Paul Krugman. Can We Talk?

Op-Ed Columnist Paul Krugman asks,

"So, can we talk about the Paul Ryan phenomenon?

(The Gullible Center, NYT, Published: April 8, 2012)

He seems to have a problem with Senator Paul Ryan, describing him like this ...

"He’s a garden-variety modern G.O.P. extremist, an Ayn Rand devotee who believes that the answer to all problems is to cut taxes on the rich and slash benefits for the poor and middle class."

Extremist?

This is pretty good for conversations around the kool aid trough, but people with common sense know better.

Let's say that a common sense definition of "extreme", in reference to politicians and politics, by an example. Can we say that if you propose a budget and even your own party will not vote for it is "extreme"?

The president's 2011 budget proposal received 0 (zero) votes from Senate Democrats or Republicans. Here

The president's 2012 budget proposal received 0 (zero) votes from Senate Democrats or Republicans. Here

On the other hand, if you are supported 40% of the US Senate and most of the US House of Representatives, may be you are not so extreme. Paul Ryan's budget received 40 yeas out of 97 in the US Senate (Here) and picked up 235 votes in the US House (Here).

It was a party line vote in the Senate, and 4 Republicans voted against it in the House, but still, it received a lot more support than 0 and that doesn't Look so extreme to me.

Mr. Krugman illustrates the intellectual irresponsibility of the left in America today.

Nancy Pelosi: Worse Than Insider Trading

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is now pushing legislation that would directly benefit her stock portfolio, Heritage.org reports (‘NAT GAS’ Energy Subsidies Would Enrich Pelosi, Lachlan Markay,
December 14, 2011 at 12:09 pm)

With the Orwellian name "New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions" or NAT-GAS (H.R. 13), it is another taxpayer funded income redistribution effort aimed, as usual, at Democratic Party supporters with deep pockets and failed ideological efforts, IMO.

Figures. Between, congress's legal insider trading, high profile Senate multimillionaires (John Kerry, John Edwards [disgraced Kerry vice-presidential pick], to name a few), Sen. Chris Dodd's sweetheart deals with Countrywide, Rep. Barney Frank's Mortgage meltdown, President Obama's handing off billions of taxpayer dollars to corporate losers, and a history of reprehensible behavior, the so-called party of the blue collar working family boldly proves they are not. I just gave to wonder when the blue collars are going to wake up to this un-American conduct.

The Democratic Party's Recession

Just a thought, but it just occurred to me that liberals, progressives and Democrats always blame business for screwing over the "working stiff", who they claim to protect and care about. But if you think about, the US Congress, state legislatures and local governments always, always make a grab for your earnings in the form of taxes, fees and penalties. And they never ever find any reason to cut into their own pay.

Lately, they have not only blamed capitalism, but are quick to point out that the current recession started under the previous administration. I believe it is important to add two unchangeable facts to the conversation.

1. The US President cannot appropriate a single dime from anyone, any business or anywhere, without the US Congress first passing a law to appropriate those funds. The president can only veto the legislation if he has been advised to oppose it.

2. The country's, and the world's economy was doing just fine until 2007, when the Democrats took control of the US Congress.

The democrats are still in control of the presidency and the US Senate.

June 2011, the recession continues*.

The Republicans in control of the US House of Representatives cannot make any legislation into law without the cooperation of the US Senate and the president.

We can blame zero percent of this recession and its continuation to Republicans, although they are partially complicit in setting up the playing field for an economic meltdown.

Come November 2012 we will have an opportunity reduce the influence of the US Congress' and this president's failure to understand what they are doing by putting Republicans in control.

* The government's definition of an official recession is not the definition any unemployed person who lost their home and/or life's savings would use. Much like the way the politicians calculate inflation, it is designed to minimize blame on those politicians make and enforce (or not) those laws.

How To Repair the USA, Part One

This a small installment on moving the country towards its original intent, i.e., a government that serves the people and not the other way around.

First though, I received a humorous email with a story that may or may not be true or accurate, but it made sense to me and is chock full of head nodding truths that might apply to the US Congress and the government as a whole.

The truth is spelled out in the monkey experiment, where 5 monkeys are in a tall cage with a ladder and bananas at the top. As each monkey attempts to climb up to reach the bananas he is hosed down. After a while none try as they have learned something. Each monkey is then replaced, one at a time, and the "experienced" monkeys prevent the new member from climbing. After a while, when all monkeys are replaced with monkeys that were never sprayed, they still prevent any from climbing even though they do not know why.

That is what Group think does.

Such is congress. Group think overrules everything. Trickling in a few new new representatives only continues the political mindset. Replace them all at once and the paradigm will change.

Of course, congresspersons do not start that way. The appearance is that once an idealistic and selfless new congressperson has been among the veterans, they learn the rules of the road. These rules include poll watching, reading legacy media opinion pages, grasping any fault and applying it to the opposition, espousing their service while responsibly (their word) spending other people's earning and justifying it all in name of the common good.

We have an opportunity to replace every Representative every two years and every senator over an 18 year period. So the Senate would be a big glitch in any repair model.

Of course, replacing them all is probably over the top and even though they are politicians, they are probably able reason better than monkeys, although we have little proof of this.