Are we having fun yet?

Control Congress is a multi-partisan, issue-oriented political forum that brings together the Left, Right, and everyone in between.

Are we having fun yet?

By Jack E. Lohman

(A follow-up to John Konop’s comments)

To those who support the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, I just have to ask: How are you liking it so far?

Let’s look at what we got in the deal:

· With a massive tax cut in a time of war, Bush converted a $300 billion budget surplus into an overnight $600 billion deficit, and it’s been downhill ever since.

· Our nation sits on the brink of a recession — potentially worse than 1929 – all thanks to arrogant politicians and a corrupt political system.

· Our national debt — now $9 trillion and growing – is owed to the Chinese, Japanese and Arabs. Not to American investors.

· Billions of US dollars leave our country every day for Asian and Arab nations, all thanks to flawed trade agreements and politicians on the take.

· Payrolls have dropped by 13,000 workers and unemployment has risen to over 5%. Jobs are leaving the US in droves.

· The average credit card holder has $9,000 in debt, yet they still get unsolicited cards in the mail. Not to worry, the US Government has every man, woman and child another $40,000 in debt.

· Gas is at $3 a gallon and growing, and politicians turn a blind eye to the OPEC conspiracy as we now convert our food to energy.

· The Big Three are making more cars in Canada than in Detroit because of that country’s health care advantage. Michigan is trashed in the process, 7% unemployment, and conservatives are tickled pink with our “free market.”

· Food prices are rising because we are using corn for ethanol, though we should only use the less-safe imported corn for fuel.

· The home mortgage “bait and switch” continues, as the CEO of Countrywide Mortgages — which lost 25% in stock value — walks away with a $100 million severance package. The taxpayers will bail out the industry rather than compelling them to reset their rates to the original. It pays to give.

· The war is bad enough, but now we are paying the privatized mercenaries 10 times what we pay our own troops. Private companies can give campaign money and the US Army can’t, don’cha know?

· Illegal immigration is out of control, all to satisfy a corporate thirst for low cost labor, and campaign contributions have blocked enforcement against hiring illegal aliens.

· The political paybacks, like the $780 billion taxpayer giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry, was a clear attempt to drown Medicare with excessive expenses. A very clever two-fer.

Are we having fun yet?

If not, add a failed foreign policy, failed energy policy, failed environmental policy, failed health care policy, failed Social Security policy, failed education policy, and even a failed farm policy in spite of the billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.

No, it’s not all Bush’s fault, but it is the fault of the moneyed political system that began long before his arrival. He just picked it up and ran with it. Like a champ! And he’ll benefit personally from his tax breaks when he leaves office.

Why are we doing all this? People are now better off getting paid in Euros rather than dollars, and our dollar is now equal to Canada’s — a first in decades. Are we waiting for it to reach the Peso or for China to completely own our country before we do something?

Our corrupt political system will be the undoing of the United States. And amazingly, we keep re-electing our politicians so they can give us more of the same.

It simply doesn’t matter what your issue, follow the money and you’ll find a politician with his hand out and a special interest that is seeking taxpayer funded favors.

We need one major change and the rest of our policies will fall into place. No, not more tax breaks, which seems to be Bush’s answer for both up and down economies.

Get political money out of the electoral system and politicians will start voting for their country rather than their pocketbook.

Full public funding of campaigns would cost just $10 per taxpayer per year at the federal level, and it’d save us each $3000 per year in government giveaways.

Only then will we see a sensible health care policy, our budgets balanced, our taxes go down and our economy stabilized.

Are you listening, Democrats?

160 Responses to “Are we having fun yet?”

Jan Paul says:

January 20, 2008 at 8:20 pm

The estimate reserves of the Prudhoe Field was 10 billion barrels and it has produced for 30 years and while in decline, is still an important supply. The current “known” or “publicized” North Slope is 20 billion or so which would be 60 years at current rates.

Now, again, with gulf, coastal, oil shales, imports from Canada which is ramping up oil sands (not shale which has a different bond for oil) and imports from the declining fields in Mexico, alternate fuels, etc. we can, even in Lindsay is wrong supply our nation for probably 100 years if we create the incentives for development. During that time, we can develop the oil shales and new technology that it will take to increase production.

There is also over a trillion barrels in the Orinco belt that has about 250-300 billion recoverable but, with new technology maybe more can be found.

Of course there is the rush by Russia and others for the oil underneath the polar cap. Brazil just found a “huge” new field that everybody is bragging on as part of the “salvation” we need and yet it is only about what the known reserves in the North Slope are.

Remember, Wall st., our government and others can’t afford to have the price of oil drop too much if we are to keep borrowing money from OPEC.

David O'Rear says:

January 20, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Mr Lohman,

You forgot to mention that the tax cut for the rich was at a time of an unnecessary war of aggression against another sovereign nation. Kind of helps to put things in perspective.

You seem to think that greedy homeowners have nothing to do with the current economic situation.

You have this odd notion that which foreign investors buy US T-bills makes some kind of difference. After all, you didn’t mention the Brits (#1 on the list). Oh, and foreign ownership kind of presupposes that it isn’t, you know, American.

Amid all your concern about recession, isn’t the drop in employment sort of, you know, like, part of the terrain? I mean, point to a recession with job growth, will you?

Gas $3 a gallon? Wow! Who would of thought you’d put some good news in there as well (where I live, its $7/gal, like most of the rest of the world).

This one really gets me; I just have to repeat it in full: Food prices are rising because we are using corn for ethanol, though we should only use the less-safe imported corn for fuel..
—Oh my. Do you really think the rise in corn prices is due to a few tons being converted to ethanol at some experimental research station?

One more: The taxpayers will bail out the industry rather than compelling them to reset their rates to the original..
—Ah, a socialist at heart. When stupid investors makes stupid decisions, take over the business decision making (i.e., compelling them to reset their rates) to benefit the stupid investors. Such a clown!

Illegal immigrants . . . all those baby sitters, home care givers and gardeners sure to “satisfy a corporate thirst for low cost labor,” don’t they?

Keep up the great attempts at humor!

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
If not, add a failed foreign policy, failed energy policy, failed environmental policy, failed health care policy, failed Social Security policy, failed education policy, and even a failed farm policy in spite of the billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.

What have you got against the GOPer policy platform?

I mean, aside from its obvious failure.

No, it’s not all Bush’s fault, . . .

50% right. The other half is the fault of the GOPers.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Are you listening, Democrats?

Hey, we’re the ones who have been shouting “TRAITORS” the loudest! Glad to finally have you on board, sir!

Jan Paul says:

January 20, 2008 at 8:51 pm

Capt. Menace, I forgot to add that you may be 100% correct. I am not saying that Alaska’s North slope has 200 years of oil. Lindsay is saying that.

I am only saying that we can’t afford low priced oil due to the dollar depending on it for demand for the dollar and the higher the price the more demand until the price gets so high that nations around the globe that buy oil start seeing economic slumps like we are.

I believe they would like to keep it in the $90 range and hope that doesn’t cause a problem with the other nations as much as it is with us and our huge demand for fuel.

For other nations that don’t have the cars we do or fuel consumption we do, it may not be hitting them as hard, especially if they are more dependent on mass transit.

We are just in a mess and don’t know how to get out of it.

Jack Lohman says:

January 20, 2008 at 9:17 pm

David, you apparently missed the point of the article. It was pointed at a multitue of societal problems with their origins directed at our corrupt political system. Yes I could have doubled its length and included some of your gripes.

An yes, some of the homeowners stupidly bit off more than they could chew, but by and large the problem was a very clever bait-and-switch that omitted disclosure by unscrupulous brokers. Now instead of resetting the rates to the original, which would be appropriate, lawmakers are poised to bail out the industry wrongdoers.