Sunday, June 5, 2011

America of Your Dreams

So, it turns out that Americans are angry.  Mainly, they’re pissed about the absence of jobs in America. I guess a few are angry about the state of our fiscal mess—you know, the continuing deficits. Mostly, though, Americans only really care about themselves.  I have long believed that republicans adopted a “Let’m eat cake” philosophy, with their official motto, “Hoist up the ladder, Jack. I’m aboard.” But apparently, it’s more than the douchebag republicans and their teabagger serfs. Turns out that many, many people are angry that nobody, including especially Obama, has fixed the economy, mainly jobs.  And it’s clear that, while few really like republicans, Obama is getting more than his fair shareof criticism for not making sure everyone in America has a chicken in every pot, and a car in every garage.
The big question in my mind is, “Why Obama?” I thought these same people rebelled at the idea that the Prez and government in general create jobs. Whenever he does anything, they’re always yelling that only the private sector creates jobs. OK, so then why not yell at the private sector, as in the bank CEOs who refuse to part with any of their trillion dollar holdings to give out some loans to get some businesses moving? Well, apparently, it doesn’t work that way. In fairyland, where most Americans seem to live, we applaud the private sector when jobs are created, and yell at government when the economy stalls. For example, I really love the round of arguments about the debt ceiling.
Republicans want to avoid raising the debt ceiling unless Prez agrees to do something about the deficits. OK, but then when he suggests doing something, like raising taxes to reduce the deficit, they scream—no, no, you will kill jobs. Huh?? But, guys, in, say 1996, when the economy was booming (remember those good old days??) we had a (marginally) higher tax rate, a full economy, and budget surpluses that were leading to paying down the debt . . . until George II and his neo-con stupidheads took over.
Then there’s the real jobs issue, also not created or really solvable by the Prez. See, our collective corporate CEOs thought it would be just grand if we shipped most of our manufacturing enterprise to China. We’d keep the gambling casinos (Wall Street), mining, and housing. Everything else could go.
Well, go it did, with a vengeance.  Then our banking CEO’s all decided to pull the plug on the housing bubble and the economy crashed—not just tumbled, but it flamed out and crashed big time.. Then the banks began failing, cuz there was nobody left to pay back those dumbass loans they had manufactured.
So, then what are we left with? Well, we have no industrial base remember. And since nobody has a job, or realistic chance at one, the housing market, the last remaining manufacturing entity left in fairyland, has nowhere to go but down, and it is continuing its downward death spiral.
So now, the residents of fairyland are yelling at our Prez, as though he had any control over any of this.  He can cut government spending, of course, but that will surely exacerbate the unemployment problem.  Or he could raise taxes, say back to the 1996 levels. But then the “hoist up the ladder” boys would begin whining about how jobs will be killed. Huh! What to do, what to do?
Well, the solution of the clamoring hordes in fairyland, seems to be to elect more of the guys who created the current mess—you know. . . Republicans.
Then what do they expect will happen?  Well, republicans are telling them what to expect. Under the Ryan plan, the economic quick fix of choice for republican deep thinkers, the plan is to rid the country of poor people and old people—they’re so messy. Get rid of health care for both so they’ll . . . die more quickly.  Then drop the tax rates below even current levels, so the really rich (the 1% who own 90% of the current wealth) will smile more (a new kind of Smile Train).  Then eliminate all pretense at environmental control—just get rid of all those laws and the pesky regulators and let industry (what’s left) do whatever they want.
Then everyone in fairyland will be happy.
Just in time for the Fall Rapture.

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