Up Thine, Sire

This is classic. The bit I pasted below also reminds me of Hillary saying she was going to outlaw those bad guys in OPEC.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/02/12/pippin-the-original-obama/

FIELD MARSHALL:
Sire, it is my duty to inform you that the Infidel hun has attacked in the East. He has destroyed three villages, raped hundreds of women. Tortured and murdered thousands of your royal subjects.

PIPPIN:
Can he do that?

FIELD MARSHALL:
He has. But he will withdraw:on one condition.

PIPPIN:
Well, that’s very reasonable. I’m certainly willing to make any small concession. What’s the condition?

FIELD MARSHALL:
He demands your head on a pike staff.

like a junkie trying to "get well" by doing more and more heroin

Apost from a forum on Reason Online:

Warren | February 12, 2009, 9:44am | #

...

The FEDs role in getting us here was minimal. Indeed there's plenty of blame to go around. We got here because we tried (and we're getting in deeper because we're still trying) to run the economy on debt.

We've got too much debt. Our government is too deep in debt. Our corporations are carrying too much. And our households put to much on the plastic.

To get out of this, we need to pay down our debt. But that's just the opposite of what we're doing. We're like a junkie trying to "get well" by doing more and more heroin. That strategy leads to a very predictable outcome.

The case against socialized medicine

Came across this in YouTube. Amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJjhEr9tT0I&NR=1

LEND, Damn You!

Headline from the Wall Street Journal Online:

Bankers Tell Panel
They Are Lending

Bank executives including J.P. Morgan's Dimon, Bank of America's Lewis and Citigroup's Pandit told Congress they are lending despite economic headwinds.

Congress to Bankers: Don't worry that making bad loans when the world was awash in liquidity is the fire that so recently burned us. Just make some damned loans. If you screw up the taxpayers grandchildren will pay for it. Don't worry!

Tyrants and Despots

Wow. The internet has shown me that there are actually people out there with brains. So, then, how in the hell are we letting this all happen?!?

"Tyrants and despots can only come to power through the pretense of crisis."

More lucid arguments against rushing into a stimulus package that doesn't address the causes of our current mess:

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggraham/2009/02/10/the-seduction-of-insanity/

Amen, Brother!

Blame the government? Me? I know it comes as no surprise that I think the government is to blame for our current mess. While I will agree that is my knee-jerk reaction to many issues, I am glad to find others coming to the same conclusion with respect to our current economic downturn.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123414310280561945.html

Mr Taylor finds loose monetary policy at the root of the current mess--loose money drove the housing boom. It was made worse by policy decisions that date back to Clinton (force the banks to loan money to people that can't afford the house or the mortgage).

Monetary policy was too loose so what is the cure? Extra-loose monetary policy financed by borrowing on an unprecedented scale. In the end, I can only see inflation as a way for the government to cover the debt. That, or default. Time to buy Gold...

Lessons from Japan

I can attest that the Japanese have paved a huge amount of their country with un-used roads and bridges since their bubble burst in 1989. I had no idea it was $6 TRILLION worth. What is clear is that the spending helped keep the same party in power while it was going on AND it helped to centralize power to an un-heard of level.

Our Treasury secretary has already laid the groundwork for his boss' excuses later: spending was way too small and too spread out to be effective. "If only we had spent more, we would have turned things around."

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/131581.html