… one day it would end, and not nearly enough of the government actually did shut down.
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The two things I HATED about the US government “shutdown” was…October 16th, 2013 |
 23 comments to The two things I HATED about the US government “shutdown” was… |
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The BBC was letting it be said that if the debt limit were not raised, there would be economic catastrophe, as the USD would no longer be safe, US DoT bonds would be worthless etc.
No one asked how it can be economic to lend money to a government that spends it and when it might have to pay it back, simply ups its overdraft.
One day that question will be answered, and we all know how.
Yup. I await (not hopefully) the Republican presidential candidate who says “My administration will carefully consider the past accuracy and evenhandedness of a media organization before granting it White House press credentials.”
PFP Didn’t Bush Jnr. let all those ‘Major League Assholes’ all have credentials?
Why not simply say nothing, not give the media anything to talk about.
Perry, you sound like you’re just back from a vacation in outer space:-O There was no shutdown. All the Federal Agencies with any real power continued operating, while at the few national parks, monuments and such where there was a “shutdown”, federal employees were actually busy making the visitors as miserable as possible, as instructed from above.
I refer the honourable gentlewoman to the second of my stated points.
Mr Ed:
I don’t think there’s any easy answer to the mainstream media problem, for non-progressives. Anything that directly affects the MSM’s ability to operate as they see fit will cause them to close ranks, even over their disputes with each other, and treat you as the enemy. As much as possible, politicians with a message that differs from the progressive status quo have to bypass the MSM and communicate directly with voters. But even that — perhaps that more than anything — will be regarded as affecting their ability to operate as they see fit.
this time 17% of fed gov’t. next time 34%;)
though we did get 90% of epa shut down.
No no no Perry, you are not getting away with this: not nearly enough of the government actually did shut down is not nearly the same as no part of government that actually matters was shut down. BTW, I’ve been looking for that link where a federal gov. worker testified to the effect of having been instructed to make the “customers'” lives as miserable as possible, but to no avail so far.
Found it:
Mr. Ed, there is no excuse for being so naive! Do you seriously believe that a politician CAN resist the urge to speak when a microphone is present? They get into power by being available to the media, and they can’t get out of that habit!
Q. How can you tell when a politician is lying?
A. His lips are moving!
The U.S. Gubbmint receives $2.45 trillion in revenue divide that 365 that can meet their borrowing commitments.
The whole thing was an elaborate media event with little or no connection to any fiscal or economic reality.
SWMBO is generally disinterested in politics, which is one of the many reasons I love her dearly, but when watching the news or checking something on line, would become stutteringly indignant about this or that rhetoric regarding the supposed shutdown, and then would be mystified when I just laughed and said not to worry so much, it’s all just political theater anyway.
The quickest way to become misinformed is to pay attention to either politicians or the media about any subject. Reality rarely intersects with either one.
Nick,
Might be:
Q. How can you tell a politician’s lips are moving?
A. Because he’s lying.
Cheers
There was no hope once the politicians and media were fully on board with the “default” meme. There was never any possibility of a debt default. The government has plenty of money to cover debt service, which requires less than 10% of average monthly tax revenues. It could also have rolled over any bonds which came due. The only thing it could not have done was issue new debt in excess of the limit. True default was never a risk (not that it would have been the end of the world, anyway; the US has defaulted before). But when even the Wall Street Journal adopted that language (their article today about the congressional deal on “reopening” the government and increasing the debt ceiling began with “A potentially crippling U.S. debt default was averted late Wednesday . . .” there was no hope left. We all knew that the Republicans would cave. They always do. But they were not able to extract a single concession from Obama and Reid. Truly pitiful.
Coincidentally, this afternoon I attended a speech given by Robert Guest, US editor for The Economist magazine. Before launching into what was actually a rather interesting talk he treated us to a diatribe about the pending “default”, comparing the Congress to a bunch of petulant teenagers (OK, that’s actually not too far off the mark). Nothing he said was correct. Quelle surprise.
Obama and the Democrats lied about default. The Republicans spent zero effort trying to point out it was a lie and the media too made no attempt to point out it was a lie. There is more then enough tax revenue coming in every month to pay the interest on the debt and the constitution mandates it. There could not be a default unless Obama choose to not pay the interest even though the law required it. The Republicans should have stuck it out but I’m not suprised they gave up.
Nick, indeed, a joke about Harold Wilson in particular that one.
We need anti-politicians who care naught for their media profile. It’s the Krikkit War problem, they care, we (the People) don’t, they win.
Meanwhile, the SCOTUS may have doubts that a US Federal Court is the proper forum for suing a German Company for complicity in Argentina’s Dirty War by going after a California subsidiary for matters that weren’t even on the same contintent and in another subsidiary.
A small chink of light?
BBC covered itself in glory as usual. Most obvious case of bias I’ve seen in a long while, although still not as bad as the Katrina coverage.
The Speaker of the House and the Republican Minority Leader of the Senate faced a choice.
Go over the waterfall – or not go over the waterfall.
I would have gone over the waterfall – told Jamie Dimon, and Claud B and the rest of Wall Street to go Hell.
And told the media to go to Hell.
And told Barack Obama to go to Hell – let him try and introduce “Emergency Measures” if he dared, and met him on the field of battle.
Victory or death. Real death – real blood (not Radio talk).
But it is EASY for me.
I have nothing to lose, no home, no family, no future.
To expect someone like the Speaker of the House to do what I would have done is not realistic.
Which is why the whole thing was doomed from the start.
Short of taking Senator Reid out back and taking a tire iron to him there’s not much the House leadership can do to compel him to take up legislation he (or his leash holder) doesn’t want taken up. And as salutary as that vision might be it’s just not cricket, more’s the pity.
Hey, how about taking a cricket bat to him… Mebbe an autographed Brian Lara…
As they say in W. Texas: Damnstraight (vigorous approbation and agreement, repeated stomping of cowboy boots).