Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘stimulus’

Don’t Piss On My Leg…

…and tell me it’s raining!

Unemployment:   If you listen to the White House and the mainstream media puppets you’ll think unemployment is trending down and at 8 percent as of February 2012.  Too bad the numbers are cooked (FYI all administrations cook) and are quite misleading…okay not “misleading” but flat out lies.  Gallup offers real unemployment numbers;

REAL UNEMPLOYMENT IS 19.0 PERCENT

If you want to compare the numbers the White House uses then Gallup determined that rate to be 9.0 percent;

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In The Year 2525

The year 2525 is probably the year when we “officially” find out from historians that conservatives were right and that Barney Frank and Democrat policies started the global financial meltdown and Obama’s policies like the Stimulus, Obamacare, and Dodd-Frank prolonged the agony.  That is because history is mostly written by liberal academics (I know that is redundant) and they have a slightly biased view of the world.

I am exagerating about the date 514 years from now, but consider that until recently most historical accounts of the Great Depression give FDR credit for ending it.  There have been books like The Forgotten Man which set the record straight, but few probably read this.  However nearly seventy years after the depression ended two UCLA economists place the blame where it belongs…on FDR.

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Executive Power

The framers wrote the Constitution to provide for a separation of powers, or three separate branches of government. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. This is done through checks and balances. A branch may use its powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government. The three branches of the U.S. Government are: Legislative, Executive, Judicial

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Obamulus May Be Working!

Finally there is news that President Obama’s “stimulus” has had some positive effects on our economy. The usually Obama-cheer-leading Associated Press has produced a very deep “news” article boasting the fact that gasoline prices are finally coming down and some predict prices as low as $3.25 per gallon within a month. First I’ll believe and welcome that when I see it. Second there is a rather sinister reason for the recent price drop.

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Econ 1

The Great Vilsacko performs his money magic trick.

I am currently reading Return to Prosperity by Phd economist Arthur Laffer and I’ll review the book as usual after I finish it, but a recent statement by President Obama’s Agriculture Secretary had me referring to the “Econ 1” phrase Dr. Laffer uses frequently when describing politicians lack of knowledge that is taught in a basic economics class. Secretary Vilsack appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to tout the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP” or Food Stamps as we used to call it). Vilsack called SNAP the “most direct stimulus you can get into the economy during these tough times.” I guess that he also considers the fact that America has vastly increased the number of people “stimulating” the economy as 1 in 7 people are in the program. Let that sink in…NEARLY 15 PERCENT OF OUR FELLOW AMERICANS GET FOOD FROM THE GOVERNMENT!

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Update -Wimpy Washington Economics

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

We’re so glad you could attend

Come inside! Come inside!

Come inside, the show’s about to start

guaranteed to blow your head apart

Rest assured you’ll get your money’s worth

Guaranteed to blow your head apart

– – Emerson, Lake and Palmer (edited)

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Dancin In D.C.

“He’s like a man who took two dates to the prom and is trying to keep them both happy. He may not pull it off, but he is dancing as fast as he can.”

                                              – – Brit Hume

Mr. Hume of course was discussing President Obama as he continues to wiggle to be all things to all people while refusing to lead on important issues as a world leader should. Obama has become the quintessential politician whose sole goal seems to be getting reelected. As of this writing and reported in The American Thinker, Obama has made 31 fundraising trips so far in 2011. This is above and beyond the numerous rounds of golf.

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Phrase-e-ology – The New Normal

Many times as I read an article I find a few sentences that capture the essence of the piece.  In “Phrase-e-ology” I’ll post some thought followed by key phrases.  As always I’ll have a link (in blue) to the original article.

The latest episode of Phrase-e-ology is from the business section and was startling in that it seems to be making the case for the sluggish recovery as the “new normal” rather than the direct result of bad economic policy from the Obama White House.  As if this is now how we should expect recoveries to unfold.  Even as Obama’s economic advisers abandon his ship for academia (they’re much better at theory than reality) the “new normal” may actually be some sub-standard level that he can actually achieve…as long as he can fool the electorate that they are doing better…

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Fungible (fun-je-bul)

The dictionary defines fungible as:

  1. Returnable or negotiable in kind or by substitution, as a quantity of grain for an equal amount of the same kind of grain.
  2. Interchangeable
  3. of goods or commodities; freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation

Synonyms:  changeable, commutable, compatible, converse, convertible, equivalent, exchangeable, interconvertible, mutual, reciprocal, reciprocative, same, substitutable, synonymous, workalike

Quote:

“People think this tax is for Social Security. But tax monies are really fungible. They get raided all the time.”

— Eugene Ludwig

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On Government Exemptions

In their attempt to cover all scenarios with regulations governments never seem to learn from their mistakes and always creates unintended consequences.   This is quite a dilemma for government as they certainly want to give the perception of fairness and create a set of rules that will achieve their goals and cover all of the bases.  Rather than simplifying things they increase the complexity and you end up with 2000+ page bills.  I would estimate that for each page of law you probably get 250 pages of regulations.  We should keep in mind that by creating this bureaucracy they also provide cover (i.e. covering their butts) for themselves when/if the spit hits the fan. 

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