Here is another glaring example of the GOP's perverse economic policy. Have you been wondering, as I have, about their jobs strategy? Well, they've just announced it: fire 10% of the Federal workforce.
This will undoubtedly give private employers a huge boost of confidence when 215,000 people--many of whom may be their customers and clients--suddenly lose their income.
Well done, Republicans! Well done!!
Criminal stupidity!
ReplyDeleteMike, I saw you last Friday on Fifth and 58 St, wanted to stop and say hi but was driving my boss at the time.
Come on, this is getting silly. This has to be purely political (they win if the economy does poorly and they get rid of things they don’t like in one step.) They can’t really believe this…can they?
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the more and more they say these things in concert the more I think they are believing it just because they keep saying it – i.e. they have become like a room full of pot smokers, saying stupid things over and over to each other that after a while make profound sense to those in the room.
RVM,
ReplyDeleteDamn! That would have been nice to meet you!!
Crake,
ReplyDeletePart of it is political, I think you are correct. Clearly, a lousy economy makes it harder for Obama to win no matter who the Republican candidate is.
However, I think the other part of it is almost religious. They have deeply held beliefs and they believe their way is the right way. They also believe that if everything goes to hell, so be it. It was "ordained."
A lot of Republicans simply despise the United States government with a passion, and will take advantage of whatever crisis they can to dismantle the public sector and everything that is left of the 20th century progressive legacy.
ReplyDeleteSome honestly believe that getting the government out of the way will create tons of public sector jobs. But many really don't care what happens to the economy in the short term. It's just an ideological crusade to destroy activist government.
It is ironic that tax cuts, wars and big social spending, like the Medicare Drug Benefit were popular Republican themes during times of prosperity.
ReplyDeleteBeing on the eve of retirement, Baby Boomers are going to go nuts (and eat up this austerity food) if the stock market dives again. Then more austerity and more and more feeding the path down.
ReplyDeleteAnyone familiar with the Fourth Turning book? Is this America’s due 80-100 year crisis that the authors hypothesize plays out in all societies over and over again?
Crake,
ReplyDeleteYes, Neil Howe. I have read 4th turning and have heard Howe interviewed. Tom here is also read into this...
Tom has opined (to paraphrase) that this thing probably gets resolved by a next generation of young people. This perhaps is prescient as you can see that the policies that the current generation in power comes up with (like Mike has written about in this post) are absolutely unintelligent. And if not moronic, then depraved.
We need for young people to start to figure this out.
Resp,
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThat is how the 4th turning would possibly play out - rebirth of a new society with the Baby Boomer's children rebuilding it. But to get there would mean at the minimum, we go through hell ( a crisis) for the next 10 to 15 years and at worst, the crisis leads to a despotic government take over and the rebirth would be another hell.
If you take a surreal look at what is happening, it is scary.
The 4th turning certainly explains the extreme partisanship we see at this time. According to Howe, it will take a crisis to bring us back together as a nation. The previous crises being the Revolution, the Civil War and WWII. Once the last generation that remembers the previous crisis is gone, a new crisis will emerge.
ReplyDeleteSome foresee a clash of civilizations coming between Western nations and China and Sunni Islam(Pakistan).
"It is ironic that tax cuts, wars and big social spending, like the Medicare Drug Benefit were popular Republican themes during times of prosperity."
ReplyDeleteAll of those were the cause of prosperity, not the effect. Its astonishing that the GOP was blind (and is blind) to the political benefits of dealing forthrightly with the trade deficit (averaged $700 billion a year during Bush's second term) and income inequality.
Hell, Bush could have killed two birds with one stone by zeroing out the trade deficit with a general tariff and used the revenue to zero out payroll taxes; he'd have had the poll numbers to start 2 or 3 more wars. :o)
Fire 10% and always declare something broken or just break it
ReplyDelete"Big government is only allowed if the president is Republican"
Work like the 4th Turning and Batra's books on historical economics attempt to delineate trends. Trends are not predictive but they are suggestive of the way thing are developing along familiar lines. I think that works like these are useful in gaining understanding of how things may unfold, but I don't think that they are crystal balls either, nor are they scientific predictions. Moreover, they only sketch outlines and the details are unclear, as well as who the major players will turn out to be.
ReplyDeleteThe most significant point in my view is that the US and world seems to be at a turning point now, on the verge of a new order of things. There are great struggles going on and who the victors will be is very murky, as well as the time frame.
Chewitup, I agree that the natural ally of Pakistan is China and the natural ally of India is the US. That may yet play out, and I see that recently Pakistan made a move in this direction. But this is somewhat in the future. The flashpoint now is Iran.
If that included the entire Congress, it might actually help ... despite the broken logic overall.
ReplyDelete