Voodoo Economics

Bush delivers a eulogy to Ronald Reagan, June 11, 2004 in the Washington National Cathedral (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People forget that George H. W. Bush coined the phrase Voodoo Economics and for once a Republican talked some sense.  And people also forget that our national debt nearly tripled under Reagan, the voodoo economist, and raised our debt to almost $3 trillion.

That’s bad enough, I suppose, but it gets worse.

People think this “trickle down” strategy actually helped our economy.  Clinton managed to maintain a balance and actually left a “surplus” (not debt free, but more than we needed for expenses less debt payment) before Bush Junior took our debt and nearly tripled it.  By the time George Bush left office it was above $10 trillion.

So how does this tickle down stuff work?

Well, the wealthiest of the wealthy — the so-called job creators — have gained significantly, garnering more than 90% of economic growth since the recession of the kick off.  No pain there.  If you believe supply-siders, the fact that the “job creators” have money, should mean we have jobs.  But we don’t have jobs.  We have more debt, less wealth, and no jobs.

So, by all means, let’s do more of this.  Right?

That’s exactly what conservatives want you to do.  Vote voodoo.  (Which is an odd stance for god-fearing Christian.  But, then again, there isn’t much that is Christian about conservative policy…kick that table in the market square.)   Less is more, we are told, but most of those that are telling us this are worse off themselves and want more of a bad thing.  Does this make sense?

Look at history.  Look at facts.  The American economy, weakened as it is, can absorb the blows of debt if and only if it schedules repayment.  The neglected secret here is we can reschedule payment.  The United States of America is still — despite Republicans best efforts — loyal and responsible to its debts.  We remain the word’s currency.  Investors trust us.  Even in our economic malaise, American debt is cheap and safe.  We can invest in a future that both improves future returns and invigorates current liquidity.  These are good things.

Sadly, conservatives are not about good things.

They weep at the altar of Reagan, who is little more than a naive puppet to the Chicago School and a mediocre sensationalist novelist named Ayn Rand.  Bitter tea at best.  Idiots for certain.

It is high time we cast off the witch doctors and do something good for our nation.  We might even do well to have a guy like George Bush the Elder calling some shots again.  But with a party ignorant of facts and history, that is not likely.

Related articles

• Even Reagan Was a Keynesian. Sorta. (slog.thestranger.com)
• The Third Generation of Voodoo Economics (delong.typepad.com)
• Voodoo Economics – Jobs, National Debt, and Disparity (trulyfairandbalanced.wordpress.com)

Climate, Geopolitics, and The Truth

Be Afraid.

Think the Cold War has ended?  Not me.

I don’t care what George H. W. Bush once said, I’m not buying it.  I know a lot of you will claim to have visited post-Soviet era Europe and all of its “former” Soviet domain, but it will take a lot more than scratchy video of people from central casting costumed in Members Only knock-off jackets swinging sledge hammers at a wall of graffiti-covered concrete to believe that that signaled the reunification of Germany.  Casting got it wrong anyway.  Those “rebels” all looked Lithuanian, not German…but it is the tenor, if not the detail, that matters.

And China?  Well, I think the Global Conspiracy runs China anyway.  Hu Jintao even dresses like Richard Nixon.  Americans frantically invest in China while The Conspiracy hoards the wealth of the West in kimchi pots buried all over China…or is it in Korea?  I don’t know.  I’m just suspicious.  And paranoid.

But I have my facts and one fact that cannot be denied:  Our climate has changed and it is not good.

We are enduring the worst winter ever here in Minnesota.  Worst ever.  The VERY worst winter ever.  And we’re supposed to believe it all has something to do with excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by human activity, things like burning fossil fuels.  We know that isn’t true, however, because Republicans say it is true.  (Leave my campfire alone!)

So there has to be another answer and as I see it that answer is obvious.  The Soviets are responsible.  But, you say, the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991.  Ah ha!  That’s were I got you.  Because if the Cold War isn’t over, perhaps the Soviet Union isn’t over either.  Think about it.   Control the climate and you control the world.  We all know the Soviet Union wanted to control the world, right? and we see the climate changing and…need I go further?

No, I think nothing has changed other than our climate and — surprise, surprise — our country’s global economic power.  We have to share more, for crying out loud!

So I don’t see the end of Soviet influence, instead I see it everywhere…I see crazy Soviet scientists in some officially nonexistent city standing over their weather machines flipping switches and spinning dials.  Guys named Vladislavor Yuri assisted by a special East German alchemist

named Blaz.

Snow in Minnesota?  Nope!  Sleet instead for you and very little of it.  It makes sense.  It is the Butterfly Effect to economic ruin.  First kill off the winter sports economy and watch the rest of the Western economy tumble like dominoes.  Yes, the Cold War warriors had it right when they feared the domino effect, but they shouldn’t have been targeting Vietnam and Chile, they should have been watching the damn weather!

Don’t be distracted by scientists and politicians…or even trips overseas!  Step outside and feel the Truth!  Something is amiss.  It doesn’t snow anymore, lakes don’t freeze, and the sun shines too much.  None of this is good.  It must be the fault of someone and their evil ambitions.  It cannot be any other way.  It has to be the Soviets.  Duck and cover.

Related articles

• Weather as a Cold War Weapon (smithsonianmag.com)
• Good Reads: China’s next leader comes to Washington, as US enters a funk – Christian Science Monitor (csmonitor.com)
• Pei: Why the U.S. and China are destined to clash (globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com)
• Introduction to the Cold War, as told by CNN (molinahistory.wordpress.com)
• 5 Things You Didn’t Know About The Cold War (libraryindus.wordpress.com)