The Blinders of Capitalism

[Donnachaidh]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/stephen-fleischman/34351/the-blinders-of-capitalism

Barack Obama - master of the cliche and the platitude - outdid himself in the State of the Union address (1-25-11) with a new one -"winning the future". By that he means we have to out-compete every other nation in every way.

At the same time, he's playing the Republican's game (a bit of triangulation) by proposing to reduce the deficit by a whopping $400 billion over 10 years. Everybody knows that's a euphemism for steep cuts in Social Security and Medicare, supposedly the sacred cows of the Democratic Party.

Instead of giving tax cuts to the upper two percent, as Obama has done in perpetuating the Bush tax cuts, he should have raised their taxes, as other presidents have done in similar situations, in one notable case up to 95%. (without mentioning a name which seems to be anathema to Obama)

The day after the State of the Union, Obama is off to Wisconsin, to visit some small plants to promote his jobs plan based on the concept that small business can solve the unemployment problem by putting on a few extra people, here and there. That's like getting a child to do a man's work. Cynics viewed the trip as the opening shot in the election campaign for a second term in 2012.

More at the link --

[Starry Messenger]

1. k&r

[gratuitous]

2. Just admit you don't grok the 12th level vulcan chess game

And hand over your social security benefits. You weren't going to need them, anyway. The prospect of Paris Hilton having to pay an extra three cents for each dollar over $250,000 she earns each year should make you dissolve into grateful tears to live in a country that has such solicitude for the wealthy. You'll be amazed at how this is all going to work out. Amazed, I say!