When I have run out of outrage, I find ample confusion from the recent weeks.
Governor Patterson of New York, can, cannot, can, cannot appoint Caroline Kennedy to the United States Senate.
Caroline Kennedy (A “CAMELOT” KENNEDY), can, cannot, can . . . cannot . . . accept a Senate seat. It was virtually handed to her on a silver platter. But no, either she has more pride and dignity than Tim Geithner regarding her tax problems, she is notoriously and insidiously – and unusually criminal beyond any former Kennedy – or she simply doesn’t have the nerve to shrug at reporters with an “I apologize” and “I have fixed it” statement.
Tim Giethener, on the other hand, Caaahnnnn . . . be Treasury Secretary, Caaahnnn be the head of the IRS, and Caahnnnnnought . . . pay his taxes until he is nominated to oversee our National finances and what we (small w) pay the federal government in taxes.
Governor Blagojevich can, cannot . . . can appoint Rolan Burris to the Senate.
Rod Blagojevich . . . can . . . at last . . . be impeached.
Norm Coleman can, cannot, can, cannot . . . can? . . . be a U.S. Senator.
Conversely:
Al Franken cannot, can, cannot, can, . . . cannot? . . . take Norm Colemans U.S. Senate seat.
Obama . . . can . . . do . . . whatever . . . he . . . wants. (Really)
Far away, in the hinterlands of accountability, you may find a rare reporter who cares less for these headlines, who has a quick eye and an index finger that makes the drop on the right shell . . . but the rest of us . . . are enjoying the ‘magic’ of all this deception.
Now you see 'em . . . now you don’t.
Milton
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
President Obama’s Changes to Come
Despite the massive celebrations to the contrary, I see very little to be excited about with our newest president. Even in the best possible circumstances, what he has promised to do during his administration seems if not impossible, dangerous to America. I think one only needs to take seriously what he has said during his campaign, to realize, we are in for a rough ride. Like every one else, I am waiting to see what will transpire, but . . .
Here are a few facts regarding promises our new president Obama has made during his past election campaign. I see no reasons to doubt he means to do what he has said, and in fact, I have been very puzzled by the lack of Obama voters who understand what his promises are, or what they may imply for our future as a nation.
Obama on Defense:
He has promised a rapid withdrawal from Iraq (at least once suggesting 6 months)
Response:
We did this in Vietnam. Obama knows this. The result was catastrophic, with millions of innocent lives sacrificed as a result of the ensuing massacre. We should consider that what we have accomplished in Iraq is significant, regardless if our original search for weapons of mass destruction produced less than anticipated. To stabilize a portion of the Mideast, formerly ruled by a bloodthirsty and cruel tyrant, that waged war and torture on a scale rivaling the inquisition will not stand as a trivial part of history. To destabilize it now before it can stand on its own would be no less a mark on history, but instead would represent a repudiation of what has already been accomplished.
Obama on Defense:
He has promised to make massive cuts in new weapons systems. The Joint Strike Fighter is one of the first ones of mention.
Response:
The Joint Strike Fighters (primarily the YF-22 and YF-35) are expensive. but would represent a commanding advantage to our pilots in combat. Not only does this weapons system have greater range and capabilities than any other combat plane of its class, its efficiency at destroying other combatants means fewer of our pilots will die and more of the enemy will. One of these fighters can hover, take off and land on a helicopter pad. Both of these fighters go supersonic without afterburners, have extended range, advanced avionics, radar tracking weapons systems and stealth technology. Stealth alone gives U.S. pilots an immense blanket of protection against enemy fire. No other fighter in our arsenal can compare.
Obama on our Nuclear Defenses:
Apparently, United States citizens do not qualify for a missile shield even equal to what was afforded Israel when it was under medium range missile attacks from Iraq. Our strategic nuclear weapons systems would also be dramatically cut unilaterally.
Response:
We have a brand new missile defense system recently successfully tested on a target 17,000 miles away in outer space, with the same profile as an incoming nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile. It was destroyed. I’m glad for you if your life and your families life can’t afford this protection. As for my family, especially since headlines only make it plain how Iran, and North Korea are accelerating their progress towards nuclear missiles, I wouldn’t mind knowing the U.S. has this defense system in place (especially while visiting relatives in New York). As for our Nuclear arsenal, we currently have approximate parity with Russia and China who are still potentially a risk to our national security. If we could reduce their numbers of warheads at the same time as ours, perhaps this would be more acceptable.
Obama on Defense:
“I will not weaponize space”. We have hundreds of defense assets already orbiting the planet. Does he mean to remove these? Does he mean he will not put systems in place to protect them?
Response:
This all sounds very noble and “in” with the theme of “The Earth Stood Still” scenarios, but is it reasonable and in our best interest?
What is it about space that makes it out of bounds for weapons anyway? The Chinese already have a system tested successfully which can destroy other satellites. Are we to be vulnerable to this or other similar capabilities from the Russians? We are not only vulnerable to loosing HBO. In two to three years we may have air traffic controls coordinating flights with GPS systems instead of radar. If we were suddenly to loose a few GPS satellites, all airborne traffic would be placed at high risk and a large portion of our targeting defense systems would be useless. Some would argue that our country is already too vulnerable to EMF bursts and communications shut downs. Personally I don’t believe Putin or any other country engaged in orbiting weapons technology, should be trusted with our national security.
Obama on Energy:
“I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile materials”.
Response:
Holy mother of God! So after “bankrupting” coal, this nations number one source of electrical generating capacity, baring any “new” drilling for oil, we nor any other nation will be permitted to have any nuclear power plants to take up the slack!? That’s a lot of wind mills. And a lot more bioalgae; none of which can be fully implemented for at least 10 years. In short, Americans will just have to “sacrifice”.
Obama on Social Spending:
Obama has spoken at some length of his plans to force students to contribute several weeks worth of “civil defense” labor to a variety of unknown causes. In fact, he claims to install a “civil defense” labor force as large as our military. This would be mandatory and without compensation. In effect free labor.
Response:
Are we talking about installing oil lines or new highways for electric cars? Are we talking about rebuilding public housing or dispensing free needles for drug addicts? We have to wait and see now. But, apparently, about 35,000,000 Students can’t wait to leave school so they can get home and do their homework at midnight. What an altruistic society we are!
Obama on the Economy:
850 billion dollars to a trillion dollars is Obama’s response to the recession. He is not alone. This is the kind of “rapid” and “decisive” “response” to the leaden debts of the nation.
Response:
I note soberly in today’s DJIA that Obama’s inaugural address had no impact on the economy today. We are still on a slope of decline (down 332 points today) and I seriously doubt we can buy out of debt. With even the staggering sum of a trillion dollars. The chances of creating double digit inflation, or worse, are even greater with this tactic. I often have fantasized about printing all the money I wanted. Apparently this will no longer be a fantasy for Obama. Of course, the rest of the world may decide our debt is still worth investing in, which means we will shortly no longer be owning our own country. As a result, China, and Saudi Arabia will be some of our Nations biggest share holders, not only in the stock market, but as holders of U.S. Treasury notes as well. According to our recent elections, aver 55% of U.S. taxpayers feel really good about all this.
An African American is now president of the United States. The Orion Nebula is also very pretty. I never doubted an ‘African American’ could become president, but is President Obama really the crowning achievement to this end? If he is one day noted in history as the architect of this nations doom, what will this mean as an ‘achievement’.
Obama has more free stuff coming too. Free health care, more internet, more “infrastructure” . . . the list makes me a little giddy . . . but “yes we can” is the motto we must all live up to now.
Today, he really IS our new president.
I so hope he changes his mind on most of this ‘stuff.’ I really want my Children to at least keep what they currently possess and not lose it in the promised quagmire of a new socialist regime.
Here are a few facts regarding promises our new president Obama has made during his past election campaign. I see no reasons to doubt he means to do what he has said, and in fact, I have been very puzzled by the lack of Obama voters who understand what his promises are, or what they may imply for our future as a nation.
Obama on Defense:
He has promised a rapid withdrawal from Iraq (at least once suggesting 6 months)
Response:
We did this in Vietnam. Obama knows this. The result was catastrophic, with millions of innocent lives sacrificed as a result of the ensuing massacre. We should consider that what we have accomplished in Iraq is significant, regardless if our original search for weapons of mass destruction produced less than anticipated. To stabilize a portion of the Mideast, formerly ruled by a bloodthirsty and cruel tyrant, that waged war and torture on a scale rivaling the inquisition will not stand as a trivial part of history. To destabilize it now before it can stand on its own would be no less a mark on history, but instead would represent a repudiation of what has already been accomplished.
Obama on Defense:
He has promised to make massive cuts in new weapons systems. The Joint Strike Fighter is one of the first ones of mention.
Response:
The Joint Strike Fighters (primarily the YF-22 and YF-35) are expensive. but would represent a commanding advantage to our pilots in combat. Not only does this weapons system have greater range and capabilities than any other combat plane of its class, its efficiency at destroying other combatants means fewer of our pilots will die and more of the enemy will. One of these fighters can hover, take off and land on a helicopter pad. Both of these fighters go supersonic without afterburners, have extended range, advanced avionics, radar tracking weapons systems and stealth technology. Stealth alone gives U.S. pilots an immense blanket of protection against enemy fire. No other fighter in our arsenal can compare.
Obama on our Nuclear Defenses:
Apparently, United States citizens do not qualify for a missile shield even equal to what was afforded Israel when it was under medium range missile attacks from Iraq. Our strategic nuclear weapons systems would also be dramatically cut unilaterally.
Response:
We have a brand new missile defense system recently successfully tested on a target 17,000 miles away in outer space, with the same profile as an incoming nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile. It was destroyed. I’m glad for you if your life and your families life can’t afford this protection. As for my family, especially since headlines only make it plain how Iran, and North Korea are accelerating their progress towards nuclear missiles, I wouldn’t mind knowing the U.S. has this defense system in place (especially while visiting relatives in New York). As for our Nuclear arsenal, we currently have approximate parity with Russia and China who are still potentially a risk to our national security. If we could reduce their numbers of warheads at the same time as ours, perhaps this would be more acceptable.
Obama on Defense:
“I will not weaponize space”. We have hundreds of defense assets already orbiting the planet. Does he mean to remove these? Does he mean he will not put systems in place to protect them?
Response:
This all sounds very noble and “in” with the theme of “The Earth Stood Still” scenarios, but is it reasonable and in our best interest?
What is it about space that makes it out of bounds for weapons anyway? The Chinese already have a system tested successfully which can destroy other satellites. Are we to be vulnerable to this or other similar capabilities from the Russians? We are not only vulnerable to loosing HBO. In two to three years we may have air traffic controls coordinating flights with GPS systems instead of radar. If we were suddenly to loose a few GPS satellites, all airborne traffic would be placed at high risk and a large portion of our targeting defense systems would be useless. Some would argue that our country is already too vulnerable to EMF bursts and communications shut downs. Personally I don’t believe Putin or any other country engaged in orbiting weapons technology, should be trusted with our national security.
Obama on Energy:
“I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile materials”.
Response:
Holy mother of God! So after “bankrupting” coal, this nations number one source of electrical generating capacity, baring any “new” drilling for oil, we nor any other nation will be permitted to have any nuclear power plants to take up the slack!? That’s a lot of wind mills. And a lot more bioalgae; none of which can be fully implemented for at least 10 years. In short, Americans will just have to “sacrifice”.
Obama on Social Spending:
Obama has spoken at some length of his plans to force students to contribute several weeks worth of “civil defense” labor to a variety of unknown causes. In fact, he claims to install a “civil defense” labor force as large as our military. This would be mandatory and without compensation. In effect free labor.
Response:
Are we talking about installing oil lines or new highways for electric cars? Are we talking about rebuilding public housing or dispensing free needles for drug addicts? We have to wait and see now. But, apparently, about 35,000,000 Students can’t wait to leave school so they can get home and do their homework at midnight. What an altruistic society we are!
Obama on the Economy:
850 billion dollars to a trillion dollars is Obama’s response to the recession. He is not alone. This is the kind of “rapid” and “decisive” “response” to the leaden debts of the nation.
Response:
I note soberly in today’s DJIA that Obama’s inaugural address had no impact on the economy today. We are still on a slope of decline (down 332 points today) and I seriously doubt we can buy out of debt. With even the staggering sum of a trillion dollars. The chances of creating double digit inflation, or worse, are even greater with this tactic. I often have fantasized about printing all the money I wanted. Apparently this will no longer be a fantasy for Obama. Of course, the rest of the world may decide our debt is still worth investing in, which means we will shortly no longer be owning our own country. As a result, China, and Saudi Arabia will be some of our Nations biggest share holders, not only in the stock market, but as holders of U.S. Treasury notes as well. According to our recent elections, aver 55% of U.S. taxpayers feel really good about all this.
An African American is now president of the United States. The Orion Nebula is also very pretty. I never doubted an ‘African American’ could become president, but is President Obama really the crowning achievement to this end? If he is one day noted in history as the architect of this nations doom, what will this mean as an ‘achievement’.
Obama has more free stuff coming too. Free health care, more internet, more “infrastructure” . . . the list makes me a little giddy . . . but “yes we can” is the motto we must all live up to now.
Today, he really IS our new president.
I so hope he changes his mind on most of this ‘stuff.’ I really want my Children to at least keep what they currently possess and not lose it in the promised quagmire of a new socialist regime.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Satire on Text of Barack Obama's Economic Bailout Speech
Text of President-elect Barack Obama's speech on the economy on Thursday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions.
To give our children the chance to live out their dreams in a world that's never been more competitive, we will equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges and public universities with 21st-century classrooms, labs and libraries. We'll provide new computers, new technology and new training for teachers so that students in Chicago and Boston can compete with children in Beijing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future.
Yes, of course, please shield yourself from scrutiny by telling me this is all about my children . . . perhaps your jealous about their math scores, but really . . . they have high tech jobs in China all right but, “high wage jobs”? What the F --- are you talking about Mao Tse Obama!? So our target is to be more like China? Don’t you dare touch my “children”!
To build an economy that can lead this future, we will begin to rebuild America. Yes, we'll put people to work repairing crumbling roads, bridges and schools by eliminating the backlog of well- planned, worthy and needed infrastructure projects, but we'll also do more to retrofit America for a global economy.
FDR tried this big time. Most of the roads had to be “rebuilt” sooner than the ones they “repaired” . . . the reason? . . . Government F---s everything up I claims it can fix. Oh yes, the “global” economy, half the reason the whole world is in this mess is because we abandoned common sense to pursue the cheapest crap from the most disreputable countries in the world.
That means updating the way we get our electricity, by starting to build a new smart grid that will save us money, protect our power sources from blackout or attack, and deliver clean, alternative forms of energy to every corner of our nation.
Oh yes great Obama! Let us follow you in the pursuit of “bankrupting” the American coal industry so I can pay three times higher utility rates from Solar farms and Windmills. I’ll bet you read ‘Wired’ magazine like women read the “Enquirer” . . . all Gee Whiz and no depth.
It means expanding broadband lines across America so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
Thank you Jesus! Now we can all get high definition porn on the internet!
Connect? . . . . . . . . Yeah, I never heard of the telephone, and I really need video conferencing so I can have a look-see at my boss who is sitting in his living room in pajamas.
It means investing in the science, research and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries and entire new industries.
Yes . . . SCIENCE! New medical stuff and some “NEW” new stuff . . . got any examples besides all that ‘governator’ stem cell bulls--t? Yes, ‘industry’ . . . placed just before the period. “Industry” is what we already GAVE AWAY to the Chinese! Yes, lets GET some industry . . . and upsize that Coke too!
And, finally, this Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will provide immediate relief to states, workers and families who are bearing the brunt of this recession. To get people spending again, 95 percent of working families will receive a $1,000 tax cut, the first stage of a middle-class tax cut that I promised during the campaign and will include in our next budget.
Oh holly G-D! We just gave away $700,000,000.00 . . . . . less than 42 DAYS ago! That should have made all of us “immediately” more O.K. to the tune of $2,300.00 per man woman and child!
To help Americans who have lost their jobs and can't find new ones, we'll continue the bipartisan extension of unemployment insurance and health care coverage to help them through this crisis.
Well, I’m sure that is the ‘right’ thing to do, considering nobody ever wants to stop sending American jobs overseas.
Government at every level will have to tighten its belt, but we'll help struggling states avoid harmful budget cuts, as long as they take responsibility and use the money to maintain essential services, like police, fire, education and health care.
Help the states avoid “harmful” budget cuts? Oh yes, I forgot . . . the federal government can PRINT more money!
Now, I understand that some might be skeptical of this plan. Our government has already spent a good deal of money, but we haven't yet seen that translate into more jobs, or higher incomes, or renewed confidence in our economy.
I’m not skeptical at all, I just took nine shots of Jack Daniels and 200 milligrams of Thorazine! I still can’t UNDERSTAND a f---ing thing you just said! My “confidence,” is in the hangover I’ll have tomorrow morning!
And that's why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan won't just throw money at our problems. We'll invest in what works.
Yes of course . . . another TRILLION dollars is not “THROWING” money at anything . . . that much money requires a CANNON! If getting your self elected with only one BILLION dollars is any indication . . . I am truly gonna need some MAJOR sphincter repair soon.
The true test of policies we'll pursue won't be whether they're Democratic or Republican ideas, whether they're conservative or liberal ideas, but whether they create jobs, grow our economy and put the American dream within the reach of the American people.
“True” . . . . “test” . . . testes . . . damn it I hurt already. Where did that Jack go! Oh I’m “dreaming” all right . . . just don’t let me come out of my COMA!
Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made transparently and informed by independent experts wherever possible.
Didn’t you come from Chicago? Nope, no “veiling” or “doling” ever went on THERE!
Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for these decisions by going online to see how and where their taxpayer dollars are spent.
If every American could hold Washington “accountable” for their decisions it would be a smoldering dump of lifeless oblivion about now.
And as I announced yesterday, we will launch an unprecedented effort to eliminate unwise and unnecessary spending that has never been more unaffordable for our nation and our children's future than it is right now.
“UN – PREC – ED – ENT – ED” . . . 5 syllables . . . “UN – NEC – ES – SAR – Y” 5 more syllables . . . “UN – AF – FORD – A – BLE” 5 more syllables again. And hey! They start with U and end with BLE (pronounced you and bull). There’s a bible code thing here right!
We have to make tough choices and smart investments today so that, as the economy recovers, the deficits start coming down. We cannot have a solid recovery if our people and our businesses don't have confidence that we're getting our fiscal house in order.
Damn it man! You forgot to use the word CHANGE! I really miss it when you say CCCHHHHAAANNNGGGGGEEEE . . . hiccup, snort, pass out . . .
And that's why our goal is not to create a slew of new government programs, but a foundation for long-term economic growth.
That also means an economic recovery plan that is free from earmarks and pet projects. I understand that every member of Congress has ideas about how to spend money. Many of these projects are worthy; they benefit local communities.
But this emergency legislation must not be the vehicle for those aspirations. This must be a time when leaders in both parties put the urgent needs of our nation above our own narrow interests.
Now, this recovery plan alone will not solve all the problems that led us into this crisis. We must also work with the same sense of urgency to stabilize and repair the financial system we all depend on.
That means using our full arsenal of tools to get credit flowing again to families and businesses, while restoring confidence in our markets. It means launching a sweeping effort to address the foreclosure crisis so that we can keep responsible families in their homes.
It means preventing the catastrophic failure of financial institutions whose collapse could endanger the entire economy, but only with maximum protections for taxpayers and a clear understanding that government support for any company is an extraordinary action that must come with significant restrictions on the firms that receive support.
And it means reforming a weak and outdated regulatory system so that we can better withstand financial shocks and better protect consumers, investors and businesses from the reckless greed and risk-taking that must never endanger our prosperity again.
No longer can we allow Wall Street wrongdoers to slip through regulatory cracks. No longer can we allow special interests to put their thumbs on the economic scales. No longer can we allow the unscrupulous lending and borrowing that leads only to disruptive cycles of bubble and bust.
It is time to set a new course for this economy, and that change must begin now.
We should have an open and honest discussion about this recovery plan in the days ahead, but I urge Congress to move as quickly as possible on behalf of the American people, for every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs, more families will lose their savings, more dreams will be deferred and denied, and our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that at some point we may not be able to reverse.
That is not the country I know. It is not a future I accept as president of the United States. A world that depends on the strength of our economy is now watching and waiting for America to lead once more, and that is what we will do.
It will not come easy or happen overnight. And it is altogether likely that things may get worse before they get better.
But that is all the more reason for Congress to act without delay.
I know the scale of this plan is unprecedented, but so is the severity of our situation. We have already tried the wait-and-see approach to our problems, and it is the same approach that helped lead us to this day of reckoning.
And that is why the time has come to build a 21st-century economy in which hard work and responsibility are once again rewarded. That's why I'm asking Congress to work with me and my team day and night — on weekends, if necessary — to get the plan passed in the next few weeks.
That's why I'm calling on all Americans, Democrats and Republicans and independents, to put — to put good ideas ahead of the old ideological battles, a sense of common purpose above the same narrow partisanship, and insist that the first question each of us asks isn't "What's good for me?" but "What's good for the country my children will inherit?"
More than any program or policy, it is this spirit that will enable us to confront these challenges with the same spirit that has led previous generations to face down war and depression and fear itself.
And if we do, if we are able to summon that spirit again, if we are able to look out for one another and listen to one another, and do our part for our nation and for posterity, then I have no doubt that, years from now, we will look back on 2009 as one of those years that marked another new and hopeful beginning for the United States of America.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
END
Nurse! Nurse! Is it over yet? I heard the word END! Or . . . urr . . . read it in big blazing letters sent from the angel Gabriel.
END ! (in Times New Roman . . . just like the columns from his acceptance gala)
To give our children the chance to live out their dreams in a world that's never been more competitive, we will equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges and public universities with 21st-century classrooms, labs and libraries. We'll provide new computers, new technology and new training for teachers so that students in Chicago and Boston can compete with children in Beijing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future.
Yes, of course, please shield yourself from scrutiny by telling me this is all about my children . . . perhaps your jealous about their math scores, but really . . . they have high tech jobs in China all right but, “high wage jobs”? What the F --- are you talking about Mao Tse Obama!? So our target is to be more like China? Don’t you dare touch my “children”!
To build an economy that can lead this future, we will begin to rebuild America. Yes, we'll put people to work repairing crumbling roads, bridges and schools by eliminating the backlog of well- planned, worthy and needed infrastructure projects, but we'll also do more to retrofit America for a global economy.
FDR tried this big time. Most of the roads had to be “rebuilt” sooner than the ones they “repaired” . . . the reason? . . . Government F---s everything up I claims it can fix. Oh yes, the “global” economy, half the reason the whole world is in this mess is because we abandoned common sense to pursue the cheapest crap from the most disreputable countries in the world.
That means updating the way we get our electricity, by starting to build a new smart grid that will save us money, protect our power sources from blackout or attack, and deliver clean, alternative forms of energy to every corner of our nation.
Oh yes great Obama! Let us follow you in the pursuit of “bankrupting” the American coal industry so I can pay three times higher utility rates from Solar farms and Windmills. I’ll bet you read ‘Wired’ magazine like women read the “Enquirer” . . . all Gee Whiz and no depth.
It means expanding broadband lines across America so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
Thank you Jesus! Now we can all get high definition porn on the internet!
Connect? . . . . . . . . Yeah, I never heard of the telephone, and I really need video conferencing so I can have a look-see at my boss who is sitting in his living room in pajamas.
It means investing in the science, research and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries and entire new industries.
Yes . . . SCIENCE! New medical stuff and some “NEW” new stuff . . . got any examples besides all that ‘governator’ stem cell bulls--t? Yes, ‘industry’ . . . placed just before the period. “Industry” is what we already GAVE AWAY to the Chinese! Yes, lets GET some industry . . . and upsize that Coke too!
And, finally, this Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will provide immediate relief to states, workers and families who are bearing the brunt of this recession. To get people spending again, 95 percent of working families will receive a $1,000 tax cut, the first stage of a middle-class tax cut that I promised during the campaign and will include in our next budget.
Oh holly G-D! We just gave away $700,000,000.00 . . . . . less than 42 DAYS ago! That should have made all of us “immediately” more O.K. to the tune of $2,300.00 per man woman and child!
To help Americans who have lost their jobs and can't find new ones, we'll continue the bipartisan extension of unemployment insurance and health care coverage to help them through this crisis.
Well, I’m sure that is the ‘right’ thing to do, considering nobody ever wants to stop sending American jobs overseas.
Government at every level will have to tighten its belt, but we'll help struggling states avoid harmful budget cuts, as long as they take responsibility and use the money to maintain essential services, like police, fire, education and health care.
Help the states avoid “harmful” budget cuts? Oh yes, I forgot . . . the federal government can PRINT more money!
Now, I understand that some might be skeptical of this plan. Our government has already spent a good deal of money, but we haven't yet seen that translate into more jobs, or higher incomes, or renewed confidence in our economy.
I’m not skeptical at all, I just took nine shots of Jack Daniels and 200 milligrams of Thorazine! I still can’t UNDERSTAND a f---ing thing you just said! My “confidence,” is in the hangover I’ll have tomorrow morning!
And that's why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan won't just throw money at our problems. We'll invest in what works.
Yes of course . . . another TRILLION dollars is not “THROWING” money at anything . . . that much money requires a CANNON! If getting your self elected with only one BILLION dollars is any indication . . . I am truly gonna need some MAJOR sphincter repair soon.
The true test of policies we'll pursue won't be whether they're Democratic or Republican ideas, whether they're conservative or liberal ideas, but whether they create jobs, grow our economy and put the American dream within the reach of the American people.
“True” . . . . “test” . . . testes . . . damn it I hurt already. Where did that Jack go! Oh I’m “dreaming” all right . . . just don’t let me come out of my COMA!
Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made transparently and informed by independent experts wherever possible.
Didn’t you come from Chicago? Nope, no “veiling” or “doling” ever went on THERE!
Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for these decisions by going online to see how and where their taxpayer dollars are spent.
If every American could hold Washington “accountable” for their decisions it would be a smoldering dump of lifeless oblivion about now.
And as I announced yesterday, we will launch an unprecedented effort to eliminate unwise and unnecessary spending that has never been more unaffordable for our nation and our children's future than it is right now.
“UN – PREC – ED – ENT – ED” . . . 5 syllables . . . “UN – NEC – ES – SAR – Y” 5 more syllables . . . “UN – AF – FORD – A – BLE” 5 more syllables again. And hey! They start with U and end with BLE (pronounced you and bull). There’s a bible code thing here right!
We have to make tough choices and smart investments today so that, as the economy recovers, the deficits start coming down. We cannot have a solid recovery if our people and our businesses don't have confidence that we're getting our fiscal house in order.
Damn it man! You forgot to use the word CHANGE! I really miss it when you say CCCHHHHAAANNNGGGGGEEEE . . . hiccup, snort, pass out . . .
And that's why our goal is not to create a slew of new government programs, but a foundation for long-term economic growth.
That also means an economic recovery plan that is free from earmarks and pet projects. I understand that every member of Congress has ideas about how to spend money. Many of these projects are worthy; they benefit local communities.
But this emergency legislation must not be the vehicle for those aspirations. This must be a time when leaders in both parties put the urgent needs of our nation above our own narrow interests.
Now, this recovery plan alone will not solve all the problems that led us into this crisis. We must also work with the same sense of urgency to stabilize and repair the financial system we all depend on.
That means using our full arsenal of tools to get credit flowing again to families and businesses, while restoring confidence in our markets. It means launching a sweeping effort to address the foreclosure crisis so that we can keep responsible families in their homes.
It means preventing the catastrophic failure of financial institutions whose collapse could endanger the entire economy, but only with maximum protections for taxpayers and a clear understanding that government support for any company is an extraordinary action that must come with significant restrictions on the firms that receive support.
And it means reforming a weak and outdated regulatory system so that we can better withstand financial shocks and better protect consumers, investors and businesses from the reckless greed and risk-taking that must never endanger our prosperity again.
No longer can we allow Wall Street wrongdoers to slip through regulatory cracks. No longer can we allow special interests to put their thumbs on the economic scales. No longer can we allow the unscrupulous lending and borrowing that leads only to disruptive cycles of bubble and bust.
It is time to set a new course for this economy, and that change must begin now.
We should have an open and honest discussion about this recovery plan in the days ahead, but I urge Congress to move as quickly as possible on behalf of the American people, for every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs, more families will lose their savings, more dreams will be deferred and denied, and our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that at some point we may not be able to reverse.
That is not the country I know. It is not a future I accept as president of the United States. A world that depends on the strength of our economy is now watching and waiting for America to lead once more, and that is what we will do.
It will not come easy or happen overnight. And it is altogether likely that things may get worse before they get better.
But that is all the more reason for Congress to act without delay.
I know the scale of this plan is unprecedented, but so is the severity of our situation. We have already tried the wait-and-see approach to our problems, and it is the same approach that helped lead us to this day of reckoning.
And that is why the time has come to build a 21st-century economy in which hard work and responsibility are once again rewarded. That's why I'm asking Congress to work with me and my team day and night — on weekends, if necessary — to get the plan passed in the next few weeks.
That's why I'm calling on all Americans, Democrats and Republicans and independents, to put — to put good ideas ahead of the old ideological battles, a sense of common purpose above the same narrow partisanship, and insist that the first question each of us asks isn't "What's good for me?" but "What's good for the country my children will inherit?"
More than any program or policy, it is this spirit that will enable us to confront these challenges with the same spirit that has led previous generations to face down war and depression and fear itself.
And if we do, if we are able to summon that spirit again, if we are able to look out for one another and listen to one another, and do our part for our nation and for posterity, then I have no doubt that, years from now, we will look back on 2009 as one of those years that marked another new and hopeful beginning for the United States of America.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
END
Nurse! Nurse! Is it over yet? I heard the word END! Or . . . urr . . . read it in big blazing letters sent from the angel Gabriel.
END ! (in Times New Roman . . . just like the columns from his acceptance gala)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Purpose and Love
The scene is common enough. You go to a fast food restaurant and you order a burger and fries. The cashier looks somewhere down by your neck when you ask for two catsups, reaches down into the inscrutably gigantic catsup bin and hands you a fist full of perhaps five, six, or seven catsups. Inversely, if you ask for just catsup, you will get two.
I doubt people are trained to behave this way, after all, you can observe the same responses in McDonalds, Burger King and Carl’s.
One thing is for certain; they are all human.
There is something spooky about this kind of behavior and by extension, our humanity. The human brain seems more to monitor and discharge the dictates of the human will, and I will admit freely that I believe in the spiritual component, this one aspect called the soul, but I do not understand the capitulation to mindlessness so common to our species.
During the past year, our nation voted for a man who promised to bankrupt the coal industry, our ‘democratic’ government passed a bill into law that renders 300 million or so TV sets as obsolete without buying a digital converter box and is now in the process of ‘selling’ the remaining radio bandwidths to the highest bidders (tax paying citizens do not qualify for any dividend from said transaction). Our ‘democratic’ government also voted to amend our nations debt crisis by paying for it with an even higher debt. Russia, which is far more bankrupt than the U.S., is creating military satellites like Venezuela around the world in the good old Soviet tradition we saw only a generation ago.
My thanks to government, for its steadfast resistance to reason and for its indomitable efforts to enslave us all. What purpose at all will it benefit, to reduce so much human potential?
We watch our government and in our media with a similar detachment one has while watching a taffy machine stretch the ingredients of sugar, butter and berry concentrate into a homologous blob of chewy goodness . . . only I note . . . this time, we are the ‘chewy’ part.
Some times I think I can feel my world chewing madly at my legs, and sometimes I can’t. I propel my ‘wheelchair’ to my porch window and look outside. It looks just as tranquil and placid as ever. The sun rises on schedule, it goes down,
I change my bandages, take my vitamins and go to bed. The next day, the day looks the same, but my left arm is missing. Strange . . . I could have sworn I used it to propel my left wheel yesterday.
Perhaps the collective consciousness (Emile Durkheim) and/or the collective unconsciousness (Carl Jung) are the real gears driving the human machine, this common phenomenon we call ‘civilization.’ Why different men are required to think about different parts of the mind is odd, but there you have it.
I am somewhat envious of the cat that can still catch a mouse and chooses to sleep on the kitchen counter. The cat appears in full possession of its ‘cat’ will. It acts without committee or Parliament. It chooses the mouse it will chase and upon which forbidden place in the house to perch.
God bless the cat.
Speaking of God, the amazing and powerful Christ exhibited a will of unmatched proportion, by assuming our humanity suit, straightaway living a perfect life, teaching good common sense to the masses and then facing Pilate in answer to the his question, “Art thou the king of the Jews?” And in answer, he said openly, inviting his death with the absolute truth, which he forbade himself to deny, “thou sayest”.
I believe the record of this history. This demonstrates the maximum capacity of the human will. The human nervous system has trillions of nerves, all capable in concert, of telling the brain to avoid pain, but can they register love too?
The record states that Jesus came “that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.” And too, “for God so loved the world . . .”
I note, that our Christ did not die for the cat.
There was nothing mindless about the life Jesus led. Jesus counted the catsup. Believe what you will, but to follow His life, is my salvation. His example is anathema to my mindless drift, the taffy disappears and I feel myself standing again at my window . . .
More eager than ever to shovel that new white stuff that keeps falling on my sidewalk.
Milton
I doubt people are trained to behave this way, after all, you can observe the same responses in McDonalds, Burger King and Carl’s.
One thing is for certain; they are all human.
There is something spooky about this kind of behavior and by extension, our humanity. The human brain seems more to monitor and discharge the dictates of the human will, and I will admit freely that I believe in the spiritual component, this one aspect called the soul, but I do not understand the capitulation to mindlessness so common to our species.
During the past year, our nation voted for a man who promised to bankrupt the coal industry, our ‘democratic’ government passed a bill into law that renders 300 million or so TV sets as obsolete without buying a digital converter box and is now in the process of ‘selling’ the remaining radio bandwidths to the highest bidders (tax paying citizens do not qualify for any dividend from said transaction). Our ‘democratic’ government also voted to amend our nations debt crisis by paying for it with an even higher debt. Russia, which is far more bankrupt than the U.S., is creating military satellites like Venezuela around the world in the good old Soviet tradition we saw only a generation ago.
My thanks to government, for its steadfast resistance to reason and for its indomitable efforts to enslave us all. What purpose at all will it benefit, to reduce so much human potential?
We watch our government and in our media with a similar detachment one has while watching a taffy machine stretch the ingredients of sugar, butter and berry concentrate into a homologous blob of chewy goodness . . . only I note . . . this time, we are the ‘chewy’ part.
Some times I think I can feel my world chewing madly at my legs, and sometimes I can’t. I propel my ‘wheelchair’ to my porch window and look outside. It looks just as tranquil and placid as ever. The sun rises on schedule, it goes down,
I change my bandages, take my vitamins and go to bed. The next day, the day looks the same, but my left arm is missing. Strange . . . I could have sworn I used it to propel my left wheel yesterday.
Perhaps the collective consciousness (Emile Durkheim) and/or the collective unconsciousness (Carl Jung) are the real gears driving the human machine, this common phenomenon we call ‘civilization.’ Why different men are required to think about different parts of the mind is odd, but there you have it.
I am somewhat envious of the cat that can still catch a mouse and chooses to sleep on the kitchen counter. The cat appears in full possession of its ‘cat’ will. It acts without committee or Parliament. It chooses the mouse it will chase and upon which forbidden place in the house to perch.
God bless the cat.
Speaking of God, the amazing and powerful Christ exhibited a will of unmatched proportion, by assuming our humanity suit, straightaway living a perfect life, teaching good common sense to the masses and then facing Pilate in answer to the his question, “Art thou the king of the Jews?” And in answer, he said openly, inviting his death with the absolute truth, which he forbade himself to deny, “thou sayest”.
I believe the record of this history. This demonstrates the maximum capacity of the human will. The human nervous system has trillions of nerves, all capable in concert, of telling the brain to avoid pain, but can they register love too?
The record states that Jesus came “that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.” And too, “for God so loved the world . . .”
I note, that our Christ did not die for the cat.
There was nothing mindless about the life Jesus led. Jesus counted the catsup. Believe what you will, but to follow His life, is my salvation. His example is anathema to my mindless drift, the taffy disappears and I feel myself standing again at my window . . .
More eager than ever to shovel that new white stuff that keeps falling on my sidewalk.
Milton
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