I’ve been doing my best to ignore the financial crisis. There’s nothing I can really do about it, other than prepare as best I can (just ask me how big my vegetable garden is going to be this year!), so why worry? We are, however, witnessing a government doing everything they can to look like they’re doing something and an American people so ignorant of history that they don’t know how bad our government is about to screw things up.
Any student of American history can tell you that it wasn’t the extensive government programs that got us out of the Great Depression, it was World War II. As a matter of fact, much of what government did during the 1930’s made matters worse. But, as a general rule, politicians will take credit for all the good and none of the bad, and we have been led to believe that government saved us from the Depression. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I don’t have the time (or the space on this blog) to go into the minute details of the Great Depression, what government did, and why it didn’t work. I do encourage you, however, to read up on the topic, frightening as it may be.
While we may not be able to do much to stem the current financial meltdown, we can encourage our government to butt out. Really, how much sense does it make to go into unprecedented debt (as the current economic stimulus package proposes) in order to fix a problem caused by unprecedented debt?
As my friends lose their jobs, I do fear what is to come. But most of all, I fear what our government is going to try to do to “fix” it…
February 16, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I agree with you on the unpredecented debt Jama but the blame shouldn’t necessarily go to the current congress/administration. Keep in mind how much debt the inherited from 8 years of the Bush Administration – far more than the current stimulus package is adding.
February 17, 2009 at 11:09 pm
This goes back to the creation of the Federal Reserve and a nation’s prosperity driven by credit. Keynes’ little sword cuts both ways. It just depends on the despot in office at the time. Brilliant.
It just so happens that the current administration is the one that just reamed us with Pelosi’s 700+ billion dollar sweetheart (over 3 trillion if you ask the GAO). So, yeah, the blame for this torturous bill goes to Hussein Obama (the Clinton/Bush House Boy). And look, nooooowwwww the Republicans are pretending to be conservative and responsible now that they are toothless, the gutless jerks. And where are the Dems with the nuts to say “No”? Gotta hang with your gang, right?
Washington D.C. Republicans and Democrats are just the right and left wings of the same flesh-eating vulture. BTW, that is the flesh of your grand children’s future you hear tearing. Case in point, the “Stimulus”. The only thing this will stimulate is the national colon. The markets have already spoken.
The real truth of the matter is that the debt crisis of this country is sitting over our heads, in our, driveways, closets, and entertainment centers. We are the credit junkies. It is just really nice to blame the evil bankers for bundling our debt into worthless financial instruments that were sold to the nearest schmuck. It’s like the crack head blaming the pusher. Bunch of losers…me included!
And since we are so addicted to the “prosperity-by-divine-right-tit” we are screaming for the Great Credit Sow to squirt out some more sticky fun. After all, its not fair that my neighbor has a 756.17″ plasma TV. I want one, too. Where’s the Best Buy card? Why is my free government digital converter box sticky? Got milk?
God forbid we pay for our mistakes…bankruptcy, shopping at Goodwill, cutting off cable, turning in the car. After all, only government can fix Amerika…or give us our fix. We have been acting like such losers! I’m so mad I can’t see straight! Was that Home-Equity-Line-of-Credit worth it now? After all, it paid for a great vacation to Cancun…or Vegas…or the tramp stamp on your wife’s enormous backside! Thank God I can now blame my own idiocy on the bankers…bunch of tools. What were they thinking, letting me borrow money?
Where are our individual bailouts? We already got ‘em and pawned ‘em off on the generations yet to be born. Thank you Obamalosi. Did you get the all clear from Uncles Bill and George?
Wait ’til the DC-Vulture tackles health-care. “Hope” you can live with the “Change” of random, violent diarrhea. ‘Cause when that happens, it’ll be weeks before your Family Doc can schedule a fix for that “stimulus”.
March 19, 2009 at 9:25 pm
It’s funny how Rep. Bart Gordon calls himself a “blue dog” but is basically walking in lock-step with the expansion of government while also wasting taxpayer money on trips to Europe for him and his wife.
http://tinyurl.com/cwe5wb
mB
March 24, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Jama,
You are sooo right. You said “I don’t have the time (or the space on this blog) to go into the minute details of the Great Depression, what government did, and why it didn’t work. I do encourage you, however, to read up on the topic, frightening as it may be.”
. …”we can encourage our government to butt out.” Encourage? I’m past that point as we ALL should be! Demand is more like it.
Frightening it is! A MUST nonetheless! This article is THE BEST I have read all year of past, present, and what is coming.
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=28
The regional government around here has the body odor, yet taxpayers are funding for the antiperspirant?
I recall a recent story of an official in Carter county who used some of the maintanance budget funds for deodorant. A county clerk in Washington County (Brenda Sneed sp?) getting what amounted to a double salary with some loop hole clause allowing for it? Good work if you can get it!
Wash. county couldn’t get their pet wheel tax passed, so they raised property taxes (except on the elderly) to pay for jails & schools. Parents of a student at one of those new schools who attended their open house recently told me the school had unbelievable hard wood floors & extavagances throughout that was just blatently ridiculous over spending.
Let’s not talk about the overwhelming nepotism and quid pro quo’s going on all at OUR expense with our local officials.
Once upon a time, this was a great place to live.
Btw, watch out for the local red light cameras. As if we didn’t already know what a gumball machine that was, they’re suppose to be set up on 5 sec. timers, and in fact, are on 3 seconds.