Elections, Elections, Elections

[Mistral]

I am going to post this here as it relates to the recent elections.

This letter spoof is supposedly written by the leader of the left party syriza tha came in second in the Greek elections. I think we are looking at the new Nigeria

 

Dear Troika,

Samaras and Benny sign mnemonium, and dont take the sign back.

So, now you have mnemonium sign, all OK, no problem.

Please send 18 Billion to Greek bank so we "guarantee" them, give hair cut

and shower, to stop look like hippies....

Next month I need 10 billion for salary. Better send money in suitcase.

Not safe use bank.

P.S. Copy this letter in 10 copies and send it to another 10 international

organizations (like IMF and ECB) and you will see great luck in your life

with lots of happiness.

G.A.P. did and he won billions in the CDR's. His family were millionaires

now they are billionaires.

If you dont send the 10 copies you will have bad luck for the next 5

financial quarters. Akis Ts. did not send it, and he end up in jail.

His wife stop eating and bank accounts frozen.

[Simon Tan]

It might make sense for the wider Tidewater but a short route AND the limited catchment means very limited revenue potentials. This is especially true iif you take into account that America is autocentric. The biggest problem is that the local government, in this case the City does not have the depth of resources if their interest goes up much more than the very low current rates. Historically, mass transit/light rail is a loss maker, breaking even operationally is considered exceptional (see Singapore) but if you have to pay off the principal, it has never succeeded. Kuala Lumpur tried this, private light rail and after 7 years, the Federal government was obliged to take over these operations as they were desirable but loss making. Note that the system serves a population 10x as large and ties into major rail and bus nodes. In Singapore, the operator is NOT responsible for the principal investment. Ditto HK. The last 2 are regarded as excellent exmaples of successful mass transit due to ridership levels.

[AdmiralB]

Senator Lugar's gone. Amazing factoid; he did not have an Indiana residence! He stayed in a hotel when he visited the state

 

He and my grandparents were kind of distant friends when I was a kid. I've always thought he was an entitled prick. He's also only about 5'3"....little big man syndrome, I think.

 

I met Quayle a few times when he was Senator too...he was a really genuinely nice guy.

[Ivanhoe]

The issue of govt spending per se remains a smoke screen. The ideological split [chasm in USA] is over remaining in the 19th C where business cycles were left to their own set and drift, vs. recognizing the mid-20thC. notion that govt can and should act to alleviate the damaging impacts and human suffering imposed by these cycles and other matters.

 

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/01/paul-krugmans-top-ten-recession.html

 

Bottom Line: In other words, to paraphrase Megan McArdle, Paul Krugman has predicted nine out of the last none recessions under the Bush administration.

 

Trying to ameliorate business cycles with fiscal policy or interest rates implies being able to reliably predict the future. Governments around the world have been putting Top Men on the problem for the better part of a century now, and I have yet to see any evidence that anyone has repeatedly been able to get the timing and size of fiscal policy moves correct. Macroeconomics is a messy thing, I'll take empirical data rather than credentialism.

[Ivanhoe]

It might make sense for the wider Tidewater but a short route AND the limited catchment means very limited revenue potentials.

 

It would be economically infeasible for any kind of mass transit to work here. Low per capita tax base, low housing density, traffic chokepoints due to water crossings, and broad geographic distribution of employers. HRT has a bus system, but its very hard to use if you have a 9-5 job.

[Ken Estes]

No recessions on Bush II watch? Try again. Can't believe you eat up that stuff, but oh well. Even GWB expressed as one of his 'regrets' that the current crisis took place on his watch. He would not accept any notion of errors, though. Shall we elect another one of these?

[DKTanker]

Trying to ameliorate business cycles with fiscal policy or interest rates implies being able to reliably predict the future. Governments around the world have been putting Top Men on the problem for the better part of a century now, and I have yet to see any evidence that anyone has repeatedly been able to get the timing and size of fiscal policy moves correct. Macroeconomics is a messy thing, I'll take empirical data rather than credentialism.

I'm continually amused by the leftist* "intelligensia" which proclaims government overspending during the Bush administration caused the recession and that the solution the economic woes is to overspend at an even greater rate.

 

This dismissal of Harding's early 1920s austerity moves to limit that depression to less than two years is nothing if not intellectually vacuous. This dismissal is waved off by the same people that declare FDR's (and Hoover's) ramped up spending and increased government regulation for 15 years as the righteous way of ending a depression. This can only make sense to those who hold the belief that one measures the success of a government program by how long the program has been or was in existence.

 

* More than a few leftist in the GOP, so this isn't a political party thing.

[Mikel2]

The amusing thing is that Harding and Coolidge cut taxes and federal spending by about 40 and 50% respectively, if I remember correctly. It makes the cuts in Ryan's ultra-radical grannie-killing plan (which I don't think balances the budget until 2040) look like chump change. Really sad that this is the best the GOP can come up with.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Mikel2

[Mobius]

No recessions on Bush II watch? Try again. Can't believe you eat up that stuff, but oh well. Even GWB expressed as one of his 'regrets' that the current crisis took place on his watch. He would not accept any notion of errors, though. Shall we elect another one of these?

Try to remember back who was in charge of the Congress. The Democrats.

 

January 3, 2007 was the day that Democrats took control of both houses of Congress. Let's take a factual look at what they inherited.

The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77

 

The unemployment rate was 4.6%

 

The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%

 

The economy had just set a record of 52 straight months of job creation

 

26 million Americans were on food stamps

 

The Social Security program took in the neighborhood of 100 billion more than it paid out

 

The national debt was approaching 9 trillion dollars

 

Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee

If one house of Congress can effectively undermine Obama, like they say now, then consider what two houses could do to the economy under Bush.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Mobius

[Old Tanker]

No recessions on Bush II watch? Try again. Can't believe you eat up that stuff, but oh well. Even GWB expressed as one of his 'regrets' that the current crisis took place on his watch. He would not accept any notion of errors, though. Shall we elect another one of these?

 

Try re-elect one as it fits the current WH resident as much as it fit Bush 43.

 

His doubling down on SOLYNDRA type private ( wink..wink ) ventures proves my point as does his doubling down on " Infrastucture " spending.

 

Doesn't anybody realize that we've had a HighWay Bill renewed every few years for decades and we still treat it like a new idea.....

" Oh yeah ! Infrastructure " . What do they think " The Bridge to Nowhere " , Hillary's " Hippie Museum " along with Jeff Sessions " Zeus Statue " were part of ...... " Head Start " ? ( Notice 2 out of 3 PORK plays were GOP originated )

 

He did admit " Shovel Ready " wasn't but he wants to double down on it anyway.

[Anixtu]

Nope. I rather like the old dear and rather want to keep her. But I dont really see much point in forking out for her relatives either. And three palaces, can't she sell one off to an Arab or something?

 

The Civil List did not pay for upkeep of relatives. Apparently Queeny provides them with allowances from her 'private' income, paid through HM Treasury as some sort of tax avoidance scam. If they are performing official duties then surely their expenses must be paid?

 

Three palaces? Sandringham, Balmoral, and...?

[Mikel2]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money...

 

http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

[Anixtu]

Nah, they ought to do it for free for love of the state. After all thats pretty much what we are expecting the British Army to do these days.

 

Armed Forces pay isn't bad. Better than mine...

 

Yeah you are quite right, forgot Sandringham. TBH I think they would be safe to offload Windsor to English Heritage, though I guess in the ceremonial role it does do the job rather better than Buckingham Palace.

 

Precedent would put any retired palaces into the care of Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity, rather than EH.

 

Balmoral has to be held onto for obvious reasons, but it does raise the interesting question about whether she will retain it if Scotland does become independent.

 

I mentioned Sandringham and Balmoral specifically as they are the only ones that the Queen could sell, being her private property rather than property of the Crown as Buckingham, Windsor, Holyrood, St. James', etc. are.

 

I think independence unlikely, but why not have keep the foreign holiday home? SNP have recently made noises about retaining monarchy anyway. If not, I suggest Holyrood palace as a suitable venue for the English embassy/high commission to Scotland.

[Mikel2]

...if Scotland does become independent.

 

Are people in the UK really talking about Scottish independence??

[Simon Tan]

Ehhh...the Scottish Assembly has a Scottish National Party majority. Holyrood is a hovel and the royals avoid it like the plague.

[Ivanhoe]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money...

 

http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

 

Holy crap, I can't believe there's that much stupidity in one news article.

[rmgill]

But I don't think we should start Word War Three just to perk up the economy.

Don't have to. If government spending is the ticket to economic utopia, which many of you are implying, then building a bridge or two to the Sea of Tranquility should see us through the next 50 years or so.

 

Why stop there? Let's build a high-speed rail to Pluto, with stops at Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn while we are at it.

[Mobius]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money...

 

http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

 

Holy crap, I can't believe there's that much stupidity in one news article.

If they don't spend all the money they won't get it next year.

[Mikel2]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money...

 

http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

 

Holy crap, I can't believe there's that much stupidity in one news article.

 

You, as a member of the little people, can't understand the stimulating effect of this carefully crafted program. That library will probably get another $22K router next year.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Mikel2

[Old Tanker]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money...

 

http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

 

Holy crap, I can't believe there's that much stupidity in one news article.

If they don't spend all the money they won't get it next year.

 

Bingo!

 

The American people don't know about " Fall out " money . It's a big well kept secret that no gov't agency ever return unspent

funds.

 

That the GSA conferences were in October ( end of fiscal year ) is no surprise to me.

 

I spent 31 years in the private sector who had many gov't clients and the battles with competitors to get the October Fall Out money was hot and heavy. Sometimes it was based on who stopped in for a cup of coffee and a chat during the other 11 months or who had the best boobs , legs and knew how to show them in a professional biz manner...hence the Closing dress cleavage included.

[DKTanker]

Because the gov't knows best how to spend your money... http://wvgazette.com/News/201205050057

I don't see the problem. Future generation's money was borrowed to stimulate the economy, so spending bigger is better. Besides, that's for your unborn great great grand children to figure out. Who cares about them? For that matter, who cares about anything from the moment you're no longer running for office, or die. Whichever comes first.

[Simon Tan]

Best to hope there is no afterlife. Asians venerate their ancestors for making things better for them. Westerners are damned lucky if they are not cursed to burn for eternity by future generations.

[Ivanhoe]

The American people don't know about " Fall out " money . It's a big well kept secret that no gov't agency ever return unspent

funds.

 

Its even worse now, in some ways. Some federal agencies must have X% of their annual budget committed by mid-fiscal-year. It doesn't have to be spent, but it has to be committed in a contract. So there's "panic buying" of goods and services (mostly services) in the springtime.

 

Given the inherent difficulty in federal contracting, its nearly impossible to work a new contract while on a short fuse, so most of the money goes out via a task-order contract. Almost no oversight, except the procurement people make damned sure the contractor submits the bill and it gets paid out of the right budget (eventually).

[Ken Estes]

"Future generation's money was borrowed" to fight unfunded wars, cover budgets no longer funded because of tax cuts, 2001-2008. No problems were voiced by our apostols of the RW at the time. The national debt was increased for a record amount, whether the deficits showed it or not: $5.9 to 10.6T, 89%. The supplementals are not counted in the annual deficit, for one thing.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Ken Estes

[Soren Ras]

Best to hope there is no afterlife. Asians venerate their ancestors for making things better for them. Westerners are damned lucky if they are not cursed to burn for eternity by future generations.

 

Current Westerners you mean. Our forefathers would be aghast at how we have managed to f*ck it all up. Of course, a large subset of current Westerners are working diligently to ensure that there won't be very many members of the future generations of Westerners.

 

--

Soren