in a room. We need to slow down, take a timeout, and get it right.
ROGER WICKER (R-MS): As Thomas Jefferson reminded Americans in his day — and I quote — “Delay is preferable to error.” Let’s not rush into doing this the wrong way.
JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV): So we need to act much more responsibly than this bill acts. It’s still time. There is no hurry.
TOM COBURN (R-OK): There’s no reason for us to hurry up, number one. There’s no reason for us not to look at every area of this bill and make sure the american people know about it.
No reason to hurry? We shed well over a million jobs in two fucking months. You fucktards admitted yourselves this is a remarkably pork-free bill, before you decided to play the pork card for political gain:
The president also noted that his plan, from the outset, including targeted tax cuts, which Republicans initially liked: “[W]hen we announced the bill, you remember — this is only about, what, two weeks ago? When we announced the framework — and we were complimented by Republicans, saying, ‘Boy, this is a balanced package, we’re pleasantly surprised.” And suddenly, what was a balanced package needs to be put out of balance?”
This is what happens when you let the terminally insane feel like they have something to contribute, Mr. President. I trust you won’t allow it to happen again.
At least things are looking bright for 2010 at this rate. I don’t know who the Cons expect will be voting for them, but they’re creating a fuck of a lot of poor people, and the poor typically swing Democratic. I like our chances for a third Con thrashing at the polls.
All we have to do is survive long enough t
o get there…
“Less spending, more stimulus”, my ass. I am completely disgusted with my government at the moment. My disgust for them is only exceeded by my disgust for the DC press and the financial industry that sat back and let this all happen.This, folks, is why numeracy matters. The reasons for the stimulus package the way that it was are crystal clear. If you know anything about mathematics, you really have to try not to see it.