The Ghetto Economist asks-Crazy like a fox? Or just crazy?
Read Time:3 Minute, 9 Second
Actually “Stupid” works better but Stupid Like a Fox sounds kinda, I don’t know, stupid?
You may have noticed that the politicians and the media are obsessed with deficits and reining in spending and balancing the budget. The need to cut spending to make everything OK again has become received wisdom. Without going into detail, it isn’t true. We do need to spend smarter, less on military and more on projects that will create employment. Basically, the demand for goods and services has to come from somewhere. The private sector is too deep in debt to spend, the foreign sector has a net dollar outflow (more imports than exports) so government spending is the only thing that will drive our economy. Cutting government spending in the current fragile economy means heading right into a double-dip recession – only worse than before.
I have a decent understanding of the economic situation because I find it to be interesting so I read books on the subject; I’m no rocket scientist. Most people have a topic they can discuss well because it’s of interest to them or they work with it; they aren’t necessarily smart. Like for instance The Lawyer who posts here-he’s a licensed attorney despite having only a third grade education-OK I made that up-sorry man! What I’m trying to say is that a rudimentary understanding of double-entry bookkeeping for the US economy is not very difficult to attain and doesn’t require a degree in economics.
So this morning I read this NY Times article about the deficit and I had my usual “how can they be so stupid even an idiot like me can see this is wrong” thought followed by a bit of introspection.
These people aren’t stupid, at the very worst they’re as smart as I am. They’re politicians and media whores and Finance/Insurance/Real Estate (F.I.R.E) hotshots and are born and bred to lie their asses off. So they gotta know, most of them, they gotta know what will happen if they cut govt spending.
Then I got to thinking about a book I read, Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein which explains how societal shocks are used by those in power to institute some kind of agenda-and it’s never a good one. Not if you’re someone who works for a living. And I recalled Rahm Emmanuel saying something about never wasting a good crisis. And then the light bulb came on.
We all know if they cut spending it won’t be on the military or the wars. It won’t be on bailouts to the F.I.R.E. sector. They’ve been cutting social services, education, libraries for years. Parks and city bus service funding. Breaking unions. Now the same thing is gonna happen in Europe-the powers that be have hated the welfare state for years-and they’ll take this opportunity to dismantle it.
Ask yourself what is one thing the Right hates above all else ? No, not Mexicans. It’s what they call Big Government-government working for the public good rather than the FIRE sector. Government providing what is needed to help working people live with dignity. And the biggest example of that is Social Security. There currently is a Deficit Commission which is almost certainly painting a target on Social Security’s figurative back.
I knew this was coming but thought they didn’t understand what they were doing, I thought if they only realized the mistake they were making they’d try to do what was best. I thought they were just stupid. I was wrong. These guys aren’t stupid. They’re stupid like a fox.
The Ghetto Economist and his lovely assistant Dulce are both looking forward to reading Shock and Awe on America by Teeluck Sooknarine
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Shock Doc. is a fav of Maddow’s. Good reference Oso. I think I’m more autodidact than anything else, I’m really very proud of it. I don’t see you as having any need to substantiate your observations or your theories. They seem very sound to me, bro. (I’ve only had one yr of economic theory but I lived and spent through ‘trickle down’…. so I think I can pull some shine with that).
Honestly Oso, no being an anarchist here… just a bringer of the new dawn, I think there is a coming end to war. And for that to happen,
metaphorically
bend over, grab your ankles and
say goodbye to free markets and corporate profiteering. I think the folks are going to get that upset. Or the Earth Momma will kick up enough shit. Could take longer than I think…
but you that Maya T’zolkin end date and all that booga booga? Yeah, I’m thinking that way.
Just saying…
agreeable with your ideas here… good post!
“Then I got to think ing about a book I read, Shock Doc trine by Naomi Klein which explains how soci etal shocks are used by those in power to insti tute some kind of agenda-and it’s never a good one. Not if you’re some one who works for a liv ing. And I recalled Rahm Emmanuel say ing some thing about never wast ing a good cri sis. And then the light bulb came on.”
Oh, shit. Nice. That was…well…how should I say it, having the mental capacity of a third grader…awesome.
Crazy Foxes are chewing babies faces over here….I think stupid Foxes might be better to be honest…
It always made me laugh during the eight years of Chimpy & Friends when someone would throw out the “they’re so incompetent” line.
OSO, of course they know what they are doing. But I do not think that there really is a “they” in the strictest sense.
I have always felt that there are individual circles of power, sort of a micro “they” groups. But the trouble is that each “they” has their own power agenda and it never includes the welfare of anyone or anything outside that group.
For instance, the military. Probable 40 to 50 percent of the military right now is still fighting the Cold War. That’s right, fighting an enemy that doesn’t even exist anymore. The infrastructure, the sea wolf submarines, the B2 bombers, etc.
Was there a big “they” memo put out that said keep it up? No, I don’t think so. But each group has established their own kingdom with it’s own budget and that small “they” is going to fight like hell to keep it. That “they” group may include career military guys, lobbyist, politicians on the take.
The big problem with the welfare and social well-being of society is that it never lends itself to creating a “they” group that entrenches itself. So it is always the first to get lanced when ways are looked at to decrease spending.
It acts also as a double bonus because Repugs look at treating their fellow man with dignity and respect as a burden. That is why the deficit spending is always an issue they like to bring up. Economist after Economist, (including the Elizabeth mind-melding Dulce), have brought forth evidence that it is a ratio of debt to output and having lower than that can actually decrease the economic performance of a country.
But as they say, never let facts get in the way of a political debate. (They in the last sentence meaning “nerdy engineers with pocket protectors”)
Krell,
yeah there are the chalkboard type of guys who see an “Amero” or Bilderburg (sp) Group conspiracy, I’m of the mind you are that shared interests for various groups interweave to influence policy. Maybe greatly influence policy.
We’re ready for the Red Army behind Zhukov to come charging into Bavaria. Guy may be a little long in the tooth now I think.
Oso, I am glad to hear that you aren’t of the Bilderburg, Illumanati, Free Mason, Skull and Bones, etc Group.
Although I am starting to wonder about the Girl Scout Cookie Society…What mind control substance is in those Savannah peanut butter cookies anyway?? Damn them….Damn them all to hell!
They’re everywhere, those Girl Scouts. Their initials backwards are SG-which could stand for Sui Generis. I don’t know what that means except it’s Latin-which indicates the Pope may be involved. Pope was Hitler Jugend-and Bilderburg is a German word. Voila! you were right to suspect them.
Come to think of it…their national meeting was in Colorado which means they used the Denver Airport. The airport has the runways in the shape of a swastika and also has a huge statue of the God of Death, as recently posted by investigative reporter Holte here at MMA.
MM is the Roman numeral for 2000 and A is the hexadecimal number for 10. So MMA means 2010….coincidence??? You decide….(spooky music right about now)
In a previous post Oso mentioned the ballsy Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas as a sterling example of what should be done. Nationalizing the power and energy and gas companies would be a great step, but it would be bigger government. The Right wingers are for big government too. They need it to step in and prevent women from choosing what to do with their bodies, gays from marrying, and illegals from coming here.
War is a huge business. As soon as it is over, or as soon as most of the troops come home and are out of the military, I hope there are jobs for them. There aren’t jobs for anyone else- at least soldiers are employed.
White flight out of urban schools I think started with the need for more room, decent schools, and affordable housing. Krell and I moved to a small town (not a suburb) from a large, relatively liberal (for our state anyway) city. We couldn’t afford any of the houses in safe neighborhoods with decent schools. We wanted a yard with mature trees and a historic home, not some Levittown clone stamp house in a pasture, or a snooty house on a hill where all the trees have been bulldozed, but have the streets named after them.
It was important, given the total absence of family support, that I stay home with the children as long as possible (and here I still am!) Krell commutes to work, and it really is a big hit on the budget for gas. Thing is, he could work from home, but they insist he come in anyway. We work our butts off maintaining this house (a “fixer”), saving a piece of history rather than building new. Most importantly, in this small town, every single thing I could need is available withing walking distance (cops, city hall, 2 hospitals, 3 grocery stores, salons, vets, doctors- you name it). Except Walmart and Lowes, which are necessary evils.
That would be possible for many people- save a piece of history, fix up an old neighborhood-. But people can no longer fix a leaky faucet, let alone re-plumb or re-tile a bathroom. They would rather have two car payments, drive gas sucking SUV’s and live too far from anywhere to get there by walking. Krell’s commute of 30 miles is more than offset by my driving about 30 miles total in a week, if that.
We need to be more flexible with our thinking of work. Flex time- staggering when workers come and go, does a lot toward reducing traffic congestion. We need to be pay attention to history, and preserve it for the future. New isn’t always better, just more expensive.
That is right. Oh, by the way….never buy a 1896 Victorian house unless you….
Think that plumbing fulfills your spiritual needs somehow.
House wiring is the ideal Saturday Night fun thing.
Crawling under a 120 year old house is the best treasure hunt ever!
Planing floor beams is similar to “Wax on Wax off” Zen philosophy.
Have utter the phrase…”Let’s skip the steak restaurant and clubbing, we can spend the money on that new Lie-Nielson Wood Spoke Shave Plane”
I knew this was coming but thought they didn’t understand what they were doing…
Yes Oso, they understand, that is unfortunately the truth. They do understand and they are purposely doing this. We saw the first recent attempt at it during the Bush years. Each time they get in office, this is their “One trick pony” game plan, it always is the same thing. We can’t let it happen, we on the “internets” have to keep up the fight as we are doing now. Kudos to you Great Knight of the Round (Square MMA) Table. You fight bravely for Justice and the Common Good, using the pen than the sword. I stand with you Brave Knight, in your battle for Truth, Honor and the American way… (In Theaters soon)
Oso, I think you are correct Sir. Everything needs to be reexamined. The thing is, people want their cake and you know the rest of that. It’s obvious were on the wrong Path and have been since the 60s. We’ve become the world Cop. How easy we expend lives and treasure. That’s got to stop. Close bases around the world. Our nation has been built all wrong. Everything has been based on the Car. We travel to go to work, get bread and bus our kids to school. Sometime if you like we can discuss schools. We’ve built Malls which killed towns and cities. So easy to jump in your car and go. That’s all going to come to an end whether we like it or not. We have to have Mass transit. (Forget Buses). Trains and a long forgotten mode trolley cars are needed. People need to come home to the cities. This next one will have people saying, are you crazy, we can’t do that..Ahh yes we can! Take over Energy in every form. That’s right Government take over. That’s the only way to get off the Carbon Tit. Also it will help insure our Military won’t be like Germany. Great tanks and missiles with no fuel. But they look good. These are some things from a book I too am writing. The thing that I’ve found, no matter what idea anyone comes up with, all people can say is that will never work. I retort, okay what’s your idea. Usually they have none, but all say we have to do something. So yes theirs money, and there could be more, money generated by energy,money redirected as where it’s spent and another huge savings from rethinking schools and how they are done.
Thanks for letting me go off a little…