The Sin of McCain/Palin Faith-Based Economics

[ZeitGuy]

From my layman's perspective, the U.S. economy as it exists today--apart from being one that relies largely upon our nation standing on a constant war footing--requires a leap of faith. Most of us didn't realize just how prophetic the entirety of this definition was unless the the installation of the Bush Regime and the transformation of PNACs twisted manifesto into what neo-Con vampires refer to as the "Global War on Terror" and seven years later, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown of Wall Street.

The upshot is, it seems to me, that in addition to our economical reliance on the manufacture, sales and use of military ordnance (hence, ergo, thusly: lather, rinse, repeat), we rely upon millions of people--to wit: us American folk--paying hard-earned cash and racking up huge amounts of credit to buy stuff. This requires an inherent belief that we won't be backing our asses up against the wall if we buy into the American Dream: the house we've always wanted, a reliable car or two, the kids' education and the occasional dream vacation.

This means that it's someone's full-time job to convince us to spend money--and even money that we really don't have to spend and really should be saving instead. And when it becomes the role of our government in this exercise against reason, they accomplish this feat by telling us that there's no problem. Really. All is well. It's cool. Nothing to see here, folks...move along, keep walking keep spending.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

And American will buy it. Because that is what generations of consumer training and a disposable lifestyle and popular culture has taught us we must do. And as long as we think the economy is fine, we keep spending, and the economy is...sort of...fine...for a while.

Remember when Giggling Murderer of Midland stood atop a smoking pile of rubble and the corpses of our loved ones and told us all not to forget to hit the SuperMalls on the way back from giving blood? It was couched in terms of patriotism and civic duty, just so we wouldn't let our unimaginable shock and grief and horror detract from our Starbucks holiday experience.

The thing is, it's all a ruse--and it always was. But, now, we face a crisis that is miles wide and layers thick--a financial morass on a global scale--that can't be solved by a shopping binge. The hedge fund/mortgage scandal is deep and twisted. It is a world-wide Ponzi Scheme built on deregulation, by-laws shredding, and Wall Street wishful thinking, surrounded by a no-accountability zone, wrapped in greed and graft and tied with a ribbon of lies. Those who were in on the game preyed upon the rest who were simply trying to live their American lives.

So if you're a politician seeking new office or simply trying to stay in office, it's a smart choice, a wise strategy to pretend everything is fine; a) your constituents will believe the lie(at least for a time) and b) it keeps you in your job, and the party leaders off of your ass.

But when we have one cataclysmic disaster befall another, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight, and we remember those words which guided us blithely into this steaming pile of bullsh#t in the first place, then WHY? For the love of Jesus Cristo con Carne, and in the name of all that is holy, why would McCain take up this mantra as his own, when there was so much evidence to the contrary? Why would he tell us everything was fine and that "the economy is fundamentally strong," why would he allow Graham to coin it a "mental recession" when it was all falling down around our ears, and when he must have KNOWN he himself was lying?

The truth is, I am nowhere near to having the tiniest f#cking iota of a clue. I'd like to believe that it was out of sheer, unfathomable ignorance--as opposed to malicious, willfull deception--but, frankly, neither option inspires confidence.

However, what we do know is that today, in the absence of a real and cogent solution for guiding our nation out of this fiscal quagmire of his and his Boy Emperor's making, the his message to America and the world seems clear enough:

"Welcome to the Bush/Cheney/McCain/Palin faith-based economy. If you have a problem with it, your problem is that you didn’t believe it it hard enough to make it work."

John McCain has committed a mortal sin, in my book.

And I want it to cost him, as the Dickster would say, Big Time.

[LifestyleDesignerNet]

1. our economy belongs to one corporation: The Federal Reserve Bank

You're right in that our economy has become entirely based on citizens spending money they don't have. Money our government has to pay interest on to make available to us.

What blows my mind is every time the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank stands up next to our President (whomever he may be at the time), and suggests policies to improve our country's economic outlook.

The Federal Reserve Bank, being a private corporation, is like having the president or chairman of ANY private corporation (WalMart or Target perhaps), giving the president economic policy suggestions, where they are the primary beneficiary.

It makes absolutely no sense.

Our entire government is in need of a serious overhaul to reduce spending to turn this around. Here we are bailing out bankers with dollars our country does not have to loan. If they want to do this bail out, I feel it should come from the existing budget.

Second, we need to bring our currency back under governmental printing and control. It should never have been given to a private corporation in the first place. If the government were to do this, the dollar would immediately become a stronger currency.

The American people are just doing what the government has been teaching: spend money you don't have.

It's the American way.