Thomas Jefferson

"We must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy."--Thomas Jefferson


"America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. "
--John Quincy Adams
US diplomat & politician (1767 - 1848)

“Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation”
-James Madison at the Virginia Ratification Debates
"With respect to the words "general welfare," I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators."

- James Madison's Letter to James Robertson, April 20, 1831


Saturday, December 26, 2009

Obama-nomics: The New Mediocre

I was watching the local Connecticut version of C-Span today. They had a spokesman from the CT Dept. Labor on there explaining to the state reps that the State of CT would be over $100,000,000 in debt to the Feds by early next year for taking out loans to prop up the state's unemployment benefits roles. The rep explained also that there is no end in sight for this debt as unemployment was not expected to fall in 2010, and in fact it would keep rising. Hmm, I thought the Obama Labor Dept told us that the recession was over and jobs would be coming by Spring?? Just another Obama lie...

But wait, it gets even uglier. The spokesman also said that by Federal law, any state that has unpaid loans to the Feds 2 years in a row is mandated to raise its unemployment tax on employers in the state by 0.3% and the Feds would also raise it an additional 0.3%! And/or they would need the Feds (that means taxpayers in other states) to "forgive" the debt or a portion thereof. Hmm, I wonder if I call Tiny Tim Tax Cheat Geithner and asked him if the IRS would forgive my tax debt this year what he would say? Could one of you genius liberals out there explain to me how an economy will ever be able to recover with this vicious cycle in place??

If you allow that to happen, the situation will only get worse and would resemble a snow ball rolling down a hill. As it continues down, it picks up speed and gets ever bigger and harder to stop in its tracks until it crashes at the bottom and takes everything out with it. That is what we face here in CT, 24 other states, and the US Virgin Islands. (why we are giving money to a non-state for its unemployment pool seems wrong to but that's for another time!).

Businesses cannot and will not absorb these increases. Why do you think they continue to move to more business friendly states and countries? Why do you think they continue to lay people off or at least freeze hiring?? Why do you think they cannot give raises or other benefits to their employees? Is it because they are greedy, nasty Capitalists or is it because they have their own economic survival at stake and will do whatever they need to make sure that happens--just as you hopefully would in your own financial life.

But this continual shake down of the producers and wealth creators in this country continues unabashed and the train is being led by Barry Obama and the rest of the libs both at the state and Federal levels right off the economic cliff. B.O. has definitely lowered the bar and lowered expectations. Mediocre is now considered "stable and satisfactory" after all, we all need to contribute to the "greater good" and shun our own interests and successes so that we can, as Barry said, "hitch our wagons to something bigger than ourselves." The bar is being lowered everyday my friends. After all, the White House is high-fiving each other when the unemployment numbers come in at only 10% vs. 10.2%. This is considered an improvement and don't worry 'cuz Barry keeps telling us--the jobs are just around the corner!

I have no real gripe with people that have worked hard and paid into a system for many years that now, from no fault of their own, find themselves in a position where they need to collect these benefits. That is the system that has been put into place and until we change it, that is the system we live--and die--by. My gripe, which is so simple but yet never talked about, is that if we had a true market based economy, republican style of government as our Founders envisioned, and true pro-business (ALL size businesses) policies in place and a massive reduction in taxes that we would have MUCH less need for the size and scope of government and therefore states would not have to pay crushing salaries, benefits, and pensions for legions of workers being funded by tax payers. Taxpayers would have more money in their own pockets to live with, prosper, and grow their own personal economy and family and wouldn't have a need for government hand outs. Untold millions and billions of dollars could be saved by eliminating the majority of the bureucrats and the agencies they run that suck up our money like a dry sponge being place in a pan of water. The TRULY needy amongst us would be easily helped and supported by both private citizens and, when only absolutely necessary, by government. Again, it's the snow ball down the hill analogy.

But alas, this is the true crux of the problem--governments at any level rarely do with less and when they do, it is only a token gesture. They only continue to grow and consume. This eats up more and more of our GDP and personal wealth and becomes the vicious cycle I mentioned earlier.

And unfortunately, this is the exact desire and plan of Barry Obama and the rest of the liberals. To exponentially grow the size and scope of the government and make as many people dependent on it as possible. Fund the beast by pick-pocketing the nameless and faceless business owner and taxpayer, laundering it through the government inefficiency machine then dolling it out and saying "see, we care about you--look what we are doing for you." But what will happen when there is no wealth or producers left to take from? Where will you get it then? What will be the end result? Here's a hint, take whatever money you have left, buy some gold and silver and then use the rest to buy the Chinese version of that Rosetta Stone language software you see at the mall kiosk.

1 comment:

  1. BO - that's funny if you know what I mean.

    Barry and his menions having the FDR playbook, and playing it to the "t". The Great Depression is on the way.

    I guess I'll get that Chinese Rosetta Stone on the way home from work tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete