Stupider than Shit ~~Fuck that shit with a rusty saw, baby~~

[seemslikeadream]

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/

Yeah, rude headline for some of you. You don't have any idea how rude yet. As what little remains of the United States circles the drain for perhaps the last time, you think we should be worried about being polite and civil? Fuck that shit with a rusty saw, baby.

You want to know why Democrats, liberals and progressives keep getting rolled like the easiest, stupidest mark in the world? First is the fact that they don't disagree about the basic goals of governance. Here, the relevant goal is the establishment of an unassailable, all-powerful corporatist-authoritarian state at home. (Scroll through the archives if you're interested in finding the numerous essays on that subject. I frankly don't have the patience or interest for holding anyone's hand at this point.) Second is the fact that:

THEY'RE STUPIDER THAN SHIT.

Fasten your bleeding eyes on this:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement today that Congress will take action this week, while adding that Democrats want more oversight of the proposed federal program. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama also said lawmakers must insist on more oversight.

Pelosi said that the administration's $700 billion proposal "does not include the necessary safeguards."

"Democrats believe a responsible solution should include independent oversight, protections for homeowners and constraints on excessive executive compensation."

"We will not simply hand over a $700 billion blank check to Wall Street and hope for a better outcome," she said.
Make sure you get the message. The Democrats will provide the check, it just won't be a blank check. The Democrats want "independent oversight." But the money will flow -- to insolvent financial institutions, precisely those institutions responsible for this debacle, and to buy up bad debts which will thus not be allowed to wash out of the system.

The Bush administration is not genuinely intelligent by any measure, but these criminals are shrewder than hell. Why do you think they made the initial proposal in the extreme form they did? Because they know that if they finally give the Democrats a few "safeguards," if they "attach a few strings," and perhaps if they allow for "independent oversight," the Democrats will give them the momentous bailout they want -- all to be paid for by American taxpayers for the next hundred years (assuming the U.S. survives in any recognizable form, which becomes more doubtful by the hour). The Democrats have already announced to the world that is exactly what they'll do.

The Democrats, liberals and progressives fall right into the trap, as they do every single fucking time.

[gateley]

1. Well I for one am encouraged that the Dems are insisting on safeguards --

I thought they'd just hand over that 'blank check' because we're in such a dire situation.

I understand your point, but I'm not sure if there's any option on the table in which the taxpayer isn't going to get nailed with the bill. IF that's what's going to happen, I'm much more comfortable with oversight and safeguards, than without any.

[Eric J in MN]

2. I object to this sentence:

"The Democrats, liberals and progressives fall right into the trap, as they do every single fucking time."

It's Democrats in Congress who want to give Bush $700 billion.

Most liberals and progressives are against this.

The author shouldn't conflate Congressional Democrats with progressives and liberals.

[orwell]

3. If they are too big to fail...

...then they are too big.

The Dems are feeding at the same lobbyist/huckster money trough that the Cons are feeding at. They will all try to look like they are looking out for the taxpayers (shareholders of the US) but they are really setting up their own golden parachutes. Sound familiar? It should. The US is being run like a modern crony capitalist corporation, complete with unsustainable leverage, glossy marketing rollouts, overpaid CEO's, and de-politicized drone workers.

Eventually the whole house of cards will fold under its own weight. As John Keynes said, "In the long run, we're all dead."

[ieoeja]

4. So FDR was an idiot?

You realize this bailout is right out of the New Deal playbook, don't you?

Heard a Republican on This Week reply to the question, "isn't this socialism?" His reply was along the lines of, "it is necessary."

He implicitly confirmed that this is socialism, and that in this instance socialism really is the only solution. He also said he would not repeat the "words" used in a closed-door meeting with financial experts last week because words have consequences. But it was absolutely clear that the words were:

Economic Depression

Letting everything go belly-up is what the Rightists did in the 20s/30s. This Rightist admin recognizes the need to take a hard Left turn to stop it from happening.

Have you noticed how little of Bush we have seen in all of this? I expect he disagrees with his own administration on this, but has finally been informed that, "no, you are NOT the decider; we are," by the powers that be then given a drink or ten and sent to his room.

[Eric J in MN]

5. FDR signed The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933...

...which divided investment banks, savings banks, and insurance companies.

It was repealed by "Gramm-Leach-Bliley" in 1999.

The government can take action on the economy by restoring "Glass-Steagall."

The government doesn't have to act by buying bad products from investment banks, as Bush wants.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

6. After Reading That, The Only One That Appeared Stupider Than Shit Was The Author Of The Article.

What a moron.