Well, folks, it's time once again for our Crisis Of The Month Club, this month
featuring a slab of lame kabuki theater called "The Fiscal Cliff", yet another
round of cheap drama to provide cover for the Democrats' and GOP's collusion
on the dismantling of Social Security and Medicare. And, of course, you know
what this means, everybody -- time to PANIC! GO ON, PANIC! FREAK OUT! CRAP
YOUR DRAWERS! SCREAM AND CRY! RUN AROUND LIKE HEADLESS CHICKENS! OH
GOD WE'RE GOING OVER THE CLIFF! AAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH!
Sigghhh... oh for Christ's sake, get a goddamn' grip, you stupid rubes. It's
not a cliff; hell, it's not even an outcropping. Fiscal Cliff? Fiscal Rut, more
like. Here, check out this
article from the Institute for Public Accuracy, get your facts straight,
and calm the hell down already:
“Once again, it’s all about politics, not about the stuff that actually
matters — a reality that becomes more obvious with the next two obstacles.
There’s a bundle of expiring provisions in the tax code — known esoterically
as ‘tax extenders’ and the Alternative Minimum Tax ‘patch’ — that benefit
corporations and upper-middle class Americans, respectively. Congress will
likely extend these expiring provisions without much discussion, just as they’ve
done in the past.
“Next obstacle: health care. The Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — includes
a handful of new taxes that will go live in 2013... These taxes will likely
go into effect right on schedule, but they’re so small they’ll have next to
no discernible impact on the economy..."
Instutute for Public Accuracy: "It's
Not A Cliff", November 13, 2012
Now, then... now that you drama queens have gotten your heart rates back down
to normal, here's
something you really need to get wound up about:
“We all knew the election was a minor diversion because no matter who
won, the first order of business would be to gut the social safety net. The
‘fiscal cliff’ was always part of the plot line, to stiffen the will of Democrats
to reverse the progressive stance it had taken since the time of Roosevelt.
Pete Peterson’s billions bought both parties and now it’s payback time. Don’t
be duped by the dopes in Washington — there is no deficit and debt crisis
now or looming in the distant future. The electorate must hold the feet of
politicians to the fire: keep your darned hands off my Social Security and
Medicare...!”
“The president’s own proposed budget cuts of $4 trillion over ten years
average out to $400 billion a year. In other words, the Obama Cliff is almost
as large as the fiscal cliff that everyone dreads. Whatever the precise mix
of tax increases and spending cuts, $4 trillion is too big a cliff..."
Institute for Public Accuracy, "'Cliff'
Part of Ploy to Target Social Security and Medicare", November 14, 2012
Now, there's something to get all freaked out about. That ought to
be something to get your blood boiling and your lazy asses off the sofa and
into the streets -- a real honest-to-god crisis, not some cheesy good cop-bad
cop routine with a bunch of politicians on TV hollering "wolf!" and mouthing
beat-assed clichés like "kicking the can down the road".
11x14 inch medium-res
color .jpg image, 612kb.
Though actually quite grim and cringe as hell, I found this news sickeningly funny somehow, in ways reminiscent of the big-ups drum beating Sept 2005 BLS jobs report the month after Hurricane Katrina. Y’think Microsoft was hoping Mickey D’s would pick up some of that layoff headcount?
