A couple weeks ago I told you about how Michelle Bachmann and Joe Walsh were conspiring to make my head explode. They were doing this by suggesting that Obama is being dishonest when he suggests that if the debt ceiling is not raised, then the US government will default on its debt. While this could be conceived of as minimally true, it's just damn annoying since nobody really cares whether it's "technically" default when the US government no longer has enough money to pay all of its bills, so long as we continue to pay interest on treasury bills. *yawn* It's like the incessant debate a year ago about whether we were still in a recession or not. "Technically" you need to get over your damn selves and do your damn jobs.
Anyway, today I was listening to NPR (I know, news flash) and they were talking about the debt ceiling talks (again... shocking, I know). As I understand it, there are currently two main plans to raise the debt ceiling. The Republican plan raises the debt ceiling in a way that requires us to have this debate again in a few months (in 2012). The Democratic plan raises the debt ceiling in a way that requires us to have this debate again in a few more months (in 2013).
Now the Democrats are not fans of the Republican plan. (I know. You just fell off of your chair at that shocking news. You back up now? OK, good.) But the Democrats are sticking to their talking points of, "the Republicans are going to bring us to the brink of default with these tactics." Blah blah blah. Listen up guys, you can't say the Republicans are going to cause us to default when they have a plan that would allow the debt ceiling to be raised. That doesn't even make any sense. And even the most checked-out Americans can look at that statement and think, "Huh?" (Yes, that's about all most Americans probably have to say about this whole debt ceiling business, so you should just be aware of that.)
Democrats, you've gotta' up your game. You've gotta' be able to think on your feet. You've got to be able to counter when they parry. (Yeah, I have no idea if that analogy makes any sense. I took like three weeks of fencing in high school PhysEd.) When the GOP was all, "no tax increases," you were right on message. You say you're willing to compromise on entitlements, but the GOP is being stubborn. But when the GOP presents a plan that actually would raise the debt ceiling, you've gotta' respond to that. Say that it's crazy to have this discussion again in six months. Say that Americans want Congress to solve this problem now. (We do, by the way.) Say that nothing's going to change between now and then and that everybody needs to put on their big boy pants and make some tough decisions now. Say, "we can't kick this can down the road." (Republicans love that saying. You should so be using it against them.)
Whatever! Just say something that doesn't make it sound like you don't know what to do now that the GOP has a plan that flies in the face of your current talking points. The GOP is much better at the spin game and you know it. So stay on your toes. Anticipate their next move. And then lunge! (See that? Another fencing reference. It's like I know the exact social references that resonate with the American people.) At least give it a shot. Because "they're gonna' make us default".... not gonna fly.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Getting to Know You: All About Me
So today I finally created an About Me page for this little ol' blog. Mostly I just wanted y'all to know that I have an email address. But an About Me page with nothing but an email address is a little lame, so I went ahead and added some other random "things." You can click on the About Me link up there at the top of the page now and see it, but since the Internet is all about minimizing the number of clicks it takes to get you the info you want, I'm just gonna' put it right here for you to see right now. You're welcome.
My About Me Page
(feedback welcome)
My About Me Page
(feedback welcome)
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Saturday, July 23, 2011
This Week in Tweets: Thoughts Aren't Dangerous
My personal ten favorite tweets from this past week.
This week in tweets made possible by: @Lord_Voldemort7 @dadarocks @TheNextMartha @TheeeSickestKid @tulipandthelma @domesticaffairs @suitcasetricks @andrewhibbard @CarriBrown @JohnFugelsang
Now go... follow the funny.
(FollowtheFunny is a Twitter list of the tweeps that have recently appeared on my This Week in Tweets.)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Unemployment Before and After Obama
A few days ago, a facebook friend of mine posted the following fact as part of his status: "2008 Unemployment = 7.3%; Today = 9.2%. Increase of 26%."
This kind of thing makes me a little crazy. Because while this "fact" might be a real, honest-to-goodness fact, it doesn't begin to tell the whole picture. In fact, it intentionally tells only part of the story. Do we really not remember where we were when Obama took office?
So being the crazy kind of person that I am, immediately went to Google to get some additional "facts". I only needed one site: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where they have a lovely little table of the unemployment rates going back to Jan 2001. Perfect. Now looking at the straight numbers, you would see a chart like this:
I threw in a little line there so that you could see where Obama took office. But from this graph, you can only get a general sense that things were already going bad when Obama's presidency began. Let me show you the numbers in a slightly different way so that you can truly remember the cliff we were flying off of in January 2009.
OK, so I might need to explain this one just a bit. What it shows is how much higher the unemployment rate is in any given month compared to the same month a year earlier. So, for example, when President Obama took office in January 2009, unemployment was 7.8%. A year earlier in January 2008, unemployment had been only 5%. So in the year before he took office, the unemployment rate had increased 56%. In fact, in the months leading up to the beginning of the Obama presidency, unemployment numbers weren't just going up, they were going up faster and faster each month. Finally, in May 2009, five months after Obama took office and four months after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the numbers finally started slowing. They were still going up, absolutely, but for the first time, the rate of increase was dropping. Over the months following, the overall unemployment numbers continued to climb, but each month they climbed more slowly that the previous month until finally, in August 2010, we saw a year over year drop in the rate of unemployment.
Now, do these numbers tell only part of the story? Sure they do. Did Obama single handedly rescue the economy from certain devastation? Of course not. But this is definitely a fuller picture than those who want to tell you a tale of how Obama has driven the economy off a cliff. Take a look at that picture folks and try and remember back. Back then we were talking about a second great depression. Today, we're wondering why the recovery isn't happening as fast as we'd like it to.
This kind of thing makes me a little crazy. Because while this "fact" might be a real, honest-to-goodness fact, it doesn't begin to tell the whole picture. In fact, it intentionally tells only part of the story. Do we really not remember where we were when Obama took office?
So being the crazy kind of person that I am, immediately went to Google to get some additional "facts". I only needed one site: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where they have a lovely little table of the unemployment rates going back to Jan 2001. Perfect. Now looking at the straight numbers, you would see a chart like this:
I threw in a little line there so that you could see where Obama took office. But from this graph, you can only get a general sense that things were already going bad when Obama's presidency began. Let me show you the numbers in a slightly different way so that you can truly remember the cliff we were flying off of in January 2009.
OK, so I might need to explain this one just a bit. What it shows is how much higher the unemployment rate is in any given month compared to the same month a year earlier. So, for example, when President Obama took office in January 2009, unemployment was 7.8%. A year earlier in January 2008, unemployment had been only 5%. So in the year before he took office, the unemployment rate had increased 56%. In fact, in the months leading up to the beginning of the Obama presidency, unemployment numbers weren't just going up, they were going up faster and faster each month. Finally, in May 2009, five months after Obama took office and four months after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the numbers finally started slowing. They were still going up, absolutely, but for the first time, the rate of increase was dropping. Over the months following, the overall unemployment numbers continued to climb, but each month they climbed more slowly that the previous month until finally, in August 2010, we saw a year over year drop in the rate of unemployment.
Now, do these numbers tell only part of the story? Sure they do. Did Obama single handedly rescue the economy from certain devastation? Of course not. But this is definitely a fuller picture than those who want to tell you a tale of how Obama has driven the economy off a cliff. Take a look at that picture folks and try and remember back. Back then we were talking about a second great depression. Today, we're wondering why the recovery isn't happening as fast as we'd like it to.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Snark Therapy: Socks and Sandals
So I posted a couple weeks back about my newly invented form of therapy that I have created for myself called Snark Therapy. Basically, I feel better when I get to bitch about stuff. Sometimes the target is stuff I love, sometimes it's stuff I think is nuts. You really never know. Just because I snark it, doesn't mean I don't still want it in my house. I've begun collecting my random bitching on my Pinterest Snark Board, but since many (most) of you probably aren't on Pinterest, I'm going to occasionally take some time here on my blog to share with you some of my favorites. Here you go.
Where the heck do I even start? How about just this: If you are decorating your bathroom and leave more floor space for a feathered gown than for your sink & mirror area, I really don't know what we'd talk about if we ever met.
Trust me on this: This will not look as cute in your house as it does in this picture. In your house, it is going to look like you're using old colanders as light shades. Also... it'll probably be pretty dark. (Colanders are not very translucent.)
WTF were you thinking? Were you just bored off your ass one day? And even then, who wants to turn their lips into a fox? This is just nuts. And oh how I wish there was a picture of this woman's whole face. Because that would be priceless.
Check me out. I'm leaning on a stuffed zebra. (A little part of me really wishes she was wearing that headdress, too, even though it totally does not really go with the shoes.)
This... is not a joke. This is a real product being sold by a real website that really sells shoes. Part of the description of this item includes, "Wearing socks and sandals used to be an absolute fashion faux pas; now, it's a chic statement!" WTF happened to truth in advertising? They should be legally obligated to say: "Some of you will want to buy these. We want you to buy them because we want your money. But you should know that you're going to look like a total douche. But who cares what the world thinks? Now you can wear socks and flip flops!"
Full disclosure, if any of the above items appeal to you, you can find links to their actual websites on my Pinterest Snark Board. Word of warning though: If you repin something from my Snark board, I'm probably going to check out the other things on that board, and I'll probably snark those. But take heart, if I do snark you, there's a 50/50 chance that I really, really love it.. :)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
This Week in Tweets: The Monster Won't Eat You
My personal ten favorite tweets from this past week.
This week in tweets made possible by: @MultitaskMumma @phxguy88 @Mama_Mash @MrsPickle_ @gonnakillhim @grace134 @mamachaplin @BorowitzReport @exlibris @RenegadeRuby
Now go... follow the funny.
(FollowtheFunny is a Twitter list of the tweeps that have recently appeared on my This Week in Tweets.)
This week in tweets made possible by: @MultitaskMumma @phxguy88 @Mama_Mash @MrsPickle_ @gonnakillhim @grace134 @mamachaplin @BorowitzReport @exlibris @RenegadeRuby
Now go... follow the funny.
(FollowtheFunny is a Twitter list of the tweeps that have recently appeared on my This Week in Tweets.)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bachmann Walsh Head Explosion
I listen to NPR. A lot. I go through phases while listening to NPR on my daily commute. There will be several days where I listen on the way to work, listen on the way home, listen at home, and all the while thinking, "Well, that's interesting" or "Hmm, I didn't know that." or even "Wow, that's really kinda' boring... next." And then I have days where I want to shake the holy hell out of the people whose voices are invading my car. Yesterday, that voice was Michelle Bachmann's when she said this:
Now I know what Ms. Bachmann means. What she means is that the U.S. government does take in enough money to allow it to pay the interest on our debt, meaning that we would not officially default on our debt. But in order to do that, the President would need to decide where the money coming in should go and would have to decide that it should go to pay interest on government bonds and not to any number of other places (you know, about 1.1 trillion other places). Sure we can probably pay the interest and some other important stuff. But we can't pay all of it. Which of the other entities that are owed money will not get it. Should soldiers still get paid? How about Social Security recipients? Federal prison guards? How about all the people who work in the federal courthouses? The CIA? Should we take a break from investigating terrorists while we sort out this whole "debt ceiling" business? How about TSA screeners at airports that we simply had to make government employees after 9/11? What about border guards and the INS? Can we stop worrying about undocumented immigrants for a few months?
The list obviously goes on and on. And clearly it's not all that easy for everyone to agree on which areas to not spend money on or we would have done it already. And usually in these cases, I just shake my head and realize that our nation's leaders know a whole lot better than they say on TV and on the radio. They know darn well that this is something that needs to get done. They know darn well that this isn't something that "the President is asking for," but that it's something that is required in order for the nation to keep on keeping on without serious impacts on our economy and the world's economy. But Michelle Bachmann is running for President of the United States of America and so I am going to take her at her word. That if she were sitting in the big chair, she would not raise the nation's debt ceiling because it's simply unnecessary. So it's not like there was any real likelihood that I would have been voting for Ms. Bachmann next November, but now... I actively want her out of the race. Like now.
And then on top of all that, today Joe Walsh said this:
Ugh! Joe, Michelle, do me a favor. First, go read my previous post on the debt ceiling: One American Family. It's a parable; maybe it'll help you understand why we need to do this. And then... and this one is important... please stop speaking. At least for a little while. You're really making my head hurt. Seriously, a homemaker in the 'burbs should not be able to punch holes in your reasoned arguments a mile and a half wide. Next time you try to take us all to Crazy Town, try and think it through a little better, OK?
This is a misnomer, that I believe that the president and treasury secretary have been trying to pass off on the American people and it's this, if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion that somehow the United States will go into default and we will lose the full faith and credit of the United States. That is simply not true.Um... really? Because I'm not an economist nor am I a member of Congress, but here's how I understand it: The U.S. government spends more money than it takes in. To do this, it must borrow money. But a while back, Congress set a limit (aka "debt ceiling") on the amount of money the U.S. government could borrow, so whenever we hit the limit, Congress has to raise the limit (again), which happens pretty regularly. We are about to hit that ceiling, meaning that the U.S. government cannot borrow any additional money. Which clearly means that the U.S. government will not be able to pay out on its obligations.
Now I know what Ms. Bachmann means. What she means is that the U.S. government does take in enough money to allow it to pay the interest on our debt, meaning that we would not officially default on our debt. But in order to do that, the President would need to decide where the money coming in should go and would have to decide that it should go to pay interest on government bonds and not to any number of other places (you know, about 1.1 trillion other places). Sure we can probably pay the interest and some other important stuff. But we can't pay all of it. Which of the other entities that are owed money will not get it. Should soldiers still get paid? How about Social Security recipients? Federal prison guards? How about all the people who work in the federal courthouses? The CIA? Should we take a break from investigating terrorists while we sort out this whole "debt ceiling" business? How about TSA screeners at airports that we simply had to make government employees after 9/11? What about border guards and the INS? Can we stop worrying about undocumented immigrants for a few months?
The list obviously goes on and on. And clearly it's not all that easy for everyone to agree on which areas to not spend money on or we would have done it already. And usually in these cases, I just shake my head and realize that our nation's leaders know a whole lot better than they say on TV and on the radio. They know darn well that this is something that needs to get done. They know darn well that this isn't something that "the President is asking for," but that it's something that is required in order for the nation to keep on keeping on without serious impacts on our economy and the world's economy. But Michelle Bachmann is running for President of the United States of America and so I am going to take her at her word. That if she were sitting in the big chair, she would not raise the nation's debt ceiling because it's simply unnecessary. So it's not like there was any real likelihood that I would have been voting for Ms. Bachmann next November, but now... I actively want her out of the race. Like now.
And then on top of all that, today Joe Walsh said this:
President Obama, quit lying. You know darn well that if August 2nd comes and goes there is plenty of money to pay off our debt and cover all social security obligations. And you also know that you and only you have the discretion to make those payments.
I know you have a willing media that protects everything you say and do, but have you no shame sir? In three short years you have bankrupted this country and destroyed job creation. You are either in over your head, don't understand what makes this country great, or are hell-bent in turning us into some European big government wasteland.
Come on President Obama - quit scaring the American people and quit talking about band aids and peas. Lead for a change - get members of your own party to support a Balanced Budget AmendmentReally, Joe? I won't even get into the job killing thing. I'll deal with that later. But again, you are splitting hairs. The U.S. government is about to run out of money to pay its bills. And you're basically suggesting that it's all fine because people who hold US treasuries will get their money. Guess what... somebody's not going to get their money, Joe. Money that WE, the American people, promised to pay them. WE promised to pay federal workers who go to work every day and are due paychecks. WE purchased services, equipment, and goods from businesses and other countries and now WE need to pay for those things. WE promised unemployed Americans that we would send them a check every week to help them get back on their feet and hopefully become hard-working, tax-paying citizens again very soon. Someone that WE promised to pay is not going to get paid, Joe, and I for one don't like the idea of you turning us into a country of deadbeat debtors.
Ugh! Joe, Michelle, do me a favor. First, go read my previous post on the debt ceiling: One American Family. It's a parable; maybe it'll help you understand why we need to do this. And then... and this one is important... please stop speaking. At least for a little while. You're really making my head hurt. Seriously, a homemaker in the 'burbs should not be able to punch holes in your reasoned arguments a mile and a half wide. Next time you try to take us all to Crazy Town, try and think it through a little better, OK?
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