And We Wonder

Liberal economist Robert Reich is all over the internet these days explaining that our economic problems would end if banks extended more credit to Americans of modest means.  There’s the path to prosperity – take on more debt.  

And Congress has recently moved to legalize internet gambling in order to generate government revenue.  Debt and gambling – this plan gets better.    

A liberal friend sent me a link to a piece that advocated mandatory unionization of all working Americans.  Debt, gambling, and unions – because it worked so well in Detroit.     

President Obama finally got into the debt ceiling negotiations this week, demanding $600 billion in new taxes.  Debt, gambling, unions, and taxes – that’ll put the “gee” in GDP!   

And he proposed a standard for fuel efficiency that no car can meet.  Debt, gambling, unions, taxes, and no driving – look out, China!  We’re back!  

The President also announced some convoluted public/private partnership with 11 of our largest corporations.  Here’s how it works: we give them billions to invent things we don’t want and they take it. Debt, gambling, unions, taxes, no driving, and malinvestment – heart, heart, smiley, winkey, LOL, whatever that stuff means.

What else…oh, yeah, he wants to get rid of ATMs.  Debt, gambling, unions, taxes, no driving, malinvestment, and no cash.   I’m thinking Nobel Prize #2.

Treasury Secretary Geithner said we must shrink the private sector in order to grow the public sector.  Debt, gambling, unions, taxes, no driving, malinvestment, no cash, and more government.  Take that, Arthur Laffer! 

And finally, ex-czar Van Jones is back in the news, announcing the country is not broke because you still have some money; he is forming his own Tea Party to take it from you.  So there’s the whole plan – debt, gambling, unions, taxes, no driving, malinvestments, no cash, and communism. 

And we wonder why our economy is in the ditch. 

These are the same guys who tell us we need to increase the debt ceiling.  They want us to co-sign for a few trillion of new loans so can keep spending money they don’t have on things we don’t need.  And their plan to pay it back?  Debt, gambling, unions, taxes, no driving, malinvestments, no cash, and more government.   

Not only does this insanity make sense to liberal economists, but they warn that if we don’t let them borrow more money, there will be bad consequences.  Really? Worse than the collapse of the dollar and interest rates with a comma in them?  Here’s a consequence, Mr. Bernanke: everything you have tried has failed; go lay by your dish.     

Van Jones is half-right.  The nation is not broke; it is our government that is broke.  Not because we don’t give them enough money; we will give them $2.6 trillion this year.  It is because the twitterin’ wieners on Capitol Hill spend $1.4 trillion more than that.  If we gave them $10 trillion they would spend $15 trillion – and it would still be still be your fault that kids can’t read.  Because you are a greedy racist, that’s why.   

There is no reason to pass another debt ceiling authorization; we already have one.  And if the one we have doesn’t mean anything, then why bother with another one?

On second thought, Van Jones is right – the federal government is not broke, it owns almost $6 trillion of land.  Put it on E-bay, with no reserve.  Can’t bear to part with it?  My son didn’t want to sell his Mustang dragster either, but he had bills to pay. Man up, Geithner. 

If the IRS can force Green Bay Packer legend Fuzzy Thurston to sell his Super Bowl ring to pay his debts, we can sure as hell force President Obama to sell off a few million acres to cover his golfing and Michelle’s trips to Africa and the lunacy that is the Obama EPA. 

So what will you give up, Mr. President – trees or tree-huggers?  You’re pro-choice, so make one.  And leave our old Packers alone, you heartless Bear-loving Blagonad.
  

“Moment Of Clarity” is a weekly commentary by Libertarian writer and speaker Tim Nerenz, Ph.D.  Visit Tim’s website http://www.timnerenz.com to find your moment.