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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Stimulus Failure Update

I hate to say I told you so, but... As I wrote in January of 2009, the stimulus did absolutely nothing to help the economy, and I'll prove it. (In fact, it's likely that the stimulus has made the situation worse).

Just some quick facts:

  • National Debt in January 2009: $10.632 trillion

  • National Debt as of today (June 30, 2011): $14.025 trillion (a 32% increase in 30 months).


  • Number of employed Americans in January of 2009: 140,436,000

  • Number of employed Americans in June of 2011: 139,334,000



So the federal government spent (borrowed) $3.4 trillion in the last two and a half years and nothing was accomplished. Just remember, that $3.4 trillion now needs to be serviced with interest payments and eventual repayment (theoretically).

We have the politicians in Washington posturing about raising the debt ceiling and President Obama beating senior citizens over the head with the threat that he's can't guarantee Social Security payments if the debt ceiling isn't raised. But wait, I thought there was a trust fund that would last decades into the future to pay Social Security? Not. The President just admitted that the Social Security trust fund is a sham and scam.

Whether or not the debt limit is increased is irrelevant at this point. The federal ponzi scheme will fail, it's just a matter of when, not if. Are you ready for the result of an immediate 50% drop in federal spending when the Treasury suddenly can't borrow any more because the world has had enough or our failed monetary policies?

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Uber-Fascist Gary Glenn Goes off his Anti-Gay Rocker

Just for the fun of reading material that is poorly written and poorly reasoned, I've put myself on the mailing list of Gary Glenn, who is the Michigan arm of the misnamed American Family Association. Today was quite a day for his usual blathering buffoonery, not because I received another press release full of his usual logical fallacies and dimwitted argumentation, but because the Grand Rapids Press seems to be giving him a significant amount of face time to him on its web site. The top article for much of today was in regards to Glenn's contention that businesses shouldn't hire gays because gays are a health risk (in his myopic, insular world). He was criticizing Herman Miller for that company's real-world position that an open and tolerant workplace is best for attracting high quality talent (duh). You can read more of Glenn's bilious droll here.

Truth Wins Out's blog had an excellent response to Glenn's failure of brain power, which I would like to quote, because I couldn't say it any better:
Part of wingnut hatred of gay people. . . comes from their very real jealousy at the idea that millions of people around this country live more interesting lives than they do, are happier than they are, and are smarter, more productive and more creative than they are. . . Indeed, it makes them seethe that absolutely no corporation is trying to find ways to attract more fundamentalist Christians under the headline of “best and brightest.” They just hate it.

So instead they spew their usual litany of lies — because they’re liars, of course — partially to make their sheep feel better, but partially also to make themselves feel better. Being gay is not the cause of mental illness or substance abuse or AIDS. All sane, intelligent people know that. Only the truly brainwashed and stupid are susceptible to such silly notions. The only offensive thing here is that the actual scientific study on the subject has shown that it’s precisely people like Linda and Gary, and their accompanying spiteful, pig ignorant worldview, that leads to higher rates of depression in gay youth. There’s even a good bit of data that has shown that people are more likely to put themselves in dangerous situations with drugs and unsafe sex when they don’t have the support of friends, family, church and society. And who keeps that cycle going? Again, people like Gary [Glenn]. . . .